Education & Pedagogy

On September 22, 2017, the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) and the National Center for Education Research (NCER) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) convened a group of experts in policy, practice, and research related to Career and Technical Education (CTE). The goal of the meeting was to seek input from researchers and practitioners in CTE to help highlight the key research questions that need to be addressed, the types of research that would best address these questions, the challenges faced in doing this work, and strategies for promoting research in CTE. The discussion followed four major topics of inquiry: (1) Who is served by CTE and who is left behind?; (2) What do we know--and need to know--about CTE policies, programs, and practices at the secondary and postsecondary levels?; (3) What are the critical methodological issues in CTE?; and (4) What is needed to advance CTE research? The day was structured by these topics, and each session began with comments by selected Technical Working Group (TWG) members, followed by a general discussion. The meeting concluded with each TWG member providing priority recommendations for IES. This report summarizes the key points and themes that emerged by topic.

Recent advances in technology have radically changed the view of education. Today, there are millions of distance learners in the world. For example, United States (US) has had rapid growth in the use of technology for distance education. Like US, Turkey as a developing country and tries to develop its educational system. As there is no significant difference found between distance education and traditional way of education (Lockee, Burton & Cross, 1999), it provides learners a new avenue to develop their knowledge, get certificates, and take courses online. Therefore, there have been many studies carried out in distance education in the world and in Turkey. Especially on design and development of courses and programs via web-based education have started in the governmental universities as well. Some of the private universities are also seriously conducting their studies on distance education. For all of these studies, many articles have been published and many theses have been written. Based on these researches, this paper examines distance education in Turkey, its past, its current situation, and especially its future. How distance education has grown up, how it is growing, and what things are going to happen will be discussed and some suggestions for future reference will be given in this paper; therefore, some of our advantages and disadvantages in terms of distance education will also be examined.

This bulletin, a Report of the National Committee on Research in Secondary Education is the first of a cooperative research series sponsored by the National Committee on Research in Secondary Education. This committee represents the important national and regional organizations concerned wholly or in part with secondary education. It includes in its personnel many of the recognized leaders in secondary education in the United States. The Bureau of Education feels that, in lending its facilities to this committee for research, it is insuring itself that reports carried to the public through its publications will prove a safe guide for the formulation of standards and policies of secondary education. The contents of this bulletin include: (1) National Committee on Research in Secondary Education; (2) Administration; (3) Aims and Objectives; (4) Buildings and Grounds; (5) Curriculum; (6) Directed Study; (7) Examinations; (8) Extra-Classroom Activities; (9) Finance and Costs; (10) General; (11) Guidance; (12) History of Secondary Education; (13) Instruction; (14) Legislation; (15) Library; (16) Principal; (17) Pupils; (18) Relation of Secondary and Higher Schools; (19) School and Community; (20) Schools; (21) Societies and Fraternities; (22) Statistics; (23) Supervision; (24 ) Surveys; (25) Teachers; and (26) Tests. [Best copy available has been provided.]

There has been so much written for publication in reports on the problems of education in the United States that it seems to be a work of supererogation for any educator to undertake to contribute anything new or important to the general knowledge possessed. This presentation, of necessity, on account of its limitations, is confined to considerations and conclusions that are more or less opinions obtained by experience. This bulletin reports on observations on the preparation, the training, the authorization, the status, and the prospects of the American teacher, in the American school. Some of the topics covered include: (1) the American system; (2) the State service; (3) the school district; (4) the certification of teachers; (5) the preparation of teachers; (6) the status of the occupation; (7) classification of institutions; (8) the secondary schools; (9) State individual institutions; (10) the State teachers' college; (11) the State agricultural college; (12) the universities and colleges; (13) the graduate college; and (14) preparation of teachers in service. [Best copy available has been provided.]

Special education and related services are mandated by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and related state special education policies. Policies and procedures associated with implementing IDEA can be complex, cumbersome and time consuming. IDEA is founded on the notion that a free appropriate public education is a civil right for students with disabilities, a group of students who have historically been denied a right to an education on par with that of their non-disabled peers. Complying with IDEA is a critical responsibility for public schools and, thus, a responsibility that authorizers and charter schools must embrace. Adequately addressing the policy issues and practical challenges associated with educating students with disabilities in the charter sector requires thoughtful policy development and implementation on the part of both authorizers and charter school operators. This Issue Brief is the first in a two-part series on navigating special education in charter schools. The first brief introduces the basic foundation of special education and research findings regarding the legal roles and responsibilities for the provision of special education in charter schools and describes strategies for building a charter school's capacity to provide quality special education programs. (Contains 1 endnote and 5 resources.)

