Education & Pedagogy

This paper begins by rehearsing some commonly heard conservative and radical objections to the idea of citizenship education. I then explore another potentially radical objection, implicit in the tenets of character education and socio-emotional learning but rarely stated explicitly. According to this objection, citizenship education, with its overarching ideal of democratic justice, politicises values education beyond good reason by assuming that political literacy and specific (democratic) social skills, rather than transcultural moral and emotional basics, are the primary values to be transmitted. I show how this objection is based on three major disagreements about (a) the good and the right, (b) pluralism and (c) the connection between morality and politics.

Secondary school chemical education has a problem: namely, the seeming irrelevance to the pupils of chemistry. Chemical education prepares pupils for participation in society. Therefore, it must imply a model of society, of chemistry, and of the relation between them. In this article it is hypothesized that logical positivism currently offers this model. Logical positivism is a philosophy of science that creates a divide between science and society. It is therefore further hypothesized that the adoption of logical positivism causes chemistry's lack of relevance in chemical education. Both hypotheses could be confirmed by an analysis of a grade nine course.

Prompted by an increasing concern for quality in higher education in Hong Kong, a study was conducted at Lingnan University, a small liberal arts institution, to measure the influence of university education on students' academic, social and personal growth. The purpose of the study is to assess if value has been added to students as a result of their university experience and the kind of education they received. The empirical investigation adopts an approach of assessing quality of university education using data collected from individual students about their subjective experiences during the university years and their perceptions of the value of the educational experience.

This article explores the politics surrounding the education of pregnant/mothering students. Utilizing Title IX, which guarantees the rights of pregnant/mothering students to an education equal to her peers, as an analytical lens, the author specifically identifies how absences in knowledge, research, and practice about the education of pregnant/mothering students are constructed. These absences, which are not neutral, construct discourses that affect the provision of education to pregnant/mothering students. The author argues that until teen pregnancy is repoliticized as an educational issue, pregnant/mothering students will not receive the education they deserve and are entitled to. (Contains 10 notes.)

This article looks at the legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, discusses the formative stages of multicultural education, and explains the shifting contours of multicultural education, along with some reasons for these developmental changes. It explores two specific domains of multicultural education--curriculum desegregation and equity pedagogy--in greater detail to demonstrate how the field has changed over time and to amplify why they are avenues for educational equality. A brief summary of the emergent body of multicultural research concludes the article. The intent throughout is to show how educational desegregation and equality are advanced by multicultural education and the changes occurring in the field.

Peace education has been recognized as an important aspect of social education for the past three decades. The critical literature as well as official documents, however, have given little attention to its philosophical foundations. This essay explores these foundations in the ethics of (1) virtue, (2) consequentialism, (3) aesthetics, (4) conservative politics and (5) care. Each of these alone composes a significant element of peace education, although ultimately its solid basis can only be established through an integrative approach encouraging a culture of peace. The more complete development and articulation of the philosophical rationale of peace education is yet to be accomplished and remains a task for the future.

A systematic and longitudinal analysis of all of the education-related articles published in two of political science's oldest journals reveals that political science has aided our knowledge of education by focusing on the distribution of power in the decision-making process, the organization and governance of public school systems, and the outcomes and effects of education policy decisions. Moreover, the present data suggest that only a tiny fraction of the major articles published in traditional political science journals have focused on education and that those political scientists conducting education research turn to multidisciplinary education journals as outlets for their scholarship. (Contains 4 notes.)

For too long, too many students and too many of those who influence their thinking have regarded the liberal arts and sciences as a luxury--important sources of knowledge, but not the right preparation for those who seek employment after graduation. But change is in the wind, bringing with it a renaissance for liberal education--although in the twenty-first century, it will be taught and applied differently than in its earlier manifestations. It will recognize the practicality of liberal education, moving away from being satisfied to learn just for the sake of knowing. It will be available for all students, not only the self-selected and the privileged.

This study examines the retention of vocational education graduates in public higher education. Using 2,172 students who graduated vocational education programs in Area Vocational Technical Schools and enrolled as freshman (first-time young students) in public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in the 1996 fall semester, the author conducted cohort analyses to exam the retention trend by gender and race. This study found that retention rates of vocational education graduates are lower than those of general students in both two-year and four-year public colleges and universities. Related policy implications are discussed.

This article provides a brief overview of segregated education in Kansas and then explores 3 legal cases: (a) Reynolds v. The Board of Education of the City of Topeka (1903), (b) Wright v. Board of Education of Topeka (1930), and (c) Graham v. Board of Education of Topeka (1941), the precursors to Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954). These lawsuits, brought by Black citizens in Topeka, Kansas, provide insights into the legal challenges to segregated education in Topeka prior to Brown and provide an analysis of the legal role Topeka played in terms of shaping and influencing the terrain of segregated education in not only Kansas but the United States.

Pedagogy is an important aspect of teacher education, and the teacher educator's pedagogy can help the preservice teacher understand the complexities inherent in teaching. This study examined one elementary literacy course in a master's level teacher education program. Data collection involved classroom observation and interviews with the professor and two students. In this course, the professor models good teaching and designs valuable projects and experiences for her students. Her thoughtful and continual consideration of pedagogy serves to make this an exemplary teacher education course and highlights the powerful role that pedagogy can play in teacher education.

Special education teacher attrition has been a major concern for over fifteen years. There have been numerous studies and proposals to explain this problem and suggestions offered for interventions. In general, the studies have reported that approximately 50% of newly certified special education teachers leave the field during the first five years of their career. This study presents data from seven cohorts of special education teachers (n=161) who were trained in one program. The study documented their employment histories since graduating from the program and the reasons they changed jobs. The teachers were not leaving the field in large numbers; however, they were very mobile.

The 20th century has been called the American Century, and one of its leitmotifs was the great leap forward for millions of Americans from poverty into the middle class. In the 1960s and 1970s, the implementation of the Higher Education Act and Pell Grants allowed large numbers of students from low-income families to enter college. In addition, the GI Bill opened wide the doors of higher education to a host of veterans who otherwise would never have been able to consider a college education. This article provides one college president's brief evaluation of the impact of these events on higher education in the U.S.

Though art educators in museums and in schools share content fields and professional backgrounds, they operate under quite different practical constraints. The autonomy of museum education, shaped by museums' missions more than by state guidelines, is part of its appeal as a profession; museum programs, in shaping their very malleable subject matters into formats responsive to various backgrounds, have a special appeal to diverse audiences. This article explores the nature of museum education through four classical models of curriculum, and proposes a fifth model that connects museum education to the traditional trajectory of a storyline. Examples are taken largely from art-museum education.

For at least a brief period of time, the release of Bob Rae's review of post-secondary education in Ontario served to focus public attention on the importance of post-secondary education not only in Ontario, but across Canada. This article elaborates further on Rae's review which stresses the crucial importance of the higher studies and recommends that one invests more in education and research. Its conclusions are clear, it is necessary to increase at the same time the financial assistance with the students and the school fees. If implemented, the recommendations have the potential of improving the quality of higher education for the benefit of all Canadians.