Aaron Benavot

School Knowledge for the Masses : World Models and National Primary Curricular Categories in the Twentieth Century

Part 1 The worldwide institutionalization of primary school curricula: background - a perspective on the curriculum sand curricular research description of the curriculum database and the methodologies employed knowledge for the masses - world models and national curricula, 1920-1986 the origins and expansion of primary school curricula - 1800-1920 variant forms - cases of countries with distinct curricula. Part 2 Studies of specific subject areas: language instruction in national curricula, 1850-1986 - the effect of the global system a comparative and historical analysis of mathematics and science curricula, 1800-1986 the evolution and organization of the social science curriculum values education in the curriculum - some comparative empirical data the formation of new subjects in mass schooling - 19th century origins and 20th century diffusion of art and physical education conclusion - accounting for a world curriculum.

The Expansion of Primary Education, 1870-1940: Trends and Issues.

Research on the expansion of mass education has been limited to the post-World War II period and mainly to Western Europe and North America. The few studies of other regions and periods have tended to rely on the case-study approach. Thus, an accurate assessment of competing theoretical explanations is partially constrained by the limited scope of empirical evidence. This article seeks to overcome this weakness by analyzing new estimates of primary enrollment rates for 126 nations and colonies from 1870 to 1940. Overall, the authors found that the expansion of primary education was more uneven, tentative, and varied during this period than in the post-World War II period. The analyses suggest that social, economic, political, and religious conditions were more important in determining the extension of mass schooling in the 1870-1940 period than in later periods.

The Rise and Decline of Vocational Education.

In this paper, the expansion of and the relative emphasis on secondary vocational education is placed in a broad historical and cross-national perspective. First, the origins of technical-vocational education in both European and non-European systems are briefly outlined. Second, contemporary enrollment patterns in vocational education (1950-1975) are analyzed in light of the papers main empirical finding: the relative share of secondary vocational education has declined in almost every national educational system. Third, a number of causal factors are introduced to account for cross-national and temporal variation in the proportion of secondary vocational enrollments. Finally, the paper discusses why the structural shift away from vocational education is best understood in the framework of recent world-system theories of educational expansion.

Education, Gender, and Economic Development: A Cross-National Study.

This article addresses two issues: Do gender differences in educational expansion have different effects on national economic growth? If so, why? In past comparative research, these issues were either ignored or explained in relation to educations impact on womens participation in the labor force and reproductive behavior. The study presented here analyzed cross-national data on 96 countries from 1960 to 1985 and found clear evidence that in less-developed countries, especially some of the poorest, educational expansion among school-age girls at the primary level has a stronger effect on long-term economic prosperity than does educational expansion among school-age boys. This effect is not mediated by womens rates of participation in the wage labor force or by fertility rates. These findings provide qualified support for institutional theories of educations impact on society.

Curricular Content, Educational Expansion, and Economic Growth

The author explains whether national variations in curricula content and subject area - as distinct from growth in enrollment or qualitative provisions - have a significant impact on economic development. The study focuses on primary education in 60 nations and assesses the economic impact of an emphasis on eight different primary level subject areas, with special attention to mathematics and science. The author found that the curricular content of mass education is directly related to national economic growth. This relationship, however, is not consistent across all subject areas and all types of countries. Countries requiring more hours of elementary science education generally experienced more rapid increases in their standards of living between 1960 and 1985. Whether science education at the primary level is the key casual factor and whether the explicit content of the subject area is the key mechanism remain unclear. The design, reform, and study of national school curricula are increasingly visible in political and scholarly agendas. The economic consequences of emphasizing different subject areas should not be the sole criterion for decision making in designing curricula. However, these consequences can provide one useful element for promoting more informed discussion among parents, school administrators, national and international planners, and educational researchers.

Educational governance, school autonomy, and curriculum implementation: A comparative study of Arab and Jewish schools in Israel

In recent years, the predominance of the nation-state as the sole arbiter of curricular matters has eroded. New actors and organizations, especially local schools, have acquired greater discretion over the definition of school subjects and curricular emphases. This study investigates whether and how different patterns of educational governance influence the actual curriculum that local schools put into place. It is argued that uniformity/diversity in the implemented curriculum reflects macro-level factors (i.e. structural and institutional characteristics of national educational systems), and meso-level factors (i.e. community and local school characteristics). Specifically, it investigates between-school variation in curricular implementation in two major sectors of the Israeli public educational system: Jewish (secular), and Arab. School-based differences are reported in course offerings and time-allocations to subject areas in each sector. In addition, it compares actual curricular implementation in relation to official guidelines established by central authorities. Implementation patterns between and within sectors are discussed in light of educational governance differences and key macro- and local-level factors.

Elite Knowledge for the Masses: The Origins and Spread of Mathematics and Science Education in National Curricula

This article examines how and why mathematics and science became universally required, core components of official elementary and secondary school curricula worldwide. Based on a broad analysis of historical documents and official curricular timetables, it discusses the introduction and growth of these school subjects since the 1800s. While math-related subjects became required in most national school curricula relatively early in the nineteenth century, the introduction of scientific subjects provoked prolonged and highly charged debates in many countries. By World War I, however, both subjects had become ubiquitous features of official school curricula. Since then, emphasis on mathematics and the sciences has increased throughout the world. Contrary to widely held assumptions, national characteristics are weak predictors of variations in official instructional time devoted to mathematics and science education.

Educational governance, school autonomy, and curriculum implementation: diversity and uniformity in knowledge offerings to Israeli pupils

Local schools increasingly play a mediating role between intended curricular directives and actual classroom practice. This paper highlights how macro factors such as decentralized governance and subjects institutional status affect school‐based decisions to diverge from official curricular policies. Specifically, it reports a three‐dimensional comparison from the Israeli education system, i.e. comparing educational levels (elementary and lower‐secondary), sectors (Jewish secular, Jewish religious, and Arab), and school subjects (with varying institutional status), to investigate patterns of diversity/uniformity in curricular structures. Between‐school variation in curriculum implementation tends to be greater under conditions of increased decentralization and school autonomy. Highly institutionalized subjects are more likely to be taught in conformity with official directives, thereby increasing between‐school uniformity. Important political and educational factors have a contextual influence on subject implementation, especially in certain sectors and levels. Ongoing trends toward educational decentralization not only encourage school autonomy, but also heighten curricular diversification. Local schools increasingly determine the educational knowledge students are offered, and effectively enable or constrain what teachers teach.

National, regional and international learning assessments: trends among developing countries, 1960–2009

This paper examines annual changes in the participation of developing countries in three kinds of learning assessment activity over the past three decades. It specifically highlights, and provides initial explanations for, the worldwide spread of national and regional assessments since the mid-1990s. The paper argues that national learning assessments – namely, non-standardised, context-sensitive and non-comparable learning assessments – have become a preferred tool of educational policy makers in developing countries. The increasing demand by educational stakeholders for accountability and the relative advantages of national assessments are likely to amplify this trend in the future. Patterns of country participation will further depend on the policies of international agencies, NGOs and regional associations that support and advise countries on learning assessments.

International Aid to Education

Author(s): Aaron Benavot, David Archer, Stephen Moseley, Karen Mundy, Felix Phiri, Liesbet Steer, David Wiking Reviewed work(s): Source: Comparative Education Review, Vol. 54, No. 1 (February 2010), pp. 105-124 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Comparative and International Education Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/649052 . Accessed: 28/10/2011 16:00