Examines Adler's proposal to extend the teaching of a common core curriculum beyond colleges/universities into secondary schools. Fears an intellectual drift toward some mediocre mean and the deflation of academic standards. Warns that the rejection of pluralistic curricula overlooks individual needs. (DMM)

General education is the process of developing a framework on which to place knowledge stemming from a variety of sources. Its goals are to help students think critically, develop values, understand traditions, respect diverse cultures and opinions, and, most importantly, put that knowledge to use. Even though its goals parallel socially supported…

In analyzing the role of general education in community college vocational programs, one must begin by defining general education as part of the overall community college mission. Broadly defined, general education involves the study of the basic liberal arts and sciences; stresses a breadth of understanding of human knowledge; strives to foster…

Reveals the dangers of the unchecked proliferation of special interest courses; e.g., overlap of course content with established offerings; ignoring major aspects of a subject in favor of minor aspects and failure to gain a comprehensive understanding; conflicting credit-granting policies; and needless competition with area schools. (AYC)

Events and considerations surrounding the publication of a document specifying the curriculum to be taught in British Columbia's schools are summarized in this paper. The province has moved from a centralized to a decentralized and back to a centralized curriculum. Arthur Wise has called one response that schools have to social criticism…

Suggests that most current college English curricula, consisting largely of required survey courses, traditional electives, and new elective courses in subjects such as film and science fiction, do not appear to students to be coherent or to meet their needs. Offers two alternative curricula: one based on knowledge of alternative worlds, the other…

The educational environment of the U.S. Air Force Academy is discussed and the Academy's basic world history program is described. The first part of the report focuses on the Academy's educational environment, discussing the core curriculum, history instruction, the cadet, and the history faculty. The report's second part, which comprises over…

In response to the changing needs of an increasingly diverse society, the Illinois Community College System (ICCS) reformed its curriculum by integrating academic and occupational education. In order to determine the effectiveness of such curriculum integration, a study was conducted, via surveys and interviews, on ICCS' methods, revealing that:…