Highlights characteristics of arts education in Norway, especially with regard to music education. Discusses arts education policy issues such as School Reform 97, the aesthetic dimension, and the idea of the core curriculum. Observes how these different policy issues affected arts education and music/dance education in particular. (CMK)

The use of ability grouping is frequently justified on the grounds that it is an effective means of raising attainment. Little large-scale quantitative research has been undertaken since the introduction of the National Curriculum in England and Wales. The aim of this article is to examine the effects of setting on students' achievement in…

This paper uses A-Level Information System data to compare academic performance in two subjects often viewed as relatively close substitutes for one another at A-level. The important role of GCSE achievement is confirmed for both subjects. There is evidence of strong gender effects and variation in outcomes across Examination Boards. A…

This study examined U.S. and Chinese teachers' constructing, knowing, and evaluating representations to teach mathematics. All Chinese lesson plans are very similar, because they are all based on the Chinese national unified curriculum in mathematics. However, the U.S. lesson plans are extremely varied, even for those teachers from the same…

In England an inclusive language and educational policy is implemented which intends to give bilingual/EAL (English as an additional language) students access to a national curriculum studied by all students. Bilingual/EAL children are placed in English mainstream secondary school classrooms where their language and learning needs are to be met by…

This paper reports a study of the use of non-standard English in the formal speech of 15-year-olds of both genders and of varying attainment levels. The pupils were drawn from two schools on Tyneside which take pupils from catchment areas of markedly different socioeconomic status. Differences were found in the incidence of non-standard lexis and…

Using standardized tests and surveys of eighth graders in China and the United States, this study explores the relationships among family income, parenting, home environment, and mathematics achievement. Focusing on Chinese only children and American children with no more than one sibling, the study found that the mathematics achievement of…

In this article the impact of technology education, as a new learning area (subject) in the curriculum, on in-service teacher education in South Africa is described in order to ascertain the extent of the impact. The research on which this article is based draws on a variety of experiences and observations in the field at grassroots level (in…

This article reports on findings from a research study that set out to identify factors that enable children considered to be able by their teachers to extend and develop their literacy. The data substantiated much that is already known about the significance of preschool home influences on the emergence of literacy. It underlined the importance…

This paper explores the educational background to the rise of interest in "British Studies." The document examines some tensions between arguments for a nationally-based curriculum area and for teaching as an emancipatory activity, considering such issues in the light of recent approaches to research on the curriculum. Finally, the paper considers…

In the 1980s Standard Grade curricula replaced Ordinary Grade curricula as the main academic course of study in the last 2 years of compulsory schooling (S3 and S4) in Scotland. This brief report examines the impact of the Standard Grade reform, focusing on changes in inequality of attainment for students from different social origins. It is based…

This paper presents findings of a study that explored the governance and administration of elementary and secondary schools in Bavaria, in the Federal Republic of Germany. The sample included 12 Bavarian schools--3 each of the following 4 types of schools--elementary (Grundschulen) and secondary (Gymnasien, Realschulen, and Hauptschulen). Data…

This history course has been designed by the Schools History Project for the national curriculum in England. It covers three study units for the revised curriculum, including: (1) the Roman Empire as a study of an era or turning point in European history before 1914; (2) Medieval Realms as a statutory unit; and (3) Islamic Civilizations as a study…

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…

Examines the sociolinguistic and structuralist traditions of English teaching in Great Britain. Suggests a curriculum systhesizing elements from these two traditions and a progressive/arts tradition. (ARH)