Education & Pedagogy

APPEAL (Asia Pacific Programme of Education for All) Resource and Training Consortium (ARTC) was initiated in May 1997 at the Technical Working Group Meeting organized by APPEAL in cooperation with the Indian Institute of Education (IIE) to provide technical support and assistance to the work of APPEAL among the Member States. This booklet is a directory of ATRC member institutions with a snapshot on their history, goals and missions, programs and projects, and partnership network. Institutions mentioned in the directory include: Charles Darwin University from Australia, Dhaka Ahsania Mission from Bangladesh, Indian Institute of Education from India, Center for Development of Non-Formal Education and Youth Regional II Jayagiri from Indonesia, Asia/Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO from Japan, National Observatory of Kazakhstan from Kazakhstan, Institute for Rural Advancement from Malaysia, National Resource Centre for Non-Formal Education from Nepal, Bunyad Literacy Community Council from Pakistan, SEAMEO Regional Centre for Education Innovation and Technology from Philippines, International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education from China, Korean Educational Development Institute from Korea, and Sirindhorn Institute for Continuing Education and Development from Thailand. [This document was published by the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education.]

The Academic Competitiveness Council (ACC) is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of existing federally funded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs, and for improving the state of STEM education in the United States. To this end, it has conducted a review of program evaluations submitted by 115 STEM programs. The ACC's review revealed that, despite decades of significant federal investment in science and math education, there is a general dearth of evidence of effective practices and activities in STEM education, and there is evidence of ineffective duplication of efforts. This report presents six recommendations for improving the body of evidence for effective STEM practices and facilitating communication and coordination between programs. The following are appended: (1) Academic Competitiveness Council Statutory Authority; (2) Federal STEM Education Goals and Metrics; (3) Federal STEM Programs, by Agency and Populations Served: FY 2006 Appropriation; (4) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Count, by Agency: FY 2005-07; (5) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Count, by Primary Subgroup and Agency, FY 2005-07; and (6) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Description, by Agency and Primary. (Contains 3 figures and 12 footnotes.)

This issue of the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA) Newsletter, published bi-annually in English and French, sheds light on the needs of teachers and teacher training in emergency situations with practical approaches and strategies provided on capacity building in the area of teacher education. Furthermore, it ventures into the examination of major components of education for reconstruction with some concrete examples drawn from the work of educators in the area of education in emergencies in general and peace education in particular. It contains the following articles: (1) Education in Emergencies (Joseph N. Ngu); (2) Training and Capacity Building: Pre-Service and In-Service in Schools (Excerpt from "Good Practice Guides for Emergency Education" published by the Interagency Network for Education in Emergencies); (3) Creation of a Teaching Force in an Emergency (Barry Sesnan); (4) UNESCO PEER and Teacher Education in Somalia (Ted Groenewegen); (5) Impact Assessment of UNESCO-PEER Peace Education Manual for the Horn of Africa, Central and Eastern Africa (Elias Omondi Opongo); and (6) Education for Reconstruction: Education Essentials for Youth and Adolescents in Post-Conflict Situations (Anna P. Obura). A section on news in brief concludes the newsletter.

The Iowa Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) serves as a collaborative resource to advise and advocate on behalf of all children with special needs and their families on issues of best practice and special education compliance. This Panel provides opportunity for dialogue among diverse stakeholders regarding philosophies and policies that will result in successful outcomes for persons with disabilities. Membership of the Panel consists of representatives from both public and private sectors who by virtue of their position, interest, and training can contribute to the education of children with disabilities. In order to fulfill their role of advising Department of Education (DE) on special education issues the panel members felt they needed to stay current on key aspects of the special education system in Iowa. During the year DE staff involved with specific programs or projects were invited to present to the Panel. Panel members were frequently asked to provide feedback or make recommendations for specific issues discussed. This report provides a brief synopsis of presentations and Panel responses during the 2004-05 academic year.

