Education & Pedagogy

This paper argues that there is a pressing need to discover, develop, and validate a variety of creative skills and aptitudes among students that are too often undervalued in education and training. The immediate concern is with non-advanced further education in the 16-19 age range. Section One describes the changing context of further education. Section Two discusses the importance of creative activities in relation to the changing roles of further education. It considers some of the characteristics of creative activities and the opportunities to promote them across the curriculum. Section Three addresses the arts as a major curriculum area where there has been much successful experience in developing the creativity of young people--an area that has been undervalued in the highly instrumental approaches that characterize much of the further education sector. Section Four considers the implications of the arguments for the further education curriculum and focuses on issues of validation, assessment, and staff development. A bibliography is appended, as well as a list of aims and objectives of a creative development course. (YLB)

Distance education offers a set of techniques through which new content can be rapidly and effectively introduced into schools. Its growing importance is due to these key factors: educational expansion, democratization of education, improving quality, and reducing costs. If distance teaching methods are to be used successfully for curriculum innovation within schools, there are at least four essential criteria for success: suitable materials, teacher orientation, access to school resources, and acceptable curriculum innovations. Three major roles for distance learning methods are to diversify the curriculum by introducing new subjects; to improve choice, by making a wider range of subjects available; and to change the content and emphasis of the curriculum by teaching traditional subjects with a more practical slant. Some examples of how distance teaching has been used for vocational or technical education at various levels are nonformal technical education in Pakistan, further education in Britain, the Open Tech program for technical education, and development of professional scientific and technical manpower in eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Thailand, and India. (YLB)

Section one of this report on the status of teacher education in North Carolina summarizes recommendations of the Task Force on the Preparation of Teachers involving: (1) reform of teacher education programs; (2) quality assurance program improvement; (3) teacher certification and program approval; (4) continuing professional education/coordination; (5) incentives to attract teachers; (6) school-college partnerships; (7) revitalization of teacher education faculty; and (8) demands for teachers in North Carolina: 1986-1995. The second section presents an overview of teacher education in North Carolina from before 1877 to the present. The third section offers a description of the context and work of the Task Force, including the schedule and activities underaken, and education programs upon which the committees focused. In the fourth section, a detailed description is given of the observations and findings of the Task Force. The final section discusses the specific recommendations that emerged from the Task Force findings. Data upon which findings were based are presented in tables and figures. (JD)

Two sets of opinion exist regarding the control of schools. The first pertains to the freedom of parental choice in education and the right of individuals and associations to run private schools subject to minimal government controls. The second stresses the overriding need to promote greater equality of opportunity in the form of publicly provided education and training. Based on comparative studies of the independent sectors of education in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, this paper illustrates how nations have tried to achieve some kind of balance between these two views. The discussion seeks to clarify the issues which cause the marked difference in the acceptability, the scope, and the cost of private education in the various countries and in the degree of choice and equality of opportunity they achieve; and to demonstrate the strength of the common cause despite the differences, and the advantages of collaboration. The impact of such factors as explicit governmental action, the mores of society, and economic pressures are also reviewed.

This document presents an overview of the educational system in Greece, with particular emphasis on vocational training. The monograph is organized in eight chapters. The first two chapters contain general information and statistics on the population and employment in Greece and the economy and labor force. Chapter 3 is an overview of scholastic education and vocational training, including information on the various types of postcompulsory education, such as the general lykeion, technical and vocational schools, technical and vocational lykeions, integrated comprehensive lykeions, the Greek Naval Lykeions for Officer Cadets, middle technical and vocational nursing schools, and apprenticeships; career planning; and nonuniversity higher technical and vocational education. Chapter 4 reports on further education, especially that oriented toward the job market. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 discuss the historical development of the educational system, the authority structure of the system, and the financial structure of the educational system. The final chapter suggests future trends in vocational education in Greece. Statistical data are reported in the appendix, and a list of abbreviations, notes, and a 39-item bibliography are included. (KC)

