This paper outlines the nature of the primary linguistic activities of listening and speaking and the secondary linguistic activities of reading and writing. There are common linguistic principles of parity, classification and segmentation in learning to read English and Chinese. The paper then provides a perspective on language learning by Chinese students in Hong Kong. The need to help children as active learners is emphasised.

In the modern, rapidly changing society it is difficult, not to say impossible, to predict what specific competencies a person would need during his or her lifetime. The implications of this for the school curriculum are spelled out in this paper. Education has to be regarded as a lifelong process of recurrent acquisitions of knowledge and competencies. The basic school has to focus on general education, particularly on skills to acquire knowledge which can be applied to a broad spectrum of, largely unforeseen, situation. The qualification structure is also changing from a pyramid-like to an egg-shaped one which means that a high level of qualifications is needed for a larger proportion of the population.

Combining universal access to school with excellence has been a historic dilemma in U.S. schools. This dynamic tension is appearing in other nations as well as information age occupations demand highly literate workforces.

Schools have adopted multilevel reform efforts to meet the challenges of educating today's children. These include: changes in teacher preparation; high expectations for teacher behaviors in the classroom; curriculum standards; state accountability measures; development of alternative public school models; pilot tests of alternative funding mechanisms for private schools; differential staffing in schools, and the use of high technology to individualize learning.

The goal of providing all children with successful learning experiences is critical from both political and economic necessities. This paper explores the vital ingredients of high performance schools that are, in fact, inclusive. The final argument is that student welfare must be considered holistically with special attention to happiness, relatedness, and self-efficacy.

2001年4月，教育統籌局公布了《增加專上教育機會》的政策方案。認定的政策目標是：「在十年內，60%的本地高中畢業生有機會接受高等教育」。其具體措施是：（1）未來十年增加30,600個專上教育機會，但只限於副學士學位課程；（2）提供的形式是自資經營；（3）參與形式則是用者自付。本文將論證該項政策建議不單在政策目標的論證上存在明顯的不足，更在政策措施設計上有顯著的缺陷。

20世紀80年代中期以後，通過大學與學校的夥伴合作以提升學校教育和教師教育的素質，既在理論上引起關注，也在實踐上進行過不少嘗試。本文簡單回顧了這一課題出現的背景，闡述了支持大學與學校夥伴合作這一理念較具影響力的團體或學者（如Holmes Group和Goodlad）的觀點，並從學校教師的角度（如合作可能為教師帶來的好處、教師面臨的衝突、教師的專業發展與變革等），總結了一些實證研究。文章亦對大學與學校夥伴合作中的一些問題（如合作式的探究）作了分析。

A standard nostrum for higher education economists, consultants, and policy advisors is the recommendation that universities and other higher educational institutions (especially but not exclusively in the less industrialized countries) lessen their revenue dependence on governments, or taxpayers. The prescription is easy to rationalize, and is theoretically — and even practically — virtually unassailable. However, there are also significant limitations in a revenue diversification policy, especially in the less industrialized world where the need for such a policy may be most compelling. These limitations go far beyond the ideological distaste that many have for the neo-liberal economic medicines of cost sharing and privatization, and extend to certain technical and strategic dilemmas that confound even the staunchest believer in tuitions, privatization, and student lending. This paper will discuss some of these technical difficulties, especially of making cost sharing and student lending work in developing countries, and provide some "cautions" and a few recommendations.

特首董建華先生在香港大學九十週年校慶之夜，發表了一篇廣受社會關注和討論的演辭，演辭一方面引起了教育界對「新精英主義」一詞的諸多議論，另一方面又觸發起一連串對直接資助計劃（以下簡稱「直資計劃」）的議論。然而，這些對新精英主義及直資計劃的政策議論，卻充斥著混淆的概念及矛盾的理念，同時亦明顯地是一種各取所需、各自獨白的語言遊戲。可是，在這混亂的語言遊戲背後，卻蘊含著一種不容忽視的教育政策取向。本人認為，這種政策取向極可能對特區的學校教育制度帶來嚴重的後果，必須予以正視及批判。因此，本文首先將從「精英」的概念架構入手，以展示特首演辭（及繼後的眾多評論）中對「精英」一詞的混淆與矛盾。其次，文章會剖析直資計劃的政策發展，從而顯示自特區政府成立以來所推行的一系列直資計劃新措施，已明顯地建構出一種「新直資計劃」，而亦是在這新直資計劃下所孕育出來的直資學校才最值得我們關注。最後，文章會應用Bourdieu的文化和社會資本概念，以展示若依循特首所提倡的新精英主義及新直資計劃教育政策方向發展下去，將會嚴重侵蝕香港社會賴以成功的公立學校教育體系。

