Rudolph is chair of the School of Education’s No. 1-ranked Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

He talked about the changing pedagogical trends in American schools as they transitioned from rote learning in the 19th century to more progressive practices in the early 20th century focused on students’ everyday concerns. Then came the post-war focus on disciplinary knowledge and, most recently, national standards.

In highlighting some of the differences between public education in Europe and the U.S., Rudolph noted that education in Europe tends to be more highly centralized, often directed from a central Ministry of Education. In the United States, he explained how education is more decentralized, controlled by individual states and local school boards, each of which has its own authority to make decisions about curriculum, teaching and so on. In addition, Rudolph discussed the differences between schools in wealthy, suburban districts and more rural and urban schools that are frequently under-resourced. He also touched on the rise of charter schools and private school vouchers in the U.S.

“The funny thing is that when I spoke to the producer prior to the interview, she said they would ask about the differences between schooling in the U.S and Europe,” says Rudolph. “And they did, but the translation of the title of the segment — ‘Ces systèmes qui étonnent aux Etats-Unis et au Vietnam’ is ‘These amazing systems in the United States and Vietnam.’ I have no idea how Vietnam comes into any of this. They certainly didn’t ask me anything about that.”

Rudolph says “Tour un Monde” was producing a five-part series, which ran all week, that examined various issues related to schools and education.

“Tout un Monde” is a daily French-language program that is broadcast by Swiss Public Radio each morning.

To learn more, check out this archive of the Jan. 4 “Tour un Monde” interview with Rudolph via this web page.