Education & Pedagogy

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Tennessee, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Tennessee early care and education (ECE) higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners. This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. The "Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory," administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state's early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics and professional development needs. This information allows policy makers, institutions of higher education and other stakeholders to identify the gaps and opportunities in the available offerings, make informed policy decisions, and assess the capacity of the higher education system over time. [For the Highlights, see ED614311. For the technical report, see ED614310.]

This report describes the early childhood degree programs offered in Washington, focusing on variations in program content, age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics, as well as the extent to which Washington ECE [early care and education] higher education programs are incorporating early math, family engagement, and working with dual language learners. This report is part of our Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory. "The Early Childhood Higher Education Inventory," administered by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California at Berkeley, assists policymakers and other stakeholders to develop a more coordinated and comprehensive professional preparation and development system for the early care and education workforce. The Inventory is a mechanism to describe the landscape of a state's early childhood degree program offerings, at the associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The Inventory captures variations in program goals, content, child age-group focus, student field-based learning, and faculty characteristics and professional development needs. This information allows policy makers, institutions of higher education and other stakeholders to identify the gaps and opportunities in the available offerings, make informed policy decisions, and assess the capacity of the higher education system over time. [For the highlights, see ED614307. For the technical report, see ED614300.]

Colorado, like other states across the country, utilizes various strategies to provide students with opportunities to achieve college credit in high school and cultivate seamless P-20 pathways to increase credential completion. For example, Colorado students take rigorous courses in high school through the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs that can lead to college credit. Concurrent Enrollment provides high school students with the opportunity to enroll in college-level courses, simultaneously earning both high school and college credit, often at greatly reduced costs. Local Education Providers (LEPs) participating in the state's Concurrent Enrollment program covers the student's tuition expenses up to the resident community college tuition rate. These programs help students develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to be postsecondary education- and workforce-ready. Research indicates that Concurrent Enrollment students are more likely to enroll and persist in college and are less likely to need remedial education once in college. Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and Colorado Department of Education (CDE) have prepared this report pursuant to statute (C.R.S. §22-35-112). The data, collected through the CDHE Student Unit Record Data System (SURDS) unless noted otherwise, provide a descriptive summary of students in Colorado's public education system who participated in dual enrollment programs in the 2019-2020 school year. [For the previous year's report, see ED614230.]

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that started in December 2019 led to the closure of schools on a global level, and implementation of strict social distancing measures has led to rapid and prevalent changes in conventional forms of education and instruction. In this period where distance education is preferred in education processes, the education technology competencies of teachers have gained importance. In this context, this study aimed to determine the education technology competencies of special education teachers. The descriptive study included 114 special education teachers. The data were collected by using the "Education Technology Competencies Scale for Teachers" and analyzed by using the SPSS 25 package software. The maximum total score that could be obtained in the scale that was used in the study is 190. It was determined that, with the mean score of 155.27, the participants of this study had an education technology competency level of 81.72%. In this study which investigated the technological competencies of special education teachers, no significant difference was found based on the participants' gender, professional experience or areas of teaching. Considering the items in the dimensions of the scale, it was found that the male teachers were more competent in terms of technical knowledge on technology, while the female teachers used the technological knowledge they had more effectively in classes, instruction and materials, as well as in communication with both students and parents.

Elementary and secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is the foundation for students' entry into postsecondary STEM majors as well as a wide variety of STEM occupations. Proficiency in STEM fields is vital to economic growth and international competitiveness and important for all citizens in an increasingly technology-driven society. A skilled and diverse STEM workforce is essential for the United States to remain preeminent in science and engineering (S&E) and continue to be at the forefront of innovation. Improving K-12 STEM education and nurturing the talents of all Americans--including women and underrepresented minorities in STEM--is key to maintaining U.S. competitiveness and strengthening and diversifying its STEM workforce. An increasingly complex technological society and such events as the COVID-19 pandemic underscore the important role that K-12 STEM education has to play in building public understanding of science and creating a scientifically literate citizenry. This report provides the most recent available indicators of the state of U.S. K-12 STEM education. It presents data about student performance in mathematics in fourth and eighth grades; computer science performance in eighth grade; U.S. mathematics, science, and computer science performance compared with that of other nations; U.S. mathematics and science teachers' qualifications and how they compare internationally; and high school students' preparation for postsecondary education and the workforce. [SRI International, Center for Innovation Strategy and Policy, assisted with report preparation.]