Last week, private, non-profit organisation the Qatar Foundation (QF) announced a partnership agreement with French business institution HEC Paris to offer executive education programmes. According to the terms of the agreement, a full-time faculty will provide executive and short certificate programmes and corporate-specific training, including an Executive MBA, as well as engage in business-related research. The agreement makes HEC Paris not only the first European institution to join Education City, QF's flagship project, but the inaugural member of the organisation's Management Education and Research Centre (QF-MERC), an under-development initiative spearheading Qatar's transformation into a knowledge-based society. By adding senior management education to its educational and research initiatives, stakeholders are hoping that QF-MERC will contribute to the development of professional competencies deemed necessary for Qatari professionals to compete in a changing business environment. Why is QF collaborating with HEC Paris? What is QF-MERC, and which factors are driving its development? With which other institutions is QF likely to seek collaborative higher education partnerships, and why?

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama," as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about programs and goals of public education in Alabama. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Becoming More Accountable: Leaving No Child Behind; (2) National Board Certification Makes Positive Impact in the Classroom!; (3) Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE): Rules Change for Special Ed Students; (4) Alabama Will Receive $8 Million More in Title I Funds; (5) Alabama Department of Education Marks 150 Years; (6) New Flexibility in Becoming Highly Qualified; (7) Famous Alabamians Featured in Career/Tech Poster Campaign; and (8) Chiquita Marbury Technology Innovation Award. Regular features include: (1) Board Briefs; (2) Good News in Alabama Schools; (3) Awards, Opportunities and Professional Development; (4) Calendar; and (5) Teacher of the Month.

This compilation of statistical information covers prekindergarten through graduate school to describe the current American education scene. The "Mini-Digest" is designed as an easy reference for materials found in detail in the "Digest of Education Statistics, 2009". These volumes include selections of data from many government sources, especially those of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). They include information on the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments, and graduates, in addition to educational outcomes, finances, and federal funds for education. Unless otherwise stated, all data are extracted from the "Digest of Education Statistics, 2009". Unless indicated as a projection or estimate, all data presented in this report are actual. (Contains 1 footnote, 1 figure, and 42 tables.) [For the "Digest of Education Statistics, 2009", see ED509883.]

This handbook presents a taxonomy and course descriptions for secondary education. The system is intended to help schools and education agencies maintain longitudinal information about students' coursework in an efficient, standardized format that facilitates the exchange of records as students transfer from one school to another, or to postsecondary education. Education agencies and institutions collect and maintain information to help the education system function efficiently and effectively. Standardized data available to education agency officials can: (1) assist in the development of sound educational policies at all levels; (2) improve the quality of instruction and boost student achievement; (3) help compare information among communities and among states; (4) improve the accuracy and timeliness of nationwide summaries of information about education systems; (5) improve the quality and significance of education research--locally, statewide, and nationwide; and (6) enhance reporting to the public about the condition and progress of education. It is the intent of this handbook to provide educators and data managers with a tool that will support decision-making in these ways. Appendices include: (1) Development of SCED; and (2) List of SCED Course Titles, in numeric order. (Contains 6 exhibits and 7 footnotes.)

The Forum Guide to Education Indicators is designed to help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret education indicators. More specifically, this document strives to: describe the appropriate role of indicators as tools for measuring educational status and progress; recognize standard definitions and calculations for education indicators; and identify common misuse of education indicators. During the early development of this Guide, the Task Force identified hundreds of performance and context indicators used throughout the United States to assess educational inputs, processes, and outcomes. Among these many indicators, however, a core group were commonly used at all levels of the education system. This document focuses on those commonly used education indicators. More specifically, all of the indicators in this document were selected because they met one or more of the following criteria. These education indicators: help develop a picture of the elementary/secondary education system by measuring system inputs, processes, or outcomes; are commonly accepted and frequently used in some form; produce valid and reliable information; provide measures that identify trends and inform policy and practice in a timely manner; and can be derived from typical elementary/secondary administrative record systems.

Coexistence and moral education are areas of great interest in Spanish compulsory education, especially in the period that comprises between 12 and 16 years of age, named "compulsory secondary education" in Spain. With the aim to improve the processes of coexistence within this level, this research team on education from the University of Salamanca has conducted an experimental study, implementing a programme to provide moral education through ICTs (information and communication technologies). So as to verify the positive influence of the programme, a series of means have been applied with consideration for two groups--control and experimental--and certain stages of pre- and post- test assessment. The first results denote that there has been an improvement in social-personal values in the students that were involved more actively in the programme. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.) [This research was supported by a grant awarded by the Research Project, co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (2006).]

