The academic achievement of students in Nigeria, Sweden, Canada, and other countries demonstrates that students will work hard and achieve at high levels if they know what is expected and if serious consequences are attached to achievement. External curriculum-based examinations have great potential for educational improvement in the United…

Reflects the experience of teachers who attended a course on managing change. They used their new knowledge to introduce change in their own teaching or their own departments. Successful change implementation requires agreement on the change target(s), starting with a small, manageable target, and monitoring of the resulting change. (one…

Discusses a comparative study of elementary school teachers in England and France that preceded the implementation of the National Curriculum in English schools. Reports differences in teaching methods, classroom organization, and teacher student relationships between the two countries. Concludes that greater focus on professional autonomy by…

Presents conflicting views of New Zealand's schooling from teachers' perspectives and examines some of the reforms and reflections of New Zealand's educators. Discusses some of the implications for U.S. schooling. (BB)

This article comments on recommendations for physical education in the British National Curriculum as they pertain to children with special educational needs. It considers arguments for physical education; motor development of the child; principles of physical education for this population (entitlement, access, integration, integrity); teaching…

Elementary school art history lessons may be aided by the use of everyday games and playthings, such as jigsaw puzzles, board games, card games, puppets, and dolls, that have been altered to include an art history overlay. Such activities should help children better understand art and encourage them to talk about art. Specific examples of such…

This paper notes conflicts among England's education laws and discusses philosophical and practical weaknesses of the National Curriculum for serving students with special needs. European practices are described, and it is concluded that establishing central control can actually discourage curriculum differentiation and encourage the exclusion…

Ways in which student assessment in the arts and humanities might be conducted in primary (elementary) schools in the United Kingdom are suggested. Characteristics of instruction in the arts and humanities that impede conventional assessment and recordkeeping are discussed. Assessments concerning students' skills, concepts, and aesthetic responses…

Discusses British ideology, accountability, and teacher education improvement. Recent proposals for restructuring of teacher education do not acknowledge existing changes resulting from government initiatives and internal course reform following National Curriculum requirements. The paper recommends stressing course quality and content as…

Results of interviews with 13 British teachers of children with speech and/or language difficulties are summarized to illustrate teacher views on the National Curriculum, including appreciation of the oral emphasis; too broad definitions for speaking and listening; and concerns about assessment of children's attainments, which too often reflects…

Reviews four books which address (1) preschool teacher student interactions as analyzed through case studies of preschool teachers; (2) ways for teachers to evaluate schools' attempts to meet requirements of equal opportunity, especially across gender; (3) issues related to the education of children in the early years; and (4) international…

The British Undersecretary of State for Education and Science and the parent of a school-age son with cerebral palsy looks at implications of the new National Curriculum for children with special needs including individual statements declaring individualized applications, the foreign language requirement, flexibility for pupils with dyslexia,…

Discussion of the collaborative use of computers in the classroom highlights the National Curriculum in the United Kingdom. Literature is reviewed which tends to support the generalization that the use of computers in groups leads to positive educational gains, and teacher attitudes are explored. (45 references) (LRW)

Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act mandates increased centralization (through a national curriculum and testing program) and greater managerial decentralization and competition between schools. This article discusses the role of the central government Department of Education and Science in requiring local education authorities to implement local…

Briefly reviews presentations from the Invitational Conference on Curriculum (Washington, DC, June 10, 1993), on "Hidden Consequences of a National Curriculum." None of the five presenters saw a national curriculum as the solution to the nation's educational problems. Also addressed is the need for programs acknowledging perspectives of…