Education & Pedagogy

A brief summary is given of the rationale for each of the six National Education Goals announced by President Bush and the nation's governors in February 1990, and measures to meet each goal are proposed. To meet goal 1, readiness for school, measures related to the following issues are included: prenatal care, parent education, health care, and home to school transition. For goal 2, school completion, measures include: early intervention, remedial education, dropout prevention and reentry programs, and community involvement. To meet goal 3, student achievement and citizenship, measures include: accountability of student, school employees, schools, communities, and parents; shared decision making; and international education. Some measures proposed to meet goal 4, science and mathematics achievement, relate to: school personnel, professional development, curriculum, and access. Measures for goal 5, adult literacy and lifelong learning, include: school-to-work transition, adult literacy programs, vocational-technical education, postsecondary student assistance, and educating for democracy. To meet the final goal--safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools--the proposed measures include: community involvement, drug education, referral and treatment, and government and community action to reduce violence in schools. (IAH)

A survey was conducted to determine a quantitative baseline on the status of music, visual art, dance and drama/theater education in U.S. public schools. A stratified random sampling technique was used and questionnaires were sent to 1,366 U.S. public schools seeking data about demographics, curricula, adequacy of instructional material, and information on support for arts education. Comparisons were made where possible with the 1962 survey conducted by the National Education Association. The results of these comparisons are documented separately for music and the visual arts at the elementary and secondary levels. Summaries of general information about arts education and the status of the four arts disciplines are described. A sampling of the conclusions reached include: (1) arts specialists are essential to the arts programs; (2) music educators need to expand their music program; (3) discipline based art education (DBAE) has broadened the thrust of visual arts programs; (4) more time needs to be allotted to the arts in elementary schools; and (5) increased funding is needed for all arts education programs. (KM)

An arts education survey was undertaken in 1989 to establish comprehensive, baseline information regarding arts education in Wyoming schools. The findings serve as a standard against which to measure future changes in the quality of arts education in the state. This report is designed to highlight the initial findings of the survey. Arts education for Wyoming students was compared with national trends. It was found that Wyoming, unlike many other states, does not have a high school graduation requirement in the arts, and does not require compulsory arts instruction at the elementary and middle school level. An analysis of arts specialists by discipline revealed that there is a gradual decline in arts classes offered as students progress through the Wyoming school system. A question about the availability of classes revealed that music and the visual arts are emphasized most at elementary and middle school levels. Other issues addressed included the time allotted to arts content areas, the broad spectrum of students who study the arts, and resources for arts education. A description of future plans and how the state of Wyoming can fulfill them concludes the document. (KM)

Financial support available for foreign languages and international education is described for several federal programs. Provisions of applicable legislation and regulations are presented, along with brief descriptions of model programs or anticipated projects, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons who administer the programs described. Information is given on the following: (1) Education for Economic Security Act (local education grants, state technical assistance and administrative costs), higher education programs, and the Secretary's discretionary fund for programs of national significance; (2) Excellence in Education Act (Title VI); (3) Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (block grants); (4) Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange (Fulbright-Hays) Act (foreign curriculum consultants, group projects abroad for non-western language and area studies, teacher exchange program, and international research and studies program); (5) the Bilingual Education Reauthorization Act; (6) National Endowment for the Humanities (institutes for teachers and administrators, collaborative projects, planning grants, independent study); and (7) support services outside the school system. The JNCL statement of position on language competence and cultural awareness is attached. (LB)

The Preparation of Special Educators in Essential Early Education program was a 36-credit hour preservice program of the University of Vermont to train Early Childhood Special Educators at the Master's Degree or Certificate of Advanced Study levels. The program prepared students to demonstrate the necessary competencies for providing quality educational services to young children (ages birth through 5) with handicaps and their families, and to assume the educational and leadership roles required for establishing, coordinating, advocating for, and evaluating early childhood special education programs in rural settings. This final report describes coursework, practicum experiences, and project accomplishments. The report includes program evaluation forms and a list of essential early education personnel competencies. A practicum manual comprises approximately half the report and describes practicum sites, practicum experiences, student confidentiality, responsibilities of students and supervisors, classroom management, lesson plans, and evaluation and grading procedures. The manual contains an individual planning and progress chart, an individual supervision record, consultative program outlines, evaluation outlines, and a case study outline. (JDD)

