Providing clear guidance to teachers is not a straightforward task for school systems: Teachers get information about what to teach and how to teach from many sources, some of which are beyond the control of school systems. When teachers get different, even conflicting, messages about what and how to teach from various sources, they likely…

Curriculum materials are among the most pervasive and powerful influences on school mathematics. In many mathematics classes, student assignments, the questions the teacher asks, the ways students are grouped, the forms of assessment, and much more originate in curriculum materials. At the same time, teachers have considerable latitude in how they…

Described is a project, "Mathematics at Work," being produced by the Australian Academy of Science to meet the needs of students staying in school to years 11 and 12 and requiring a "relevant" mathematics curriculum. Materials have been produced and are being used in a trial program. Additional materials are in preparation.…

Outlines the study of a curriculum development project, analyzing the decision-making processes involved in each phase and raising questions about the general process of curriculum development. (MD)

Surveyed 170 English schools (for 13- to 16-year-olds) to determine the extent to which industrially relevent materials were adopted in science classes and attitudes of science teachers toward these materials in science syllabi. Indicates that although teachers believe the industrial materials should be emphasized, traditional science courses…

Discusses British economics education between 1951 and 1991. Reports the scarcity of economics courses and materials during the 1950s, growth the discipline in the 1960s, the inception of the Economics Association's 14-16 Project during the 1970s, and the increased curriculum integration of the 1980s. Examines prospects for economics education in…

Contends that the use of commercial published curricula, particularly textbooks and teacher's guides, is widespread in U.S. church-sponsored programs of religious education. Reports on case studies of five church-school teachers on their curriculum development and lesson-planning procedures. (CFR)

Poland's Center for Civic and Economic Education was established to improve teachers' ability to instruct students in civic education in the newly democratized Poland. The Center seeks to improve teacher skills, to gather information on effective teaching methods and curricula, and to pursue other activities to heighten civic education in Polish…

The federal government's role in energy education in the United States over the past 35 years is discussed, focusing on four major areas: (1) training at all academic levels; (2) instructional materials and their development; (3) conceptual foundations of energy education materials; and (4) research and evaluation studies on the effectiveness of…

The purpose of this research was to determine the effectiveness of using an adapted version of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) to increase problem solving activities of kindergarten students, and to determine the practical significance of using CPS as a method for increasing problem solving skills of kindergarten students. Data were collected from…

Asserts that the scattered rural populations of Latin America and Mexico make it difficult to offer primary education to all school-age children. Describes a project in which community classes make it possible for children to attend schools without leaving their village. (CFR)

Describes an attempt to analyze and improve the connection between intermediate microeconomic theory courses and applied theory courses. Examines the data collection, policy analysis, program design, and materials production stages of this process. Includes a table of most-valued microeconomic skills compared with allocation of time to teach those…

Points out that successful mathematical performance depends not only on declarative and procedural content knowledge, but also upon mathematical thinking skills such as problem-schema knowledge, decision-making skills, and metacognitive knowledge. Argues that the growing need for remediation should influence schools' traditional overemphasis on…

This report traces the development of science education, particularly the elementary science curriculum, in Trinidad and Tobago. Problem areas are identified that have influenced science instruction and/or the lack of it. A model is presented for teacher involvement in elementary science curriculum development. Through this approach, approximately…

This research summary presents discussions from two regional workshops held in Indonesia and Pakistan in 1989 and 1991, respectively. The focus of the workshops was to formulate prototype instructional materials of population education core messages for primary education, literacy and continuing education programs in the Asia Pacific Programme of…