The aim of this paper is to induce doubt about the ethical rightness of compulsory education laws and inspire educators to imagine and begin to make a world in which there are many different forms of gifted education. The paper does this in three ways. It paints a polemical picture of gifted education as a minor variation on public schooling and…

Purpose: This paper seeks to describe the Swedish compulsory school system and explore a hypothesis about the relationship between structure, culture and leadership as preconditions for successful principalship. Design/methodology/approach: On the basis of earlier research, argues that a principal's success depends on how he or she alters school…

This paper provides an overview of the development of English in Myanmar. It begins by tracing the changing role and status of English and Myanmar from the colonial period, which has had an impact on the current education structure. The paper outlines the structure of the education system and the recent reforms that reflect the rising importance…

In this article, the author highlights a range of issues in the relationship of Surrey Gypsies and compulsory schooling in the first three decades of the 20th century. The author focuses on the period before the First World War when there was considerable debate between the Board of Education, Surrey Education Committee and the Home Office…

Though religion continues to enjoy a global significance for humankind, any justification of the compulsory status of religious education must be made on the basis of reason rather than public consensus. We live in a pluralistic world in which contrasting world views, grounded in radically conflicting ontological assumptions, vie for our…

In the study of compulsory education for transient children, Beijing Xingzhi School for the Children of Transient Workers is a good example. There is no question that this is the most well-known school to date for transient children in China, and it has to a certain extent become a symbol of this social issue. The initial reports regarding this…

The assessment and placement of children with dyslexia at appropriate schools has been regulated in the UK by a series of laws since 1944. Recent public policy developments such as the introduction of new duties and rights, and the development of law regarding educational negligence have sharpened the public policy debate on the effectiveness of…

An important function of public policies is to distribute public resources rationally. But for a long time, our public policies have been so "city-oriented" that public resources are allocated unfairly and majority of high-quality education resources are concentrated in cities. This has already led to a serious unbalanced development in…

Italy's 1948 Constitution of the Republic reformed lower secondary education, making schooling compulsory for all citizens. This guide highlights the complex nature of the secondary education system in Italy. It provides information primarily about the upper secondary level of education, which consists of 3, 4, or 5 years of courses following the…

This publication describes the education and initial vocational training systems for young people in the Member States of the European Community. The section for each country represents the particularities of the individual nation. In each case, the first chapter deals with the responsibilities for and administration of the education system. The…

Virtually every country in Europe discovered in the late 1970s that a section of its population had serious difficulties in using written language. Examined from an historical angle, this phenomenon can be seen as part of a complicated set of factors. Urban France can be said to have been fully literate by the late eighteenth century, especially…

State compulsory attendance statutes require parents and legal guardians to see that children are educated. Although courts have consistently upheld such statutes, the nature of these filings has changed. Whereas early-day legal action usually sought to protect the rights of some select group from constitutional infringement, more recent suits…

The challenge for state boards of education is meeting their obligations to ensure a quality education for all children while considering parents' right to educate their children. The controversy over home instruction can be reduced to a discussion about compelling state interest. This document provides state board members with concise factual…

This paper reviews the history of the placement of mentally retarded students during the first half of this century. In 1900, it was generally assumed that custodial care of feebleminded persons was necessary to protect society. Severely retarded students were regularly excluded from public school attendance. Soon school officials began adopting…

Chinese children must attend school until age 16, and education consists of elementary schools for ages 6-13 and lower middle schools for ages 13-16. While the economic planning of the national government in Beijing (China) dictates what will be emphasized, the school curriculum includes instruction in ideology, Chinese language, calligraphy, fine…