Education & Pedagogy

Philadelphia has three WIOA Title II organizations, 35 (and growing) non-profit providers who offer adult education assessments and classes, a local workforce board, and a municipal government office to support adult education. In the mid-2000s, learners would have needed to locate any of these providers on their own. In 2014, the City of Philadelphia launched myPLACESM (my Philadelphia Literacy and Adult Career Education), which offered residents centralized access to education and career development services through community-based partner programs. By 2020, the basic framework of myPLACESM remained, but with the move to more virtual options during COVID-19 as well as the shrinking of the City's adult education office, there needed to be other ways to strengthen the system of connecting residents to adult education resources. With so many disparate and discrete providers and funders, how can a resident seeking adult education resources find a single point of entry--a gateway--to connect to these available services? What existing investments can be leveraged? What relationships should be developed or deepened to support this effort? Where can coordination, collaboration, and integration be useful to better support Philadelphians and their connections to adult education? These were the challenges facing the city's efforts to support the community of learners.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the "International Review of Education" (IRE), this article reflects on the history of humanistic and hermeneutic thinking in international and comparative education as expressed in the activities and publications of the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) and its journal. The article first traces the influences of a range of educational thinkers from different but overlapping philosophical traditions who engaged with the institute and the IRE in the post-World War II period. It then focuses on a particular line of work, lifelong learning and literacy, which was inspired by the German comparative educationist Gottfried Hausmann and also, to some extent, the Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire. The final section relates the humanistic philosophy of education to contemporary standardised and outcome-based discourses of education. It also reflects on the contemporary use of ideas with a humanistic connotation, such as social and emotional learning and mindfulness, which have reappeared in the 21st century in a truncated and marketised form.

Peer relationships in schools play a crucial role in children's social and emotional development. Ethnic minority students and those with parents who have low education are especially vulnerable to negative social outcomes, such as peer rejection, which can lead to mental health problems. Pre-primary education has been hypothesized to provide early socialization opportunities that may protect against these adverse outcomes. This study examines the long-term effects of pre-primary education on peer relationships in sixth grade using a stratified random sample of 2,397 sixth-grade students from the Czech Republic. The findings reveal that students who attended pre-primary education for more than one year, are less rejected compared to those who did not attend. Ethnic minority students and those with parents without higher education are identified as more prone to peer rejection, underscoring the challenges these groups face in school. Importantly, this study shows that pre-primary education provides some protective effect against peer rejection for these vulnerable groups. The study highlights the need for policies supporting universal access to high-quality pre-primary education, especially for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Inclusive education is an educational philosophy that specifies that students with disabilities have to be educated alongside their same-age peers to the maximum extent possible has garnered traction across the globe. Despite global calls to make inclusive education a means to advance educational equity for students with disabilities, many countries such as South Africa have struggled to make it a reality. Teachers report being unprepared and not confident to address the learning needs of students with disabilities in inclusive settings. This study examined the competency levels of South African teachers in inclusive education. Data were collected through questionnaires from 126 primary and secondary school teachers employed in full-service schools, in the Capricorn Region, Limpopo Province of South Africa. The results show that teachers who had prior training in inclusive education, on average, had higher inclusive education competencies than those who had no training. The results also indicate significant gaps in training and the lack of explicit articulation of inclusive education in the teacher training programs. Recommendations and implications for future practitioners are provided.

Purpose: To scientifically construct an evaluation system for ecological civilization education in universities, this study draws on domestic and international research achievements and educational evaluation practices. Design/methodology/approach: By applying the analytic hierarchy process (AHP model), it refines the evaluation index system for ecological civilization education in universities; utilizing the PDCA model, it proposes optimized paths for evaluating ecological civilization education in universities. Findings: This further constructs a scientific and comprehensive new-age evaluation system for ecological civilization education in universities, aiming to improve the level of ecological civilization education in universities, further promote the construction of ecological civilization in universities and enhance the ecological civilization literacy of college students. Originality/value: This study innovatively integrates the AHP model and the PDCA model to construct an evaluation system for ecological civilization education. Its originality lies primarily in the breakthrough of methodological integration. By establishing a "quantitative evaluation-dynamic optimization" linkage mechanism, it bridges the gap between theory and practice in ecological civilization education. Furthermore, the evaluation results are directly linked to curriculum improvement strategies and institutional reform in higher education, demonstrating significant practical value and policy relevance.

