Education & Pedagogy

The purpose of the Aerospace-Aviation Education Task Force was to study the problems and present recommendations for space and aviation education in California. Educational trends and the increasing rate of dropout occurrence reveal a need to introduce changes in the education and training of students. Many career opportunities exist in the field of aerospace and aviation. Committees were formed to concentrate on the various existing educational levels. The following levels were studied and several aspects of their programs are discussed with recommendations for their development: (1) elementary and junior high schools (description of exemplary programs); (2) high schools and community colleges (requirements for a standard designated subjects teaching credential in aviation flight instruction and/or aviation ground instruction, courses in aviation education, and commentary on the education code); (3) colleges, universities, and private schools (description of aerospace or aeronautical programs in various institutions); and (4) industry and the professions (findings from a survey of aerospace industry employers on their opinions regarding the needs of aerospace education, a discussion on recent technological developments, and an overview of aviation education in the Soviet Union). Materials related to the activities conducted by the task force are appended. (EC)

The individualized instructional unit is intended for use in inservice or preservice education of counselors and was designed to provide a clear, concise overview of career education and to help counselors understand precisely what their support duties are. The unit is divided into five sections, each based on performance objectives. At the completion of the unit, the participant should be able to demonstrate an understanding of: (1) the basic concepts of career education, (2) the rationale for career education, (3) four models for implementation of career education, (4) the structure of the school-based model, and (5) specific activities which the counselor can perform at each educational level to support career education. A suggested supplementary reading list is given at the end of the unit. Other appended materials are a sample survey form, a sample parent letter, and a sample student interview. The unit has been field-tested in three inservice workshops and in several college classes, and was reviewed by recognized career education and guidance and counseling leaders; the material has been revised in accordance with their suggestions. (Author/AJ)

Focusing on the improvement of graduate programs in vocational education, this monograph is organized into two sections. Section 1 reports the results of a survey initiated by the National Resource Panel of graduate programs in vocational education in the United States. Section 2 contains working papers used in a workshop which addressed the topic, "Demensions of Quality in Graduate Programs in Vocational Education." The titles and authors of the papers are as follow: "Overview of Graduate Training Programs," by Chester McKee; "Vocational Education Graduate Programs: An Analysis," by Henry Buckell; "Vocational Education Programs: Building on the Merits," by Norman Durham; and "Quality Programs for the Future," by Carl Dolce. Also included are summaries of observations and discussions by workshop participants. The appendices contains a list of graduate schools with degree programs in vocational education, a list of institutions participating in the workshop, a roster of workshop participants, and a description of departmental functions, objectives and criterion questions for the Department of Practical Arts and Vocational Education, University of Missouri. (JH)

Approximately 180 organizations are listed and described in this directory which was designed to inform educators and researchers about organizations that provide or are interested in business and/or economic education materials and information. The directory was compiled to provide an initial review of the many organizations in the field of business and economic education. Each citation contains the title of the organization; address; phone number; name of president or public relations director; a brief statement of objective; information about the organization, including staff and budget; and an overview of program activities. The directory concludes with a listing of chairs of business and free enterprise at American universities and colleges, an outline of topics which might be studied in an economics education seminar, an overview of topics which Standard Oil Company (Indiana) thinks students should study in a unit on the American market system, an explanation of corporate support of economic education, a copy of a proposal which a group interested in economic education might submit to a corporation for funding, and a list of 25 questions to be answered in planning an economic education program. (DB)

This special issue of "Science Education" is designed to provide a research tool for science education researchers and students as well as information for science teachers and other educational practitioners who are seeking suggestions about science teaching objectives, curricula, instructional procedures, science equipment and materials or student assessment instruments. It consists of 3 divisions: (1) science teaching; (2) research and special interest areas; and (3) journal features. The science teaching division which contains listings of practitioner-oriented articles on science teaching, consists of five sections. The second division is intended primarily for science education researchers who are doing a literature search, and it consists of nine sections, each of which relates to a particular research or special interest area in science education. The third index division, which consists of citations in the special features of the journal, is intended for researchers carrying out historical studies in science teaching and science education. An article which contains an illustration of how questions of contemporary interest can be traced historically by using enteries in this index is also included. (HM)

