Education & Pedagogy

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York has one of the highest student retention rates of any community college in the country, graduating more than 62% of those enrolled. Nationwide, community college retention rates average 35%, and at some colleges, attrition is as high as 70%. While community colleges provide access to education for an increasingly diverse group of students, access on its own means little if students are not retained until they achieve their educational goals. From FIT's perspective, the secret to retention is the provision of vocational and technical education from the student's first day on campus. FIT students begin by studying their chosen specialty and ultimately progress to more general courses after their first 2 years, in contrast to the traditional view of education which regards proper learning as progressing from the general to the specific. At FIT, vocational education is the tool for teaching reading, mathematics, science, ethics, critical thinking, management, and other subjects. Vocational education allows the school to adapt to the learning styles of those who have not succeeded in traditional verbal-style learning. The myth that general education is more valuable than vocational and technical education limits access to those with different learning styles. The results at FIT have been positive; 90% of the graduates available for employment are working full time. The high retention rate at FIT is a result not of being a specialized college, but from providing a vocational/technical education from the start of a student's career. (JMC)

This document presents testimony examining issues concerning the education of students with deafness and exploring ways to strengthen federal legislation to ensure an appropriate quality education for these students. The hearing focuses specifically on reauthorization of the Education of the Deaf Act, which authorizes funding for Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.), the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (Rochester, New York), and model demonstration schools. The act also created the Commission on Education of the Deaf which recommends improvements in the education of persons who are deaf or hard of hearing. The testimony deals with early identification and intervention, student placement, communication skills, parent involvement, professional standards, and other topics. The document contains statements, prepared statements, letters, and supplemental materials from: (1) Congressional Representatives Major R. Owens and Donald M. Payne; (2) the Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services of the Department of Education; (3) representatives of the Commission on Education of the Deaf, Gallaudet University, and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf; and (4) representatives from the Council of Organizational Representatives, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, the American Society for Deaf Children, the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, the California Center for Law and the Deaf, the City University of New York, and the National Cued Speech Association. (JDD)

In one of a series of hearings held in communities around the nation on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education met to hear testimony from higher education administrators and others from the state of North Carolina. The witnesses addressed a full range of issues concerning higher education and the role of the reauthorization including education of the labor force, reform of student financial aid, postgraduate education, institutional aid, historically black colleges and universities, minority access to higher education, science education, single sex education, loan repayment, and simplification of the application processes. Among those appearing were two students from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina respectively, as well as administrative offices of St. Augustine's College, Duke University, Western Piedmont College, North Carolina State University, Barton College, and the North Carolina Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Officials representing a Raleigh computer institute, Wake Community College, the University of North Carolina, Saint Mary's College, and Meredith College, as well as two representatives to Congress from North Carolina and representatives of North Carolina Central University, North Carolina System of Community Colleges, and Shaw University also tetified. The prepared statements of the witnesses and supplemental materials are included. (JB)

The "Folkehojskole," or Folk High School (more accurately translated as "People's College") which is Denmark's unique contribution to adult education, offer residential adult instruction. The aims of folk education are to help adults behave as independent and mature members of the community and think and speak freely. Emphasis is on cultural subjects, with some extension services offered. According to provisions of 1970 legislation, Danish folk high schools (people's colleges) are self-governing independent units and organized as nonprofit institutions. The idea of residential adult education has spread to England, the United States, and Canada. Residential institutions in developed countries have evolved in different patterns, suitable to the peculiar conditions and requirements of the country, and most offer higher education. In developing countries, popular education along the lines of Danish folk schools is desirable as a means of human resource and economic development. A type of folk school that has failed in India is the Janta College for the education of rural adults, which was intended to function as the center of leadership in villages and prepare youth for participation in development. Another type of residential institution is the Vidyapeeth of the State of Karnataka. Vidyapeeths organize 6-month courses to train village youth for good citizenship and rural leadership. Most Vidyapeeths maintain agricultural, dairy, and poultry farms and have some arrangements for craft sections. Extension services are offered. (An article on the People's College exerpted from a 1948-49 report of the University Education Commission as well as a detailed description of the Danish People's College and Danish Agricultural Education are appended. (YLB)

