Education & Pedagogy

The purposes of this equity indicators project are to: (1) report the status of higher education equity in the United States and identify changes over time in measures of equity; (2) identify policies and practices that promote and hinder progress; and (3) illustrate the need for increased support of policies, programs, and practices that not only improve overall attainment in higher education but also create greater equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. This edition includes selected indicators that highlight differences by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), an index comprised of family income, parents' education, and parents' occupation developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This Indicators Report presents data as far back as comparable data warrant, often beginning with 1970. In addition to providing longitudinal indicators of equity, this report is also intended to advance productive conversation about effective policies and practices for improving equity in higher education opportunity and outcomes. To this end, the report includes an essay that connects the indicators to current policy debates. The indicators and essays promote productive dialogue about how to create meaningful improvements in higher education equity. Methodological Appendix A provides additional notes, tables, and figures. [For the "Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 2016 Historical Trend Report," see ED569199.]

"Getting Prepared 2017" examines Minnesota public high school graduates from the classes of 2008-2015 who enrolled in postsecondary education and those enrolled in developmental education. This report provides insight into the academic readiness of Minnesota public high school graduates. Developmental education adds to the overall cost of college for students in terms of both tuition and opportunity costs for students who spend additional time finishing developmental course requirements before starting program-specific courses. Overall, Minnesota does well in moving students from public high school to college (77% of 2014 graduates enrolled in college within 2 years of high school graduation). However, gaps in college enrollment exist for students of color and lower income students. "Getting Prepared 2017 "provides policymakers one measure of college readiness--enrollment in developmental education. Twenty-four percent of 2014 public high school graduates enrolled in one or more developmental courses within two years of graduating high school. Overall developmental education rates for recent high school graduates declined between 2008 and 2014. Almost all graduates enrolling in developmental education (98%) enrolled at Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Disparities in enrollment in developmental education also exist for students of color, non-English speakers and lower income students. [The Minnesota Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System (SLEDS), managed jointly by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education (OHE), Minnesota Departments of Education (MDE) and Employment and Economic Development (DEED), provided data for this report. For "Getting Prepared 2016: Recent High School Graduates and Developmental Courses," see ED610322.]

Nowadays, demand for postgraduate education is increasing so the necessity to determine undergraduate students' perspectives to postgraduate education is revealed. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the perspectives of 4th grade mathematics students studying at faculty of arts and sciences and faculty of education about postgraduate education. In the study, qualitative research design was used. 129 undergraduate students participated in the study on fall term of 2015-2016 academic year. 69 students of them were from a faculty of arts and sciences and 60 of them were from a faculty of education. A form including open-ended questions was used to gather the data in the study. Data obtained were analyzed by descriptive and content analysis techniques. At the end of the study, it was found that 50.4% of the students did not want to get a postgraduate education, 41.1% of them wanted to get a postgraduate education, and 8.5% of them did not have an idea about this subject. Also, it was found that students wanted to get a postgraduate education to have much salary, to specialize in the fields, to make academic career, to improve oneself, and since they thought that being appointed as a teacher was more difficult. In addition, the most important reasons for some students who did not have an ambition or attempt to get a postgraduate education were found as they want to be a teacher, they thought they wouldn't have enough time to get postgraduate education, and they would have financial problems. Lastly, it was determined that students were offered to get a postgraduate education by their relatives, friends, and educators and they got information about postgraduate education mostly from their educators, friends, and internet. [Paper presented at the International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science & Technology (ICEMST) (Bodrum, Turkey, May 19-22, 2016).]

