Education & Pedagogy

On July 19, 1968, a Task Force on Vocational and Technical Education was created by the governor of Ohio to develop proposals for organization, financing, and legislation. Some major problems to which the Task Force gave attention were: (1) the serious gap between the need for and the availability of vocational and technical education, (2) the lack of relevancy of the present system of education, (3) the unemployment problem of many young people because of lack of job training and skills, (4) the lack of opportunity for adult vocational or technical training, (5) the need for school district reorganization, (6) the lack of liaison between public education and industry, and (7) the relationship of job availability and the supply of trained persons to the future economic growth of Ohio. Some recommendations were: (1) initiation of a massive information program on vocational and technical education, (2) the alliance and identification of technical education with higher education, (3) organization of joint vocational school districts on a complete county or multi-county basis, (4) greater availability of vocational education facilities, (5) certification of teachers with a trade or industrial background and a minimum of formal teacher-training, and (6) distribution of state funds on the basis of need. (DM)

Intended as a flexible instrument, this guide suggests approaches for providing (1) meaningful occupational education throughout the junior high and high school structure, (2) opportunities for attaining entry level occupational competency in the secondary education complex, and (3) occupational education at the high school level which is appropriate to continuation beyond high school. On the basis of (1) the adoption of the occupational cluster concept which involves its grouping of occupations with identical or similar skill and knowledge requirements, (2) the implementation of a program of occupational exploration in grades 7 through 10, (3) the availability of adequate guidance and counseling, and (4) the provision of introductory courses at the ninth and 10th grade levels, a pattern of occupational education for secondary schools is suggested and approaches to organization, content, scope, and sequence of 12 cluster-based occupational curriculums are presented. The roles of high school occupational programs are identified as providing specific preparation for those who drop out and those who do not continue beyond high school, and a complementary learning experience to those who continue their occupational education. The alignment of the 12 curriculums with typical community college programs is illustrated, and the development of agriculture education from grade 9 through the community college program is presented schematically. (JK)

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, SCHOOLS STILL PROVIDE A BACKGROUND OF GENERAL EDUCATION DURING THE YEARS OF COMPULSORY EDUCATION. A YOUTH EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROVIDES CAREER INFORMATION, VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE, AND PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE. LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES HAVE TAKEN OVER THIS FUNCTION IN ABOUT THREE-QUARTERS OF THE SCHOOLS UNDER GRANTS FROM THE MINISTRY OF LABOR, BUT CENTRAL COORDINATION STILL EXISTS. GENERALLY, INDUSTRIAL TRAINING OCCURS IN INDUSTRY WITH THE PRACTICE OF "DAY OR BLOCK RELEASE" OF TRAINEES TO ATTEND CLASSES IN TECHNICAL COLLEGES UNDER PROVISIONS OF THE INDUSTRIAL TRAINING ACT OF 1964. THE ACT AUTHORIZES ESTABLISHMENT OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING BOARDS WHICH ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE AMOUNT AND QUALITY OF TRAINING AND FOR SPREADING THE COSTS FAIRLY OVER EACH INDUSTRY. THE GOVERNMENT ALSO PROVIDES 6-MONTH COURSES IN 40 TRADES IN 30 GOVERNMENT TRAINING CENTERS WHICH AIM TO INCREASE SHORT-SUPPLY SKILLED MANPOWER WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO ECONOMIC GROWTH, AND RESETTLE PERSONS IN NEED OF TRAINING OR RETRAINING. COURSES FOR INSTRUCTORS, SUPERVISORS, AND EMPLOYERS ARE AVAILABLE. FURTHER EDUCATION IS PROVIDED AT COLLEGES MAINTAINED IN ENGLAND, WALES, AND NORTHERN IRELAND BY LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITIES. SCOTLAND HAS SIMILAR ARRANGEMENTS, BUT ADVANCED COURSES ARE PROVIDED MAINLY IN CENTRAL INSTITUTIONS. COLLEGES ARE COOPERATING IN EDUCATING INDUSTRIAL TRAINING OFFICERS AND MANAGEMENT. TEACHERS FOR COLLEGES ARE RECRUITED MAINLY FROM INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, BUT TEACHER TRAINING IS AVAILABLE AT SPECIALIST COLLEGES OF EDUCATION. (JM)