This collection of essays aims to contribute to the understanding of the present predicament and future potential of higher education in the United Kingdom. It considers the new dimensions being introduced into higher education which are likely to have marked effects in the 1990s. It explores the tensions between the past and future, tradition and innovation, the elite and popular model, the old order and new purposes. Individual essay titles and their authors are as follows: "The Power of Ideas" (Peter Scott); "The University as a Civilizing Force" (Anthony O'Hear); "Access and Standards: An Unresolved (and Unresolvable?) Debate" (Leslie Wagner); "The Pattern, Range, and Purpose of Higher Education: A Moral Perspective" (Kenneth Wilson); "Academics and Society: Freedom's Seamless Robe" (Christopher Price); "A Consensus Framework for Higher Education" (Peter Slee); "Industry and Higher Education: A Strategy for Partnership" (Geoffrey Harding, Brian Kington); "Students: Partners, Clients or Consumers?" (Victoria Phillips); "Using the Media: Structures, Delivery, and Control" (Naomi E. Sargant); "1992: Higher Education and the Challenge of the Single European Market" (Diana Green); "Prospects for Higher Education Finance" (Gareth Williams). A conclusion by Heather Eggins is also offered, and an index is provided. (GLR)

This document describes activities and presents recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) for fiscal year 1989. NACIE activities included: (1) development of regulations and administrative practices and policies; (2) review of applications for assistance under the Indian Education Act of 1988; (3) evaluation of all federal programs and projects that benefit Indian students; (4) publication of the NACIE Newsletter to provide technical assistance and to disseminate information; (5) submission of recommendations to the Secretary of Education on proposed federal regulations; (6) submission of a list of nominees for the Director of the Office of Indian Education; and (7) submission of the NACIE 15th Annual Report to Congress. Updates of education statistics reflect trends in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary Indian Education. Recommendations for educating the American Indian/Alaska Native family, in line with the national education goals, incorporate the concerns and opinions of Indian and Alaskan educators and leaders. Appendices include: (1) dates and places of NACIE meetings; (2) list of Indian Education Act fellowship recipients for 1989; (3) profiles of programs benefiting Indian/Alaska Native students for 1989; (4) nominees and winners of the National Leadership and Achievement Program for Outstanding Alaska and American Indian Youth for 1989; (5) abstracts on nine projects selected for the 1989 Office of Indian Education Showcase of Effective Projects (Title V); and (6) the text of Title V; and a copy of the sections of the Code of Federal Regulations relating to Indian Education. (LP)

The industrial education program in the Teachers College at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) is using a currently established technical training environment available across the state: the state's community colleges. UNL uses the community colleges' technical expertise in two ways. First, traditional on-campus industrial technology education major complete 27 of their 45-semester-hour industrial technology core at Southeast Community College. Second, the industrial education program has established articulation agreements with two other Nebraska community colleges whose students transfer to UNL after completion of an associate degree in industrial technology education. Four criteria used to establish a technical training site for UNL's industrial technology education majors could be used by other programs that wish to establish similar arrangements. First, the course content should meet the needs of the prospective industrial technology education teacher. Second, the community college instructors' educational background should be analyzed for a teacher education emphasis. Third, the commingling of university and community college students in the same classes should be avoided. Fourth, the scheduling of the two different systems can and should be made compatible. Many community colleges have associate degree programs in place that can be adapted into an industrial technology education program. (Sample program materials are appended including an Industrial Technology Planning Guide, a sample letter of argument for the transfer of credit between a community college and a university, and a list of required and elective courses for the Central Community College Associate of Art in Education.) (YLB)

Child labor, which is children's work that is exploitative and dangerous, poses a major human rights and socioeconomic challenge. Universal primary education may be the most effective instrument for meeting this challenge. The expansion of compulsory primary schooling could reduce hours of work by children and help them protect themselves against exploitation. This report on the relationship between education and child work contains the following chapters: (1) "Introduction," discussing how welfare activists see education as the best means of eliminating child labor; (2) "Schooling as a Deterrent to Child Labour"; (3) "Combining School and Work"; (4) "Economic Constraints against School Participation"; (5) "Social Causes in Child Work and Low School Participation"; (6) "Family Causes of Child Work and Low School Participation"; (7) "Discrepancies in Education between Rural and Urban Areas; (8) "Gender Differences in Education and Work," including levels of education participation, economic impact, and discrimination; (9) "The Responsibilities of Growing Up"; (10) "School as a Cause of Work," focusing on the shortage of funds for education, a critique of orthodox approaches, systemic problems, and teacher attitudes; (11) "The Educational Function of Work"; (12) "The Impact of Work on Education," including physical and mental health impacts; and (13) "Conclusion: Some Policy Implications Suggested by Research of Education and Work," asserting that genuine reform will be facilitated only by governmental commitment to increase resources to primary education and to support school reform measures--flexibility of scheduling and making curricula and teaching methods more suited for low-income children and families. (Contains 172 references.) (BGC)