This pamphlet summarizes the papers, comments, discussion, and key points of consensus from the national health symposium. The document makes a case for stronger links between health and education, arguing that children must be healthy to be educated and must be educated in order to be healthy. Six key points of agreement evolving from the symposium are discussed: (1) health affects education; (2) education affects health; (3) technological advances are not enough; (4) families have a critical role; (5) "at risk" does not mean "doomed"; and (6) system changes are needed. An agenda of "next steps" is presented, focusing on: developing plans for linking health with education on the federal, state, and local levels; developing strategies to better integrate health and education policies and programs on the federal, state, and local levels; and building a national will to more effectively integrate health and education services provided to children. The pamphlet concludes with a copy of the symposium program, a list of symposium participants, and brief descriptions of the National Commission to Prevent Infant Mortality and the Institute for Educational Leadership. (37 references) (JDD)

This study examined the teacher personnel needs of special education programs in Alabama utilizing data from a survey of the 130 local education agencies and the annual child count of students enrolled in special education classes. Data are presented in narrative and tabular form and address, first, personnel shortages and deficiencies according to location within the state and by category of exceptionality; and, second, personnel needs and requirements as they relate to the future staffing of special education programs. Included is information on historical changes in the numbers of special education students and teachers, current teacher-pupil ratios, the number of out-of-field teachers, vacant positions, the demographic characteristics of special education teachers, and the number of persons graduating from teacher training programs. Among conclusions are that though the number of special education students has increased by 3.3 percent over the last 5 years, the number of teachers has declined by 0.4 percent; that about 11 percent of all special education teachers are currently teaching under out-of-field penalty waivers; and that most of the need is concentrated in rural districts. (DB)

The skills most often mentioned in definitions of critical thinking are the ability to think creatively, make decisions, solve problems, visualize, reason, analyze, interpret, and know how to learn. Vocational education should be involved in developing thinking skills for the following reasons: occupations are becoming more reliant on cognitive capacities; the changing work environment requires flexibility and adaptability to changing conditions; and vocational education provides a real-world context for cognitive development. Teaching strategies to develop these skills can be based on three types of cognitive theories: information processing, knowledge structure, and social history. Johnson and Thomas (1992) present five general principles and related teaching methods that integrate all three: help students organize knowledge, build on what students already know, facilitate information processing, facilitate deep thinking through elaboration, and make thinking processes explicit. Teacher behaviors that promote cognitive development and characteristics of classroom environments that support higher order thinking have been identified. Applications in vocational education go beyond giving a lesson or two on thinking skills, as examples in technology education, home economics, agriculture, and cooperative education show. (Contains 11 references.) (YLB)

Eight tables, accompanied by brief textual information, present facts from 1985 to 1990 about the school experiences of youth with disabilities. The tables focus on: (1) enrollment in regular education courses by students with 11 types of disabilities attending regular secondary schools; (2) services received by secondary students with disabilities, by disability and type of service; (3) average per-pupil expenditures for special education programs by disability and program type; (4) number and percentage of disabled students ages 16-21 exiting the educational system, by disability and basis of exit; (5) postsecondary education participation of special education exiters; (6) mean American College Testing scores for high school students with disabilities requiring special testing; (7) factors associated with dropping out of secondary school for youth with disabilities; and (8) parental reports of reasons why adolescents drop out of secondary schools. The text and tables indicate that almost half of special education students receive additional services other than basic special education and that the total cost of educating a pupil in a self-contained program is 2.5 times the cost of educating a regular education pupil, while the cost of educating students in resource programs is 1.9 times that of a regular pupil. (JDD)

This program management guide, which contains information specific to Iowa's educational system and standards, is designed to assist vocational administrators in their activities with regard to the following: the vision, mission, philosophy of vocational education (VE); occupational competencies; competency-based VE; articulation; advisory councils; integration of academic education and VE; special populations; equity; and resources. The guide's largest section consists of six planning manuals that are designed to assist local school district planners in developing curricula in the following areas: agricultural, business, health occupations, home economics, industrial, and marketing education. The manuals present information and guidance regarding such aspects of program development as the following: developing mission/philosophy and goal statements, constructing a systematic curriculum model, selecting delivery models, sequencing learning outcomes, developing sequential units of instruction, selecting potential course titles, writing model course descriptions, identifying the components of quality programs, identifying instructor resources, meeting state standards, and encouraging participation in vocational student organizations (VSOs) and integrating the activities of VSOs into the curriculum. (MN)

