Education & Pedagogy

A study examined the involvement of organized labor in vocational and technical education at the local level in Ohio. The following types of organized labor involvement were examined: labor representation on vocational and technical advisory committees; labor representation on vocational and technical education program review committees; apprenticeship and journeyworker training; involvement with vocational student organizations; and other education-labor linkages. The shift from a production-oriented economy toward a service-oriented economy was identified as the major trend affecting the extent and nature of collaboration between organized labor and vocational-technical schools. The following factors or conditions were identified as contributing to the effectiveness of collaboration between organized labor and education: an awareness on the part of both labor and education of the tangible benefits of collaborative programs; an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect; organized, continuous, and structured two-way communication; advisory committees convened on the basis of trade area and that include representatives of labor, education, and industry; clear lines of responsibility that were drawn before collaboration began; periodic review of programs; and a mutual awareness of each other's strengths and weaknesses. A series of recommendations directed toward organized labor and vocational education practitioners was also developed. (MN)

This document presents an unbiased statement about changes in demographics and about the needs of business and industry that may require changes in secondary vocational education. The first part defines and describes vocational education. Part 2 is an historical overview of the changes in vocational education legislation, population demographics, and the environment of business and industry. Part 3 presents a summary of the major national studies on the condition of American education. These studies suggest that vocational education should be examined to meet the needs of a changing population and a new economic base. In part 4, the New Jersey environment is examined to determine whether there are indicators of a need for change in vocational education in the state at this time. It focuses on 10 indicators of the need to study the structure of secondary vocational education in New Jersey. Part 5 presents the goals, principles, and planning assumptions that reflect changing demographics and the changing needs of business and industry upon which vocational education in New Jersey should be based. The final section, part 6, outlines a process for the development of a plan for the structure of secondary vocational education in New Jersey. An extensive bibliography concludes the document. (YLB)

This document contains four sections which deal with various aspects of international environmental education. Section 1 includes papers that describe environmental education projects and programs in South America, Europe, India, Scotland, the Arab states, and the Sudan. An additional article in this chapter compares the environmental education adoption potential of inservice workshop participants in both developed and developing countries. Section 2 contains papers on methods and perspectives on the evaluation of curriculum. It includes articles dealing with the evaluation of environmental education and curriculum materials, analyses of case studies of international environmental campaigns, a study of preconceptions of the biosphere held by children in several countries, and an examination of a new environmental awareness in science education. Section 3 includes two curricular proposals. One describes an action research approach to environmental problem solving, while the other proposes a method for teaching about international environmental issues at the university level. The final section of the document contains two papers on the environmental problems of international significance. One paper summarizes recent scientific findings on acid rain. The second proposes an educational strategy for addressing the problem of nuclear arms. (TW)

This report summarizes activities of the 5-year Rural Education Project of the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory (McREL) and reviews the current state of rural education. Deteriorating agricultural economy and mandated school reforms were found to have exacerbated rural school problems of maintaining quality programs in situations of declining enrollment and rising costs. The Rural Education Project sought to identify unique characteristics of small rural schools and to develop the capacity of the rural education community to address issues of rural education cooperatively. The Project established clusters of rural schools linked with institutions of higher education and state education agencies to improve local schools and to create a network of agencies involved in rural educational development. Clusters provided staff and curriculum development, cooperative planning for resource sharing, instructional uses of microcomputers, and rural school involvement in economic development; in addition, participants discussed regional issues, and participated in research studies to provide information about rural education. The Project implemented and evaluated criteria for effective schools as outlined by another McREL project. The report lists useful elements of rural school improvement programs, guidelines for establishing clusters, examples of cluster activities, and nine characteristics of effective schools with corresponding results observed in two rural schools. (LFL)

Ways to further the development of higher education and research as a field of study are addressed, with a focus on the role and importance of various disciplinary perspectives. It is argued that, in simplified terms, the field of higher education and research is dominated by two major traditions: "science studies" and "higher education studies." For both traditions, there are areas of interdisciplinarity: in science studies this core area centers on a theory of science/sociology of knowledge perspective, whereas in higher education studies, this area consists of an organizational perspective. It is suggested that the field of higher education and research will not develop into a full-fledged discipline, although in the United States there are a large number of departments of higher education. Instead, a strategy for the future is recommended: a core of interdisciplinary efforts, surrounded by a periphery of single-discipline contributions. A chief aim of such a strategy would be to integrate the knowledge focus of science studies with the organizational focus of higher education studies. It is proposed that the following disciplines be integrated in the study of higher education and research: sociology, history, and education. This strategy is particularly appropriate for the Swedish setting. (SW)

