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Presents titles and abstracts of articles published in the March 1946 issue of "Annals of the Association of American Geographers." "Topographic Models in World War II," by Wallace W. Atwood; "A Map of Ohio Trade Centers in 1939," by James R. Beck; "Objectives and Course Offerings in College Geography," by Nels A. Bengtson.

This paper presents a rationale for an approach to value study which takes account of the subjective nature and symbolic activities of human beings. Growing out of this rationale, a model for value study is developed through a consideration of the distinctions which exist between value and non-value concepts; the nature of narrative (explanation) language; and the nature of man as a mythologizer and future gazer. Central to the approach developed here is the need to discriminate between disclosure and non-disclosure concepts. Value concepts are disclosure in nature, and, as such, cannot be examined in the same way one would study non-value concepts. Also, the nature of language with such attributes as metaphoric thought, narrative style and mythic structures is considered as an integral part of this disclosure approach. This paper calls for a conscious development of a more holistic approach to value study. While it does not posit a systematic repression or rejction of objectivism or materialism, it does call attention to the need for a more careful balance between materialistic and mentalistic models in understanding human values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the sociology of knowledge and curriculum planning. People interested in problems of the curriculum of schools can be divided into two groups. The first group, by far the largest, is mainly interested in the practical problems of the curriculum, of which bringing about some desirable change in the curriculum might be one. The theoretical basis for much of the work in this particular volume is to be found in a sub-discipline of sociology known as the sociology of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to provide some account of the sociology of knowledge and to explore the implications for the study of the curriculum of this particular viewpoint. The author proposes to do this first by looking at the sociology of knowledge as it was formulated by researcher Karl Mannheim. Although Mannheim was by no means the first to put forward a set of ideas as the sociology of knowledge, he is the thinker who made these notions through his writings accessible to the English speaking world. Mannheim drew attention to two other features of political and social theories.

This paper describes an introductory course in discrete structures for the undergraduate computer science student which has evolved at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. The philosophy of such a course and certain problems encountered in preparing and teaching it are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the data of the Test of Understanding in College Economics (TUCE). The purpose of this paper is to present additional data on the TUCE, primarily with regard to its validity as an experimental testing instrument and as to its construct design. Primary data for this paper were obtained from an experimental research study dealing with critical thinking skills in the introductory course undertaken at the University of Minnesota in 1969. It provides evidences which suggest that the TUCE is a discriminating measure of performance in the principles of economics. It also indicates that the TUCE effectively discriminates performance of varying ability levels. Furthermore, the data indicate that those who scored highest on the pretest were approximately the same ones who scored highest on the post-test. The results from this study indicate that the TUCE is effective in discriminating between "good" and "poor" students in economics. The TUCE also incorporates prior ability and critical thinking skills while also effectively discriminating on other knowledge.

The article presents information on the early efforts in international education during the 19th century. The founding of boarding schools in various countries, with similar curricula and methods of teaching so that their pupils might migrate from one school to another and thus acquire fluency in the several languages without disrupting their studies has long been conceptualized. It was in this concept that the International Education Society was founded. The origin of the scheme lay in the report of a committee appointed by the French Imperial Commissioners for the Paris Universal Exhibition to award the prizes offered for the best essays on the advantages of educating together children of the different European nations. The idea was taken up and the plan then was to form a large company of shareholders, and to establish at four places schools which should be perfectly alike in their arrangements. The institutions were to admit pupils between the ages of eleven and eighteen and were to dovetail into one another in such a manner that after every second year each boy was to pass onto another country. The plan met with a good deal of opposition on the grounds that it would weaken the development of national character and would necessarily produce a superficial education, but its protagonists were not deterred.

The article focuses on developments in higher education. Despite the criticisms one hears these days about higher education's resistance to change, there is good evidence, as one studies recent developments in higher education, that more changes are taking place in colleges and universities today than at any other time in the nation's history. Some involve new organizational and structural use of the college as in the plans now underway for the establishment of small colleges within the large university and in the use of the residence hall as a center for learning as well as living. Some of the changes center on new methodologies for instruction as in the uses now being made of independent study and new media and technology. Some deal with curricular reform as in the efforts now underway to develop more effective programs of interdisciplinary studies and some of the changes deal with such long-standing concerns as the development of special programs for the disadvantaged student and the problem of education for world affairs. The paper reviews some of these developments.

