Education & Pedagogy

This report provides information on the current status of mathematics, science, vocational education, and computer science in the secondary schools in the United States. The introductory chapter briefly discusses the decline in mathematics and science education and possible solutions to stop the decline. An overview is also presented of course offerings and enrollments in these subjects. Chapter two presents definitions both at the conceptual and operational level of mathematics, science, vocational education, and computer science. Chapter three offers an overview of study findings pertaining to course offerings and course enrollments in mathematics, science, vocational education, and computer science. The fourth chapter describes offerings in these subject areas as related to school characteristics. Chapter five describes enrollments in these subjects as related to school characteristics. Technical appendices present brief descriptions of the sample designs, data sources, data adjustments, procedures for calculating standard errors, and a complete list of the courses which were encompassed under various mathematics, science, vocational education, and computer science instructional programs. (JD)

Nontraditional approaches in higher education are discussed, with attention to: (1) economic and philosophical reasons for nontraditional education; (2) future thrusts; (3) nontraditional instructional modalities; and (4) the implications for higher education of the extensive use of nontraditional approaches. It is suggested that nontraditional education helps students to learn on their own and is vital in the concept of lifelong learning. Nontraditional modalities include: videocassettes and videotapes, Community Antenna Television (CATV), individualized instruction, programmed instruction, audio-tutorial method, Keller Plan or Personalized System of Instruction, independent study, learning contracts, experiential learning, and correspondence courses using radio, television, and newspapers. Implications include: new media need to be considered as colleges modernize and plan their facilities; budgeting for new technologies is an important concern; institutional accrediting agencies may have to undergo changes in philosophy and evaluation methods; higher education may begin to change the present credit and degree systems; professional roles will change as a result of efforts to individualize instruction; and colleges may need to re-examine current admissions procedures. A 28-item bibliography is appended. (SW)

This booklet provides a brief overview of some of the major trends most likely to influence vocational education during the remainder of the 1980s. It is directed to all vocational educators, particularly planners and policymakers, who want a better understanding of the conditions under which their programs will operate. It considers the nation's economic and political climate, including these influences on the dollars available for vocational education: the stability of the dollar, phases of the business cycle, and competing demands for public funds. The impact of technology, especially robotics and office automation, is surveyed. Demographic changes in the population and labor force to which vocational education must adapt are examined, and job growth and openings are projected. Trends in enrollments and funding for vocational education are then summarized. Finally, these implications for vocational education are advanced: shifts in curriculum emphasis, changes in instructional methods, and the redirection of vocational education and of the content of jobs due to increasing advances in new technology. (YLB)

The capabilities and applications of interactive video in science education are examined in four chapters. Chapter 1 discusses technology in science education, providing a comparative evaluation of interactive videodisc (IVD) systems and the microcomputer. Specific uses of microcomputers in science education are noted. Chapter 2 is a discussion of the current state of science education, considering: the theoretical base/conceptual framework/goals and objectives in science education; teachers; textbooks; curriculum; inadequate resources; declining enrollment; and public and federal support as well as financial and budgetary considerations and attitudes. Chapter 3 offers insights into the role of the laboratory in science education. Chapter 4 focuses on the problem areas in science education and laboratory settings and on how IVD systems may help alleviate some of those problems related to laboratories and to the areas addressed in chapter 2. Specific recommendations are offered when applicable, cautioning that proper in-service training for teachers and users of these systems is needed. Bibliographic citations and a paper by John C. Ittelson titled "Videodisc and Microcomputer Applications and Software" are provided in the appendices. (JN)

This course outline and study guide for "The Comprehensive Community College," a graduate course offered at Iowa State University, lists topics, objectives, and references for each of the 13 topic-based units in the course. Introductory material indicates that the course, which was designed for practicing and aspiring community college professionals, emphasizes the development, purposes, functions, and current programs of two-year colleges. The bulk of the guide consists of outlines for the topic-based units, which focus on: (1) characteristics and functions of two-year colleges; (2) history and status of the two-year college movement; (3) the community college student; (4) university parallel education and articulation with four-year colleges; (5) occupational/career education; (6) general education and liberal arts education; (7) adult and continuing education and community services; (8) developmental/remedial education; (9) student services in the community college; (10) the community college faculty; (11) organization and administration of community colleges; (12) financing community colleges; and (13) the future of the community college movement. (EJV)