"By nearly every measure, Americans are less engaged in their communities and political activity than generations past." So write the editors of this volume, who survey the current practices and history of citizenship education in the United States. They argue that the current period of "creative destruction"--when schools are closing and opening in response to reform mandates -- is an ideal time to take an in-depth look at how successful strategies and programs promote civic education and good citizenship. "Making Civics Count" offers research-based insights into what diverse students and teachers know and do as civic actors, and proposes a blueprint for civic education for a new generation that is both practical and visionary. The contents of this books include: (1) Introduction (David E. Campbell); (2) What Students Know About Civics and Government (Richard G. Niemi); (3) Education for a Civil Society (Peter Levine); (4) Preparing Pluribus for Unum: Historical Perspectives on Civic Education (Michael C. Johanek); (5) Diversity and Civic Education (Meira Levinson); (6) How to Enrich Civic Education and Sustain Democracy (James Youniss); (7) Dry to Dynamic Civic Education Curricula (Anna Rosefsky Saavedra); (8) Expanding Preservice Teachers' Images of Self, Students, and Democracy (Keith C. Barton); (9) Professional Development as a Tool for Improving Civic Education (Diana Hess and John Zola); (10) Digital Opportunities for Civic Education (Joseph Kahne, Jacqueline Ullman, and Ellen Middaugh); (11) Civic Education in Traditional Public, Charter, and Private Schools: Moving from Comparison to Explanation (David E. Campbell); and (12) Conclusion: The Third "C": College, Career, and "Citizenship" (Meira Levinson).

This chapter reviews the educational situation in rural and other sparsely settled areas as well as the major developments in education since 1928 when the Office of Education reviewed trends in rural education for the biennium 1927-28, following a series of similar reviews. It is prepared in conformity to the changed policy of the Office of including, in its biennial survey, periodical reviews of certain phases of education covering a period more extended than one biennium, which will be followed in the future. An adequate understanding of the educational situation in sparsely settled communities at the present time and of major trends in education which have developed in recent years will, it is believed, be facilitated somewhat if certain important problems concerned are considered, first, in terms of the number of children involved; expenditures for their education; the number of qualified or under qualified teachers concerned with their education; and the like. As a background, therefore, for the discussion of the major trends in education to which this chapter is devoted, certain statistical information with some interpretation of its meaning and significance is considered at the beginning. This chapter is divided into the following sections: (1) The Significance of Education in Sparsely Settled Communities; (2) The State and the Rural Schools; (3) Organization for Local Administration and Support; and (4) Some Newer Practices in Education Outside of Cities. (Contains 4 tables and 73 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

This chapter of the "Biennial Survey of Education in the United States" is concerned with the topic of engineering education, which, in its various phases, has been the object of study of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education since the organization of the society in 1893. In 1907 an investigation of engineering education was inaugurated by the president of the society, but since the task was larger than the society could accomplish at that time, the study was made by Dr. C. R. Mann under the auspices of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and a report was published in 1918. This report indicated that a further investigation was desirable, and in 1923 the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education again began a study of engineering education, which was undertaken with funds appropriated by the Carnegie Corporation, the National engineering societies, and other organizations, and was finished in 1929. Eventually all of these papers were brought together and issued as "Volume I, Final Report on Investigation of Engineering Education, 1923-1929." The completion of the study produced a sense of stability in that it showed that the curriculum and the general methods of presentation were along the right lines. It also pointed out the weakness of the system of engineering education, and thus gave a definite problem for the engineering schools to attack in order that engineering education might be improved. Following an introduction, this bulletin addresses the following engineering education topics: (1) Curriculum; (2) Admissions; (3) Junior colleges; (4) Graduate work; (5) Evening schools; and (6) Summer schools for teachers of engineering. (Contains 2 footnotes.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