Increasing education among low-income parents is a vital component of policies to improve families' economic status. Educational attainment matters: between 1979 and 2005, wages for those with college and advanced degrees rose by 22 and 28 percent, respectively, while wages for high school graduates remained stagnant and wages for high school dropouts fell by 16 percent. Moreover, the strong association between postsecondary education and higher earnings does not necessarily mean that facilitating access to higher education among low-income adults will lead to earnings gains, particularly considering that many lack recent or successful school experiences. This brief draws on rigorous studies to highlight what is known about efforts to encourage participation in and completion of postsecondary education among recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance and other low-income populations. In this brief postsecondary (or higher) education is defined as academic and vocational/occupational postsecondary programs but not basic education (such as GED preparation classes or high school diploma programs). The brief explores the programs that have been tried, their success in increasing engagement and completion, and the extent to which increases improved economic well-being. (Contains 1 table and 28 notes.)

"Adapting to a Changing World" was commissioned by the National Science Foundation to examine the present status of undergraduate physics education, including the state of physics education research, and, most importantly, to develop a series of recommendations for improving physics education that draws from the knowledge we have about learning and effective teaching. Our committee has endeavored to do so, with great interest and more than a little passion. The Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation was established in 2010 by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Research Council. This report summarizes the committee's response to its statement of task, which requires the committee to produce a report that identifies the goals and challenges facing undergraduate physics education and identifies how best practices for undergraduate physics education can be implemented on a widespread and sustained basis, assess the status of physics education research (PER) and discuss how PER can assist in accomplishing the goal of improving undergraduate physics education best practices and education policy. The following are appended: (1) Statement of Task; (2) Meeting Agendas; (3) Biographies of Committee Members; and (4) Additional Suggested Reading Material. (Individual chapters contain references.) [This content was written by the Committee on Undergraduate Physics Education Research and Implementation; Board on Physics and Astronomy; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; National Research Council.]

This paper is based on a study to explore gender disparity at elementary education level in Jammu and Kashmir. Gender disparity in education refers to differences in outcomes observed between two sexes. Education disparities can be seen in different enrolment rates, dropout rates, and survival rates among the sexes. The central government and state government has developed the flagship programme focusing on the education of the females in the State to achieve gender parity and on the other hand NGOs and local bodies are also jointly working for the elimination of gender disparity in education. The main objective of the study was to explore the gender disparity at elementary education level in Jammu and Kashmir. The data used were taken from the census reports, DISE reports and National Human Development Report of India. The literacy rate and elementary education of the women in Jammu and Kashmir is far lower than their counterparts and also lower than women at national level. The educational schemes and developmental programmes seem have not helped to improve the condition of women education. There is an essential need to make serious efforts by government, NGO organizations and other local bodies to augment the pace of development in education of the women of Jammu and Kashmir.

This digest provides a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of American education from kindergarten through graduate school. It includes a selection of data from government and private sources, and draws especially on the results of surveys and activities carried out by the National Center for Education Statistics. The publication contains information on a variety of subjects in the field of educational statistics. Supplemental information on population trends, attitudes on education, education characteristics of the labor force, government financing, and economic trends provide background for evaluating education data. This edition contains a significant amount of new material, which includes the following: poverty rates for 5- to 17-year olds in large school districts; federal funds, by program, for large school districts; trends in the average size of public schools, by level of school; distribution of public school students, by race/ethnic concentration of enrollment in school; selected statistics for Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education; selected statistics for tribal colleges predominately service American Indian students; percent of colleges using various selection criteria for admission; and average undergraduate tuition and fees, by percentage distribution of student enrollment. Appendixes include a "Guide to Tabular Presentation,""Guide to Sources," and "Definitions." (DFR)

Since 1998 a consortium of six educational and community institutions in Australia have created a pathway into tertiary education for those not served by existing paths. The new path results in a Diploma of Further Education. The program is based on a philosophy of lifelong learning, including a foundation of eight lifelong learning goals. Curriculum has been developed to enable learners to work toward these educational goals through a learning experience based on recognizing and encompassing the multiplicity and connectedness of learning. Learners who do not complete all modules for the diploma may attain a Certificate IV of Further Education. The program is aimed at learners who return to adult community and further education (ACFE) but who lack the confidence to move on to study at a higher level through previously existing pathways. The program contains four core modules that students must take; they also must develop a portfolio of their learning experiences. The program also features learning mentors, who advise, guide, and befriend the students. An information packet, a curriculum framework, a learning mentor manual, and guidelines for conducting the program have been developed. Six pilot programs have been implemented. Approximately 17 students have been through the pilot, and all those who wanted to do so have applied to further education institutions or universities. (Contains 10 references.) (KC)

