This paper reports the development of attitudes to science and science teaching scales for primary teachers. The investigation is part of a project intended to improve pupil achievement in science in 16 English city schools. The baseline performance of the attitude scales is reported with 76 teachers, half of whom formed a control group. The…

The main aim of the Organisational Committee of the international scientific colloquium Mathematics and Children is to encourage additional scientific research in the field of mathematics teaching in Croatia. The development of science and education is a part of a long-term Education Sector Development Plan 2005-2010. Following the example of…

This report on education standards considers national educational reform, New Hampshire initiatives, and implications of education standards for students with special needs. Included is information on national curriculum standards projects for mathematics, art, history, civics and government, geography, English and foreign languages, economics,…

A program for national educational evaluation was established in Sweden in 1989. In 1992, a second data collection was carried out. The program is designed to serve national and local purposes of evaluation. One concept that has been emphasized strongly is an "explorative way of working." Evaluating an explorative way of working is a…

A study examined the practical issues involved in providing continuity/progression for students who had undertaken General National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQs) and National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) programs at key stage 4 of the British National Curriculum, and who were moving on to further study in post-16 colleges. Data were…

The National Education Standards and Improvement Council (NESIC) was established in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act. One of NESIC's duties is to identify areas in which specific educational standards ought to be developed. Several complex issues arise in carrying out this duty, such as: the need for standards in such non-content areas as…

This book advances a program for national educational reform by arguing that the nation already has a national curriculum by default, which is based on advance placement examinations, textbook publishers, and college admissions requirements that must be replaced by national goals that preserve local control through national coordination of…

The first of two follow-up studies, involving 53 infant teachers in England and Wales, was conducted to monitor changes in the workloads of teachers as the national curriculum and assessment were brought in following ministerial promises to reduce the burdens imposed on teachers by the implementation of the national curriculum. Data were collected…

This document contains the latest guidelines for developing nationally endorsed training packages for use in Australia's system of vocational education and training (VET). Discussed in section A are the following aspects of the context in which the training packages emerged: development of the National Training Framework and associated new…

Chinese researchers investigated how mathematics teachers in two elementary schools in northeast China adapted the national curriculum. One school was in a very poor, mountainous area, and the other school was in a very large city. Both used the national curriculum and the same set of teaching materials. Researchers used ethnographic methods to…

Explores British and American policy analysts' disparate perceptions about utility of major educational reforms (school-based management, school choice, and national standards). The Tories got carried away with their ideological agenda and have alienated teachers and the public. American educators are debating centralization/decentralization, but…

Reviews the evidence on how the concept of opportunities to learn can be applied to the demand for more challenging content for all students. Concludes that students learn more if they are offered more demanding curricula. However, such curricula creates the probability of unacceptable rates of failure. (MJP)

Reports on a study of the impact of nursery school/preschool education on primary school readiness and achievement of 1,800 English and Welsh children. Finds significant positive effects in reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Discusses the effects of nursery school versus playgroup experience and the role of socioeconomic status. (CFR)

Through a combination of workshops and distance education, rural Australian middle-school teachers learned outcome-based programming, teaching, and assessment designed to improve outcomes of students experiencing educational disadvantage related to rural isolation, poverty, or aboriginality. Workplace learning, supported by in-school collegial…

Gives a brief historical background of education in England and describes the effects of the Education Reform Act of 1988 to undermine the powers of local education authorities. Cites open enrollment, local management of schools, grant-maintained schools and city technology schools, teacher performance appraisals, and the national curriculum as…