Leadership in democratic citizenship education: politics and praxis

Globalization and neoliberal practices have influenced leadership in education in various ways, including through curricula. One of the most vital sections in curricula is citizenship education. Supranational and international organizations, as well as governments, have advanced interest in elementary school, particularly kindergarten, curricula. This article sheds light on how leadership in democratic citizenship education influences kindergarten curricula in Ontario (Canada) and Hellas (Greece) as well as within a global context. The kindergarten education curricula of Ontario and Hellas are compared and supplementary reports published by supranational and international organizations are analysed in terms of democratic citizenship education, utilizing a critical pedagogic perspective through critical discourse analysis. Recommendations for future citizenship education and practices are provided.     

Preschool Teachers’ Understandings of the National Preschool Curriculum in Greece

In 2003, a new curriculum was enacted in Greek preschool education, replacing the previous one of 1989 and following the development of new curricula for the other rungs of compulsory education. Within this context, the new curriculum development policy aimed at an equal integration of preschool education into the unified design of primary and secondary education. A basic issue in any such educational change is how teachers make sense of the new curriculum and what impact it has on their thinking and daily practice. Considering the need to better understand the relationships between curriculum and parameters that shape practice, the study examines preschool teachers’ perspectives of the new early childhood curriculum and its implementation, as well as the extent to which the new curriculum has influenced preschool practices.