Higher education's relationship with and contribution to the public good emerged as a trend in the higher education literature in 1996. Three major themes are represented: the role of higher education, public relations, and collaboration. The literature and research continue to illustrate the valuable role of higher education in the important processes that underlie our culture and society. Most often discussed in the literature is economic development; political and social development have a significantly lesser role. Helpful additions to the literature are contextual studies that examine the impact of higher education on specific communities. A report developed for the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association examines the role of higher education in the development of the workforce, focusing on such issues as employers', learners', and the public's expectations. Public relations, an increasingly problematic issue, is not well represented in the literature. This area needs more research to understand how public perception affects higher education institutions, what shapes public opinion, and how it can be changed. Collaboration was also a major theme in the literature, with discussions about collaborations with industry, with K-12 educators, and within the institution. (Contains 13 references.) (JM)

One of the most significant issues facing colleges and universities today is the growing need for lifelong learning and for coherent strategies to serve the adult learner. The Commission on Higher Education and the Adult Learner has outlined five priorities for adult education that demand attention and action: (1) occupational maintenance, education aimed at helping people do their jobs more effectively; (2) retraining for displaced workers; (3) equal opportunity for all students; (4) eliminating adult illiteracy; and (5) achieving competence in the information age. These five priorities are not an all-inclusive agenda, but they illustrate some areas in which individual institutions might bring their own resources to bear. Educators must examine their own institutions to see how best each can serve the adult learner. A more effective division of labor among the providers of adult education is required. The development of rigorous standards for continuing education programs is needed, as is the recruitment of high quality administrators and faculty. Colleges and university divisions of continuing education must be responsive to new markets and the special needs of adults. Stronger alliances must be built between colleges and universities and other providers of adult education. A final point is that, to meet the needs of adult learners, educators must urge federal, state, and local governments to support continuing education. (SLD)

This three-volume report provides a comprehensive picture of the vocational education and training system in Australia, its key policies, initiatives undertaken and achievements during 1999. This publication is composed of volumes 1 and 2. Volume 3 is available separately. Volume 1, National Overview, describes the national vocational education and training system. The first seven sections each focus on one of the agreed annual national priorities and achievements in that area. The priorities are: implementing New Apprenticeships; achieving diversity and flexibility to meet client needs; improving language, literacy, and numeracy skills; implementing the National Training Framework; increasing industry investment in training; providing greater opportunities and improved outcomes for underrepresented clients; and achieving greater efficiency. A final section discusses national programs and allocations to them. Volume 2, Commonwealth, State, and Territory Achievements, contains reports from each jurisdiction of their achievements against the systems's agreed seven annual national priorities. The sections cover the Commonwealth; New South Wales; Victoria; Queensland; South Australia; Western Australian; Tasmania; Northern Territory; and Australian Capital Territory. (YLB)

This document describes the context in which colleges and universities prepare teachers to work with children with disabilities, presenting a vision for a system of teacher preparation conducted through partnerships between higher education and P-12 schools. It offers perspectives, ideas, and examples that may help those who are engaged in and support teacher education and who are concerned with preparing teachers to work with students with disabilities. After discussing foundations for change, the document examines opportunities and challenges for improving the education of all teachers to serve students with disabilities, focusing on five elements of renewal: renew the teacher education curriculum to establish a shared language that supports collaboration between general and special education teachers; establish collaborative clinical experiences for prospective general and special educators; ensure competence of teacher candidates to work with students with disabilities before recommending licensure; support beginning teachers during their first 3 years; and promote shared governance for teacher education that reflects the collective responsibilities of teacher educators, content specialists, and practicing teachers. For each issue discussed, the document presents the context of renewal and looks at possibilities and challenges. (SM)

Research shows that teacher quality may be one of the most significant factors in student achievement. This report includes five chapters that focus on: (1) "Introduction and Executive Summary"; (2) "Coordinating K-12 and Higher Education to Support High-Quality Teacher Preparation" (e.g., coordinating teacher candidate experience in K-12 and higher education institutions); (3) "Building Linkages Within Higher Education to Support High-Quality Teacher Preparation" (e.g., developing shared standards in institutions of higher education); (4) "Building a Coordinated System of New Teacher Support" (e.g., the need for new teacher standards and adequate program funding); and (5) "Ensuring Program Results with an Effective Accountability System" (e.g., elements of an accountability system and the role of state policy evaluation in ensuring program results). Recommendations of the Study Group on Coordination and Accountability in Teacher Education are included. The six appendixes present draft standards for Professional Development Schools from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the NCATE, the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, Augusta State University educator guarantee, Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium model standards for new teachers, and presenters to the Study Group on Coordination and Accountability in Teacher Education. (Contains 24 endnotes.) (SM)