In this book, four reports on education and the educational status of Puerto Ricans in the United States (primarily New York City) are reprinted. In "Puerto Ricans On The Mainland: The Educational Experience" by Francesco Cordasco, the social history of Puerto Ricans on the mainland is outlined and major factors concerning their education are described. In "A Program of Education for Puerto Ricans in New York City: A Report Prepared by a Committee of the Association of Assistant Superintendents" problems of assimilation and education of the Puerto Rican pupil are described. In "The Puerto Rican Pupils in the Public Schools of New York City: A Survey of Elementary and Junior High Schools by the Subcommittee on Education, Recreation and Parks of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Puerto Rican Affairs in New York City" results of a 1951 survey are tabulated and analyzed. In "Bilingual Education in New York City: Prepared for the Program of Recruitment and Training of Spanish-Speaking Teachers", the history, rationale, methodology, and funding of bilingual education programs for Puerto Ricans are examined in detail. (WI)

The most important aspect of competency-based education is clearly linked to Bloom's mastery learning model: the establishment of behaviors which ought to be learned and adequately performed by public school students. The main components of competency based education are: (1) establishment of student standards; (2) student testing; and (3) professional development of school staff. These components have been a part of Michigan's competency based program for several years. Competency based education is difficult to institutionalize because school personnel are not trained to provide it; because discrepancies exist between parents' and teachers' expectations of students, textbooks used, tests used, and report cards used. Societal and technological changes in the United States, as well as an interest in equality and in effective use of taxes in support of education, have led to a changing role for today's schools. National policy no longer supports the idea that schools should screen, sort, and select students. Competency based education offers the potential to provide equality, equity and excellence in education, because it supports individualized instruction, emphasis on results, parent involvement, cohesive teacher education, and linking between schooling and employment. (GDC)

Volume II of a two-volume annotated bibliography presents resumes of research and exemplary and innovative program projects that were administered by the state departments of education during fiscal years 1970-1977. The projects described in Volume II were supported with funds authorized by Section 131(b) of Part C and Section 142(d) of Part D of the Vocational Education Amendments of 1968 (Public Law 90-576). Following the introduction, the resumes are arranged alphabetically by state and grouped by fiscal year within each part of the legislation under which funding was obtained. The information provided for each project includes the title, project director and organization, funding period, state contract or control number, and an annotation focusing on project objectives. Volume I, published in January 1979, contains information on research, exemplary and innovative program projects, curriculum development projects, and bilingual vocational training programs that were administered by the Bureau of Occupational and Adult Education, U.S. Office of Education. (Author)

International cooperation in education in Guatemala is examined with regard to objectives, allocation, and effects of technical and financial assistance. The document is presented in two major sections. Section I focuses on how educational planners respond to social needs and political influences. Topics discussed include difficulties of maintaining consistency in educational guidelines in the face of frequently changing governments, long-term and short-term objectives, conflicts between rural and urban interest groups, and assessment of needs in basic education, literacy, nonformal education, and professional training. Section II examines relationships between national development objectives and international cooperation. In addition, it specifies amounts of international aid which have been allocated to various sectors including education, culture, and urban development. The report concludes with the suggestion that education in Guatemala will benefit more from international aid when the Guatemalan government clarifies its own educational objectives and when the government is able to allocate for educational purposes some of the money which is now spent on housing, health, transportation, agriculture, and communication. (DB)

Focusing on education in the United States, this paper proposes that corporately funded education will eventually replace publically supported systems. It is argued that corporate education will develop as multi-national corporations (MNC) become the dominant economic and social force in the world eventually supplanting the nation/state as we know it today. The potential for MNC displacing the nation/state is described and compared to the displacement of the Church by the nation/state. Economic and social problems facing both higher and elementary/secondary education are discussed. It is hypothesized that these problems will lead to the need for new support structures for education. It is also argued that the costs of shrinking resources and spiraling inflation will lead to an inability to support the nation/state, that this in turn will force the nation/state into supporting only basic services as priorities, and that the corporation will be the only viable institution to provide services such as education. Speculation on the form this education will take is suggested. (Author/EB)