A report of the Quality Higher Education Study Committee on state-supported institutions in Arkansas is presented, including 43 recommendations. Attention is directed to: economic characteristics in the state (business indicators, population and growth, personal and family income); social characteristics in the state (education levels, illiteracy, college-going rates); needs identified by business and industry leaders; colleges' contribution in resolving business and societal problems; governance and structure of higher education; the relationship of colleges to vocational and technical schools; college admission; conditional admission and nontraditional students; retention of college students; general education curriculum; transfer of credits; accreditation; academic program review; teacher education; faculty preparation and qualifications; annual faculty evaluation; promotion and tenure; faculty and administrator's salaries; staff development; personnel turnover; faculty workload; affirmative action in employment and enrollment; the higher education budget process; libraries; research and public service; equipment and facilities; private gifts and grants; and auxiliary enterprise. (SW)

The "alternative road" refers to a practically oriented curriculum, one which is more concerned with being able to do, rather than remembering. The book consists of an edited series of papers which were presented at a conference in England on the rehabilitation of the practical, at which a broad range of interests (academic, professional, educational and political) were represented. The 10 papers included in this document are: (1) National Policy and the Rehabilitation of the Practical: The Context; (2) The Secondary School Science Curriculum and the Alternative Road; (3) State Centralism and the Alternative Road in Higher Technical Education, 1930-1980; (4) Views of the Alternative Road: The Crowther Concept; (5) Technology in Schools; (6) A Comparative View: The Scottish Project "Education for the Industrial Society"; (7) Youth Employment and Unemployment: Implications for Education and Training; (8) What Industry Really Wants: Implications for Education and the Community; (9) A Local Authority Perspective; and (10) The Technical and Vocational Education Initiative. (TW)

The International Environmental Education Programme (IEEP) of UNESCO has developed a series of modules dealing with teacher training in environmental education. This module provides the contents of an experimental teacher training course in environmental education for the in-service training of elementary school teachers and administrators. The units in the document include: (1) the objectives of the module; (2) statements of the need for environmental education and background information on international efforts in environmental education since the Stockholm conference of 1972; (3) basic information about the environment (including descriptions of ecological systems and principles); (4) examples of environmental problems, along with a discussion of the sociocultural factors behind them and some possible solutions; (5) an explanation of several teaching methodologies in environmental education, with a special emphasis on problem solving; (6) experiments and teaching activities; (7) evaluation strategies; and (8) considerations for curriculum development, implementation and management. A bibliography and a glossary of terms are included. (TW)

This paper describes issues in early childhood education that were most pressing 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago, indicates whether these have been resolved, and outlines issues now considered urgent. In 1967, the most salient issues were the following: How important is early childhood for education? When should early education begin? Can early education compensate for childhood experiences at home? Are the effects of early education permanent? In 1972, the central issue was what kind of early educational program is best? By 1977, the most pressing issues had shifted to the following: How can early education be done most efficiently and cheaply? Is parent education the answer? How does parent education work? In 1982, a new issue had arisen: What are the effects of full-time day care on preschool children's development? Today, the most pressing new issues seem to be: How can we maximize the fit between programs and participants? What are the implications of the superbaby trend? What are the effects of day care on infants' development? A plea is made for research studies to be conducted that will address these urgent issues. (Author/RH)

This book is intended to make the reader aware of the connections between the present-day, complex world of schools and the historical, philosphical, political, and economic backdrop out of which they have emerged. Educational topics discussed in the chapters are: (1) Educational Reform: A Beginning; (2) The Personal Choice: To Teach or Not to Teach; (3) Teaching: The Nature of the Profession; (4) Historical Perspectives: Education in the Old World; (5) Historical Perspectives: Education in America; (6) Development of Educational Thought: Philosophical Perspectives; (7) Education and Schooling; (8) Society's Expectations: The Challenge to Education; (9) Contemporary Schooling Patterns; (10) Multicultural Education; (11) Accountability: How Well Are We Doing?; (12) Political Dimensions of Schooling: Federal, State, Local; (13) Finance: Who Pays the Bills? (14) Forces Influencing the Curriculum: Who Decides What is Taught? (15) Curriculum: Purpose, Patterns, and Technology; and (16) Future Directions. Supreme Court cases affecting education that were decided between 1954 and 1983 are appended. (JD)