The article presents information on the future pattern of technical education in Scotland. The development of technical education in Scotland has been under discussion for some time by various bodies in preparation for the formulation of official policy, which has now been published. In the White Paper of 1956, a building program was outlined. The White Paper recognizes four broad categories of workers, namely, technologists, technicians, craftsmen and operatives. For the first category entrance qualifications to the appropriate courses of study are to be broadly equivalent to University entrance requirements; and the courses will last for either four years or three years. The success of the program depends on the adequacy and efficiency of the teaching force. Despite the increase in the number of full-time teachers in central institutions and further education centers from 1369 in 1956 to 1725 in 1959, it is estimated that an additional 280 teachers per annum will be required between now and 1965.

The article offers news briefs related to education. The third in a series of meetings of Francophone scholars of comparative studies was held at the Center International d'Etudes Pédagogiques, Sèvres last January conducted by the auspices of the French Ministry of Education. The Sixth General Conference of the Comparative Education Society in Europe will be held on June 4-9, 1973 at Frascati, Italy. A recent report on the upper academic secondary curriculum in Europe in chemistry, physics, the mother of tongue and economics, published by the Oxford/Council of Europe Study for the Curriculum and Examinations.

The article presents information on the First World Conference on Medical Education was held in London, England in August 1953. The general theme was undergraduate medical education. No fewer than 32 countries contributed papers. Sectional discussions covered complex and various aspects of almost the whole field of medical education, including requirements for entry into medical schools, the aims and content of the curriculum, techniques and methods of medical education, and preventive and social medicine. As is common with conferences of this nature, what was sometimes really most valuable were the questions raised rather than the answers provided. For the historian of education Professor J.F. Fulton of Yale address on the History of Medical Education. In it he showed the supreme importance for medical education of an intimate teacher-pupil relationship, drawing his evidence from Sanskrit medical literature of 500 B.C. as well as from Plato, Hippocrates and Galen. After tracing the story through the Middle Ages to modern times he pays what is perhaps an overdue tribute to British Government-sponsored studies and reports.

Presents a study which identified the dimensions of judgment students use to evaluate courses of instruction at different stages in the process of undergraduate education. Reasons for investigating the relationship of class year to the way in which students perceive classes and instructors; Finding on socialization of the person in his role as student progresses during the four years; Crucial aspect of maturation in the student role.

The article reports that the Committee administering the Hosiery, Knitwear and Warp Knitting Industries Scholarship Fund offers an opportunity for men and women to train for executive posts in these industries by means of full-time courses of study at the Trent Polytechnic. The course will be completed by either one further of study for the College Diploma in Textiles or for those who have gained the Ordinary National Diploma, a further two years of study for the Higher National Diploma, which exempts from Part II of the Associateship of the Textile Institute.

The article attempts to determine the influence of part-time work on academic success as measured by marks. Two hundred and fifty part-time employed boys were matched with 250 non-employed boys according to intelligence, curriculum, grade, and age within six months. Teachers' marks were used as the measure of achievement. For each pupil the honor point averages for mathematics, English, social science, general science, health, and all subjects combined were calculated. In English and mathematics the non-employed group had a slight superiority. None of the differences was statistically significant. The major finding that this investigation has revealed is that part-time work for these boys has had no apparent detrimental effect upon academic achievement as measured by teachers' marks. The groups were compared on a number of additional factors including occupation of father, language spoken at home, country of birth of pupils and their parents, number of days absent, and number of days tardy. No significant differences between the groups were found in these comparisons.

This paper reports on the results of an experimental evaluation of the Adversary Instructional Model (AIM). The AIM is a new instructional strategy for teaching social studies. The primary objective of the strategy is to improve students' ability to analyze critically propositions of public policy. In AIM students engage in formal classroom debates on issues of public policy relevant to the units they are studying. The secret of the strategy lies in proper organization and conduct of the debates. In AIM, the topic debated must be a proposition of policy, which asserts a condition, which should come into existence. Furthermore, the topic must be stated in impartial and unambiguous terms. This study was designed to provide preliminary data on the mutual relationships between critical thinking, economic understanding and attitude rigidity. The AIM provides repetitive experiences for the students in the aforementioned critical thinking processes, both as participants in the debates and as evaluators of other students' debates.

