This article is written in response to widespread concerns about the inadequacy of the school curriculum in England, and the urgent need to rethink what public education should involve. It builds on earlier contributions in FORUM and elsewhere by discussing curricular opportunities arising from Labour's proposal for a National Education Service.…

Many early childhood practitioners in the U.S. are experiencing tension between their desire to offer students developmentally appropriate learning experiences and their obligation to teach the academic knowledge and skills mandated by their states. However, careful examination of the DAP guidelines' definition of culturally appropriate practice…

Demographic change in industrial countries will influence educational spending in potentially two ways. On the one hand, the decline in the number of school-age children should alleviate the financial pressure. On the other hand, the theoretical/empirical literature has established that the concomitantly increasing proportion of elderly in the…

Describes the process of adding a computer program to a preschool curriculum for four-year-old children. Discussed are goals, hardware and software, the teacher's role, activities, problems, and future plans. (BB)

Maintains that many early childhood educators are apt to practice nice thinking rather critical thinking when, in fact, the latter would clear their heads and inform practice. This position is supported by examples of teachers' uses of such terms as "home-school cooperation,""planning," and "curriculum." (BB)

Presents an account of the project approach used by American first graders to study Japan. (BB)

Reviews a study of preschool children's movement responses to music in a natural learning setting. Describes ways in which the findings of the study can be used for the development of a music curriculum that provides a developmentally and individually appropriate program. (BB)

Discusses the use of time and space in primary classrooms, referring to what is known about how young children learn best. Discusses four steps to organizing the classroom. (BB)

In June 1990, the state of Kentucky passed its innovative Education Reform Act, which totally restructured the finance, governance, and curriculum of its public schools. One of the major provisions of the act was the mandate for Kentucky's primary schools to change from the traditional placement of children of the same age in kindergarten, first,…