Education & Pedagogy

In this paper, I respond to and expand on Civil's plenary address (this volume), in which she articulates key themes related to funds-of-knowledge orientations to mathematics education. I review the themes selected by Civil: funds of knowledge, participation, and valorization of knowledge, and provide additional analysis. Next, I accentuate the often absent but inherent political dimensions of work in mathematics education that emphasizes the cultural, as well as the often absent but inherent cultural dimensions of work in mathematics education that emphasizes the political. Finally, I contribute additional perspectives to future directions for the research community around equity in mathematics education. [For the complete proceedings, see ED606531.]

With funding from the National Science Foundation in 2014, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) launched a five-year project to demonstrate the efficacy of regional ecosystems of community colleges, four-year higher education institutions, and STEM-driven business in facilitating the retention and persistence of students in STEM fields. This executive summary discusses partnerships between higher education and businesses at five sites, BHEF's Theory of Action and Partnership Implementation Process, and nine keys to success in STEM-focused partnerships between higher education and business. [For the full report, see ED606490.]

High-quality early childhood education makes a difference: It increases academic attainment and pro-social behavior, positively affects health, and allows more parents to reap the benefits of work. Conservatives care about early education, but liberals have made headway with universal public pre-kindergarten (pre-K), an expensive proposition that expands the government's footprint with no guarantee of quality. The hefty price tag is one reason more communities have not scaled public preschool. States should provide parents of 3- and 4-year-olds education scholarship accounts, which could be used to pay for various private (including faith-based) and public early childhood education providers. To keep parents working, states should create tax incentives for early childhood programming that coincides with the workday.

Inclusion is a concept that has been around for years and is implemented in our schools. Some schools do it well and others are still working on it. Inclusion is meant to include students with disabilities in the general education classroom and curriculum. This chapter will briefly discuss special education as well as inclusion. Inclusion will be defined, and benefits and also myths of inclusion will be discussed. In addition, research that supports inclusion will be described. This chapter lays the foundation for the other chapters in this volume that will discuss inclusion and students with specific types of disabilities. [For the complete volume, "General and Special Education Inclusion in an Age of Change: Impact on Students with Disabilities. Advances in Special Education. Volume 31," see ED606160.]

In the last twenty years a body of "social justice educators" has come to power in American higher education. These professors and administrators are transforming higher education into advocacy for progressive politics. They also work to reserve higher education jobs for social justice advocates, and to train more social justice advocates for careers in nonprofit organizations, K-12 education, and social work. "Social Justice Education in America" draws upon a close examination of 60 colleges and universities to show how social justice educators have taken over higher education. The report includes recommendations on how to prevent colleges and universities from substituting activism for learning.

The "Texas Higher Education Data" website offers policymakers, students, parents, K-12 educators, media, researchers, and faculty a collection of education data designed to help shape policy and inform initiatives that will move Texas closer to achieving the goals of the "60x30TX" strategic plan and will lay the foundation for a globally competitive workforce. This website is maintained by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and is intended primarily for users who wish to locate or generate data regarding higher education. The site provides direct access to various reports, statistics, queries, and interactive tools. As features are added or updated, a notification panel on the homepage titled "Latest News" assists users in identifying the most recent changes. [For the 2018 version of "Overview: Higher Education Data Resources," see ED591061.]

FADIO (Formation à distance interordres) is a cluster of educational institutions located in the Eastern Quebec region of Canada that have joined forces to share their expertise in pedagogy and technology in order to become frontline players in distance education. FADIO represents a unique collaborative initiative that takes full advantage of education in a digital environment. Not all educational institutions have the resources to develop the pedagogical and technical aspects related to distance education on their own. Working collaboratively allows the 18 FADIO partners to benefit from each other's expertise, to work effectively and efficiently, and to make judicious choices, for example, in developing practices or purchasing equipment and services. This document describes the context, objectives, outcomes, challenges and insights, and future of the FADIO initiative.