The article focuses on a television teaching experiment in a microeconomics principles course. It is a progress report on a television teaching experiment in the microeconomic principles course at the University of Georgia. A major objective of the experiment is to develop a course which will stimulate students to master basic economic concepts and apply them in analyzing real-world problems. The course may also reduce costs per student, but this was not a formal objective. The purpose of this paper is to share the experiences of various economists in developing and evaluating a television course designed to increase student achievement and interest. Principles of economics at the University of Georgia are taught in a three-course sequence, one each quarter for the school year. Classes meet three times each week or about 30 hours each quarter. The television experiment began with the micro course. Twenty-four half-hour programs were videotaped and a textbook, which contains the visual aids used on television, was written. The immediate objective of this study is to compare the performance of students using television with that of students in the lecture section and the national norm.

Introduces the articles in the January 1972 issue of the 'Peabody Journal of Education.' Effects of the system of education on the students; Desire of democratic societies to give educational opportunities to their citizens; Maintenance of cultural attributes known as the public culture by the educational curricula and the social organization of schools.

The article discusses the use of the participant observation method for research purposes in art education. After defining epistemology, the author describes the nature, purpose and focus of participant observation and diverse views of art educators regarding it. The dimensions of this methodology have been classified along four types, emphasis on the descriptive narrative, generation of theory, verification of theory and qualification of data. The procedure of this method has been explicated through two branches of epistemology, naturalism and idealism. A brief part of the research done to find out the dynamics of curriculum implementation is also mentioned along with a summary of the matters discussed in the paper.

This article present information on the proceedings of the first world conference on medical education, held in London, England, in August 1953. The entire proceedings of the conference has recently been published by the Oxford University Press under the title "Proceedings of the First World Conference on Medical Education, London 1953, Held Under the Auspices of the World Medical Association," edited by Hugh Clegg. This publication covers major issues related to medical education that were discussed during the conference. The discussions cover: requirements for entry into medical schools; aims and content of the medical curriculum; techniques and methods of medical education; and preventive and social medicines. In the discussions on entrance-requirements the case for the humanities was put strongly, while resisting however the implication that science is in some way inferior. It was felt that entrance-requirements should be kept flexible. There was considerable support for the view that much of the traditional anatomy teaching is unnecessary and that a student should have the opportunity of watching an operation, where he will have a better opportunity of learning anatomy than in the dissecting-room.

The article focuses on the history of education in Surrey, England. The Surrey county authority has taken advantage of the 1944 Education Act which permits local authorities, with the approval of the Minister, to make a provision for conducting or assisting the conduct of research as appears to the authority to be desirable for the purpose of improving the educational facilities provided for their area. For such advantages, a former Chief County Inspector made an association which has been exploring the possibility of making a comprehensive and well documented survey of the County's educational history. This association approved a preliminary master plan for the schools of the County that prepared many school biographies. These biographies focused on some topics like school's environment; school's origin and foundation; buildings and equipment; staff: their training, salary, etc.; pupils: age and sex distribution, attendance, attainments, health, dress, games and hobbies, holidays, employment; curriculum: textbooks, methods of instruction, discipline, inspection and other external influences and many more. The association has been surveying the study of the County's educational history against the wider background of historical studies generally.

The article focuses on various issues related to the future of physical education in the U.S. The author discusses what physical education may become if current trends continue and if educators become able to provide the means for the carrying out of the philosophy and guidelines which present itself to be dominate thinking in the current scenario. In future, physical education curricula will focus on individual ability. Learners will be grouped on the basis of particular purposes, needs, abilities, and movement interests and not on grades or as boys and girls or men and women.

The article reports on a taxonomy proposed to emphasize the role of processes as physical education curricular content. Taxonomies are used for stating and analyzing curriculum objectives. The classification of the intended behaviors of students as contrasted with classifications of usual subject matter is the concern of writers of educational taxonomies. The design of the taxonomy of educational objectives for the motor domain is to accompany the cognitive and affective domain. There is a need to further develop all the components of a satisfactory conceptual framework for curricular decision-making in physical education.

Advertising education is healthy. The graduates of advertising programs throughout the country are well prepared to move rapidly and effectively into the advertising business, especially with agencies. The long-time controversy over the educational issue of "theory and philosophy vs trade school approach" is dead. There is room for both in today's educational process. Advertising agencies and educators alike have specific responsibilities and obligations to advertising education. In particular, agencies must give more active support of all kinds to educators. Educators must constantly re-evaluate their curricula while at the same time seeking personal self-renewal and reorientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the thesis by author B. Bernstein concerning relationship between educational knowledge and social control by applying his model of collection and integrated codes and their power and control components to an examination of intermediate school in Italy. The school is examined for its congruence or lack of congruence to the model with particular reference to the degree of classification and framing operating within the system. The author attempts to explore the official and unofficial sources of curriculum change within Italian society in order to provide material for an answer to the problem concerning classification and framing structure.