The study discusses the importance of social-emotional learning in integrating climate education into formal school curricula. More specifically, it uses well-being and happiness as a framework to discuss the importance of social-emotional learning in climate education in a comparative perspective. This study found that when integrated with the formal curricula, pluralistic education, education for sustainable development, and positive education contribute to effective climate education. It presents an analysis of core climate ideas that are integrated into New Jersey's Student Learning Standards. The results show that cognitive skills heavily dominate the climate core ideas. It shows the gap in social-emotional learning focus and its linkages to environmental understanding and community action. This case study's results suggest how other systems can introduce such curriculum changes to develop positive emotions about the environment, which is key for learners to have a deeper bond with nature. The study proposes a rubric that combines literature-driven dimensions of positive education, sustainability, and pluralistic education, which could be used as tools for curriculum design in other systems in other countries, adapted to local cultures.

This manuscript situates Black rural education within a broader struggle against erasure, anti-DEI policies, and persistent deficit framings. Drawing from a "front porch conversation," we conceptualize the front porch as a site of intergenerational knowledge, resilience, and truth-telling. Using critical pedagogy of place, Black geographies, and rural cultural wealth as theoretical anchors, we examine the intersections of race, place, and education. Our dialogue and analysis highlight the enduring legacies of desegregation, the racial trauma uniquely intensified in rural communities, and the inequitable access confronting Black rural youth. We counter these challenges with narratives of joy, familial strength, and cultural wealth that underscore the vitality of Black rural literacies. Ultimately, this work positions Black rural education not as peripheral, but as central to reimagining equity and justice in U.S. education. We call upon scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to honor and amplify Black rural voices as a blueprint for resistance and hope.

Malaysia got her independence from Britain in 1957 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has existed since 1967. The ASEAN Vision 2020 affirmed an outward-looking ASEAN to play an important role in the international community. One of ASEAN's sections is the ASEAN socio-cultural community. This article compares moral and civic education in Malaysia and several countries in ASEAN. A multiple document analysis approach has been used in this research. Its focus is on how civic and moral education has existed and has transformed due to multiple multicultural and globalisation factors. Three research questions have been explored from the Malaysian and ASEAN perspective: how is civic education taking shape; how is moral education taking shape; and what are the opportunities and challenges of these two subjects? Reports, curriculum documents, experiential learning practice and journal articles in civic education and moral education in Malaysia and ASEAN countries were analysed. The inclusion of service-learning as an experiential pedagogy is suggested for the way forward of these two subjects. The article is original in nature and has much textual-social impact.

This chapter offers a survey of education transformations in the East Slavic countries, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine, in the context of globalization and Europeanization. It gives first an overview of the common USSR background, followed by a description of education developments in these countries after gaining independence in 1991. It states that the present development of the national education systems is under the influence of powerful globalization and Europeanization trends. The national features of education systems in these countries are described. Global and European benchmarks for the development of education influencing educational reforms in these countries have also been identified. The author concludes that the development of education in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine combines national priorities and the countries' need for integration into the European and global spaces. The research would be of interest worldwide in the aspect of the East Slavic region's education transformations under common challenges. [For the complete volume, "World Education Patterns in the Global South: The Ebb of Global Forces and the Flow of Contextual Imperatives. International Perspectives on Education and Society. Volume 43B," see ED674982.]

The Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education are developing a multiyear Strategic Plan that will be released in three phases leading up to June 2023. The Strategic Plan will anchor the vision, mission, values, priorities, enablers, goals, and flagship programs, initiatives, and strategies to realize the Blueprint for Maryland's Future promise of an excellent and equitable education for every student. This guidebook articulates the Phase 1 elements of the State Board and Maryland State Department of Education's Strategic Plan: (1) The vision and mission for transforming public education in Maryland; (2) The values that inform the everyday practices and relationships with diverse communities and stakeholders; (3) The priorities that must be achieved to ensure a successful educational experience for every Maryland student, from early childhood to college and careers; and (4) The enablers, or structural conditions, regarding data-driven decision-making, resource allocation, human capital, and support systems that need to be in place for the priorities to be achieved.