Paul LeBlanc has reimagined higher education, with a focus on the most fundamental of functions: student learning. In "Students First," he advocates for an entire higher education ecosystem in which students have the flexibility to gain, assess, and certify their knowledge on their own terms and timelines. In a perceptive analysis, LeBlanc provides a clear-eyed view of how and why higher education is failing to reach and serve a great many potential students. He then deftly explores how reform can address systemic inequities, improve college affordability, and broaden accessibility. Through case studies, he highlights alternative delivery models such as online, distance, and just-in-time learning, and he envisions a learning environment that values competencies rather than credit hours. LeBlanc describes how these innovations and others will allow colleges and universities to help close the skills gap and respond to a rapidly evolving, technology-driven job market. Although a college education remains one of the great drivers of socioeconomic mobility, today's higher education industry has built financial, logistical, and practical barriers that keep out the very students who are most in need of opportunity. "Students First" makes a persuasive case that realigning US educational priorities will enable larger populations of graduates to enjoy a return on investment in the form of good pay, meaningful work, and a stable future. As the book emphasizes, such change is imperative, for in better serving its students, higher education will better serve society. [Foreword written by Bridget Terry Long.]

The educational directories for 1916, 1917, 1918, and 1919 United States Bureau of Education cover some of the following categories: (1) The United States Bureau of Education; (2) Principal State school officers; (3) Executive officers of State boards of education; (4) Executive officers of State library commissions; (5) County superintendents of schools; (6) Superintendents of public schools in cities; (7) Assistant and district superintendents of schools in cities of over 25,000 population; (8) Business managers in larger cities; (9) Chief medical inspector or school health officer in cities of over 25,000 population; (10) Colleges and universities--presidents and heads of departments of education; (11) Officers of boards of trustees of universities and colleges; (12) Presidents and deans of professional schools; (13) Principals of normal and kindergarten training schools; (14) Vocational education; (15) Schools for the blind; (16) Schools for the deaf; (17) Schools for the feeble-minded; (18) Summer-school directories; (19) Directors of museums; (20) Librarians of public and society libraries; (21) Directors of library schools; (22) Educational boards and foundations; (23) Church educational boards and societies; (24) Superintendents of Catholic parochial schools; (25) Jewish education organizations; (26) International associations of education; (27) American educational associations; (28) Learned and civic organizations; (29) State federation of women's clubs; (30) Mothers' congresses; (31) Educational periodicals; and (32) Foreign countries--chief officers of education 1914-15.

Since the spring of 2018, hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and their allies have protested at or against their schools. These students and teachers have been protesting on a wide range of issues, from gun control and climate change to the underfunding of education and institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In "Reclaiming Democratic Education," Chris Thomas examines how these activities exist at the intersection of two conflicting traditions--where student and teacher activism that aligns with the democratic purposes of public education collides with current policies that privilege the economic aims of education and restrict civic agency. By situating contemporary activism within these conflicting traditions, Thomas demonstrates how these activities constitute a rejection of the currently dominant policy paradigm in U.S. education. Thomas concludes with a discussion of how activism provides a foundation from which concerned teachers, school leaders, and policymakers can develop a new model for American education, one that reclaims an education for citizenship. This book: (1) traces the interconnected histories of student and teacher activism, from the Revolutionary Period through the Common School Movement and the decade of protests in the 1960s to today; (2) demonstrates how education policy positions teachers as passive recipients of policy, who are often expected to sacrifice their own well-being for that of their students; and (3) provides a roadmap for policy shifts that disrupt the currently dominant paradigm in American education and realize an Education for Citizenship paradigm.

The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE) was founded in 1982 as the result of a merger between the National Association for Public and Continuing Adult Education (NAPCAE) and the Adult Education Association (AEA). This prestigious association is dedicated to the belief that lifelong learning contributes to human fulfillment and positive social change. The mission of AAACE is to provide leadership for the field of adult and continuing education by expanding opportunities for adult growth and development; unifying adult educators; fostering the development and dissemination of theory, research, information, and best practices; promoting identity and standards for the profession; and advocating relevant public policy and social change initiatives. This second annual conference proceedings provide an opportunity for presenters at the general conference to showcase a myriad of empirical research and practical application within the field of adult and continuing education. [For the 2020 proceedings, see ED611534.]

Administrative support plays a vital role in the self-efficacy of special education teachers (Otto & Arnold, 2005). In order to meet the education needs of special education students and comply with Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002), education leaders and policy makers need to be aware of the correlation between stronger administrative support and special education teacher self-efficacy (Thornton, Peltier, & Medina, 2007). Research shows that one of the most important administrative tasks is to demonstrate an understanding of the special education teachers' role (Otto & Arnold). Given the consistent positive impact of teacher self-efficacy, it is imperative to identify constructs that increase perceived self-efficacy or that act in concert with self-efficacy to obtain positive results (Nir & Kranot, 2006). This paper examines the construct of administrative support as a factor in the self-efficacy of special education teachers by focusing on the relation between special education teachers and building-level administrators of special education. This type research is needed in order to provide building-level administrators in this central Virginia school system with definitive leadership strategies to use in their efforts to support special education teachers. Recommendations for future research are offered. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