The article discusses the six possible groupings that may contribute to conceptualization of life-long education. The type I category is highly structured and rigid educational institutions and programs with a highly perspective content. The type II is highly structured prescriptive educational activities but with long-term goals involving a degree of flexibility in organization and program. The type III is moderately structured educational activities and institutions usually consisting of formal courses and seminars directed toward prescriptive learning goals. The type IV is loosely structured educational services which seek to find and influence people with a fairly prescriptive message and content. The type V is participant-governed groups in which people elect to join in activities with others of similar interests. Lastly, the type VI provides a broad range of informational and educational media from which people select according to their interests.

The article focuses on the pattern of further education in West Germany. It is a combination of full-time and part-time study. Both further and vocation education have always been held to be of great importance, particularly in the craft field which has its origins in the medieval guild system. Fachoberschule is one particular form of further education institution. The fields they cover are commerce/economics, technical subjects, domestic science and social work. The basic entry qualification to the Fachoberschule is the intermediate secondary leaving certificate. The structure of the Fachoberschule, the subjects that the students learn, length of courses and the interplay of practical training and study at college are summarized.

The article presents an outline of the objectives for the study of Samoan history and indigenous culture that was created and proposed as a pattern by a committee of seven Samoan educators. As a result of learning under such a framework, Samoan pupils are expected to be able to explain the traditional matai or chieftain social system, the manner in which the islands were governed, the nature of the traditional material culture of old Samoa, traditional Samoan occupations, the oral arts, music, and dance practiced in traditional Samoan culture, original Samoan religious beliefs, legends and religious practices, ceremonies that were part of old Samoan culture, Samoan forms of games, sports, recreation , and entertainment, fauna, flora, and non-living elements that were significant in traditional Samoan life.

Discusses the influence of the early intervention program for hearing-impaired children on their performance in the formal education system. Components of the program; Role of mothers in stimulating hearing impaired child's interest in sound and speech; Need for interaction between the teacher and the audiologist; Use of Lee's Developmental Sentence Types to measure language competence.

An interdisciplinary repertoire of twenty-seven creative, peaceful approaches for dealing with international and other conflict is presented-the longest one in print. Educators are urged to diffuse it, and to use it to convince students of the virtual inexhaustibility of peaceful ways of dealing with conflict. The article differentiates curriculum based on the repertoire from other social studies curricula. A study is reported in which four of the creative, peaceful approaches were taught for three weeks to high school seniors typical of "Middle-Americans ." The most interesting result was that a great many of the closed-minded students (in the Rokeach sense) openly accepted the approaches and independently used them in their own lives. Though these students remained categorical thinkers, the number of categories on which they could act was increased. As one student put it, "There are many ways to compromise." Although these students continued to distrust adversaries, the approaches identified ways to find common interests for which an opponent could be trusted to work. The study suggests that it is easier to make closed-minded people more peaceful by teaching them many specific methods for resolving conflict than to try to reverse their closed-mindedness or make them more amicable, because these are stable qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five theoretical models of values teaching are identified and analyzed in terms of their philosophical tenets. The implications of these models for values teaching in the social studies classroom are discussed for the purpose of helping educators achieve some understanding of the closeness of fit between their own concerns for values teaching and the models discussed herein. Hopefully this would result in a clearer picture of their own personal philosophy of values teaching with reference to the question of having students autonomously authenticate their values vis-a-vis the demands that values be authenticated according to some external standard. The five paradigms represent models of : (1) personal authentication, (2) traditional authentication, (3) social commitment, (4) cultural relativism and (5) democracy (pragmatism). Following a discussion of each of the models some conclusions are drawn concerning the degree of integration that is possible among these apparently exclusive modes of authentication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The new social studies" present a dilemma to the teacher for he is confronted with a tradition of nationalistic instruction which seemingly contradicts the premises on which much of "the new social studies" is based. Do educators perceive the school as receptive to open inquiry in areas involving nationalistic education? Do they perceive the school should be more receptive to such inquiry? The major hypothesis was that N.J. suburban school educators would perceive the school would act in a significantly less tolerant way than it should act in situations involving aspects of nationalistic instruction. Differences were hypothesized for both "would" and "should" perceptions for several independent variables. A situational questionnaire was devised and sent to educators in four N.J. suburban, K-12, school districts. Data were analyzed with analysis of variance tests, using Scheffe's post hoc test for significant contrasts. The data confirmed the major hypothesis. Educators did perceive the school differently, both in terms of what it would do and what it should do in these situations. Implying the school is not hospitable to open inquiry, the findings suggested some of the difficulties that confront attempts to implement a curriculum based on "the new social studies," particularly with respect to nationalistic instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the problems that the New Social Studies was supposed to avoid was the certainty which students attach to knowledge. This was to be done through the utilization of inductive procedures. The problem was that little attention was paid to the nature of the logical problem raised by David Hume. Essentially the problem concerns the making of accurate predictions based on past experience. It is logically impossible to do so. Few of the materials and writers in the sixties dealt with this problem. Even more serious was the limiting of induction only to those inferences which go from a particular set of premises to a general conclusion. A far more accurate definition is that induction is a non-demonstrative inference whose conclusion is ampliative. A deductive inference is one, which is demonstrative and whose conclusion is non-ampliative. Thus, the source of difference between an inductive and deductive inference is the property of truth preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape is an integral part of the spatial information contained in mental maps. A central problem in isolating shape representations in revealed mental maps is to expunge the measurement effects we incorporate into the data during analysis. Using two independent data sets derived from portrayed shapes of Africa, factor analytic tests indicate that we can separate measurement error from systematic misrepresentations of the African shape. Independently derived factor structures reflect the tendency for subjects to represent the shape of Africa as a regular geometric form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information on the criticism faced by the public schools education curriculum in the 1860s in Great Britain. In general critics found the curriculum of the public schools inadequate in two ways. In the first place it was too narrow. In the second place it was irrelevant to the new industrial society which had established itself. It was inevitable therefore that much of the debate should concern itself with the importance of expanding the curriculum through the development of the Sciences and the so called Modern subjects such as History and Geography. And it was likewise inevitable that considerable attention should be paid to the role of the mother tongue as a necessary field of study within a reformed curriculum. The article further informs that the debate on the mother tongue took place through Commission, through pamphlet, through speech, through editorial, with great vigor over a whole decade. The author comments on the clarity and insistence with which the failure to teach the mother tongue was picked out as a major deficiency of the school curriculum and the obscurity and half-heartedness of any practical proposals to remedy the deficiency.