This paper discusses initiatives of the Vietnamese government to address the educational and training needs of the working population, particularly women. Since 1986, the Vietnamese government has initiated efforts to develop a multisectoral, market-oriented economy. Education and training are considered to be essential for promoting long-term national development. Thus, the government has focused on the development of higher education and the provision of basic education to working people, especially rural women. The current population of Vietnam is 73 million, including 20 million working women between the ages of 15-55. Seventy-five percent of working women are farmers who play a major role in food production. However, Vietnamese women particularly in rural areas, face many difficulties: unemployment, underemployment, poverty, lack of knowledge and experience in a market economy, and a high rate of illiteracy. Approximately 5.6 million women are illiterate, 89 percent of whom live in rural areas. Since 1990, the government has implemented literacy programs with the goal of raising literacy rates for people aged 15-35. Follow-up literacy courses focus on functional literacy and address such issues as environmental protection, drug abuse and AIDS prevention, child rearing, small business management, and cultural preservation. In addition, job skill training and distance education have been integrated to further meet the educational and training needs of women. The government believes that the education of women will result in effective parenting skills, lowering the school dropout rate, and cultural preservation. The significant number of female teachers at all levels of education illustrates the success of the government's efforts to promote the education of women. (LP)

This review has two parts: the first concerns class size and general education; the second, class size and special education. The general education review is in four sections: (1) foundational class size research; (2) critiques of the foundational works; (3) extended research; and (4) five studies in class size research conducted by states. The second part (on special education) reviews representative samples from an ERIC search of approximately 387 articles. These studies were: a national survey conducted by the University of Minnesota (1989) to document student to teacher ratios; also at the University of Minnesota (1993) an investigation of ratios of less than 15:1; a study conducted by the Virginia State Department of Education (1994) on special education program standards; another study in Virginia (1993) that investigated whether class size and class mix influenced educational outcomes; a New York State Education Department study to evaluate the impact of larger class size on those involved in the special education delivery system; and a study of individual caseloads. The review of these special education studies found that: (1) the maximum student to teacher ratio in special education is usually 15:1; (2) students are generally grouped by academic performance, not by their educational and management needs; (3) smaller classes provide better environments for learning, especially at the elementary level; (4) student achievement and behavior are affected by class size; (5) class size is impacted by other variables, including use of paraprofessionals and teacher experience; and (6) there is no one best teaching methodology to assure students success. (Contains 36 references.) (JLS)

Recent social/economic changes and technological developments are demanding reforms/renovations in the training of technical-vocational teachers in Asia-Pacific countries. Among the changes that have necessitated reform of training for technical-vocational teachers in the Asia-Pacific region are the following: population growth and rapid urbanization; poverty and lack of income-generating skills; increasing demand for secondary, technical, and female education; technological change and labor market shift; changing patterns of international trade and liberalization and globalization of the work force; pollution and environmental degradation; and new technologies of training for technical-vocational education and training (TVET). In many Asia-Pacific countries, these changes have necessitated increases in the quantity and quality of TVET teachers and development of a multidimensional approach to training TVET teachers that includes the following: preservice and continuing teacher education through formal and open learning systems; a broader-based, more flexible teacher training curriculum to replace skill-specific training programs; integration of training and education in cooperation with industries/private sectors; lifelong learning; knowledge of using new training technologies; development of multilingual and communication skills; and increased emphasis on teamwork. National, regional, and international agencies must work in partnership to strengthen/upgrade the quality and relevance of TVET teachers in Asia-Pacific countries. (Contains 13 references.) (MN)

This book investigates if there is a link between Tibetan ethnicity and education and, if so, how it functions. Research focused on the questions "Do the educational achievements of Tibetans in Tibet, India, and Switzerland differ and how can possible differences be attributed to their position as an ethnic group in these countries?" Interviews and participant observations were used to gather data. The study shows that the achievements of Tibetans in education differ in three contexts. In Tibet the rate of school enrollment is very low compared both to the rest of present China and to Tibetan exile communities. The rate of Tibetans with secondary and higher education in Tibet is extremely low while it is relatively low also in Switzerland compared to the Tibetan exile society in India. These differences can neither be explained by the cultural and social origins of the Tibetans nor the general condition of education in these countries. It could be concluded that there is a link between ethnicity and education; i.e., the ethnic context in which Tibetans are living. The outcome of education for an ethnic group largely depends on the degree of its control over the institutions of education and political power. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Tibet Prior to Occupation--Education for Enlightenment"; (3) "Tibetan Refugees in India--School for Survival"; (4) "Occupied Tibet--Education for Submission"; (5) "Tibetans in Switzerland--Education for Competition"; and (6) "Conclusions--The Power over Institutions of Education." (EH)

