This paper takes the position that "the general phenomenon of meta-disciplinarity should find a place in contemporary investigations into the organization and production of knowledge." In the meta-disciplinary triad of art, science, and the humanities, the humanities originated out of a distinction between the human and the divine. The history of…

In the early 20th century, the Hertfordshire (England) Local Education Authority had a class-bound perspective on vocational education, whereas two utopian communities within it held that vocational and academic education should be offered equally to all. Despite these differences, a positive relationship developed that briefly benefitted the…

Recently there has been a growing concern about the decline in academic achievement among students as modern schools have moved to more non-academic functions. William Torrey Harris was an early education reformer whose ideas are now proving relevant to the problems currently facing education. Harris entered the field of education in the 1850s…

Reviews the influence of liberal education upon legal education, studying the historical process according to which changes of emphasis within liberal education (from rhetoric to dialectic or the reverse) have been reflected in related changes in legal education. (AYC)

Evaluation of academic programs in higher education institutions has existed in the United States since 1640. In the succeeding 34 decades, demands for program review and accountability have led to the present development of academic program evaluation as a primary means to revise, curtail, or eliminate degree programs. (Author/MSE)

Examines how Australia and France are preparing youth for successful transition to employment in a rapidly changing world. Traces the historical development of technical/vocational education and general/liberal education. Highlights how Australia has tackled the problem of high and low status educational pathways and how the French Baccalaureat…

Examines how, in the 1920s, policymakers and teachers in Buffalo (New York) designed and implemented a stratified curriculum as an outgrowth of the school district's character training program. They emphasized academics in higher- and middle-socioeconomic status elementary schools and character training in lower-status schools. (Author/BJV)

Studies the institutional characteristics and strategic choices of successful academies operating under the New York Regents system from 1838 to 1850. Identifies single-sex education and denominational affiliation as important for success. Suggests frameworks for investigating variations among the 19th-century academies and discusses implications…

Dr. Tyler looks back over the past 50 years and cites those major factors he views as having affected the field of curriculum development. In addition, he also identifies and discusses four issues that he believes will influence the future shaping of curriculum theory and practice. (Editor)

In this essay, William Hazlitt (1778-1830) deplores the effects of the classical education of his time on students who memorized without understanding and on teachers who tended toward pedantry. Interchange editors noted that "many of his criticisms of scholars and schooling have a contemporary ring...." (PP)

Historically documents the life and education of Mary Antin from her suffering as a victim of anti-semitism in Russia to her freedom and acceptance in America. Discusses her literary publications which document her development and self-discovery. Explores her experiences as a Jew in early twentieth-century America. (JS)

Describes Oglethorpe University's Exceptional Educational Experiment, launched in 1939 to demonstrate that students, required to manage their time wisely, could undertake twice as many courses and maintain an "A" average. Draws from the recollections of four former program participants about their experiences and reactions to discuss…

Between 1905 and 1925, the General Education Board (GEB) continued John D. Rockefeller's pattern of philanthropy for education and established its own philosophies of what programs to endow and what directions were appropriate for education. Programs that the GEB established and funded demonstrate their goals for education. Many of these programs…

An historical and conceptual analysis of general education in the United States is presented, comprising the following chapters: (1) transformation and the search for meaning (including a discussion of the concept of general education); (2) the classical curriculum confronts democracy (democratic pressures on the classical curriculum; the Yale…

Historioal information concerning liberal studies education at Amherst College and proposals for academic programs are considered. Topics include the following: a chronology of curriculum reform at Amherst, the special character of the freshman and sophomore years, and divisions of the curricula, distribution scheme, majoring and taking electives,…