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…

Reviews economics teaching methods in England in light of curriculum reform there. Explains economics' cross-curricular status in England's national curriculum. Stresses students' experiential learning in simulations, interview projects, and a minienterprise approach in which students produce and market goods. Describes one elementary school's…

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 paper reports on findings from a 1990-93 PACE (Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience) study concerning the impact of the United Kingdom's Education Reform Act on teachers' professional perspectives and responses to change. Data are drawn from interviews with a national sample of 88 teachers and more intensive classroom study…

Discusses the linkage of quality with accountability in professional development programs in Australia, with specific reference to the effect on second-language teachers. The article notes that, since the introduction of the Statements and Profiles, the Australian government has stressed the need for cooperation between the various sectors…

Reviews the value of topic work with regard to the British National Curriculum guidelines on curriculum planning. After years of concentrating on issues of content in planning, consideration of basic aims and values in education is again urged. Topic work allows teachers to teach in depth areas of personal expertise and interest in a local…

Maintains that, from very different points on the ideological spectrum, citizenship and citizenship education have been added to the political agenda. Argues that political theory, distinct from descriptive civics, is more relevant to the political development of citizens. (CFR)

Asserts that the pedagogical approach proposed by Friedrich Froebel in the 1930s can be found in the Art National Curriculum in England. Describes the Art National Curriculum and links it to Froebel's integrated and sequenced approach to curriculum development and instruction. (CFR)

Maintains that the Jewish Holocaust is now part of the history curriculum for 11- to 14-year-old students in England and Wales. Argues that teachers need to know how children in this age group perceive culture and identity. Reports on a study of 72 students and discusses the policy implications of the findings. (CFR)

Because of increased demands for curriculum expertise and constricted funding, many small rural elementary schools in the United Kingdom have created consortia, allowing groups of schools to share resources and facilities and cooperatively plan for meeting educational standards. Describes cluster development and concludes that loss of school…

The personal aspect of knowledge--the everyday concepts--is located in the life setting of a person. These personal concepts are the foundation for the child's appropriation of subject matter concepts that qualify the child's personal concept so they can function as theoretical concepts. However, subject matter concepts are not universal, they are…

"Engaging Young Australians with Asia" is a national policy statement which supports "The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century." These goals promote understanding of the value of cultural and linguistic diversity, and possessing the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute…

Within the past decade, the British government imposed a national curriculum, embraced open enrollment, and shifted decision-making authority away from the district offices to the schools themselves. This report describes England's scheme of local management and gauges its impact on various aspects of the education service. It also examines…