Calls to reform teacher education figure prominently in the growing national conversation about teacher performance and children's learning outcomes (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, 2010a, 2010b; Sparks, 2011). Thus far, however, most proposals have focused on teachers working in kindergarten through Grade 12, with scant attention to the "quality" of education for teachers in child care or preschool settings (Carey & Mead, 2011). For the latter group, the question of which higher education degree (if any) is an appropriate standard--rather than the quality of teacher preparation--has dominated the policy discussion of teacher effectiveness (Barnett, 2003; Bueno, Darling-Hammond, & Gonzales, 2010; Burchinal, Hyson, & Zaslow, 2008; Early et al., 2008; Fuller, Livas, & Bridges, 2006; Whitebook, 2003; Whitebook & Ryan, 2011). This report draws upon a case study (Yin, 2009) of two early childhood B.A. completion cohort programs in order to illuminate the limitations of current ways of conceptualizing and studying early childhood teacher education. Focusing on four dimensions--program content, clinical experiences, faculty characteristics, and institutional context--the authors examine challenges encountered and lessons learned in seeking to understand differences in educational experiences among students attending these two programs. The authors then offer a series of recommendations for more nuanced ways of describing and evaluating the quality of higher education programs for early care and education practitioners. [For the full report, "By Default or by Design? Variations in Higher Education Programs for Early Care and Education Teachers and Their Implications for Research Methodology, Policy, and Practice. Report," see ED543247.]

What ought authorizers do to ensure that the charter schools they approve provide a quality education to students with disabilities who enroll in their school? That is the question many authorizers wrestle with as they strive to strike a balance between fulfilling their responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) while providing the autonomy that is central to the charter school ideal. As the gatekeepers monitoring entrance to the charter sector and, thereafter, the groundskeepers responsible for ensuring the maintenance of quality programs, authorizers are charged with making certain that applicants demonstrate the capacity to operate a quality school and then holding them accountable for doing so. Consequently, authorizers are uniquely positioned to ensure that charter school operators can adequately address the challenges associated with providing quality special education programs. This Issue Brief is the second in a two-part series on navigating special education in the charter sector. The first brief introduced the key constructs underlying the provision of special education in charter schools and identified strategies charter schools are using to build capacity to provide special education and related services. This installment, based on a decade of research on special education in the charter sector, outlines tangible steps authorizers can take to assess applicants' ability to meet special education obligations, support the development of special education capacity in charter schools and hold charter schools accountable for delivering quality special education programs. (Contains 4 resources.) [For "Navigating Special Education in Charter Schools Part I: Understanding Legal Roles and Responsibilities. Authorizing Matters. Issue Brief," see ED539289.]

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-279) created the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES) to serve as an advisory board to the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) within the U.S. Department of Education. Among the duties listed in the Education Sciences Reform Act, the Board is required to submit the current report to the Director of IES, the Secretary of Education, and the appropriate congressional committees not later than July 1 of each year. This report constitutes the Board's 2014 assessment of IES's effectiveness in carrying out its priorities and mission, based on the Board's meetings and deliberations from July 2013 through June 2014. On September 10, 2013, then NBES Board Chair, Dr. Bridget Terry Long, Academic Dean and Xander Professor of Education and Economics at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, provided testimony to the Committee on Education and the Workforce in the U.S. House of Representatives (provided in the third appendix). As part of a hearing entitled Education Research: Exploring Opportunities to Strengthen the Institute of Education Sciences, Dr. Long summarized on behalf of the Board their support for the important advances IES has made in carrying out its priorities and mission of providing rigorous and relevant evidence about education and making that information broadly available to critical stakeholders. Additionally, Dr. Long's testimony highlighted key recommendations that the board had for reauthorization of the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA, P.L. 107-279). The following are appended: (1) Agenda of the January 31, 2014 NBES Meeting; (2) Agenda of the January 31, 2014 NBES Meeting; and (3) Testimony of Dr. Bridget Terry Long to U.S. House of Representatives.