This article discusses a socio-psychological aspect of school management. One of the most firmly established findings in educational research is the relationship between the socio-economic background from which a pupil comes and his educational achievement. A more recent research development in this area of inquiry has been to isolate particular aspects of the concept of social class and, by means of multivariate analysis, to estimate the relative importance of the variables normally associated with the concept in relation to school achievement. It is often said that the demonstration of a statistical relationship of this kind does not justify the assumption of any causal connection between the two variables of parental aspirations and the children's achievement. Implicit in this last view is the notion that the nature of the relationship between the two variables is that it is part of a complex process in which a great many factors are involved. The process of socialization is essentially one of learning, in the course of which individuals come to internalize and integrate into their personality systems the social norms of the groups to which they belong.

The article reports that Trent Polytechnic in Great Britain offers a weft- and warp-knitting courses. The weft-knitting field has two five-day courses. One is intended to serve as an introduction or refresher and consists of a series of lectures and demonstrations on fabric engineering and the numerous types of machines. The other course demands some knowledge of weft-knitting. On the other hand, there are also two courses on warp-knitting technology. The first deals with the basics, and the second with more advanced topics.

The article reports on the new publication "The Journal of Aesthetic Education" which features scholarly examination and interpretation of aesthetic education. The release of this journal was announced by University of Illinois and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Springfield, Illinois. Articles which attempt to clarify the nature of related arts curricula at the high school level as well as papers which deal with any aspect of aesthetic education can be sent to its editor, Ralph A. Smith. Its first issue will feature articles, reprints as well as excerpts from curriculum theory and education philosophy.

The article reports that the National Association Secondary-School Principals' (NASSP) Curriculum Planning and Development Committee has consistently supported and endorsed the comprehensive secondary school's major project for 1961-1962 in the U.S. Such move is due to a belief that the school is the best hope for fulfilling the American ideal of adequate educational opportunities for all youth, and that the most effective leadership in the improvement of a curriculum is the principal of every school as he organizes his faculty, student body, and his community to meet the needs of the students. The NASSP support the principal by providing curriculum position papers.