2001年6月，香港課程發展議會發表了《學會學習：課程發展路向》課程改革文件，當中的改革措施在社會上引起了頗大的爭議。本文嘗試對這份改革文件作仔細的探討，了解這一輪改革的理念、取向和特色，從而根據課程發展及實施的理論，檢視和評論改革措施能否配合實際需要而解決現今課程的問題，並探討實施改革的可行性和困難所在。

本文認為，這一輪的課程改革措施無論在適切性或質素上均存在問題，對政策的實施也欠缺周詳的考慮，以致學校和教師均難以適應。事實上，這次課程改革可算是翻天覆地的大革新，複雜程度十分高，除牽涉範式的轉移外，亦涉獵太多層面，推行的時間過於倉卒。可惜的是，課程發展當局對改革的「複雜性」未有妥善處理，亦忽略了成功的關鍵 ── 學校文化。這些都是值得課程政策規劃者深思的項目。

本文嘗試檢視源自西方社會的教育技術功能理論，能否適用於解釋上個世紀90年代中國的教育分流現象。全文分為四部分：第一，敘述教育技術功能理論的主要觀點；第二，梳理90年代中國的教育分流實情；第三，分析90年代中國教育分流的特徵，並檢視這些特徵與教育技術功能理論所揭示的西方社會教育分流特徵是否一致，以探討教育技術功能理論能否解釋中國的教育現象；第四，總結全文。研究發現，中國教育分流的一些特點與西方社會教育分流的特點相似或相同，因而能夠運用教育技術功能理論加以解釋。然而，中國的教育分流現象仍然有一些特徵是教育技術功能理論無法解釋的。這些特徵揭示，人們應該運用多種理論，從多種視角研究中國的教育分流現象，冀能深化認識、啟發思考。

道德教育牽涉到不同層面的問題，但無論情況多複雜，施教者抱持簡單純粹而理想的心是必須的。著重興發起施教者和受教者簡單純粹的心，是一種返本開新的道德教育進路。儒家的道德教育即重視返本開新，而使人返本開新也有多種不同的方法。本文從當代新儒家唐君毅先生的一些觀念和體驗得到啟發，說明從體驗人生的艱難和了解人類罪惡的起源或本質，可以使施教者與受教者（尤其是施教者）了解返本開新對道德教育的重要意義與功效。體驗現實生活中的艱難和痛苦，使人萌生不忍的仁心。在面對人生的艱難與痛苦，在追求更美滿人生的理想與實踐過程中，人亦面對種種艱難與陷阱，假如真能了解當中的艱難，便可使人向更高、更圓滿的道德理性發展。此外，從了解人類罪惡的本質或根源，更可知罪惡是人類本性異化並陷溺於有限的結果，由此可見儒家返本開新的道德教育進路的重要。

在全球化的大趨勢下，由於信息的流通，不少改革的概念已經透過全球化的網絡影響著不同國家的教育改革，其中權力下放成為了近年很多國家的改革重點。到底在不同國家，教育制度的改革是趨同還是多元化的問題，引發了廣泛的學術討論。自1985年以來，中國內地一直強調基礎教育「地方負責、分級管理」。然而，研究所見，中國內地的教育分權政策其實是由中央政府主導，而地方政府的角色主要是承擔財政責任，落實中央的政策方向。一旦部分的執行權下放至地方，地方政府多以集權的手法管治地方教育事業，學校的自主空間其實相當有限，校長和教師都只是被動的執行者。中央政府放責不放權，可以說是表面分權的集權主義。中央政府透過制訂中央政策文件和督導機制，重新找到了合適的位置，發揮國家的調控角色。權力下放作為外來的教育改革理念，在中國內地的特定情境中，中央政府其實掌握了最大的詮釋權。

