Education & Pedagogy

In this book, 16 authors from Europe, Africa, and the United States reflect on the transformations that are currently taking place in the field of adult and continuing education. The 12 chapters are "Reconciling the Irreconcilable? Adult and Continuing Education Between Personal Development, Corporate Concerns, and Public Responsibility" (Matthias Finger, Theo Jansen, Danny Wildemeersch); "Modern Field and Post-Modern Moorland: Adult Education Bound for Glory or Bound and Gagged" (Richard Edwards, Robin Usher); "The Education of Adults as a Social Movement: A Question for Late Modern Society" (Peter Jarvis); "Flexibilization or Career Identity?" (Frans Meijers, Gerard Wijers); "Different Views on Literacy" (Max van der Kamp, Laurenz Veendrick); "Learning for Sustainable Development: Examining Life World Transformation Among Farmers" (Joke Vandenabeele, Danny Wildemeersch); "In Defense of Education as Problematization: Some Preliminary Remarks on a Strategy of Disarmament" (Jan Masschelein); "Adult Education and Training in the Framework of Reconstruction and Development in South Africa" (Astrid von Kotze); "The Transformation of Community Education" (Ruud van der Veen); "Civil Society as Theory and Project: Adult Education and the Renewal of Global Citizenship" (Michael Welton); "Empowerment and Social Responsibility in the Learning Society" (Cees A. Klaassen); and "Reframing Reflectivity in View of Adult Education for Social Responsibility" (Theo Jansen, Matthias Finger, Danny Wildemeersch). (YLB)

The Allama Iqbal Open University of Pakistan started the Women's Secondary Education Project through distance learning in 1986. It was designed to meet the educational needs of rural women who are denied access to the formal education system because of social and economic constraints. The distance education method suited these women because by studying at home they were able to combine their education with domestic duties. The course consists of self-study course books, supplemented with audiocassette materials, a study guide, and radio and television courses. Once a week, students go to a local study center for tutoring. Many of the courses are of a functional nature and include various vocational skills. The certificate awarded is equivalent to those awarded by the Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education in Pakistan. The program has been very popular; 3,000 students have completed the program, and approximately 6,000 are foreseen for upcoming enrollment. This group of women will have tremendous impact on the development of society as a whole. Graduates have become teachers, health workers, social workers, and skilled women able to contribute financially to their families. They have gained confidence, self-esteem, and financial independence. Parents, husbands, brothers, in-laws, local communities, and religious leaders have all recognized the quality of the program. The program was expanded first to include urban women and most recently to include males. An appendix lists courses offered. Six data tables outline distance-education advantages and program outcomes. (Contains 10 references.) (TD)

After a long history as a tool of forced assimilation of indigenous populations, education is now a key arena in which indigenous peoples can reclaim and revalue their languages and cultures and thereby improve the academic success of indigenous students. Community-based education offers a means by which indigenous peoples can regain a measure of direct control of the educational process. This book presents a multinational perspective on indigenous community-based educational initiatives. Following an introduction by Stephen May, the chapters are: (1) "Community-Based Education for Indigenous Cultures" (David Corson); (2) "Indigenous Education and the Ecology of Community" (Mark Fettes); (3) "Language and Education Rights for Indigenous Peoples" (Stephen May); (4) "Emancipatory Maori Education: Speaking from the Heart" (Arohia Durie); (5) "Indigenous Community-Based Language Education in the USA" (Teresa L. McCarty, Lucille J. Watahomigie); (6) "The Sociopolitical Context of Establishing Hawaiian-medium Education" (William H. Wilson); (7) "Towards a New Age in Innu Education: Innu Resistance and Community Activism" (James Ryan); (8) "Minorities with a Minority: Language and the School in the Sami Areas of Norway" (Jon Todal); (9) "Miscommunication between Aboriginal Students and Their Non-Aboriginal Teachers in a Bilingual School" (Anne Lowell, Brian Devlin); and (10) "Authenticity and Unification in Quechua Language Planning" (Nancy H. Hornberger, Kendall A. King). (Contains references in each chapter.) (SV)