Postsecondary enrollment in distance education courses, particularly those offered online, has rapidly increased in recent years (Allen and Seaman 2013). Traditionally, distance education offerings and enrollment levels have varied across different types of institutions. For example, researchers have found that undergraduate enrollment in at least one distance education course is most common at public 2-year institutions, while undergraduate enrollment in online degree programs was most common among students attending for-profit institutions (Radford 2011). The 2012 Fall Enrollment component of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) survey collected data for the first time on enrollment in courses in which instructional content was delivered exclusively through distance education, defined in IPEDS as "education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously." The Web Tables in this report provide a current profile of enrollment in distance education courses across states and in various types of institutions. They are intended to serve as a useful baseline for tracking future trends, particularly as certain states and institutions focus on MOOCs and other distance education initiatives from a policy perspective. Tables 1-10 of these show the numbers and percentages of students at Title IV institutions in fall 2012 who were enrolled exclusively in distance education courses, enrolled in some distance education courses, and not enrolled in any distance education courses, by state and across different types of institutions. Tables 11-19 present new IPEDS data on the location of students enrolled exclusively in distance education courses in fall 2012. These Web Tables were authored by Scott Ginder and Christina Stearns of RTI International. A Glossary is included.

This document contains the following papers on special needs from the SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education) 2002 conference: (1) "Selected Technology-Infused Thematic Activities for Elementary and Special Education Teacher Education Programs" (Cindy L. Anderson and Kevin M. Anderson); (2) "Educational IT: How Students and Employees with Disabilities Can Access IT" (Sheryl Burgstahler and Lyla Crawford); (3) "Assistive Technology Basics in Education" (Terence Cavanaugh); (4) "Enhancing Special Technology Instruction: Improving Methods for Teachers in General Education" (Valerie Larsen and Terri L. Demmon); (5) "Using Robolab Software and Lego Hardware To Teach Computing Concepts to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing High School Students" (James R. Mallory and Ronald R. Kelly); (6) "Technology Integration into Special Education Coursework: Instructor-Focused and Learner-Focused Integration" (Sylvia S. Martin and Caroline M. Crawford); (7) "TIPS: Technology Integration Projects across Special Education Teacher Preparation Programs" (Trinka Messenheimer, Tara Jeffs, Alicia Bevill, Wm Morrison); (8) "GIDL-PC: A Global Infrastructure for Distance Learning for the Physically Challenged" (Warren Moseley); (9) "The Numerical and Literary Six-Year Old, 125 IQ Dyslexic Explores IT and Opens Up New Avenues of Thought and Areas of Practical Experience for In-Service Education in a Bi-Lingual Environment" (Daithi O Murchu); (10) "Enhancing Parent Teacher Partnerships through Technology" (Jane B. Pemberton, Joyce Rademacher, Tandra Tyler-Wood, Maria Victoria Perez Cereijo); (11) "Using Microsoft Word's Tracking Changes To Improve the Writing of Students with Special Needs"; (12) "Providing an Online Instructional Medium for the Deaf" (John Thompson); (13) "Challenging Decisions: Software Selection and the IEP Process" (Roberta K. Weber and Jim Forgan); and (14) "Effectiveness of QuickTime VR as an Instructional Environment for Students with Special Needs" (William R. Wiencke). Brief summaries of several conference presentations are also included. Most papers contain references. (MES)

Guatemala's school completion rates are among the lowest in Latin America and are particularly low in rural indigenous areas ravaged by 36 years of civil conflict. In 1997, USAID launched the Girls' Education Activity, known as Proyecto Global in Guatemala, to increase the percentage of girls who complete fifth grade, especially in rural areas and among indigenous (Maya) populations. For 4 years ending August 2001, the project promoted a national discourse on girls' education; developed materials crafted to promote girls' education in the Guatemalan social and cultural context; and pursued four strategies, focusing on the department of El Quiche. First, materials and teacher workshops were developed to increase teachers' sensitivity to gender stereotypes and roles and to introduce instructional methods that engage children and make them agents in their own learning. Adoption of these "interactive and dynamic" teaching methods by rural teachers has been slow. Second, community "sensitizing" workshops were held in 15 communities to raise awareness of the importance of girls' education and female literacy and to promote community involvement. Third, a national media campaign aimed to influence social attitudes impeding girls' access to education. Finally, small monthly scholarships were provided to about 50,000 girls over 3 years. Analysis of systemic changes suggests that the project made varying degrees of progress in legitimizing its goals with policy makers, creating stakeholders, and mobilizing resources in favor of girls' education. However, the constituency for girls' education in Guatemala remains limited to certain sectors of society and is robust only in pockets where community work was carried out. (SV)

