Examines employment possibilities and upper-secondary schools via the situation in Milan (i.e., occupational demand, secondary schools' efficiency, 'short cycle' and 'long cycle,' reentry, work experience, and rigidity of schools). (AH)

Discusses rapid growth of underground educational movements, particularly of unapproved home schooling and fundamentalist Christian schools. Reviews existing state regulation of private education, its constitutional and policy implications, and offers alternative recommendations concerning compulsory attendance laws. An appendix lists basic…

In 1978, the Amherst School Department rejected Peter and Susan Perchemlides' proposal for educating their eight-year-old son at home and cited them in court for failing to send the child to school. The author describes this controversy and reviews previous court cases on compulsory schooling. (SJL)

Analyzes establishment of compulsory moral and civic instruction in France at the turn of the century using the recently developed research techniques of social history. Maintains that the application of social history techniques will provide new insights into historical and educational research. Includes an extensive bibliography of primary and…

Delineates key features of four European projects designed to consider the effects of assessment on student motivation and academic achievement. Focuses on the experiences and needs of less successful students and how assessment may contribute to poor performance. Highlights concerns for changes in education that will promote high-risk student…

In the UK, there is a marked gender gap in the educational attainment of boys and girls. At the end of compulsory education, 10 per cent fewer boys achieve 5 or more good GCSEs. This gap is by no means confined to GCSE. It is evident at all Key Stages. Furthermore, some indicators suggest that the gap has widened over time. In this paper, we…

Since 1985, a group of scholars has formed the School Expansion Workshop to examine empirical evidence for causal theories of school expansion. This book contains a collection of articles that are the result of the workshop's annual meetings. Specifically, the book asks, What forces are driving the spread of mass schooling? The preface, by Bruce…

The current textbook series used in the compulsory cycle's English instruction has been the subject of much criticism, including the suggestions that it is too structurally oriented, contains little interesting or motivating material, has little functional or communicative content, is not Jordanianized but has only a surface Jordanian element, is…

The nationwide phenomenon of home instruction is meeting resistance from state compulsory school attendance laws, resulting in many court cases in recent years. Parents who choose to teach their children at home may do so on moral or religious grounds, or because they consider public schools too conservative or traditional. State compulsory…

Based on the alleged growth in the number of families seeking unapproved alternative schooling arrangements, this paper reviews related state legislation and court litigation. Both home schooling and small, unapproved private schools are discussed. According to the paper, in virtually every state, enforcement of minimum standards for private…

Outlines a model of educational change in state school systems. Argues that the enactment of compulsory attendance marks the formal beginning of a state system and that then the newly-formed institution begins to undergo self-generating change. (KH)

This report focuses on the compulsory education reforms introduced throughout the European Union from 1984-1994. Compulsory education that stage of education established formally by a government for the education of all children and young people, usually institutionalized on a full- or part-time basis, and compulsory for a certain number of years.…

The formulation of effective compulsory attendance laws has been one of the problems confronting legislators and school officials for the past 70 years. The most marked advance in enacting such laws has been made since 1890. Prior to that date only 27 States and the District of Columbia had compulsory laws, and many of these were inoperative. Now…

Discusses five major issues important to future educational policymaking: goals, results, and accountability; financing; maintaining teacher morale and competence; relating to adult working life; and equality of opportunity. (DC)

The dominant position science education has been granted in Britain's National Curriculum is challenged. It is argued that, far from increasing the need to know science, developments in technology actually reduce the need. It is suggested that efforts to direct school science education toward broader environmental issues are doomed to failure. (KR)