Although "STEM" has been part of the education lexicon for years, the "E" for engineering has received little attention from K-12 educators. Engineering is taught only sporadically in K-12 schools, despite growing evidence that engaging in engineering education leads to improved student learning and achievement in mathematics and science, in part by connecting these subjects to real-world problems. This Smart Brief describes research that shows increased national interest in and the benefits of engineering education. It goes on to discuss challenges of implementation as reported by the National Academy of Engineering. Lastly, the Brief highlights three examples of National Science Foundation-funded programs that show promise for educating future generations of scientifically literate and engineering-talented adults.

This resource provides a national comparison of state policies and activities related to secondary career and technical education (CTE). "Does State Policy Allow Students to Earn Credentials through CTE Coursework? 50-State Comparison: Secondary Career and Technical Education" examined state statute and regulation to identify opportunities for students to attain industry-recognized credentials through CTE programs. At least 27 states and the District of Columbia have a policy in place that allows students to attain credentials. While not included in this comparison, some states address credential attainment outside of state policy. This resource does not include CTE information at the postsecondary level. [View the full "50-State Comparison: Secondary Career and Technical Education" here: https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-secondary-career-and-technical-education/.]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a new coronavirus named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The CDC has issued interim guidance to help administrators of public and private childcare programs and K-12 schools plan for and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among students and staff. This Questions and Answers document outlines states' responsibilities to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities and their families, and to the staff serving these children.

International comparisons of student achievement in mathematics and their attitudes towards, confidence with and anxiety to mathematics have a long history. Likewise, detailed international comparisons of teacher education programs have also been conducted. However, the relationship between the teacher education programs and teacher anxiety for teaching mathematics have not been investigated. This paper is part of a larger research project investigating the relationship between teacher education programs and mathematical anxiety of its pre-service teachers. It reports on the initial comparison of the teacher education programs for primary teachers from a university in Sweden, Germany, and Australia, specifically the mathematics education addressed in the programs. The paper concludes with an outline of the future research.

This document presents statistics about higher education in Maryland for 2020. The tables in this document are presented according to the following categories: (1) Students; (2) Retention & Graduation; (3) Degrees; (4) Faculty & Staff; (5) Revenues & Expenditures; (6) Tuition & Fees; (7) Financial Aid; (8) Private Career Schools; and (9) Distance Education. [For "Maryland Higher Education Commission Data Book 2019. Creating a State of Achievement," see ED594205.]

"Special Schools as a Resource for Inclusive Education" examines inclusive education reform efforts by the Open Society foundation in Armenia in communities with special and mainstream schools. These efforts evolved into a project to transform three special schools for children with disabilities into resource centers to help mainstream schools implementing inclusive education practices. "Special Schools as a Resource for Inclusive Education" outlines the possibilities and challenges of implementing change, making it a valuable resource for policymakers, administrators, donors, teachers, and parents.

As the economy became the driving force behind education policy in recent decades, postsecondary education planners and policymakers turned their attention to older adults. In Tennessee, the state launched its "Drive to 55" campaign to increase the number of residents earning postsecondary degrees. Along with these changes came the call for more research to inform practices and policies related to older adult learners. This study sought to understand postsecondary education experiences of adult scholars from rural, low-education counties in Tennessee. Findings demonstrated participants' determination to complete despite initial doubts, the importance of informal peer supports, and the significance of family. [For the complete proceedings, see ED597786.]

Early childhood education (ECE) classroom quality has become increasingly important as the link between high quality early learning experiences and future success has become clear. However, the definition of ECE quality does not include indicators that address issues of culture, race, and ethnicity, that may be particularly relevant for our most at-risk children. Anti-bias education (ABE) provides a framework for understanding how to incorporate such themes into classroom practice and policy. The present study developed a measure of classroom that incorporates anti-bias education principles, based on the integration of ABE theory with observations in five ECE centers. The measure contains five domains, with a number of items within each domain.