Argues that traditional English methods of deciding what to teach have been more pragmatic than either U.S. "Curriculum Theory" or German "Didaktik," both emphasizing principled arguments about educational goals. Observes that English schooling continues to be shaped by discussion of subject-based methods rather than whole-curriculum…

Follows curriculum development in the United States over a 70 year period. Special emphasis is placed on special curriculum committees of the National Education Association (NEA), the emergence of the curriculum field, and reform through specialization and standardization. (Author/DB)

Actions taken in newly independent Kenya during the mid 70's to achieve greater cultural autonomy in the secondary school literature curriculum are the focus of this case-study.

Schools exist to educate; school mathematics is, therefore, subject to particular forces that decisively distinguish it from mathematics as a scientific discipline. How educators in Germany in the early 19th century solved the problem of the relationship of school mathematics and its respective scientific discipline, i.e., scientific mathematics,…

Major aspects of political education in Zimbabwe (Africa) as they have developed from the colonial period through the Chimurenga, or war of liberation, to the period following independence in 1980 are explored. The focus is on political themes such as power, inequality, community, and ideology. (RM)

What constitutes literacy is not a single value-free standard but the product of the values of particular cultures at particular points in their histories. The history of literacy efforts in the United States and Canada is examined to discover their philosophical roots and ideological underpinnings. (IS)

There is more and more external control of classroom content and processes. This external control is being vested in legislative and administrative bodies, which are more apt to turn the school over to managerial and industrial needs. Teachers should take organized action to defend their right to control the classroom. (RM)

The history and demise of the following two educational agencies are discussed: the Schools Council for Curriculum and Examinations of England and Wales and the National Council for Innovation in Education of Norway. (RM)

To assess the possibility of another round of curriculum reform in mathematics, the origin of U.S. curriculum reform in the 1950s, including the new math programs, are examined. It is not likely that new crash programs aimed at curriculum reform in mathematics education will be implemented nationwide in the 1980s. (RM)

Assesses the importance of the English philosopher Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) for curriculum development. His main contribution was arguing forcefully in favor of science in the controversy between classical and scientific education in Victorian England. Summarizes the main principles of Spencer's theory of knowledge, examines their application…

Evaluates role played by the periodical "Economics" in the rise of economics study in English schools since the second World War. Topics discussed include membership in the Economics Association, contribution to the journal by school teachers, and the relationship of the boom in economics study to the general interest in social sciences. (DB)

Traces public and political interest in curriculum change in U.S. public schools from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Findings indicate that, in general, increased levels of expectation regarding the power of schools continued unabated during this period. Suggestions are presented regarding topics for additional educational research. (DB)

Discusses John Dewey's concept of curriculum, as applied in his Laboratory School. Describes the planning of the school and how its curriculum evolved over time. Identifies both Dewey's belief in educational specialization and his understanding of its limits. Notes the implications of Dewey's work for today's educators. (SG)

Describes curricular and pedagogical experimentation in humanities and social studies instruction conducted in New Zealand immediately after World War II. Compares such developments with the Freyberg Integrated Studies Project, a later three-year curriculum development and research program. Concludes that the Freyberg model provides support for…

Examines educational history to discover the process by which curriculum became a universal idea and how the concept of the classroom was invented. Argues that universal ideas and inventions such as the classroom result in the creation of dominant institutional categories that exert a powerful influence over what can or cannot be done by…