At a time of rapid social change and numerous policy initiatives, there is a need to question the nature and function of school curricula and the purposes of formal public education. Comparing curriculum developments around the globe, Understanding the School Curriculum draws on a range of educational, philosophical and sociological theories to examine the question ‘What is a curriculum for?’ In considering different answers to this fundamental question, it explores a range of topical issues and debates, including: tensions and dynamics within curriculum policy The implications of uncertainty and rapid social change for curriculum development the positive and negative influence of free market ideologies on public education the impact of globalization and digital technologies arguments for and against common core curricula and state control It examines the possibility of a school curriculum that is not shaped and monitored by dominant interests but that has as its founding principles the promotion of responsibility, responsiveness, a love of learning, and a sense of wonder and respect for the natural and social world. Understanding the School Curriculum is for all students following undergraduate and Masters courses in curriculum, public policy and education-related subjects. It is also for all training and practising teachers who wish to combine a deeper understanding of major curriculum issues with a critical understanding of the ways in which ideologies impact on formal state education, and to consider ways of producing school curricula that are appropriate to the times we live in.

This book focuses on education and its relation to professional accountability as viewed from two different, but not unrelated, perspectives. First, the book is about the work of professionals in schools and colleges (teachers, head teachers, leaders, principals, directors and educational managers, etc.) and the detrimental effects which our present system of accountability – and the managerialism which this system creates – have had on education, its practice, its organization, its conduct and its content. It is also about the professional education (the occupational/professional formation and development) of practitioners in communities other than educational ones and how they, too, contend with the effects of this system on their practices. These different perspectives represent two sides of the same problem: that whatever one’s métier – whether a teacher, nurse, social worker, community officer, librarian, civil servant, etc – all who now work in institutions designed to serve the public are expected to reorganize their thoughts and practice in accordance with a "performance" management model of accountability which encourages a rigid bureaucracy, one which translates regulation and monitoring procedures, guidelines and advice into inflexible and obligatory compliance. A careful scrutiny of the underlying rationale of this "managerial" model shows how and why it may be expected, paradoxically, to make practices less accountable – and, in the case of education, less educative.

The seminal Dartmouth Conference (1966) remains a remarkably influential moment in the history of English teaching. Bringing together leading voices in contemporary English education, this book celebrates the Conference and its legacy, drawing attention to what it has achieved, and the questions it has raised. Encompassing a multitude of reflections on the Dartmouth Conference, The Future of English Teaching Worldwide provides fresh and revisionist readings of the meeting and its leading figures. Chapters showcase innovative and exciting new insights for English scholars, and address both theoretical and practical elements of teaching English in a variety of settings and countries. Covering topics including the place of new media in English curricula, the role of the canon, poetry and grammar, the text is divided into three accessible parts: Historical perspectives Dartmouth today: why it still matters Reflections: but for the future. This powerful collection will be of value to researchers, postgraduate students, literature scholars, practitioners, teacher educators, trainee and in-service teachers, as well as other parties involved in the teaching and study of English.

The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Education is a unique and major resource for the field of education. It is a comprehensive, single-volume work, arranged alphabetically and comprising around 600 entries. The entries range from definitions of key educational concepts and terms to biographies of key educators and specially written substantial essays on major educational topics. The volume includes authoritative and critical commentary on historical and contemporary themes; examinations of continuities, changes and emerging issues; and discussions of the educational traditions and features of major countries and continents. The following special features are also included: Unrivalled coverage of education in a single volume Entries by leading international educational researchers Contributors drawn from all over the globe, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Finland, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States A distinguished international advisory board Fully cross-referenced and indexed Suggestions for further reading Offering insight into the world of education in an interesting, informed and sometimes provocative way, The Routledge International Encyclopedia of Education is an invaluable work of reference for educators, students, researchers and policy makers in education and related fields internationally.