During the past 100 years, there has been an evolution in publicly funded education in England. This report provides a historical perspective for recent reforms and spotlights three related areas. The first section describes the early 19th-century Newcastle Commission's efforts to design a system of sound and cheap elementary education for everyone. The interest and activity generated in the late 19th century carried over to the 20th century, culminating in the Reform Act of 1944, which provided free secondary education for all students. The act also provided grammar schools for the less able and technical schools for those with manual skills. For many years, the "eleven plus" examination separated children at age 11 into grammar schools for the bright and secondary modern schools for the rest, who tended to leave as soon as they were legally able. The 1988 Education Reform Act mandates a national elementary and secondary school core curriculum of 10 subjects featuring certain attainment targets. Allied to this curriculum are six cross-curricular education themes: education for mutual understanding; cultural heritage; health education; information technology; economic awareness; and career education. The reform act also mandates formal assessment and reporting of progress at ages 7, 11, 14, and 16. The reform act emphasizes local control, open enrollment, and changes in tertiary education. Contemporary literature reflects both mild praise and harsh criticism of Britain's recent educational reforms. (26 references) (MLH)