This master plan for higher education in Tennessee sketches a framework for the continued improvement of postsecondary institutions and emphasizes the critical links between higher education and other components of the state. A set of principles and achievement targets undergirding the master plan are outlined. Specific action is called for in several areas of undergraduate education, graduate education, teacher preparation, and the non-public sector of postsecondary education. Higher education is urged to intensify its commitment to enhance the quality of life through closer links with industry, social organizations, governmental agencies, and art and cultural outreach programs. Additional investments in higher education are recommended for faculty and staff, library resources, equipment, and facilities. Desegregation of students, faculty, and staff at each of the public colleges and universities is also a priority. The governance system must devise innovations to achieve excellence, through assessment, incentive funding, and licensure of quality programs. Appendices contain enrollment projections for each state-supported institution, job placement rates, graduation rates, desegregation objectives, and guidelines for the development of mission statements. (JDD)

This report is based on data from the 16th annual (1988) Survey of Corporate Contributions and notes a slowing of growth in corporate support of education since 1985. Narrative, tables, and graphs provide detail and analysis of major trends including the following highlights: (1) corporate contributions to education for 1988 is estimated at $2.1 billion; (2) preliminary data for 1989 and 1990 suggest continued growth of about 4% annually; (3) education received the largest share (37%) of the $1.65 billion given to all causes by the 356 surveyed companies with colleges and universities securing 64% of education dollars, and precollege education claiming 8.8% of the total; (4) contributions continued to decline from the prior year as a share of corporate earnings; (5) noncash gifts of company products and property fell, while cash contributions to education rose; (6) more than two-fifths of all contributions were made by corporate foundations; and (7) the top 25 contributors from manufacturing and nonmanufacturing sectors together provided more than two-thirds of the education support reported by all companies. Additional information includes regional differences, year-to-year changes, and variations by company size. (DB)

This publication documents the development of the Ohio Continuing Higher Education Association (OCHEA) from its two predecessor organizations: the Ohio Council on Higher Continuing Education (in existence from 1968 to 1984) and the Ohio Continuing Education Council (in existence from 1976 to 1983). The history is presented in the following sections: (1) a prologue; (2) the Cleveland Conference (August 1982) and response; (3) committee on a statewide continuing education organization; (4) constitutional convention (April 21, 1983); and (5) sections for the years 1983-1984, 1984-1985, 1985-1986, 1986-1987, and 1987-1988. Each of the yearly sections includes a description of the activities and leadership of the Ohio Continuing Higher Education Association for that year. Appendix A describes the history of the Ohio Continuing Education Council and lists its officers from 1976 through 1983. Appendix B describes the history of the Ohio Council for Higher Continuing Education and lists its officers from 1968 through 1984. Appendix C describes the OCHEA Archives (housed in the Vernon R. Alden Library at Ohio University in Athens). Appendix D lists OCHEA documents that are available through ERIC. (CML)

This report presents findings from a national survey of secondary and postsecondary institutions offering vocational education that sought to determine state and local response to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act. The study involved qualitative case studies of state and local programs as well as a national survey of local vocational providers designed to gather information about current vocational education practices. Containing 83 tables and graphs, the report includes information in the following areas: (1) description of districts and institutions offering vocational education; (2) amount of Perkins' dollars spent in 1986-87; (3) how Perkins' funds are spent by districts and institutions; (4) supplemental services for handicapped and disadvantaged secondary students; (5) changes in student enrollments in vocational education 1982-83 to 1986-87; (6) changes in vocational courses 1982-83 to 1986-87; and (7) vocational education and the Job Training Partnership Act. An introductory overview summarizes results in these seven areas of research. The survey instruments are appended. (KC)

This paper discusses the concepts of Human Resources Development (HRD), andragogy (adult learning), and transfer of training as factors to be considered when designing training for special education teachers in rural schools. A critical question facing HRD professionals who design and deliver inservice training for special education teachers in rural schools is "What can be done to ensure that the skills learned and practiced during training will result in behavior changes once the trainees return to their classrooms?" Transfer of training may be a particularly challenging issue in rural schools because schools often are located in areas where access to educational agencies, and even trained teachers, is difficult for recent trainees. Transfer strategies recommended by HRD and staff development professionals are listed. Finally, some results are presented from a transfer of training survey that asked 44 rural Kentucky special education teachers to list factors that assisted them most in implementing their recent inservice training. This paper contains 28 references. (TES)