This book systematically approaches the topic of the relatively new field of digital pedagogy and provides valuable insights for teachers and students, education policymakers, leaders in education, and others whose professional engagement is related to education in modern society. It discusses topics including what digital pedagogy involves as well as its main characteristics and significance for the future of education, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the teaching and learning process, digital literacy and digital citizenship, development of digital competencies of teachers, and the reasons for and challenges of the digital transformation of education systems. The findings presented in this book help education policymakers to adopt effective strategies for digitalization of educational institutions. Furthermore, this book enables experts involved in the development and improvement of curricula to respond well to modern challenges and to adapt them to the modern needs of students, society, and scientific fields. This book also serves as a useful resource for pre-service and in-service teachers in their development of digital competencies.

Traditionally, internationalization efforts in higher education have been rooted in (neo)liberal transactional models that restrict or compromise the space for meaningful exchanges of socio-cultural capital. Recently, researchers and practitioners in the international education field have taken issue with programming and practices in education abroad; international student recruitment; and internationalization of the curricula that perpetuate systems of imbalance, fossilize prejudices, adversely impact host communities abroad, and limit student learning to the confines of the Western epistemological traditions. As a result, scholars and practitioners are creating new paradigms for engagement and exchange. "People-Centered Approaches Toward the Internationalization of Higher Education" is an essential scholarly publication that examines the praxis of internationalization in higher education with empirical research and relevant models of practice that approach the topic critically and responsibly. The book innovates and (re)humanizes internationalization efforts, including education abroad, international recruitment, international scholar and student services, and internationalization of curriculum, by focusing on the people and communities touched, intentionally and unintentionally, by said efforts. It is ideal for higher education faculty, education professionals, academic advisors, academicians, administrators, curriculum designers, researchers, and students.

The aim of the paper is to identify suitable methods of education for individual types of voluntary further corporate professional education, which could be applied also when changing the physical teaching environment to virtual or hybrid learning environment, and to propose the methods of education suitable for companies and attractive for the participants of the corporate trainings. In the empirical research, the questionnaire method and the interview method were applied. The respondents (140) were selected from two sections of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities of the Slovak Republic, SK NACE Rev.2. The research results presented in the tables characterize the types of education in relation to the educational methods applied in the companies analyzed. The suitability of education methods is characterized also in terms of teaching environments, the physical, virtual and hybrid environments. The results of the research confirm that the methods of education affect the interest of the participants in all types of education. [For the complete volume, "NORDSCI International Conference Proceedings: 5th Anniversary Edition (Sofia, Bulgaria, October 17-19, 2022). Book 1. Volume 5," see ED625663.]

Fully online and hybrid study programmes have emerged at a rapid rate across higher education. However, the negative experience of some students, instructors and institutions with emergency remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to public concerns over the quality of digital study programmes. As a result, public authorities across the OECD have started to reflect on how to embed the quality assurance (QA) of digital education into their existing QA frameworks for higher education. This Working Paper aims to assist policy makers as they seek to adapt their higher education QA systems to digital education by: reviewing the advice and guidance provided by international and regional quality assurance organisations; analysing the standards and indicators for digital higher education developed by QA agencies; identifying trends and best practice from higher education institutions for the quality management of digital study programmes; and discussing how public authorities can support institutions to enhance their internal quality management policies and processes for digital teaching and learning.

The objectives of the audit were to determine whether the Puerto Rico Department of Education (Puerto Rico): (1) submitted complete, accurate, and reliable Adult Education program performance data to the U.S. Department of Education (Department); (2) ensured that Adult Education program funds were used in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws and regulations; and (3) awarded subgrants competitively to eligible local service providers in accordance with applicable Federal and State laws and regulations. The audit covered program year (PY) 2012-2013, July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013. Puerto Rico can improve its oversight of the Adult Education program to ensure that it: (1) submits complete, supported, and accurate performance data to the Department; (2) uses funds in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; and (3) obtains and reviews single audit reports of subgrantees. This report highlights the audit findings and provides recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education regarding requirements for Puerto Rico.