The perspectives of special education teachers on the strategies used to teach mathematics to special education students were examined in this dissertation. Three central research questions that guided the study are: (a) What were New York special education teachers' opinions about the methods they use to teach mathematics to special education students? (b) What instructional strategies were used for special education students in mathematics? (c) What content knowledge for mathematics instruction was used? A qualitative, exploratory single case study design was used to answer the research questions. Data were collected from, interviews and observations. Research themes and sub-themes were identified from the data analysis of observations and one-on-one interview transcripts. Major themes to emerge from the data were as follows: (a) the methods special education teachers use to teach mathematics to special education students, (b) how special education teachers process instructional strategies for special education students in mathematics using the method, and (c) special education teachers' content knowledge of elementary mathematics, including algebraic thinking, using the method. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research were suggested. The findings of the study were supportive of relevant theories and past literature, which were used as the foundations of the research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Since 1960 most of the countries in middle Africa have gained their independence and are confronting the great problems of nation building and economic development. The entire region shows both a popular enthusiasm for education and a conviction among leaders that education is a key to economic and social development. This bulletin has been developed in response to an increased need for basic information on the educational system in Uganda. The bulletin describes various levels and types of education in Uganda with emphasis upon curriculum and course content. It is based to a large extent on selected documents concerning education published or issued by the Uganda Government or schools from 1953 through 1962. The bulletin contains summaries of several of these documents that are not widely available in the United States, and extensive excerpts from some of them, such as course syllabuses used in the Uganda schools. This basic information and selected documentation should serve, then, to increase American understanding of education in that country. Appended are: (1) Senior Secondary Entrance and Junior Secondary Leaving Examination (J.S. II) in English: 1959; (2) Training Colleges for primary-grade, primary-grade domestic science, and junior-secondary school teachers: 1961; (3) Syllabus for the 15-Week Assistant Administrative Officers' Course at the Nsamizi Training Center: 1960; and (4) The 1963 Recommendations of the Uganda Education Commission: A Summary. (Contains 140 footnotes and 3 tables.) [Best copy available has been provided.]

Post-secondary education institutions in Taiwan are divided into two tracks, general higher education (HE) and technological and vocational education (TVE). The evaluation of all universities/colleges is mandated by the University Act. Higher education institutions receive mandated institutional evaluation every six years and program evaluation every five years. The purpose of this paper is to briefly introduce the status of higher education institutional and program evaluations in Taiwan as well as the emerging roles of the Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (HEEACT). Both institutional and program evaluations are accreditation-oriented, adopting the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle with an emphasis on institutional and program self-positioning, student learning outcome, and mechanism for continuous improvement. As the third-party planner and implementer of higher education institutional and program evaluations, HEEACT has conducted internal and external assessments as well as entrusted third-party meta-evaluation to assure its quality of work. Faced with the emerging challenges, such as the Ministry of Education's new policy on requiring some universities/colleges to implement self-conducted external evaluation in replacement of the third-party program evaluation, HEEACT has to alter its roles and becomes a Critical Friend of higher education institutions and programs, a Change Agent of higher education institutional and program evaluation, and an Effective Facilitator of the international exchanges and cooperation on quality assurance and mutual recognitions of national qualifications. (Contains 3 figures.)

Continuing education and training is an emerging priority for the nation's tertiary education and training system. Changing work, new work requirements, an ageing workforce and lengthening working lives are some of the factors now influencing this priority. Yet, many of the purposes and processes of the Australian tertiary education and training system are focused on entry-level provisions--preparing people for initial employment in their chosen occupation--which may not adequately meet the education and training required to respond to changes in work and the requirement for workers to remain employable. Therefore, identifying and establishing an effective national continuing education and training system that meets the needs of Australian workers, workplaces and communities is crucial. This research aims to establish the purposes, processes and provisions for continuing education and training; this involves identifying how best the tertiary education and training system can sustain Australian workers' employability across lengthening working lives. This document describes the early findings of a three-year research project, whose aim is to identify and evaluate the potential models and strategies that might constitute a national approach to continuing education and training. The project is shaped by the following research question: "What models and practices of continuing tertiary education and training can best meet workplace demands and sustain Australian workers' ongoing occupational competence and employability across their working lives?" Appended are: (1) Worker interview schedule; and (2) Manager/training supervisor interview schedule. (Contains 1 figure and 9 tables.)

Keywords: special education directors, workload, job satisfaction, special education administration. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to investigate employee characteristics, workload, and job satisfaction of special education directors employed by local education agencies in North Carolina (N = 115). This study illuminates the complex nature of this leadership role and identifies factors influencing the job satisfaction among this population of special education directors. While these leaders have many years of experience in public education, the majority report fewer than five years of experience in special education administration. Findings identified these administrators have an immense workload that often requires reporting to work early, staying late, and/or working on weekends to fulfill job duties. While findings showed these leaders derive satisfaction when they apply strategic and instructional leadership, collaborate with stakeholders, and put forth efforts to improve outcomes for children with disabilities, this group has ambivalence toward their jobs. Areas of greatest dissatisfaction with regard to special education administration included demands from the state and local education agency, scarcity of resources, addressing conflict, and inadequate salaries. Findings of this study support earlier studies in that special education administration is inundated with turnover. Attrition is likely to continue until state and local education agencies take steps to improve the working conditions of special education administrators. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]