The special education referral-placement phenomenon has reached crisis proportions in New York City. Problems affecting effectiveness of approaches include: inadequate state and federal funding; fragmented decision making; lack of uniform terminology and standardized criteria for special education; lack of training, support services, and resources for teachers; teacher attitudes; lack of trained special education teachers; and conflict between involved special interest groups. A unified system of identification, referral, and placement in special education and mainstreaming programs is needed, involving a network of regular classroom teachers, special education teachers, state administrators, university faculty, and business and community representatives. Such a system should also encompass prevention programs, training and support systems for regular and special education teachers, programs starting at the preschool level and continuing through the university level, and cooperation among special education and regular teachers. Such a program exists at one elementary school in the Bronx, where students are regularly assessed and placed into programs according to grade and ability level. Support services provided by the school include guidance for mainstreamed students, resource rooms, speech therapy, remedial reading and mathematics instruction, school volunteers from among parents and community members, and Board of Education resources in the form of consultant services and help for individual teachers. (CB)

A year-long study investigated the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of rural educators concerning gifted learners and their educational needs. Participants were all K-12 teachers (43) and administrators (3) in a single, rural southeastern Kansas school district serving 518 students. During the study, conducted in school year 1985, teachers attended inservice sessions related to gifted education and completed a series of surveys and questionnaires which dealt with perception of myths associated with gifted education, attitudes toward gifted education, and knowledge of teaching models for gifted education. Findings of the myths survey indicated that these rural educators held to virtually none of the myths, which included the idea that gifted education cannot occur in the regular classroom; both elementary and secondary teachers clearly believed that gifted students can be served in the general classroom. Teachers were interested in curriculum design for gifted learners but reported little knowledge of teaching models associated with gifted education. These results suggest that curriculum development is a crucial need of rural educators, particularly in states where gifted education is a legislative mandate. (JHZ)

Research on the development of the master's degree in the United States and its growth in the postwar technological era are reviewed within the context of tradition, diversity, and change. Research on structure and organization, curricular reform, quality control, and innovation is synthesized, and suggestions for future research are offered. The distribution by field of the 289,921 master's degrees conferred in 1982-1983 is shown, along with the number of subfields for each discipline. For 11 master's degrees, information is provided on the number of full-time years, the number of program areas, the number of credits, and the requirements for completion (practicum/field work, exams, theses, and research projects). Consideration is given to whether there are indicators to evaluate master's degrees and to efforts by a few states to monitor master's programs. The following major professional degrees are discussed: business and management, teacher education, engineering, fine and performing arts, health sciences, international education, journalism, law, library science, public administration, social work, and combined degrees. Abbreviations of organizations and a list of degrees are appended. (SW)

The publication defines the nature of special education consultation and presents various options through which training can be provided by college and university departments of special education. The first three papers present the realities of special education consultation as currently practiced: "Serving Special Children through Teacher Consultation" (J. C. Conoley), "Setting the Stage for Successful School Consultation" (L. Idol-Maestas), and "The Teacher Consultant at the Secondary Level: Just Right of Center" (V. Ryan and R. Kokoszka). The following four papers discuss essential aspects of either the process or the substance of special education consultation: "Consultant Beliefs Which Make a Significant Difference in Consultation" (A. Menlo), "The Human Dimension of Consultation" (M. E. Carroll), "Modeling a Process of Problem Identification" (L. N. Hodgson), and "The Self-Documentation Model: A Process for Consultation with Experienced Teachers in Special Education Practica" (P. C. Wood et al). The final three papers contain descriptions of formal training programs in special education consultation: "A Graduate Preparation Program in Special Education Teacher Consultation" (C. L. Warger and L. E. Aldinger), "Adding Consultation Skills to Your Repertoire: A Training Model" (J. M. McPhail and N. J. Eiss), and "Special Education Teacher Consultation Training Programs" (M. Friend). (JW)

These proceedings contain a series of papers focusing on the fact that women in Scotland and England are significantly underrepresented in learning about and working with computers and suggesting ways of remedying the situation. The volume begins with an introduction by Elisabeth Gerver and a foreword by Margaret Boden. The following conference reports are included: "Where Are We Now," by Angela Bowey; "Survey of Computer-Related Courses in Scottish Central Institutions, Colleges, and Universities," by Kay Henning; "Women, Computers, and Adult Education," by Elisabeth Gerver; "Positive Action in England," by Wendy Miller; and "Positive Action in Scotland," by Gillian Skirrow. Also included are brief workshop reports on the following topics: work training, further education, higher education, community education, and broadcasting. An overview of the main issues raised by the conference participants is also included. Appendixes include a survey of gender composition in computer-related courses in Scottish colleges, universities, and central institutions; the seminar program; a list of participants; and a membership listing of the joint working group on women and computers. (MN)

