This paper reviews the policy context that has sought to shape the curriculum of Australian schools during the 1980s. Three elements which have shaped that context are identified: concern with the economy, concern with the cost of education and the integration of education and youth policies. In theoretical terms, the policy context is firmly located in instrumentalist thinking and the curriculum of schools has become very much a public policy issue. Education systems seem to have responded to this context by moving towards a full secondary education for all students, stressing the need for balance and coherence in the curriculum, introducing new curriculum options and giving more credence to the vocational orientation of students. There have been no explicit attempts to move towards an overly vocational curriculum. Two basic problems remain: the extent to which current policy priorities will cater specifically for disadvantaged groups and the willingness of teachers to move curriculum practice in the directions being advocated by policy makers.
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