Education & Pedagogy

Defines short-cycle higher education (postcompulsory, subbaccalaureate education). Identifies characteristics shared by short-cycle systems worldwide and the ways in which individual systems differ. Discusses issues of low esteem, community education, articulation and transfer, business/industry relations, financial support. Offers recommendations for fostering the recognition of short-cycle education. (DMM)

The ecobehavioral arrangements of 14 early childhood special education and 10 early childhood regular education classrooms in Tennessee and Minnesota were observed and coded. Children in regular early education classrooms tended to spend proportionally more time in play, whereas children in special education classrooms spent proportionally more time in preacademic activities. (Author/DB)

Examines issues of integrating and funding arts education in public school elementary core curricula. Recommends that art become part of daily, and nonexpendable, school experiences. Suggests that art teachers should be consultants for designing curricula, training, and assisting classroom teachers. Urges higher education should better prepare elementary teachers in aesthetics and art. Notes several experimental arts educational programs. (DB)

Describes the New Mexico Rural Science Education Project, a school-university-museum cooperative effort that seeks to improve rural elementary science education through teacher workshops, teacher-developed materials on local themes, individualized support services, and natural history field schools for teachers and students. (SV)

A survey of 4,692 health care providers received 1,763 responses that assessed whether future continuing education programs could be designed in an interdisciplinary fashion and still meet the perceived needs of 5 health care professions. It found that program content, date, time, and location are the most important factors influencing attendance. (Author/JOW)

Addresses need to solve global problems through international cooperation and education's role in meeting these challenges. Examines possibilities for global education in Hungary, and by extension, Eastern Europe, in light of recent liberalization still inhibited by traditional habits. Suggests building cooperative networks and establishing summer institutes to develop global education through changes in curriculum and teacher training. (CH)

Increases in external services performed by faculty are integral to K-12 school, college, and department of education reform agendas, but there are limiting constraints, including the quest for prestige; tenure, promotion, and reward systems; and faculty recruitment, education, and role orientations. Changing these factors appropriately may help foster service. (Author/SM)

Issues in the evolution of Brazil's higher education system are discussed, including growth during the 1970s in the private sector, the need to improve access to education for low-income groups, and the need for a system of loans and scholarships to compensate for inequities in elementary and secondary education. (Author/MSE)

Discusses decision making and politics in teacher education. In Papua New Guinea, poor command of the English language led to implementation of an intensive, controversial program in teacher education colleges. The article presents comments on teacher education, language, and competency testing in England, Wales, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. (SM)

Examines seven controversial issues in art education and sets them in a larger social context to help identify their contributions to art education. Concludes that art education should include all art forms from all cultures, develop more interaction between people in theory and practice, and extend the use of social and behavioral sciences. (KM)

Explores three constitutional responses to religion and the respective consequences for moral education. Explores the place of England and Wales on this spectrum, and examines the effects of the 1988 Educational Reform Act on moral/religious education. Highlights the role of reason in resolving autonomy/authority conflicts in religious education. (NL)

Examines educational expenditures, 1975-87, in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Senegal as a proportion of total government expenditures and with regard to resource allocation. Discusses educational expansion during this period; process indicators such as dropout rates, repetition rates, and availability of trained teachers; and educational outcomes. (SV)

Partnerships between local education authorities and higher education institutions are recommended for developing inservice training for British teachers of special educational needs students. A four-level training model is presented, comprising school-based training, a certificate course, a diploma course, and a master's degree in education course. Results of evaluation of the modular diploma course are outlined. (JDD)

As the population of learners grows more diverse, teachers and teacher education programs must nurture positive attitudes toward gender, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Examines the positive impact of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Human Relations Course, required for the teacher education program, on heightening student sensitivity to issues of diversity. (CJS)

A study analyzed the contents of the first 18 volumes of "Teacher Education and Special Education" and the articles submitted to the journal in 1993-94. Results indicate most published papers were surveys of research, program descriptions, or program evaluations; and focused on curriculum and instruction/school practice, teachers' attributes and roles, and elements/processes of teacher education. (Author/CR)