Reports on five National Endowment for the Humanities seminars held in Texas to exchange ideas concerning a law mandating a core curriculum in the state's college and university system. Questions centered on the ramifications for the curriculum, selection of courses for revision, and the role of the humanities in such a curriculum. (KO)

Describes in detail the author's experiences in turning E. D. Hirsch Jr.'s book "Cultural Literacy" into a game for high school students. Outlines an assignment for which students research terms from Hirsch's list, put them in context, and justify their presence on the list. (RS)

The article looks at the degree to which special educational needs are addressed by the new British national curriculum initiatives for 14- to 19-year-olds. A survey of special needs coordinators in the Sheffield schools concluded that special education needs to be in the forefront of whole-school curricular change. (DB)

Discusses the debate surrounding multiculturalism and the expansion of the literary canon by examining Stanford University's decision not to require Plato's "Republic." Suggests that the criteria for the core curriculum should not be principally based on the extent to which a work contributes to the reduction of demeaning attitudes. (28…

A Wellesley College (Massachusetts) requirement that students take at least one course on a non-European culture is being reevaluated by faculty. Some feel the requirement is vague, and both conservatives and liberals express concern over emphasis on multiculturalism. (MSE)

Discusses the basic principles that shaped the development of Boston University's liberal arts core curriculum. Four areas are addressed: history, tradition, greatness, and relevance. Final comments examine the core experience for teacher educators and describe one professor's success at lessening time-killing human behavior in order to accomplish…

A discussion of the liberal arts'"great books," specifically in political philosophy, reflects on the value of the core curriculum, the value of expanding the traditional canon, the use of reading to learn, results of true learning, and the danger of shunning works traditionally seen as important. (MSE)

Describes a study of general education at 700 colleges and universities, based on tabulation of credits and content analysis of goal statements. Examines degree requirements, the disciplines comprising general education, differences among majors, statements on general education, the use of labels, purpose and rationale, methods, and structure of…

Describes one district's struggle to implement Maine's Common Core of Learning, model of education that blurred subject area lines and moved toward integrated framework for curriculum and instruction. Common Core presented a set of outcomes divided into four interdisciplinary categories: human record, reasoning and problem solving, communication,…

Preservice teachers need educational experiences that challenge them to connect disciplinary ideas. In a hyphenated curriculum, they work with ideas from various disciplines while thinking about their own practice, practicing integration in real classrooms. The article describes two programs that required preservice teachers to integrate general…

Discusses preservice teacher educational needs in computer competency, and examines two methods of achieving competency: the core computer literacy course and the integration model. The article addresses what preservice students need to know and how to achieve the outcomes in the preservice program. (GLR)

California holds special-education students accountable for statewide assessments, district content and performance standards, and the general-education core curriculum. Key performance indicators provide concrete data to the state and help schools demonstrate whether all their students are achieving. The Centralia District's reading…

Although Hungary's 1989 political transformation gave new credibility to existing policies, it did not necessarily translate into an understanding of participatory decision making or enthusiasm for school reform. Beyond the rhetoric are two dramatic curricular alterations: removal of the Marxist ideology infusing each discipline and elimination of…

Online courses and degree programs are increasingly common feature of higher education, such as those of The University of Phoenix, Western Governor's University, and the Open University in Great Britain. The University System of Georgia, the third largest university system in the United States, has recently created an electronic core curriculum,…

During the 1990s, all Spanish Universities updated the syllabuses of their courses as a result of the entry into force of the new Organic Law of Universities ("Ley Organica de Universidades") and, for the first time, "Computer Assisted Design" (CAD) appears in the list of core subjects (compulsory teaching content set by the…