The third volume in this international review takes "raising standards" as its central theme. Raising standards is no simple matter, either conceptually or empirically, whatever politicians might think. If it is to happen, it must draw on research and practical experience from other countries.

Introduction - raising standards; standards for historical thinking - history education reform in Oakland, California, Peter Seixas; expecting high standards from inner-city students -challenges and possibilities, Veronica Boix Mansilla; a contemporary past - history textbooks as sites of national memory, Dan Porat; historical and international dimensions of history education - the work of the committee of seven, Chara Haeussler Bohan; children's historical thinking within a museum environment - an overall picture of a longitudinal study, Irene Nakou; children's ideas about historical explanation, Peter Lee et al; significance in history - students' ideas in England and Spain, Lis Cercadillo; development of historical explanation in children, adolescents and adults, Angela Bermudez and Rosario Jaramillo; the development of history teaching curricula in China, Yang Biao; the future of the past - a brief account of the Australian national inquiry into school history, 1999-2000, Tony Taylor; signs of the times - the state of history education in the UK - review of "Issues in History Teaching", Peter Lee et al.