This article examines the curious position of the Academy model in the English school system and how a potential Hereford Steiner Waldorf Academy might figure in this. It sketches the background to the Steiner movement in the UK and goes on to set out the key aspirations and concerns of Steiner educators regarding an Academy. The article provides…

This article uses events in May 1985 surrounding the de-selection of the Conservative chair of the Wiltshire Education Committee and her role in the campaign for comprehensive education in Salisbury, England, to pose questions about the representation of women who championed causes deemed to be progressive and to raise issues about how gender…

In 1964-65 a teacher at London's Kidbrooke School gave a speech that appeared critical of the Labour government's nascent comprehensivization policy. A "Times" editorial based on her comments influenced the tone and content of the crucial parliamentary debate of January 1965, which continues to have implications for the organization of…

The author reviews the last five decades in the evolution of comprehensive education in England. (Editor/SJL)

Explains a comprehensive curriculum as a means to introduce youngsters to a wide extent of knowledge and experience. Discusses problems regarding vocational education: (1) it must become integrated with rest of curriculum; (2) it must avoid being only a means of tracking students, and (3) it must direct students' attention to whole question of…

British secondary schools moved from a system of extensive and early selection and tracking in secondary schools to one with comprehensive schools during the 1960s and 70s. Before the reform, students would take an exam at age eleven, which determined whether they would attend an academically oriented grammar school or a lower level secondary…

This article highlights findings of a comprehensive plan for the Danish educational system to the year 1990. Two main categories are discussed: the framework and structure of the school system; and the curriculum, teaching methods, and other aspects of the "inner life" of schools and other educational institutions. (KC)

Conant's "The American High School Today" (1959) conveyed his confidence in consolidation of smaller schools into comprehensive high schools. The book sparked criticism. Conant's personal papers reveal that his breezy optimism hid doubts, frustrations, and uncertainties. The contradiction in his views foreshadows the turbulent 1960s. (PB)

Reviews educational changes in Sweden since the 1962 Education Act, which expanded educational opportunities through introduction of comprehensive schools. Discusses the effects of Swedish reforms on educational policy debates in Great Britain and West Germany and on comparative education research in Europe and the United States. Contains 32…

Two views of the introduction of comprehensive secondary education into England and Wales are examined: that it is an episode connected directly to postwar building of the welfare state, and destined to fail; and represents a fundamental and permanent shift in the perception of what secondary education should attempt. (MSE)

A description of how public colleges and universities became important to American higher education is presented by tracing their origins, development, and evolving missions. In the past three decades, the people of the United States have created the comprehensive public state college and university by the conversion of over 200 existing…

A discussion of the status of the comprehensive secondary school in Germany looks at its history within the overall educational system, curriculum design, the relatively traditional approach taken by West Germany in comparison to other European countries, and the chances for comprehensive schools in a united Germany. (MSE)

Presents five beliefs related to the small schools versus large schools debate: Differences matter more than similarities, a large building offers more opportunities, larger schools attract better teachers and administrators, small schools reflect provincial values, and what matters most is class size. Discusses two implications for advocates of…

The Comprehensive School Project, the benchmark in the steady trend toward diversification of the Thailand secondary school curriculum, is the focus of this paper. In the first part three stages of educational development are examined and discussed, followed by education in the present period, the 1960 national scheme of education, and the…

After 20 years of experience, comprehensive education in Belgium is characterized by many compromises. Pedagogically, positive results have been achieved. Curricular and structural reforms have been largely successful. However, too much is being expected of it as a lever for social change, and the system may fail as a result. (MSE)