This document, the 10th in a series of annual publications, provides an abstract of statistical information covering American education from kindergarten through graduate school. Subjects on which statistics are provided include the number of schools and colleges and information on enrollments, teachers graduates, educational attainment, finances, Federal funds for education, libraries, international education, and research and development. The digest is divided into five chapters: (1) all levels of education, (2) elementary and secondary education, (3) higher education, (4) Federal programs for education and related activities, and (5) selected statistics related to education in the United States. Innovations include summary data on trends in associate degrees conferred and enrollment for advanced degrees; expanded coverage of bachelor's, master's, and doctor's degrees, by field of study; and a new table on first professional degrees conferred; statistics from the National Catholic Educational Association on Catholic elementary and secondary schools, enrollment, and instructional staff; census data on the percent of dropouts in the teenage population; statistics on the percent of public secondary schools offering and the percent of students enrolled in selected subjects; a table on health service libraries; and data on Office of Education funds obligated for instructional materials and equipment. (A related document is ED 046 129.) (Author)

The purposes of the Teacher Education Project Study at Jarvis Christian College were to investigate the relevance for small developing colleges of the new models for elementary education and to stimulate the adoption of the systems approach to institutional development in general. A 12-member Project Task Force composed of Jarvis faculty, students, and administrators began its work by meeting periodically to review the summaries of the nine models available in spring 1969. Further activities of the Task Force included on-site visits to relevant experimental and demonstration projects, systems analysis of Jarvis, simulated experimentation in model building and cooperation with the original model builders and the Consortium of Southern Colleges for Teacher Education in model refinements and/or development. The most important conclusions are a) that Jarvis Christian College purposes might be more effectively met by the adoption of systems methods in each area of the college's operation, b) that the Teacher Education Program or "new models" program has relevance not only for departments of education but also Arts and Sciences and higher education, and c) that a total institutional thrust is required in the reconstruction of teacher education or any other system component. A list of recommendations, a 34-item bibliography and appendixes are included. (Author/MJM)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of an article on preschool education. The author's first point is that early childhood education should be run separately from elementary education. It is true that the education of five year olds forms part of elementary education and is so practiced in the USA and the UK, but it is not desirable in Japan, where undue emphasis is already placed on intellectual development. Kindergarten should not be mere preparation for the first grade. Nurseries and kindergartens should be unified to cover all three to five year olds. Public and private kindergartens should be coordinated. In making early childhood education compulsory, not all private kindergartens should be turned into public ones. It is impossible to make early childhood education compulsory at one stroke because these institutions are so unequally distributed throughout the country. It should be done one age at a time, starting with the five year olds. More facilities and teachers are needed. Three thousand kindergartens are planned during the seven year scheme and 18,000 kindergarten teachers were to be trained by 1970. About a third of private kindergarten teachers are teaching with temporary certificates, so inservice training should be improved and intensified. (Author/GDB)

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of recommendations and a plan of action presented by the Indian National Seminar on Population Education. Population education has been rapidly emerging as a new but important phase of the total program dealing with population planning. The report makes a clear cut distinction between population education and sex education. Population education is primarily a motivational force for creating the right attitudes to family size and the need for family planning. Knowledge is needed by children of the relationship between population and economic development, between a high birth rate and a high death rate, between national income and per capita income, the growth rates in different countries, and the other relevant facts connected to the population problem. Population education should, however, not be treated only as a quantitative phenomenon; it is the quality of population that is most relevant both as a factor of growth and an end-product of growth. Students at all levels have a right to accurate information about the effect of changes in family size and in national population on the individual, the family, and the home. A separate Population Education Cell should be established to develop suitable curricula for teacher training colleges and public schools. (Author/GDB)

