Education & Pedagogy

This paper argues that the anxieties being expressed in the UK and elsewhere about the lack of impact that philosophy now has on education are nothing other than the inevitable manifestation of a fundamental intellectual disorder deeply rooted in our contemporary understanding of the philosophy of education. In trying to substantiate this claim, the paper offers an historically informed philosophical analysis of how philosophy is related to education and education to philosophy that concludes by clarifying how any debates about the current problems and future development of the philosophy of education ought to proceed.

There is a paucity of research describing the needs and concerns that teachers of color present to multicultural teacher preparation. In this essay the author reviews the research on multicultural teacher preparation to uncover research practices that make teachers of color invisible. In this analysis, it is contended that this body of research has created a discontinuity between the principles of multicultural education, multicultural teacher education, and current efforts to diversify the teaching force.

This paper argues for a broader-based approach to vocational education (VET) and the concept of skill, one that is capable of extending responsibility for improvement to society as a whole, rather than expecting change to come from a single constituency, that of employers. By reclaiming the important roles which vocational education and practical skills play in the everyday lives of people and communities, it might be possible to rescue the concept of VET from its current manifestation as a deficit activity, reluctantly funded by government.

One of the goals of developing a new chemistry courses is to foster positive student attitudes toward chemistry and to capitalize on both positive and negative experience in helping students to see how teachers can influence students' interests in science with inquiry-based and discovery learning. Additionally the courses are conclusively helpful in helping students become better inquiry science learners and teachers as called for in the National Science Education Standards.

This article discusses the impact of accountabiity on higher education policies in Europe and the United States. We describe how the accountability movement relates to other policy trends in higher education, providing empirical data on how accountability was implemented and how academics and managers in four universities perceived these policies. We close the article with a reflection on the observed shift from professional to political accountability that uses "soft" mechanisms that seem to offer little change in the quality of education in these countries.

As a member of a delegation of educators, physicians, and lay people to rural Fiji the author shares her experiences and reflections of early care, education, and family life on a small, remote island. She discusses her visits to the village and boarding school, and her interactions with teachers, children, and parents in the early childhood classroom and community. Her understanding of teacher education and preparation, the primary educational system, and curriculum goals and revisions of the country are highlighted.

Kauffman indicts the President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education (PCESE) for sometimes implying the opposite of its stated aim of helping children in special education, including students with EBD, as he believes does the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB, 2002). This response addresses (a) two pivotal, but implied aspects the PCESE and why they are problematic, (b) some other aspects of Kauffman's observations, and (c) the fundamental, but difficult questions we in special education must begin to ask ourselves to avoid the further devaluation of special education.

In this rejoinder to Howley, Theobald, and Howley's response "What Rural Education Research is of Most Worth? A Reply to Arnold, Newman, Gaddy, and Dean," ("Journal of Research in Rural Education," v20 n18, 2005) to the original paper, "A Look at the Condition of Rural Education," ("Journal of Research in Rural Education," v20 n6, 2005), Arnold argues that the perspective of what he terms the "Rural Education Conservative Movement" exhibits biases that influence their research and result in a disservice to the rural schools and communities that they are trying to help.

Many schools throughout the United States have mandated some form of character education, peace education, or conflict resolution. The Peace Education Network hopes to encourage an exchange of ideas about what schools and teachers are doing that works and doesn't work. An article in The Washington Post (Kalita, 2003) describing a newly adopted Character Education Day at a local high school indicated that the students found the lectures and skits presented that day to have little meaning for them. This column will suggest more effective ways to make such efforts meaningful and will offer practical resources.

The case of Germany is taken as an example of cyclical variation in higher education enrolment in the sciences. The article argues that the mechanism underpinning these fluctuations is the cobweb model. This model establishes a recursive loop between trends in enrolments in a discipline and trends in the labour market associated with this discipline. The analysis highlights two conditions that are required for the model to apply: the elasticity of higher education capacity and the segmentation of the labour market.

The authors present a model of clinical supervision to guide preservice professionals embarking on a career in early intervention and early childhood special education. Established models of clinical supervision in the general education field are described, followed by a description of the clinical supervision model used by the University of Oregon Early Intervention Program. Priorities and methods for research are suggested.

In this article, the authors discuss the importance of education policies that aim at diminishing social disparities in poor countries, focusing on a program in higher education developed in the state of Rondonia in the Brazilian Amazon. Rondonia is a region in which people have suffered deeply from the consequences of social inequalities. Many Brazilian social and economic policies historically have ignored regional needs. The education program discussed is at the graduate level and was developed between 1997-2000.

Using a representative sample of Spanish individuals, we explore the effects of workers' education on self-assessed satisfaction with diverse specific aspects of their jobs. We find that the effects of education level on job satisfaction differ, both in size and direction, according to the aspect of the job considered, especially after controlling for actual job attributes and other workers' characteristics. We also find that workers' perceptions of the match between education and employment are relevant as determinants of job satisfaction irrespective of workers' education level.

In this response to Arthur Efland's article, "The Entwined Nature of the Aesthetic: A Discourse of Visual Culture" ("Studies in Art Education," 2004, 45(3), 234-251), the author acknowledges that Efland's attempt to find a middle ground between two rival versions of art education--aesthetic education and visual culture--is both welcome and needed. The remarks in this article are focused on: (1) Efland's discussion of this author's early writings on excellence and aesthetic experience; and (2) Efland's critique of visual culture. (Contains 3 notes.)

This research note explores the benefits of conducting empirical research in education and human development to advancing the reform of education movement in the Muslim world. Evidence based knowledge that stems from all types of research methodologies contributes to meaningful and relevant programming in education and policy. Mapping the Terrain study promotes the research agenda through international partnerships and investment in local researchers as well as surveying youth and others in education systems around the world.