Education & Pedagogy

The No Child Left Behind Act declared that improving education in every school in the United States was a top national priority. However, this act did not acknowledge how state departments of education have successfully constructed reforms for the past few decades, despite the power struggle between governors, legislators, school districts, and state boards of education. Drawing upon archival sources, state budget documents, interviews, and statistical analysis, "Splintered Accountability" amply demonstrates that sustained education reform is best left in the hands of the relatively autonomous state departments of education in order to maintain curriculum standards, school finance, and teacher licensure systems. Comprehensive and successful education reform originates from within state education agencies, propelled by savvy state superintendents. A list of notes, references and an index are included.

The Annual Performance Report (APR) for Grant Year July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003, was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The OSEP designed the APR to serve as a state?s self-assessment and improvement planning document for the provision of services to students with disabilities in Montana schools (Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]). The document addresses five areas: general supervision, early childhood transition, parent involvement, free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment, and secondary transition. A full copy of the APR can be viewed on the OPI Web page. The following tables and narrative provide a summary of the APR that was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education on March 31, 2004.

This paper addresses the reform of mathematics education in the Netherlands and the attacks that presently take place against this reform. The attacks concentrate on primary education and criticize in particular the program for teaching calculation skills with long division as a case in point. The paper gives an overview of what Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) stands for, and what mathematics education the reform-attackers have in mind. Furthermore, attention is paid to possible factors that could have triggered this attack, and what other countries may learn from it. (Contains 2 tables, 4 footnotes, and 7 figures.) [For the complete proceedings, "Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (33rd, Freemantle, Western Australia, Australia, July 3-7, 2010)," see ED520764.]

Policy debates about the balance of vocational and general education programs focus on the school-to-work transition. But with rapid technological change, gains in youth employment from vocational education may be offset by less adaptability and thus diminished employment later in life. To test our main hypothesis that any relative labor-market advantage of vocational education decreases with age, we employ a difference-in-differences approach that compares employment rates across different ages for people with general and vocational education. Using micro data for 18 countries from the International Adult Literacy Survey, we find strong support for the existence of such a trade-off, which is most pronounced in countries emphasizing apprenticeship programs. Results are robust to accounting for ability patterns and to propensity-score matching.

Lifelong learning is often promoted in ageing societies, but little is known about its returns or governments' ability to advance it. This paper evaluates the effects of a large-scale randomized field experiment issuing vouchers for adult education in Switzerland. We find no significant average effects of voucher-induced adult education on earnings, employment, and subsequent education one year after treatment. But effects are heterogeneous: Low-education individuals are most likely to profit from adult education, but least likely to use the voucher. The findings cast doubt on the effectiveness of existing untargeted voucher programs in promoting labor market outcomes through adult education. (Contains 10 tables, 1 figure and 12 footnotes.)

The 2006 U.S. President's budget request of $56.0 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Education (ED), represents a decrease of $529.6 million, or 0.9 percent, from the 2005 level. Even after this small decrease, the Federal investment in education will have grown substantially over the past five years, with discretionary appropriations rising by $13.8 billion since fiscal year 2001, or nearly 33 percent. This report presents funding levels and budget justifications for discretionary and mandatory programs and presents departmental management guidelines. The following sections are included in this document: (1) Summary of the 2006 Budget; (2) The 2006 Education Budget by Program Area; (3) Programs Proposed for Elimination; and (4) Departmental Management. The following are appended: (1) Summary of Discretionary Funds, Fiscal Year 2001-2006; (2) PART Rating of ED Programs; (3) Total Expenditures for Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States; and (4) Detailed Budget Table by Program.

The Maine Adult Education Directors' Handbook offers a basic overview of the Adult and Community Education system in Maine. The information is general and intended to provide a background to the person initially becoming involved in adult education--director, teacher, school board member, advisory council member or superintendent. The Handbook is also designed to be a handy "desk reference" for the busy adult education professional, most especially the program director, giving the basics and referencing additional resources. The Philosophy Statement sets the tone; the Glossary introduces the common acronyms which so frustrate individuals new to the field; and the Chart of State Administrative Structure establishes a framework. Program definitions briefly describe the purpose, scope, funding and enabling legislation of each program area in adult and community education. Sections of the Manual include: (1) General Information; (2) Program Areas; and (3) Processes and Procedures. Various forms are appended.