Statistics are presented on the current status of educational institutions, pupils, and personnel in the State of Pennsylvania. Tables display data on the actual status through 1985 and the projected status through 1989-90 in the following areas: (1) fall enrollments in public and nonpublic schools by grade; (2) vocational education enrollments; (3) fall enrollments in institutions of higher education by enrollment status; (4) higher education fall enrollments expressed as a percent by type of institutional control; (5) selected data on public and nonpublic high school graduates; (6) associate and higher degrees awarded by institutions of higher education by institutional category; (7) number of persons issued Instructional I certificates through teacher-preparing institutions by type of certificate; (8) amount of current and total expenditures for public school districts, area vocational-technical schools, and special schools; (9) current-funds expenditures at institutions of higher education by institutional category; (10) public school professional personnel by function; and (11) selected data related to the public school dropout rate. (JD)

The text of Colorado House Bill No. 1187 concerning the reorganization of higher education is presented. The legislation covers: duties and powers of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and an advisory committee; financing the postsecondary education system; duties and powers of the Commission with respect to appropriations, capital construction, and long-range planning; Commission functions with respect to program approval, review, reduction, and discontinuance; Commission functions in statewide planning; Commission functions with regard to off-campus instruction; Commission organization, meetings, and staff; study, governance, and administration functions by the Commission for vocational and occupational education; tuition and reciprocal agreements; admission standards for baccalaureate and graduate institutions; review and action on existing degree programs; education programs offered at state institutions; the Higher Education Accountability Program; departments, degrees, and diplomas; the role and mission of the University of Colorado and the state community college system; duties of the governing board with respect to the state system; and the state board for community colleges and occupational education. (SW)

The contributions of various disciplines to the field of higher education and research studies are discussed in 10 seminar papers, which also review Burton R. Clark's work, "The Higher Education System: Academic Organization in Cross-National Perspective." Titles and authors are as follows: "Internal and External Regulatives in Research and Higher Educational Systems" (Aant Elzinga); "Research Organization and Research Policy in Sweden after the Second World War: A Discursive Essay" (Thorsten Nybom); "Disciplinary Discourse" (Tony Becher); "The Ethos of Higher Education Systems: A View from Anthropology" (Tomas Gerholm); "Integration and Higher Education" (Sven-Eric Liedman); "Higher Education and Research in an Educational Perspective" (Lennart F. Svensson); "Sociology and Organised Knowledge: Changing Perspectives in the Sociology of Science" (Katrin Fridjonsdottir); "The Higher Education System in a Time Perspective" (Rolf Ohlsson); "Are Some Disciplines More Relevant Than Others?" (Rune Premfors); and "Extending 'The Higher Education System'" (Burton R. Clark). (SW)

The UNICEF Committee of Australia met in Melbourne (Australia) in August of 1980 to discuss development education. The first part of the proceedings contains the welcoming address, the opening address, and a list of papers delivered. The process, content, critique, and needs of development education are discussed in the first paper. The second paper contains a case study of a 12th grade teaching unit on the topic of the world food problem. A reaction paper is also included. Recommendations from group discussions, which investigated ways in which organizations and systems could further development education, and the summary address are included in the last part of the publication. Included among the recommendations are that development education be promoted as a curriculum perspective that is applicable to all subjects at all levels of education and that the power of the media be utilized to help package and sell such curricula. Commitment, cooperation, communication, and change are necessary. (RM)

The report describes, in the form of transcribed interviews, cross-cultural programs in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Montana, New Mexico and Arizona identified in a May, 1973, study-tour of cross-cultural education focusing upon people of Indian ancestry. The primary goal of these visits was to identify promising procedures and accomplishments in cross-cultural education wherever interesting developments may have occurred. The report focuses upon native studies programs at the institutions visited and on information gained through interviews with personnel involved in native-studies curriculum and instruction projects. Programs visited include: Indian Teacher Education Program at the University of Saskatchewan; Saskatchewan Indian Cultural College; E. D. Feehan High School in Saskatoon; University of Brandon in Manitoba; Rocky Boy Elementary School on the Cree Reservation, Montana; Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Navajo Area Office and Navajo Tribal Education Office in Window Rock, Arizona; Chinle Boarding School, Many Farms High School, Rough Rock Demonstration School, and Rock Point (Contract) School in Arizona; and University of New Mexico and BIA Language Arts Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. (ERB)