This book reports on three International Council on Education for Teaching world assemblies held in Singapore, Berlin, and Washington, D.C. The report is divided into six major parts, each presenting papers pertinent to the central theme under discussion. Section one deals with policies for teacher education on the regional, national, and international scale. In section two, lifelong and nonformal education are the topics under discussion. Papers deal with broad concepts of the subject, educational demands in changing societies, and nonformal education in developing countries. Curriculum innovations are the topic of the third section. New curriculum content is described, education for peace and achievement motivation are discussed, and a program for the clinical preparation of teachers is examined. Educational technology is the subject in section four. Ways in which a more scientific approach to teacher education can be introduced and how they may be implemented are discussed in the papers presented in this section. Section five is devoted entirely to the subject of inservice education in Asia. Specific activities in eleven Asian countries are described. In the final section, current trends in teacher education are discussed in six geographical regions: India, Australia, Kenya, Canada, United States, and Southeast Asia. In conclusion a world-wide perspective on teacher education is presented. (JD)

Focusing on the concept of education for work vs. education for living, the author presents a comparative analysis of two works on liberal education, each of which was originally delivered orally to university students: "The Inaugural Address at the University of St. Andrew" by John Stuart Mill and "The University of Utopia" by Robert Maynard Hutchins. Chapter 1 is an analysis of the two works. Chapter 2 expands further on the five criteria used as a basis of the comparison, giving the views of other author and educators on the criteria. The five criteria are (1) the concept of a university, (2) the concept of a university liberal arts education, (3) the curriculum of a liberal education, (4) the methods used in liberal arts education, and (5) the product of liberal university education. The third chapter compares the main ideas of the two authors, juxtaposing them for emphasis, with occasional references to other works. In a concluding section, focusing on the attempt to demonstrate that both Mill and Hutchins are strong exponents of liberal education, the author relates the thoughts of Mill and Hutchins to university education in modern society. (JT)

The document discusses a national survey undertaken to determine areas of needed research and policy development in art education. Secondary school principals, curriculum leaders, and state art supervisors were surveyed to determine the current status and future needs of art education. Findings among principals indicated that 59% of the 125 respondents noted that art education increased in importance in 1975 over the preceding year. On the district level, a majority of 345 art education supervisors noted a stable employment, financial, and instructional materials situation. Most frequently mentioned obstacles to art education on the district level were lack of commitment to the arts as an educational priority, and lack of money, time, personnel, and space for art instruction. On the state level, approximately 30% of the 52 state and territorial respondents observed an increase in art education personnel within their state. It was concluded that additional research of a broader and more sophisticated nature is necessary, a symposium concerning the improvements of the image and the visibility of art education must be undertaken, and further dialogue between people concerned with art in American education letters are presented in the appendix. (Author/DB)

Objectives of a survey of New Jersey colleges and universities were to identify institutions that offered programs or courses in adult education or maintain learning centers and to ascertain if library staff members were available for reading guidance and resource improvement. Based on a literature review, a questionnaire was developed and mailed to forty-eight two- and four-year community, public, and private (but not religious-affiliated) colleges and universities in the state. Along with basic information on the different types of adult education programs offered, the questionnaire sought data on the location of activities (e.g., main campus, extension center, public library), length of time the program has been in operation, organizational structure (department responsible to within the school), institutional cooperation, and facilities. Of the forty-four institutions responding, thirty-six had operating adult education programs: adult basic education, continuing education, community education, high school equivalency, etc. Only ten had proper facilities; others used the general library or had no resources whatsoever. Only twelve indicated that they had a librarian trained in adult education background to keep up with new materials, grants, research, etc. However, twenty-four indicated that their programs could use a specialized professional staff member. Recommendations were made to include specialized courses in adult education librarianship in all library school curriculums in New Jersey. (Questionnaire is included.) (JT)