The article reports that the Institute of Design in Chicago, Illinois became the Design Department at the state's Institute of Technology. The final papers for the move were signed by Institute president Henry T. Heald, Institute of Design president Serge Chermayeff and Institute of Design Corp. secretary Crombie Taylor. After operating at the near north side location of the Institute, the design department will transfer to Technology Center campus in the central south side. Heald explained that the Institute of Design curricula will still be used.

Looks at the role of drama in the liberal arts curriculum. Views on courses on creative ability; Problems with students at liberal arts colleges; Rights of creative courses to a place in the educational program.

Describes a course in pantomime. Definition of pantomime; Suggestions for assignment; Role of motion pictures in the pantomime course.

Focuses on speech education in the U.S. Discussion on educational policies; Proposition for the terminology of the department of speech in schools; Plan for the reorganization and renaming of the English work in the college curriculum.

This study was made to determine the relationship between certain physical defects and school achievement of Intermediate School pupils as measured by teachers' marks. The matched pair technique was used and 300 defective pupils were paired with 300 non-defective pupils so that each pair was similar in intelligence, grade location, curriculum, age, sex, occupational status of parent, and nationality of parent. The two groups were similar according to amount of attendance per semester and the number of semesters in attendance at the school where the data were collected. The teachers' marks were converted into honor point averages. Honor point averages in mathematics, English, social science, general science, and health were computed. A total honor point average for the five subjects combined was also calculated. The data were analyzed separately for boys and girls. For the boys, five of the six comparisons showed slight differences in favor of the defective pupils. None of the differences approached statistical significance. For the girls, the six comparisons revealed differences in favor of the non-defective pupils. One difference, involving the total honor point averages, was statistically significant. The outstanding fact brought out by this study is that 11 of the 12 comparisons revealed differences that are so small that they can be due to chance errors due to random sampling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the author's opinion on the purpose of principles course in universities in the U.S. Design of the course; Benefits of the principles course; Causes of student dissatisfaction to the course.

The article discusses the problems of upper secondary education and the importance of curriculum reform. It suggests that the content of education is in urgent need of adjustment to the demands of current and future world. Curriculum reform will be ineffective and pointless if structural reforms are not implemented at the same time. The reforms will have to provide solutions to basic problems faced in all European countries by the authorities responsible for upper secondary education. All the problems which were reviewed and which cannot be avoided are different aspects of a single objective, namely the adjustments of the educational system to the cultural and psychological needs of young people today.

The article explores the characteristics of centralized education in Latin America, particularly in Venezuela. It comparatively deals with some problems related to the centralization-decentralization question by highlighting the organizational structure of public education in Venezuela. The concepts of centralization and decentralization focuses on the distribution of decision-making authority. The Venezuelan Constitution established guidelines along with which the educational system must be structured and administered. All citizens are assured the right of free public education. The country's Ministry of Education, reportedly, is divided into various subsystems, two of which are of special attention in this article: the Primary and Normal School section, and the Secondary and Higher Education section. The educational system of Venezuela is often criticized as being bureaucratic. The national curriculum is written in the form of elaborate lesson plans, one for every school grade. The range of decisions at the school unit level is very narrow. All the educational organizations usually shift from centralized to decentralized administration in order to improve the quality of their decisions as well as provide a rapid response capability in the face of certain types of problems.

The article presents the analysis of aims and content as a basis for assessment of school courses. It states that the upper secondary level educationists are seeking to devise ways of assessment that will break the ordeal of the terminal examination, with its deleterious repercussions upon teaching and upon the pupils. It also mentions that the argument has centered mainly round aims, at the educational level of even greater interest are objectives. Much of what is conceived of as aims is useless unless it is made operational, and spelled out with some precision and exactness. Objectives must be elaborated in relation to a starting-point, in relation to various intermediate stages along the progression, and finally to the ultimate aim.

The article reports on the claim that comparative education and international education are undergoing an identity crisis in the United States. It considers the claim that there really is no such identifiable field of study as comparative education or international education. The author comments on the accelerated attention being given by social scientists to international studies. He also expresses his concern with the direction of social change that has been popular among empirical social scientists. The article explains why the civilization-building process is appropriate as a theme for the history of education and especially for international education.

The article talks about the state of education in Ireland and the integration of European countries. A report of the Council of Education on the primary school's curriculum, which is centered on religious doctrine, reading and writing in Irish and English and arithmetic, is offered. The relationship between the schools and the state laid down in the 1937 Constitution of Ireland is discussed. It also discusses the rules and programs for secondary schools, the need to examine the relationship between education and economic progress, the study of European languages, and the dissemination of knowledge about the new Europe.