Presents an interview with Ernest L. Boyer. Describes approaches to improving civic education. Identifies student passivity as the primary obstacle. Urges greater scrutiny of the information that teachers present to students. Proposes placing that information in historical, social, and ethical perspectives and integrating and applying it. (DK)

A report on the status of environmental education (EE) in the Australian School Curriculum includes (1) a content analysis for EE in course study guides; (2) a discussion concerning environmental science and postcompulsory curriculum reform; (3) a summary of the study results; and (4) a list of challenges for future EE. (five references) (MCO)

Gender, race, and class issues in education raise questions about social policy and curricular design. Pluralism helps people understand difference and sameness, offering feminism ways to connect desired curricular changes with changes occurring because of their forces. Women's studies breaks down barriers constraining academic subjects, creating…

Presents and discusses the cooperative development and evaluation of the required undergraduate course, "Public Justice Information Sources" at St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas. Aspects addressed include course objectives, content, administration, planning and evaluation, and costs. (EA)

The predicament of foreign languages in a liberal arts setting is addressed. It is suggested that bilingual language competency cannot be realized without an extraordinary increase in foreign language instruction and second-culture instruction: an extra year of undergraduate study combined with study abroad. (32 references) (LB)

It is argued that Australian elementary mathematics curricula have been influenced by earlier British and United States educational movements and theories and are out of touch with current research emphasizing a constructivist approach. A new model of young children's numerical development is offered, and recommendations for improving mathematical…

Examines the importance of physical education teachers taking the initiative to develop and communicate learning goals consistent with the educational focus of the school and feasible within school constraints. The article recommends using National Association for Sport and Physical Education outcomes to guide learning goals while creating…

Examines needed changes in vocational education in former Soviet Union as the nation shifts to a market economy. Suggests that there should be more emphasis on individual student needs. Argues that vocational education must include training in information sciences, computers, foreign languages, social psychology, and urban ecology. Recommends…

Discusses (1) characteristics distinguishing independent schools from public and other private schools (self-governance, self-support, self-defined curriculum, self-selected students and faculty, and small size); (2) self-imposed and environmental challenges confronting independent schools (demographic change, commitment to diversity, and public…

Recent activation of a 1940 Italian law allowing equal amounts of elementary school subject area instruction in French and Italian in the Valle D'Aosta (Italy) are described. The plan uses paired bilingual teachers who alternate both languages and grades during the school day. Extension of the program to higher grades is discussed. (six…

What is needed in graduate medical education is a curriculum built around learning experiences and valued activities, not performance objectives. The example of a curriculum for an ambulatory care block rotation illustrates the development of such a curriculum and how it can be used to frame the rotation experience. (MSE)

Evaluates "Law in a Free Society," a curriculum project of the Center for Civic Education. Details the contents of 11 lessons from the upper elementary school (Level IV) units on justice and 10 lessons from the secondary school (Level VI) units concerning authority. Offers an example of the program's "Exercises in…

A popular required family medicine clerkship at Jefferson Medical College (Pennsylvania) suggests that ambulatory care can be taught as a core component of the clinical curriculum. Success requires strong institutional support, structured curriculum, adequate patients, dedicated faculty, sufficient training sites, an appropriate evaluation…

A discussion of environmental education in French elementary, secondary, and higher education looks at official policy statements, related educational research, integration of environmental education into curricula and instruction at each level, and needs for future development. More thorough integration and additional emphasis in the curriculum…

Two Chicago high school teachers believe that the course they teach--a cooperative, interdisciplinary study of American culture focusing on history and literature--is an effective way to prepare students for citizenship in a pluralistic society. This article recounts their experience with student-negotiated curriculum in an eleventh-grade American…