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Politics, parallels and perennial curriculum questions: the battle over school history in England and the United States
Author(s) -
Foster Stuart J.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
the curriculum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.843
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1469-3704
pISSN - 0958-5176
DOI - 10.1080/0958517970090203
Subject(s) - curriculum , battle , national curriculum , ideology , national history , parallels , context (archaeology) , politics , history of the united states , subject (documents) , political history , political science , new england , sociology , history , law , ancient history , library science , archaeology , engineering , mechanical engineering , computer science
In both England and the United States history remains among the most controversial subjects in the school curriculum. Indeed, fiercely contested arguments over National Curriculum history in England and national standards for history in the United States graphically illustrate the enormous ideological pressures exerted on the subject in the two cultures. However, although the intense politicization of the disputes in both countries properly suggests some common experiences, the educational context these policies sought to affect are markedly different. In form and substance history teaching in the United States and England has distinctive national characteristics. Nevertheless, attention to debates over the teaching of history on both sides of the Atlantic illuminates the difficulties involved in providing a meaningful history education for young people. Furthermore, the respective national experiences offer opportunities for considered reflection on enduring and universal curriculum questions associated with the teaching of history.