A curriculum guide to the graduate program of higher education at Florida State University, Tallahassee is presented. Established in 1957, the higher education program has been ranked among the top 10 of 83 in the United States during the past 10 years. Each student's program of studies is designed with course options and other learning experiences so that each participant may realize current educational needs and achieve desired professional goals. Coursework is designed to provide a knowledge base and theoretical framework relevant to higher education. Five sections provide information on the following areas: admissions procedures and requirements; fees and financial aid; degree programs (Master's degree, Education Specialist degree, Doctor of Education degree, Doctor of Philosophy degree, and Certificate programs); affiliated centers (Institute for Studies in Higher Education, Institute for Departmental Leadership, State and Regional Higher Education Center and Center for Studies of Women in Administration); and a listing of faculty within the program. Tables are included. (SM)

The regular education initiative is a recent movement away from special education for students with learning and behavior problems. Leaders and advocates from the fields of school psychology, special education, and compensatory education have argued that the current within-child disability approach to serving students experiencing academic or social difficulties has proven inadequate. In response, alternatives that would significantly increase the involvement of regular classroom teachers in the instruction of these students are being proposed. The proposed changes in the relationship between regular and special education represent a paradigm shift in educational thinking and practice. The service delivery models being proposed as part of the initiative require a radical reconceptualization of childhood disorder, away from the intrapsychic focus that has dominated psychology during most of this century and toward an acknowledgement of the interactional, environmental bases of problem behavior. If strategies proposed as part of the regular education initiative are to be successful, the ecological assumptions and the possible pitfalls inherent in them must be made explicit. (MSE)

The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendment of 1986 extended the six basic rights established in the Education for All Handicapped Children Act to preschoolers. All preschool handicapped children (ages 3 to 5) will receive a free, appropriate public education in the same manner that the K-12 students benefit from federal law for the handicapped. Furthermore, by the 1991-92 school year, states accepting federal funds for handicapped preschoolers must guarantee a full range of services to 3- to 5-year-olds. Whether or not the state receives federal funds, schools with preschool classes must include special education in their planning. The legislation also calls for the development of a statewide interagency delivery system for services to handicapped infants and toddlers (birth to 2-years-old). The intent of the 1986 amendment is to reduce or to eliminate the number of special education placements and related services in later years. Although the benefit of these public services for obviously handicapped children is clear, the need to extend programs to children identified as "at risk" of future learning difficulties remains controversial. (KM)

European education governance is increasingly affected by and effectuated through digital means. This article presents an analysis of the way in which Europe is increasingly deploying digital technologies, and more specifically websites, in order to shape and communicate its education policies. Drawing on the notion of the diagram as the multimodal combination of texts and visuals into a single plane, the article scrutinizes two websites that play a central role in the production and distribution of policy data: first, the European Commission's Directorate Education and Culture website presenting the Education and Training monitor; second, the Open Education Europa website stimulating the deployment of Open Education practices in Europe. Conceived as active devices, various diagrams on these websites are analyzed in view of the operations they perform. It is argued that these diagrams portray related interplays of absence and presence, enact specific spaces into being, and call for specific ways of taking action upon the reality they purport to represent. As such, diagrams have become an integral part of European education governance in the digital age.

This article presents the most important aspects, organizational principles and achievements in the field of integrated education in Poland. The author outlines the dynamics of the development of institutions of integrated education and institutions with integrated sections between 1989 and 2010. She describes the actual state of teaching conditions, discusses the immediate social milieu of learners with special needs and provides a numerical and percentage layout of children with different disabilities. The author also discusses the characteristics of the staff employed at institutions of integrated education, their factual competence and opportunities to obtain the necessary qualifications to work with children with special educational needs. Finally, the author presents the results of her surveys conducted among employees of institutions of integrated education. The respondents point to the difficulties related to the introduction of this form of education in Poland, at the same time stressing the necessity of continuing efforts that promote the development of integrated education, conducive to the so-called inclusive education in all schools.