This volume demonstrates how technology is impacting management education and learning in a variety of educational contexts. Some of the issues and trends in management education addressed include: technotrends; web-based management learning; the changing nature of the web as a context for learning; online simulations; web-format case studies; e-portfolios; emphasizing human interaction; teaching soft management skills online; designing mobile learning for the wireless world; integrating enterprise resource planning (ERP) into business education; technology planning; and avoiding a dystopian future. The chapters are as follows: "Introduction: Emerging Technological Contexts of Management Learning" (Wankel, DeFillippi); "Educating Managers, Managing Education: Trends and Impacts of Tomorrow's Technologies" (Brussee et al.); "Learning and Teaching Management on the Web: What Do We Know?" (Arbaugh, Stelzer); "Online Simulations in Management Education about Information and Its Uses" (Rafaeli et al.); "Innovations in Web-Format Case Teaching: Leveraging Dynamic Information" (Clark); "Electronic Student Portfolios in Management Education" (Chappell, Schermerhorn Jr.); "The Place and Space Model of Distributed Learning: Enriching the Corporate e-Learning Model" (Gallagher); "Interpersonal Communication Training with Tomorrow's Technologies" (Henninger, Weingandt); "Mobile Scenarios: Supporting Collaborative Learning Among Mobile Workers: (Lundin, Nulden); " Global Management Education: The Case of ERP Enabled Business School Programs" (Reisel, Watson); "From Vision to Reality: A Model for Bringing Real-World Technology to the Management Education Classroom" (Hamlin et al.). Chapters contain substantial references. (MO)

Ten years ago in the Harare Declaration, heads of government from across the British Commonwealth committed to upholding critical commonwealth-held values. While initially focusing on Human Rights Education, the Commonwealth Secretariat set about enabling member governments to promote greater awareness, education, and training supporting democracy, human rights, and respect for individual freedoms. In 2002, the Commonwealth Secretariat's Education Department undertook a deeper level of study of the education institutions which, through their programs, are seeking to further this initiative and to assess lessons learned and to determine the future. The Ministries of Education of two Caribbean small states, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, both with issues of multiculturalism, diversity, and ethnicity high on the political agenda, have supported a Secretariat-driven initiative to enable information gathering on citizenship education in school-based and non-formal education forums. Following identification of and interviews with potential partners, a search conference activity in both states was conducted, culminating in a draft Caribbean Action Agenda for Citizenship Education to solidify and deepen the thrust. This paper discusses the impact of state size on the education system; citizenship education as cultural values transmission; issues of context vs. curriculum content; Jamaica: socioeconomic challenges to education; Montserrat; and impact of environmental hazards. The paper finds that the future of the Citizenship Education Initiative must consider the context, milieu, and environment in which the curriculum is taught. It is important to approach the dissemination of the initiative from the perspective of the learner rather than the teacher. (Contains 12 notes.) (BT)

During the last 3 decades secondary education has become universal in most industrialized countries. Sub-Saharan African countries face special challenges to benefit from this international trend. The gap between these countries and the rest of the world in coverage, quality, and relevance of secondary education is widening. To address these issues, the Africa region of the World Bank, in cooperation with African educators and institutions, launched the "Study on Secondary Education in Africa" (SEIA). The SEIA study is executed in two phases from 2002 to 2004. During the first phase data and reports are produced; the second phase disseminates results and conducts regional workshops to discuss ways to improve secondary education in Africa. This publication contains presentations made by World Bank staff and consultants during the December 2001 UNESCO/BREDA (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization/Regional Bureau for Education in Africa)--World Bank Regional Workshop in Mauritius (Africa) on the "Renewal of African Secondary Education." Following a Foreword and Introduction, papers in the publication are: "Secondary Education in Africa (SEIA)" (J. Bregman; S. Stallmeister); "Education Policies and Reform in South Korea" (Gwang-Jo Kim); "Renewal of Secondary Education Curricula and Assessment in South Africa" (S. J. Howie); "Recent Reforms of Science, Mathematics and ICT Education in the Netherlands in Basic and Secondary Education" (M. Pieters); and "Effective Monitoring of the Quality of Education" (F. J. M. A. Rameckers). (BT)

A study assessed the impact of the Shepherd School program, a nonformal basic education program in rural northern Ghana implemented by a nongovernmental organization. Data were gathered through observation; document analysis; and interviews with 42 children, parents, community members, chiefs, school staff, NGO members, and assemblymen in 2 communities. Findings indicate that the program is fostering children's engagement in school, as indicated by the fact that over 700 children who would not have entered school have been receiving basic education. This is significant given the history of animosity towards schooling in northern Ghana. As a result of consulting with community members during implementation, the program has been locally relevant and flexible enough to allow children time to perform their household duties and also attend school. Parents' attitudes towards education, especially girls' education, have improved. The communities have participated in constructing and maintaining school buildings, monitoring facilitator punctuality, recruiting facilitators, and setting the school schedule. The program has improved access to education and has served as an entry point to the formal schools, with about 147 students having made the transition to the state school system. However, skepticism from the Ghana Education Service and the more structured environment in the state school system have been constraints. Children interviewed indicated that they would use their education to advance on the social ladder rather than return to their home communities, as originally anticipated by program personnel. (TD)

