This essay examines the shared philosophical foundations of Fredrick W. Taylor's scientific management principles and the contemporary learning outcomes movement (LOM). It analyses the shared philosophical ground between the focal point of Taylor's system--"the task"--and the conceptualization and deployment of "learning…

The USA was the first nation to attain universal secondary education through the creation of a unitary school structure capped by the uniquely American institution, the comprehensive or cosmopolitan high school. Other leading democratic nations adopted the comprehensive model, but not until well after mid-twentieth century. The modern movement for…

This essay reflects on Daniel Tanner's "Race to the top and leave the children behind" by attention to the way our particular national histories impact on our thinking about what is valuable, the kinds of curriculum pressures and common senses that are now at work internationally at government and policy level, the specific forms these…

Why and under which conditions do international student assessment programmes like PISA have success? How can the results of these assessments be useful for advocates of different, even contradictory, policies? What might explain different patterns of using assessment as a tool for school governance? Drawing on historical and comparative research,…

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)

The purpose of this article is to describe ways in which information based on environmental perceptions can form the basis for facilitating changes in classroom environments. The method involved reviewing a diverse range of related literature and providing data on various profiles which might be useful for guiding environmental improvement.…

Discusses and identifies reasons for the gap between those who research the curriculum and those who manage the curriculum. Reasons include the decentralized nature of educational decision making, the fact that practitioners are relatively impervious to the influence of contemporary theorists, and the fact that educational decision making is not…

Examines the extent to which the widely publicized changes in mathematics curricula and in methods of teaching mathematics since 1960 have resulted in observable change in classroom behavior of teachers, in content, and/or in student achievement in mathematics. Findings from several studies of mathematics education in British Columbia indicated…

Questions the extent to which knowledge and the study of the good relate to and influence the performance of the good within the framework of Jewish education in the United States. Six Jewish educational programs are examined. Findings from this examination are presented and alternative responses to the relationship between study and moral action…

Describes a study funded by the Science Council of Canada, to evaluate policies and practices of Canadian science education. Objectives of the study were to establish a documented basis for describing the state of Canadian science education, to conduct an historical analysis of science education in Canada, and to stimulate deliberation concerning…

Discusses a project in which quantitative and qualitative methodologies were combined in an evaluation of the High School Education Law Project (HELP) in Australia. Qualitative and quantitative evaluation were combined in several aspects of the study including field testing of preliminary versions of HELP materials, further evaluation work on…

Reviews literature related to potential sources of the principal's influence on curriculum decisions of teachers. Topics discussed include expectations of the principal's curricular influence, the reality of such influence, sources of influence, and mechanisms that can be used by principals to increase their curricular influence. (DB)

Presents information--in the form of technique, definition, and strategy--on how teachers can investigate their own professional practice. Topics discussed include innovation, evaluation, objectives, research as communication, a research community, research and institutional practice, and workshops on teaching practice. (DB)

Discusses an educational research study undertaken to investigate the effects of feedback of test results on learning among junior high school students in Bangkok, Thailand. Findings indicated that testing accompanied by maximal feedback increased achievement more than testing alone for students at all different ability levels. (Author/DB)

Examines patterns in academic achievement of students who participated in science and mathematics projects in English Schools (the English Nuffield Science Projects and the School Mathematics Projects). Findings indicate that the informal impact of the projects is larger than the formal and that adaption to individual situations is the key to…