Japanese, Germans, and Britons value the study of foreign languages, art, and music and favor long school years, state-supported preschool activities, and homework. Examining other nations' curricula is a valuable exercise that helps U.S. educators question the cultural values embedded in their own education system. (10 references) (MLH)

A widespread perception about falling standards prompted Margaret Thatcher's government to pass 1988 legislation mandating a national curriculum and accompanying testing system. The worst-case scenario feared by many British teachers is coming to pass: a test-driven curriculum without significant attention to teachers' assessments of student…

In Great Britain, recent declarations of the Department of Education and Science and the National Curriculum Council have suggested that the National Curriculum will banish continuity difficulties for students transferring from primary to secondary schooling. The National Curriculum, however, does not address the main issue--lack of communication…

Questions some new orthodoxies of British elementary education: fitness for purpose, planning based on subject order requirements, and differentiation (learning described by hierarchical levels). Teachers cannot implement National Curriculum goals without substantive professional development and deeper subject area knowledge. A fruitful change…

Uses findings of a national longitudinal study to examine the changing role of secondary principals in England and Wales. Explains the United Kingdom's education system, outlines the principal's role within the context of unprecedented educational change, and discusses strategies for coping with changes and balancing roles as educators and…

The 5-14 Development Programme was a major reform encompassing the whole of the curriculum, assessment, national testing and reporting for students aged 5 to 14 years in Scotland. Between 1989 and 1993 national guidelines were developed for five curricular areas--English language, mathematics, environmental studies, expressive arts, and…

Describes restructuring in a Western Australian school district. Provides background information and summarizes findings of a case study exploring what primary teachers thought about the restructuring of their work. The 60 teachers interviewed generally thought the restructuring process negatively influenced their curriculum work. Teachers felt…

Compares the "standard English" that has been employed in the formation of the English National Curriculum with the way Norwegian has found its place in the "Monsterplan" ("monster" meaning pattern or guideline in Norwegian). Notes that Norway (which itself has been dominated by other cultures and languages for…

Introduction of national curriculum in 1988 has required British elementary teachers to teach and assess range of subjects with little specialist assistance and virtually no planning time during the school day. Compared to one New Hampshire school, English schools lack assistance for special needs students and have less extensive parental…

The Australian government's reform policy treats education as a mechanism for economic development. To achieve national goals, the government is stressing skills education, private-sector involvement in skills education, increased participation in education, increased school retention rates, improvement in overall education quality, and…

Analyzes some policy-practice lessons learned from Britain's Technical and Vocational Education Initiative as its influence diminishes. Considers how TVEI affected the culture of teaching, learning, and curriculum in unintentional ways. Although TVEI's social effects have been limited, the program's legacy is evident; education policy that fails…

Britain's 1988 Education Reform Act mandates increased centralization (through a national curriculum and testing program) and greater managerial decentralization and competition between schools. This article discusses the role of the central government Department of Education and Science in requiring local education authorities to implement local…