The access barriers to distance education faced by inservice and preservice career and technical education (CTE) majors were examined through a survey of 76 students enrolled in undergraduate- and graduate-level CTE education programs. Completed questionnaires were received from 60 students (response rate, 78.9%). Forty respondents worked full-time; only one was not working. The predominant institutional access barrier identified was difficulty scheduling required "general education" courses. Other highly ranked institutional access barriers included library access, lack of ongoing advising, and technical assistance for problem-solving technology/computer-based issues. Class registration and ease of obtaining grades were not cited as significant institutional access barriers. Job conflict was the highest-ranked student access barrier. Sources of job conflict included the competing interests of students' jobs and the requirements of the classes they were taking, lack of employer support, the issue of family support, and time conflicts. Personal technical competence, tuition costs, or personal financial situations were not highly ranked as student access barriers. The study recommendations included calls for the following items: better coordination of course offerings; library systems whose technological accessibility matches that of the distance courses themselves; more sensitivity to distance students' advising needs; additional competent technical support; and instructor recognition of distance learners' job responsibilities and issues. (Contains 13 references.) (MN)

In 1990-91, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe (South Dakota) established a tribal education department (TED) and enacted a tribal education code. Following a regional overview of Indian educational history, this document describes development of the TED and code, tribal education initiatives, schools serving tribal students, and evaluation findings. The TED is an agency of the tribal government, administers and enforces the code, and reports annually on code compliance and student performance and needs. The TED has 2 staff positions--director and Lakota language specialist--and 11 associated staff. The code regulates all schools and education programs on the Rosebud Reservation, including public schools. Major areas of regulation are curriculum and education standards, parental and community involvement, alcohol and substance abuse education, and staffing and teacher training. The code asserts tribal sovereignty over the education of tribal members concurrently with applicable South Dakota law. Driven by specific needs and problems and by code goals, the TED has designed initiatives relating to truancy, Lakota language instruction, early intervention services for young children with disabilities, and parenting education. Among the major evaluation findings are: the TED is funded primarily by tribal revenues and is a widely recognized leader in Indian education; the TED is implementing the code and education initiatives collaboratively with tribal and nontribal educators, officials, and parents; and in the past decade, dropout rates for tribal students have dropped dramatically, attendance rates have improved, but little progress has been made on student achievement levels. Recommendations address funding and staffing needs; issues of legal jurisdiction among tribal, state, and federal governments; and accountability. Data tables and figures detail dropout rates, performance indicators, and funding. (SV)

This theme issue of Basic Education contains five articles on rural schools. "Small Schools: A Political Irony" (Marty Strange) notes the current enthusiasm among education reformers for small schools and the evidence of their effectiveness. Given this context, the question is posed as to why rural communities where small schools are commonplace have to fight against their consolidation or closing. "Preparing Teachers for Our Nation's Rural Schools" (Paul Theobald) makes the case that rural universities should specialize in rural teacher preparation, since preparing lessons anchored in community circumstances and dilemmas is sophisticated pedagogical work. "The Appalachian Model Teacher Consortium" (Alvin C. Proffit, Paul Sale, Ann E. Alexander, Ruth S. Andrews) describes a Virginia teacher education program that offers credits for certain Grayson County high school courses that are applicable to Wytheville Community College or Radford University. Upon completion of the 3-year program, students are eligible for employment with Grayson County schools. "Accountability and Sustainability: The Dual Challenge of Education in Rural Places" (Doris Terry Williams) discusses place-based education, a curriculum that aims to exceed mandated academic standards while engaging schools and students in community development and meaningful work. Examples are offered from South Dakota and Louisiana. "A New Federal Education Program" (Kari M. Arfstrom) examines a recently reauthorized federal program that will channel federal funds to districts in rural communities with fewer than 600 students and will offer a competitive grant program to low-income rural school districts. (TD)