Each year an estimated 5 million Americans pursue education or training through what is known as distance education. Distance education, which is also known as distance study, e-learning online education, correspondence study, home study, independent study, and other various terms, has existed in America for more than a century. Yet, few teachers, counselors, students and prospective students have an accurate picture of distance education. Even fewer people understand the meaning and purpose of accreditation. Today, an estimated 300 private institutions and over 4,000 colleges and other institutions offer distance education programs. While many programs are worthwhile, some are not. This booklet is designed to help prospective students, counselors, public agencies and institutions better understand distance education accreditation and how the accreditation procedures of the DETC Accrediting Commission work. This booklet will answer many of the questions raised about distance study accreditation.

Advanced Education and Technology's mission is to lead the development of a knowledge-driven future through a dynamic and integrated advanced learning and innovation system. Its core businesses are to: (1) provide strategic leadership for Campus Alberta and Alberta Innovates; and (2) engage learners, industry and the community in learning opportunities. This is the business plan of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology for 2011 to 2014. This business plan is aligned with the government's five goals and supports the government's core businesses as set out in the "Government of Alberta Strategic Plan."

"Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005--Southern Edition" is based on data collected for the third annual national report on the state of online education in U.S. higher education. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and based on responses from over 400 southern colleges and universities, this special report examines the nature and extent of online learning among the 16 southern states that make up the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The survey analysis is based on a comprehensive nationwide sample of active, degree-granting institutions of higher education in the United States that are open to the public. [For the "Growing by Degrees: Online Education in the United States, 2005", see ED530062.]

For some time now, democratization of education has been prominent in the concerns of educators throughout the world, particularly in respect of the need of individuals and groups to highlight their identity and assert their role in society. Education is the means to facilitate this identification and this assertion. Democratization must now move from an abstract concept toward a practical and active approach through participation by all concerned. The present publication is part of the operation undertaken by Unesco in this direction and is composed of three studies by experts in the field. The discussions presented are: (1) Differentiation and Democratization in Secondary and Higher Education, by A. le Gall; (2) Secondary Schools and the Democratization of Higher Education, by J. A. Lauwerys, B. Holmes, and A. B. Dryland; and (3) State Study Assistance in Sweden and the other Scandinavian Countries, by S. Mattsson. (Author/HS)

The purpose of this program is three-fold: (1) training selected administrative, supervisory, instructional, and support personnel to implement systems of adult basic education in correctional settings; (2) developing and testing a conceptual model of adult basic education in corrections; and (3) designing and implementing management and instructional delivery systems of adult basic education in correctional settings. In Phase I (1969-70), the goals of adult basic education in corrections were defined, a model was designed, and 2 seminars were conducted to train 37 individuals for leadership roles in adult basic education in corrections. In Phase II (1970-71), 30 persons received advanced training for leadership, 145 persons were trained in systems approach to management of adult basic education in corrections, the conceptual model was debugged, and 66 models of delivery systems for management of adult basic education were designed. (Author/RS)

The purpose of this study was to discover the concepts of humanities education and adult education and apply them as a model for analyzing humanities education programs for adults. The literature related to the goals and content of humanities education and the methods and design of adult education was reviewed, yielding basic elements allowing construction of a model. Three adult education institutions offering humanities education programs were then compared with the model. The major findings were that (1) the philosophy and goals of each institution generally harmonized with the model, (2) there was an absence of participative planning and of evaluative processes in the methods and design of adult education, and (3) there were discrepancies between the model and the actual practices of each institution. It was also discovered that each institution lacked enough trained adult educators. (Author/DI)

This document is a slightly revised version of author's Ph.D. Dissertation, "A Forecast of Responsibilities of Secondary Teachers of English 1970-2000 A.D., with Implications for Teacher Education" (ED 049 253). A study in two parts, Part I presents the need for future planning in education; discusses briefly methodologies for forecasting the future; explains why the Delphi technique was chosen for forecasting; describes the selection of experts to participate in the study; examines forces within the society that may affect the future functioning of education as an institution. Part II presents the forecasts of panelists in learning theory, educational technology, secondary curriculum, and English; and discusses some general implications of the study for programs of teacher education and some specific implications for the preservice education of secondary teachers of English. (This document previously announced as ED 053 138.) (DB)

School administrators who must make decisions that determine the direction for vocational education need empathy and flexibility in applying the principles and practices inherent in vocational education. Effective administration requires the utilization of management fundamentals combined with identification and selection of alternatives for solving problems. Students enrolled in the fall quarter of Education 438A established alternatives from which they developed a series of models for solving current problems in vocational education. This publication contains 18 student-developed models for solving administrative problems in various areas, from a management information system for program planning to the division of vocational education monies among school districts and regional occupational centers. Each model contains potential solutions drawn from the students' research. (MF)