The history of American education is incomplete. This problem is the result of (1) historical scholars being influenced more by concerns of their own time than by issues of the past, (2) the belief that what is written and said about education is an acceptable representation of what education is, (3) the assumption that educational leaders are spokesmen for the entire educational enterprise, and (4) the presumption that the history of education is solely the history of how education has been imparted. These misconceptions have led educational historiographers to largely ignore accounts of students, parents, and teachers throughout the history of American education. Experiences of the silent majority, or common individuals, should be researched to provide a more complete perspective. Sources of such information include diaries, personal letters, personal papers, and slave narratives. However, this approach presents problems because personal literature is vast, difficult to locate and work with, and may contain bias. Nevertheless, historical research on education should consult these sources in order to identify patterns to be explored through statistical analysis and to help interpret relationships that appear in the statistical data of current research. (AV)

As one phase of "Strengthening Navajo Education," a Navajo Division of Education program initiated in 1976, this conference focused on the role of the parent in ensuring appropriate services for the exceptional Navajo child. The one-day meeting, attended by 132 parents from 27 communities, had the following goals: (1) to identify the issues that concern parents of a handicapped child, (2) to provide information about special education programs on the Navajo Reservation, (3) to increase parents' knowledge of legislation pertaining to special education and child development, (4) to provide specific information on Public Law 94-142 (education of all handicapped children), and (5) to facilitate agency coordination of services for the handicapped. The conference report includes the keynote address by Reginald Begaye, outlines of the workshop sessions, conference evaluations, and an overall summary of conference effectiveness. Evaluations, submitted by workshop leaders and by six individuals chosen for their educational background and involvement with special education programs on the Navajo Reservation, will guide planning of further education training activities for parents. (JH)

The past 15 years have witnessed a shift from creative curriculum development to accountability in teacher education. The 1976 "Statement on the Preparation of Teachers of English" developed by the National Council of Teachers of English noted a movement towards performance based or competency based certification of teachers and an increase in teacher stress resulting from accountability pressures. However, a recent summary of all research on performance-based teacher education revealed that performance-based teacher education models do not recognize two important variables: what is to be taught, and who is to be taught. Future teacher education will need to resurrect the personal growth model, which by enhancing teacher personality and attitude will enhance teacher effectiveness and, in turn, the learning process itself. The task for teacher education in the 1980s will be to wipe away the effects of the 1970s, when educators attempted to develop teacher education programs on an industrial model in the name of accountability. Teachers can best be accountable by restoring the caring elements that have been discounted by the preoccupation with accountability models and performance based education programs. (HTH)

A World Health Organization (WHO) working group discussed continuing education and career development of health care personnel at a meeting in Budapest, October 31-November 2, 1978. Group members defined continuing education, analyzed its methods and organization in various countries, and explored the relationship of continuing education to career development. They also identified various incentives for participation in continuing education--self-motivation, professional contact, and financial reward; and disincentives--loss of earnings, inconvenience of attending and career anxiety; and considered possible sanctions that could be applied against nonparticipants. Specific recommendations included the following: (1) continuing education should be controlled by appropriate bodies; (2) it is needed by all medical practitioners and other health professionals and should not be seen merely as a means to promotion or greater prestige; (3) it should be an integral part of employment; (4) both undergraduate and postgraduate training should take place in the widest possible range of hospitals, clinics, and practices, and (5) an adequate porportion of the health budget should be set aside for continuing education. (KC)

This report summarizes the activities and outcomes of a planning project responsible for delineating and determining priorities of crucial, researchable issues in teacher education. The following considerations were made: (1) What does research and development suggest for the content of preservice, induction, and inservice teacher education? (2) What are the present perspectives on the design and delivery of teacher education? (3) What does present research and theory say about teachers and teacher educators as learners? (4) How do the various roles and various substantive and process areas work interactively to design, deliver, and assess teacher education? (5) How do social, political, economic, and cultural realities affect teacher education and how can theory and research address these realities? (6) What are present strategies, promises, and limitations of research for contributing to the design, development, and evaluation of teacher education? and (7) How can research knowledge and products be shared collaboratively and effectively with constituent groups and how can practical application to improve real-world teacher education practice be facilitated? (JD)