本書整理和分析有關統整課程效能的研究文獻，研究基於這樣的假設：統整課程的支持者提出了統整課程的很多好處，但是不少說法實際上是從理論得來的推斷，那麼是否有足夠的證據證明它們的好處呢？本書的目的就是回顧有關統整課程效能的理論與實證研究，希望通過對這些研究作批判性的文獻綜述，讓教師和課程研究者了解目前對統整課程效能的研究狀況，發現其中的問題，並反思如何面對課程統整工作。相信這些問題對於理解和實施統整課程是重要的，對今後改進就統整課程效能所進行的研究具有重要意義。

本書從範式的定義入手，探討課程範式的概念。首先，本書從Merton及Kuhn對範式的概念入手，說明和分析兩人對範式的意涵；其次，會根據Merton及Kuhn兩人的看法，分析範式這概念在課程領域的應用；最後，綜合課程範式的爭議焦點。

本書以幾個重要的國際評估研究為切入點，檢視本港教育的效能。以教育素質而言，香港學生在以往的國際評估中表現尚算理想。在2003年公佈的「學生能力國際評估計劃」中，香港的15歲學生在閱讀、數學及科學的表現均十分出色，而且來自不同社經階層的學生的教育成果相當均等。然而，學校之間的能力差距遠高於多個成績優秀的國家，這意味香港學校之間的學能分隔情況相當嚴重。

本文根據國際學生評估計劃（Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA）中有關閱讀能力的評估內容，指出PISA所評估的閱讀能力概念和範疇，與本港中、小學中國語文科中所訂定的閱讀目標並不完全相同。而檢視本港中、小學新、舊中國語文科課程，發現所謂的語文能力其實與文學方面的要求有很強的關係。面對21世紀的資訊社會，有必要重新思考「語文能力」這概念的含意。

本文旨在從國際學生評估計劃（Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA）來剖析香港中學生的自主學習程度，並採用多層迴歸分析來了解自主學習與學習成效的關係。研究發現，在九個自主學習指數中，有六個與學生的閱讀、數學及科學成績呈顯著的正相關；此外，除了「競爭學習」這指數外，香港中學生採用自主學習策略的程度均低於其他國家。

"Can schools simultaneously achieve high academic standard and foster equal educational opportunity?" This article attempts to address this issue by investigating the performance of 15-year-old secondary school students in Hong Kong. First, it will review the quality of secondary school system by assessing the overall performance on reading, mathematics, and science. Then it will assess the equality of educational outcomes by examining the achievement gap between students from different social backgrounds. The results suggest that Hong Kong's education system has achieved both excellence and equality of opportunity when compared with other countries. However, there are also serious academic and social segregation among schools.

The PISA 2000 assessments of performance by 15-year-olds revealed wide differences among countries, and between schools and students within countries. However, the results achieved by students in Finland, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan indicate that it is possible to combine high performance standards with an equitable distribution of learning outcomes. Nevertheless, even the countries that performed well overall in the 2000 PISA assessments have areas for concern. In almost all countries, there is a significant minority of students who performed at reading literacy level 1 or below. Important pointers for policy that emerge from the results include building students' engagement with reading and school more generally, focusing on learning outcomes rather than educational inputs, providing schools with the authority for organizing their own programs and holding them accountable for the results, and reducing the extent of social and educational differentiation among schools.

本文從教育意義和理念出發，整理和分析香港高中通識教育的意義和價值。本文首先整理有關在高中設立必修通識教育的爭論。其次，本文會根據通識教育在歐、美的發展過程，檢討通識教育的歷史意義。第三，本文會從教育理念的視點出發，以求整理通識教育在現代社會的普遍意義。最後，對照於有關香港高中通識教育的議論、通識教育的歷史及普遍意義，本文將檢示及批評建議的高中通識教育課程。

The relationship between public and private interests in education has been a recurrent topic of debate in the United States and elsewhere. Why should taxpayers be compelled to pay for the education of other people's children? This paper will review the traditional economic arguments for public schooling, which identify the primary collective benefit from compulsory education as preparing students to participate in a stable and democratic society. The paper will explain the particular sense in which economists use the terms "public" or "collective." It will discuss collective benefits from higher education, and also examine whether increasing individual incomes or aggregate economic growth should be considered collective goods. This discussion is intended to dispel some current misconceptions about what economic theory says with regard to efficient provision of schooling.