Building a competitive workforce for the 21st Century requires the careful alignment of K-12 and university curricula with the skill needs of business and industry. In addition to making students better problem solvers, critical thinkers, and users of technology, academic preparation must instill in them the desire to become lifelong learners, willing and able to adjust and adapt to changes in workforce skill requirements resulting from fast-changing global markets. This publication provides a snapshot of the current state of the economy and workforce, followed by the identification and requirements of knowledge and abilities needed for 21st Century occupations, an explanation of how technology and engineering education programs promote learning about technology and can be taught in exciting ways that motivate learners to pursue STEM occupations, chapters that explain the contributions of technology and engineering education, K-12, a chapter explaining how technology and engineering teacher education can prepare teachers to deliver the education that is needed by students of the 21st Century, and an overview of the benefits business and industry can expect from the recommendations made within this publication.

This paper analyses the gap in educational access according to maternal education over a 10 year period using evidence from the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) in six African countries. To investigate the narrowing or widening in the gap in educational access according to maternal education, two cohorts of children and one cohort of mothers were selected from each of the DHS datasets. Our results show a gradient in children's educational access according to maternal education which has declined over time for girls in Nigeria, Uganda and Malawi. A very flat educational gradient remained unchanged in Tanzania. In Kenya we found that average access to school declined for girls who experienced education during the 1990s compared with girls who experienced education during the 1980s, whereas in Zambia we found a constant gradient in educational access for children according to maternal education. In summary the analysis indicates that associations between mothers' education and children's access to education remain widespread and can be quite strong. (Contains 4 tables, 2 figures, and 7 footnotes.)

This paper reports on a preliminary investigation into organisational innovations in Senior L/earning as these potentially relate to teachers' professional development, the curriculum and the outcomes for young adults. Specifically, this paper focuses on an investigation into organisational innovations in Senior L/earning in Queensland through a study of the "hub and spoke" model for institutionalising in Vocational Education and Training in (Senior Secondary) Schools (VETiS). "Organisational innovation" is conceptualised in terms of Bernstein's (1977) arguments regarding the isolation versus integration of education and production, that is the tension between dividing or combining school and work. The research process involves the collection and analysis of publicly available documents from the Queensland Mineral and Energy Academy (QMEA) and its schools. The analysis of evidence highlights teachers' professional learning, the positioning of vocational education and training in the curriculum and the key achievements for young adults from Senior L/earning. This paper explores the implications of these organisational innovations in school-based, work-integrated education and training for teacher education. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

There is increased attention on the first year experience at universities generally as a result of the Australian federal government's focus on increased accountability for universities and widening participation in further education (DEST, 2003; Jardine & Krause, 2005; Kift, 2005; Krause, Hartley, James & McInnes, 2005). However, these studies do not address preservice education programs specifically nor do they take into account the experiences of students who embark on teacher preparation courses in virtual environments. There have been few, if any, studies that focus on the experiences of traditionally marginalized groups. This paper builds on research conducted in 2007 (Taylor, 2008; Taylor& Worsley, 2008) and investigates transitions into the Early Childhood Education degree introduced in 2007. It draws on 3 years of university, School and subject data and reveals specific transition issues for online students. Findings suggest more imaginative ways in which both universities and public policy makers can support successful participation of traditionally marginalized groups in online preservice teacher education programs.

The national shortage of certified special education teachers has reached crisis proportions. This shortage has been exacerbated by increases in special education populations and high attrition rates of special education teachers. This study examined the factors influencing the recruitment and retention of special education teachers. Several factors explored were teacher induction programs, administrative support, and teacher mentors. The study was comprised of a mixed method approach using 3 methods of inquiry: survey, open-ended questions, and semi structured interviews. The selected participants were 15 certified special education teachers serving students with severe behavior disorders at a special education center in metro Atlanta. The findings revealed that most special education teachers believe a formal teacher induction program is a significant factor in the retention of special education teachers. Additionally, supports from administrators and colleagues are a major factor in the recruitment and retention of special education teachers. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]