A project was conducted to infuse and implement career education in a postsecondary setting based on the following objectives: (1) to demonstrate to faculty at the University of Maine at Orono the philosophy, concepts and practices of career education in post-secondary settings via a structured seminar series; (2) to develop twenty-six career education instructional units; (3) to develop a package of career education materials for training postsecondary education faculty; (4) to involve the business/industry community as consultants to the career education seminar and as reviewers of selected instructional units; and (5) to hold a regional career education conference for dissemination of project results (not held due to insufficient funding). A posttest-only-control-group design was utilized to investigate whether there were differences between the knowledge and attitudes of the participants. Three groups were tested: seminar participants, a self-study group, and a control group of non-participants. All three groups were favorably disposed toward career education but the difference was in intensity. The seminar participants had the highest mean scores on both the knowledge test and attitude survey. Overall, participants responded favorably to the conceptual model of the seminar sessions. The self-study group indicated a need for more interaction with others. The instructional units and training package were developed and reviewed. Several restraints were identified concerning the implementation of career education programs in university settings. (BM)

Proceedings of two national working conferences held to discuss career education for the hearing impaired are in this volume. Administrative, counselor, and teacher representatives from schools having experience in career education attended. The report covers issues they addressed following the keynote speeches, appearing in Section 1, given by specialists on obstacles to be overcome, the relevance of career education for the hearing impaired, directive counseling from a vocational rehabilitation perspective, and how career education can meet the needs of business and industry. Section 2--What Have We Learned?--begins with the list of areas for discussion followed by separate summaries of what the three groups of participants had to say. Section 3 concerns identification of the most important and urgent issues on which consensus was sought, with votes tabulated; inservice staff training was voted most important and urgent. "Where Do We Go From Here?"--Section 4--notes the beginning of the National Project on Career Education which hopes to put ideas into action and organize technical assistance to schools participating in regionally based, inservice training programs. Appendixes contain the five papers presented and lists of participants and of pre-conference recommended readings. (CP)

The values, goals, and organization of general education have been highly controversial subjects in higher education for years. Two different perspectives are provided by B. Lamar Johnson's "General Education in Action" (1952) and Miami-Dade Community College's (MDCC's) "General Education in a Changing Society" (1978). Concerns such as technology, value systems, personal social adjustment, career goals, and knowledge of national culture were common to the 1950's and the 1970's. Issues of energy, discretionary time, and lifelong learning gained importance after Johnson's report. In organizing a plan of general education, Johnson proposed defining its purpose, building a structure to achieve the purpose, operating the structure, and evaluating the results. He recommended courses in Communication Skills, American History, Psychology of Adjustment, Family Life Education, Health Education, Creative Arts, and Physical Education. MDCC established specific objectives for its program in categories of fundamental skills, the individual, the individual's goals for the future, the individual's relationship with other persons and groups, and society and the individual. Core courses within the plan were Communications, Humanities, the Social Environment, the Natural Environment, the Individual, and Health Maintenance. Numerous other studies are cited in the report. (AYC)

Although there is currently no national approach to career education in Australia, recent economic and labor trends have prompted the reconsideration of work experience and career education programs. Career education does not exist below secondary levels and prevocational training serves only as an introduction to extensive postsecondary technical courses. Work experience programs originally catered to handicapped students, a focus being continued in a New South Wales pilot project to ease the movement of handicapped students into the working world. Work experience programs, now generally considered to be a means of experiencing a work situation and not as specific vocational training, vary greatly in size, scope, aims, availability, and emphasis throughout the country. A trend toward comprehensive education, which integrates general, vocational, and technical education, is increasing the number and general acceptance of such programs. Existing labor/industry laws have been a barrier to work experience programs. In the state of Victoria, the 1974 Education Act overcame legal restrictions on student labor and work experience programs, serving to increase numbers of secondary students there. Non-formal government programs aim at developing the job seeking skills, literacy, and numeracy abilities of out-of-work youth aged 15-19. (SB)