In developing countries, the demand for educational dollars is greater than the supply. Priorities must be selected for open higher education in both methods and subject matter. Developing countries should give a higher priority to vocational education. Since well before World War II, distance education has been available in New Zealand. Successive governments have taken the view that no matter where a student lives he/she is entitled to equal opportunities for education at all levels. At New Zealand Technical Correspondence Institute (TCI), the largest element of growth of open higher vocational education has been the development of technician courses. Because of the increasing demand for TCI to offer courses that require a measure of hands-on experience, students must attend a block course. Quality controls on the final product are exercised by limiting enrollment at TCI to those employed in or expecting to enter a particular job or occupation. The principal educational media are the written and printed word. Study programs, called assignments, are supplemented with audiotapes. The lack of a national educational strategy is unfortunate in view of the benefits to developing nations with open higher distance education and its importance in the future. (Appended materials include outlines of courses and modules and information concerning the Technicians Certification Authority.) (YLB)

A study examined existing perceptions of the effectiveness of vocational education in Michigan. Researchers sought the opinions of 1,879 educators (including teachers, administrators, counselors, admissions representatives, and public relations professionals) connected with vocational education; 1,099 nonvocational educators; 745 parents; 1,030 students and graduates; and 5,050 business representatives. Responses were received from 535 vocational and 225 nonvocational educators, 56 parents, 218 students and graduates, and 298 business representatives. The respondents generally felt that vocational education in Michigan offers a good program to train young people in a wide variety of skills necessary for at least an entry-level job. They did, however, have some concerns about the program's ability to provide long-term career skills and the effect that enrollment in vocational education might have on students' chances of being admitted to college. Most respondents did not believe that the majority of students use vocational education principally as a means of having an easier academic program. Business representatives, counselors, and nonvocational educators had more reservations about vocational education than did students. Parents, counselors, and vocational students were the primary persons influencing students' decisions to enroll in vocational education, and the respondents generally agreed that counselors, teachers, and brochures are the best sources of information about vocational education. (MN)

The purpose of this programming guide is to assist local and intermediate Michigan school districts in planning, developing, and implementing programs and services for secondary special education. The first chapter, "Delivery of Secondary Programs and Services," outlines the program's philosophy, effective program development, a program continuum, rule considerations, curriculum development, and development of individualized education programs. Chapter II, "Guidelines for the Development of a Special Education Credit-Based Curriculum Leading to a High School Diploma," presents the secondary special education curriculum, administrative rules pertaining to special education, and requirements of Michigan general school laws. Chapter III deals with personal adjustment education. The next four chapters cover prevocational education, vocational education, vocational evaluation, and work-study services. A chapter on transition services presents a model which focuses on transition planning, community placement, referral to supportive services, and program exiting procedures. The final chapter deals specifically with programming for the trainable and severely mentally impaired. Appendices, which make up the bulk of the document, contain student progress report forms, a transition plan form, a follow-up survey form, vocational evaluation report form, other administrative forms, course information, and tables and charts to support the main text. References are provided, arranged by topic. (JDD)

This paper begins with a short description of the British Open University which covers the programs of study (undergraduate, continuing education, and higher degrees); mediums of teaching (correspondence texts, broadcast television, audiocassettes, radio, face-to-face or telephone tutorials, audioconferencing, summer schools, home experiment kits, and home computers); teaching staff, regional services, and administration; income and expenditures; and external recognition. A general discussion of distance education considers criteria defining distance education and open learning systems, important characteristics of distance education--student autonomy and provision of a complete learning experience--and ideological issues in the way distance education is provided. The spread of distance education and reasons for its growing popularity are also addressed. Important developments at the Open University are then described: (1) a coherent and balanced program leading to a recognized degree; (2) the continuing education program; (3) high quality teaching materials designed for independent distance learners; (4) an extensive student support service; (5) involvement with other educational institutions in Britain; and (6) extensive use of technology. Lessons learned from the Open University are presented, and the paper concludes with discussion of the future of distance education which focuses on extended vocational and continuing education programs, technology, course design, internationalization, and new organizations for provision of distance education. Three references are listed. (MES)

Empirical research in education seems to have an international tendency to concentrate on problems that can be grasped adequately. But that approach tends to direct more research to smaller and smaller areas, where results are more precise but more irrelevant for the complex practice of education. To try to bridge this gap between research and practice in adult education in West Germany, a special institute was founded more than 20 years ago. The institute, in Frankfurt, is now one of the largest scientific institutes in the field of adult education. The Paedagogische Arbeitsstelle (PAS)--in English, the Educational Working Center for Adult Education--is a mediation agency bringing adult education researchers and practitioners together through meetings of researchers and practitioners and through production of more than 100 publications yearly. PAS focuses on the learning process of adult education and what is really changing through the process. Researchers also work with practitioners in the classroom to improve educational strategy. This institute is especially valuable at the present time, when adult education is experiencing a resurgence and growth in West Germany. Not only are professional and vocational courses becoming ever more popular, but more and more people are also taking cultural and personal development courses. (KC)