This paper describes an undergraduate teacher education course offered at Urbana University (Ohio). The course introduces preservice teachers to the nature of multiculturalism in terms of economic, social, intellectual, age, and gender differences, leading participants to explore this educational process from sociological and psychological perspectives. The class provides a framework for: exploring influences that bear on students, teachers, and schools in terms of societal pressures and human diversity; recognizing prejudice, scapegoating, and discrimination; gaining the helping skills needed for promoting multicultural sensitivities; and examining the individual's own belief systems. Class activities run the gamut from class discussions to a videotape production. For purposes of synthesizing course material, a culminating project deals with the development of a visual construct on the role of the teacher in multicultural education. Based on the development of a conceptual model, the members of one class concluded that the desired status of multicultural education would be a continuing process whereby all students would experience educational equality regardless of personal backgrounds. An illustration of the visual construct is included. (LL)

This yearbook contains the following 17 papers on business education for the future: "Teaching Keyboarding to Elementary Children" (Rowena Russell); "Keyboarding to Desktop Publishing in Middle School" (Sharon Andelora); "Youth Apprenticeship Programs--Business and School Partnerships" (William H. Cassidy); "The Administrative Steps for Implementing Applied Academics" (Mari C. Shaw); "All Business Is Global" (Joanne Phillips): "In Pursuit of Virtual Learning Alliances: A Passion to Integrate Curriculum and Instruction" (Thomas Haynes); "Preparing Students for a Changing Work World" (James E. Miles); "Preparing Students for a Culturally Diverse Workplace" (Jeanette J. Purdy); "Successful Promotion of Business Education" (Carla Gries); "Teaching Business Education to Special Groups" (Renae Humburg); "Business/Industry Training Seminars" (Deborah Riley); "Open Entry-Open Exit Classes" (Charlotte Montanus, Mark Montanus); "Teaching Courses for Business" (Lina M. Cunningham Smith); "Expanding Horizons Overseas" (Burt Kaliski, John P. Fleming, Lynda R. Gamans, and R. Larry Johnson); "Local Area Networks" (Patsy A. Dickey-Olson); "Distance Learning" (Cynthia Denton); and "Professional Pizazz: Use It or Lose It!" (Janet Scaglione). (KC)

This background paper provides a picture of general progress in vocational education assessment instruments and policies. Chapter 1 explains the paper's purposes and presents a summary of its contents. Chapter 2 traces the evolution of federal accountability requirements in vocational education law and explains the intent of the 1990 provisions. Chapter 3 profiles current state testing and assessment policies in vocational education. It analyzes how state assessment policies and practices are changing in response to Perkins Act requirements and considers how these changes could affect both other reforms in vocational education and the nature of learning and instruction in vocational education itself. Chapter 4 describes some testing and assessment resources available to measure various kinds of occupational skills, including tests developed by three main vendors. Chapter 5 explores alternative approaches for defining, teaching, and measuring broad technical skills and highlights issues that should be considered in moving toward assessments that meet needs identified by Congress. Chapter 6 describes how the U.S. Department of Education has implemented performance standards. One appendix lists legislative milestones related to accountability in federal vocational education programs. Another appendix explains acronyms. (YLB)

Examination of almost any university's curricular goals or expectations and the actual courses taken by particular students demonstrates significant discrepancies between the rationale and the actuality and between the intentions of general or specialized education and the knowledge made available in the courses taken. A major reason for the existence of these discontinuities lies with the assumption that the organization of the curriculum of higher education should be done in the same manner that the university organizes to do its research and knowledge production. This essay sets forth a plan for organizing the curriculum of higher education that takes into account the difference between academic or disciplinary knowledge and mission-oriented or practical knowledge. This plan is oriented around four types of mission-oriented knowledge: knowledge required as a citizen and human being (servicing the general education function); knowledge required for a specialty or profession; knowledge required to conduct research and advance knowledge itself; and knowledge pertaining to the education of people in these four domains. Contains nine references. (GLR)

Under federal and California law, cost alone cannot be used as a defense for modifying or denying education and support services to a student with a disability. This has contributed to growth in special education spending. However, funding has not kept up with costs, forcing school administrators to "encroach" upon general education revenues to pay the costs of special education. Over a quarter of special education program expenditures in California, on average, are paid from a school district's general fund. Because most students with disabilities today spend the majority of the school day in regular classrooms, the actual cost of educating a child with a disability is higher than the program costs alone would imply. There is a need to re-examine special education spending. Reductions in costs could come about by implementing a reasonableness standard to protect schools from excessive costs, neutralizing adverse financial incentives, allowing more private sector participation, funding special education on a block grant basis, and relaxing some staffing requirements. Appendixes provide detailed statistical data from the study. (Contains 35 endnotes.) (JDD)