This collection of six essays and six case studies analyzes efforts at reform and the changes that have taken place in Indian higher education over the past four decades. The six essays describe several innovative and interesting programs and analyze key policy areas. After an introduction by Philip G. Altbach and Suma Chitnis, titles include: (1) "The Dilemma of Change in Indian Higher Education" (Philip G. Altbach); (2) "Financing Higher Education in India" (Jandhyala B. G. Tilak); (3) "The Language Question in Higher Education: Trends and Issues" (N. Jayaram); (4) "Accessing Higher Education--The Dilemma of Schooling: Women, Minorities, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Contemporary India" (Karuna Chanana); (5) "Examination Reform in Traditional Universities: A Few Steps Forward, Many Steps Back" (Mathew Zachariah); and (6) "Coordinating Agencies in Higher Education" (Amrik Singh); (7) "Scientific Research: Autonomous Research Institutions and Universities" (B. M. Udgaonkar); (8) "Institutions of Higher Education and Extension: The Case of Adult Education" (Denzil Saldanha and Padma Velaskar); (9) "Quest for Quality: Interventions Versus Impact" (Jayalakshmi Indiresan); (10) "The Indian Institutes of Technology: Excellence in Peril" (P. V. Indiresan and N. C. Nigam); (11) "The Open University" (V. C. Kulandai Swamy); and (12) "Gearing a Colonial System of Education to Take Independent India Towards Development" (Suma Chitnis). There are 55 tables throughout the book. (All selections contain extensive reference notes.) (CH)

This study examined factors that predict a general education teacher's efficacy beliefs for instructing students with learning and behavior problems and whether a teacher's perceived efficacy has a stronger direct effect on reported success than other variables. One hundred twenty-eight second grade teachers completed a survey instrument designed to examine the following variables: preservice and inservice preparation, administrative support, class size, socioeconomic status, collegiality, and teacher efficacy. Path analysis techniques were used to test the initial theoretical model. Reduced models were retested and compared to previous models to develop a final model. As hypothesized, teacher's efficacy beliefs had the strongest direct effect on reported success. Collegiality with special education teachers and quality inservice in special education also directly affected teachers' reports of success, but to a lesser degree. However, general education teachers who experienced better collegial relationships with general education peers and students with higher socioeconomic status were less likely to report success in instructing students with learning and behavior problems. Also, quality of preservice preparation had a strong direct effect on teachers' efficacy beliefs as did collegiality with special education teachers. Finally, quality of special education inservice and principal support for mainstreaming students with disabilities positively affected collegiality with special education teachers. (Contains 23 references.) (DB)

This document contains vocational education program course standards (curriculum frameworks and student performance standards) for exploratory courses, practical arts courses, and job preparatory programs offered at the secondary and postsecondary level as part of the agribusiness and natural resources education component of Florida's comprehensive vocational education program. Curriculum frameworks are provided for 27 programs/clusters: introduction to agriscience technology and environmental sciences; orientation to agriscience technology and environmental sciences; exploration of agriscience technology and environmental sciences; fundamentals of agriscience; agribusiness cooperative education-on-the-job training; agricultural business technology; agricultural education directed study; agricultural mechanics cluster (agricultural machinery mechanics, agricultural machinery operations, diversified agricultural mechanics); agricultural production technology; agricultural sales and services; agricultural technology; animal products processing; aquaculture; citrus production technology; crop and specialty plant production; environmental horticulture science and services cluster (floriculture, irrigation operations, landscape operations, nursery operations, sport and recreational turf operations); forest management; forestry and natural resources cluster; forest technology; golf course operations; landscape technology; ornamental horticulture technology; park management; pest control technology; turf equipment management; veterinary and animal science and services cluster; and zoo animal technology. Each curriculum framework includes some or all of the following: program title, occupational area, grade level, length, certification awarded; major concepts/content covered in the course; laboratory activities; special notes; and intended outcomes. (MN)