The first meeting of the National Literacy Summit 2000 convened 150 leaders from adult education and literacy and other related fields for a 2-day intensive working meeting to begin building a national consensus on how to move adult and family literacy forward in the 21st century. Comments and suggestions offered by summit participants were synthesized into this revised summit paper and a draft action agenda. The following are among the topics covered in the revised paper: progress in adult literacy since publication of the report "Jump Start"; literacy's importance to individuals, families, the economy, and communities; and literacy services, client populations, and investment in literacy education in the United States. The action agenda identified seven challenges facing literacy, including the following: (1) higher standards in K-12 education and the phasing out of remedial courses at institutions of higher education will put more pressure on the already-strained adult education system; (2) demographic changes are increasing the demand for adult education and literacy services, making access to services a critical issue; and (3) adults need more opportunities to gain the skills and knowledge needed to meet changing job demands and succeed in the workplace. (Contains 31 references.) (MN)

The year 1998 marked the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War, formalized the appropriation of half of Mexico's territory, and guaranteed Mexican-origin people in the appropriated territory the rights of U.S. citizens. The United States reneged on this promise almost immediately. Public education became a tool for the eradication of Mexican American culture and identity, and today the Chicano community's quest for a just and equitable education remains elusive. This book draws on a forum of scholars, teachers, activists, and students who met in Irvine, California, in April 1998. Themes include the historical development of Chicano education and the effects of language, segregation, Americanization, and resistance on that development. Following a foreword (Manuel N. Gomez) and introduction (Jose F. Moreno, Frank Garcia Berumen), the nine chapters are: "The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Racialization of the Mexican Population" (Martha Menchaca); "The Schooling of Mexicanos in the Southwest, 1848-1891" (Guadalupe San Miguel, Jr.); "Segregation and the Education of Mexican Children, 1900-1940" (Gilbert G. Gonzalez); "Chicana/o Education from the Civil Rights Era to the Present" (Dolores Delgado Bernal); "Politics Matters: Educational Policy and Chicano Students" (Gary Orfield); "Educational Testing and Mexican American Students: Problems and Prospects" (Richard R. Valencia); "Chicanos/as in the United States: Language, Bilingual Education, and Achievement" (Eugene E. Garcia); "Staying in the Race: The Challenge for Chicanos/as in Higher Education" (Patricia Gandara); and "150 Years of Chicano/Chicana Education: Intergenerational Platica" (transcript of dialogue among forum participants). (Contains references.) (SV)

Adult learning in Norway was examined in a thematic review that focused on the following areas: the contexts of adult learning; the participants in, providers of, and returns from adult learning; issues and problems facing adult learning; and good practices. The following are among the main findings of the review: (1) adult learning has a long tradition in Norway and was originally in the hands of nongovernmental organizations; (2) today, adult education in Norway takes place in numerous arenas, including the public education system, resource centers, study associations, folk high schools, distance education institutions, private institutions, and enterprises; (3) of Norway's 4.48 million adults, approximately 1 million participate in adult education annually; (4) comprehensive reforms implemented in Norway's initial education and training system in the 1990s have allowed for the fact that education will increasingly be viewed in a lifelong learning perspective; and (5) the goals of the many public- and private-sector actors involved in developing learning arenas for adults and systems of lifelong learning include developing broad understanding of good teaching arenas and efficient systems for lifelong learning and building competence among special target groups. (The report contains: 15 tables/figures; 77 endnotes; a glossary; and a bibliography listing 94 references.) (MN)