Career and technical education (CTE) can provide significant benefits to students with disabilities. Research shows that students with disabilities in secondary CTE programs were less likely to drop out and more likely to be employed, to have paid competitive jobs, and to work full time after high school, especially if they were mainstreamed and provided that they had work experience in their high school CTE programs. Four federal laws define the rights of students with disabilities: two federal civil rights laws, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, require access and prohibit discrimination for students with disabilities in all federally funded programs and public education programs. The 1998 Perkins Act requires equal access for special populations to all vocational programs, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as amended in 1997, establishes the right of students with disabilities to a free appropriate public education and mandates Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. To meet the students' needs, CTE teachers need background information on students' disabilities and on appropriate accommodations. CTE teachers help develop IEPs, instruct students with disabilities, and provide appropriate work-based experience. Thus, a CTE teacher is one member of a team helping students with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully in high quality education, providing a strong mix of academic, functional, and occupational programs carefully linked to each other and to work experience and delivered with customized accommodations to meet the students' individualized needs. (Contains 14 references.) (KC)

This document consists of all 25 issues of Volume 11 of "The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education," a biweekly journal that addresses issues in higher education for Hispanic Americans. Each issue contains several feature articles, a policy update column called "Outlook on Washington," a description of an exemplary program, and a sample student success story. Among topics addressed by feature articles in each issue are: (1) college admissions and the diversity plan of the University of Wisconsin; (2) education and the new Hispanic heritage; (3) Latin American jurists and legal education; (4) bilingual education and academic achievement; (5) Hispanic American achievement, Internet programs, and racial tensions; (6) Hispanic Americans in sports, science, and sociology; (7) Hispanic Americans at the City University of New York; (8) student financial aid and paying for college; (9) international education and the Latino educational agenda; (10) achievement of Hispanic American women; (11) 100 years of community colleges; (12) the new Secretary of Education, Roderick Paige; (13) Hispanic Americans in graduate education; (14) grading the states with regard to higher education; (15) top 100 colleges for Hispanics; (16) Latino accomplishments and Latino history; (17) Hispanic representation in health care; (18) educational change and innovation; (19) caucus of leaders of the American Association for Higher Education and "Hispanic Outlook"; (20) careers, college attendance, and the status of women; (21) affirmative action and the Hispanic American student; (22) Hispanic Americans and the arts; (23) national profile of independent colleges and universities; (24) the internationalization of U.S. higher education; and (25) Volume 11 index. (SLD)

Polish continuing education (CE) includes education, further education, and professional development in and out of school; in day, evening, or weekend courses; and distance education. The state, workplaces, grants, and foreign assistance provide financing. A variety of organizations cooperate to provide continuing education. High-risk groups receive preferential treatment in training for the unemployed. Barriers to CE are the following: (1) legislation; (2) varied and liquid market of non-public, out-of-school education institutions; (3) discrepancy between skills taught in school and those required vocationally; (4) inadequate involvement of social partners in training issues; (5) difficulties in diagnosing local training needs; (6) passivity by the unemployed; (7) access; and (8) no adult educator education system. International assistance initiatives address training the unemployed and providing vocational guidance. Current directions of development indicate the state's role in creating CE legislation and direct financing of schools for adults. CE as part of the active labor market policy involves training the unemployed, handicapped, and farmers for non-agricultural employment and education for small business development. Examples of CE as an aid in restructuring of the economy are restructuring of the mining industry; trimodule training for vocational activization of the unemployed; and development of vocational information resources and guidance methods for supporting the unemployed and job seekers. (Contains 24 footnotes.) (YLB)

This study explores current education, training, and employment issues and opportunities for rural youth in Australia, and suggests ways in which relevant education, training, and employment options and prospects can be generated for rural youth. Specifically, this study documents the ways that economic and social changes in rural communities have impacted young people; identifies service gaps for young rural people that contribute to or hinder their effective participation in education, employment, and training; examines the adequacy of employment counseling services in local rural economies; identifies barriers to employment, education, and training opportunities for rural youth; documents likely growth industries in rural Australia that are relevant to young women and men; describes innovative models that generate education and training options for rural youth; and explores current and proposed use of information technologies that support education, training, and employment outcomes. Recommendations are made in areas of education, pathways, employment, retention, participation, and specific Indigenous issues. The recommendations reflect the realization that strategies must address individual community demographics, culture, and need. They emphasize the importance of local creativity and partnerships between business, communities, schools, and government in responding to rural issues. Eight appendices present conferences attended, consultation tools, contact details for innovative programs, summary of youth consultation issues and comments, principles that enhance youth participation, and a discussion of youth entrepreneurship education. (Contains 142 references.) (TD)

This document is intended to help health educators prepare for certification as a certified health education specialist (CHES). The study guide begins with a brief introduction and a self-assessment instrument that allows individuals to evaluate their skill in 27 competencies related to the following generic areas of responsibility in which CHES are expected to demonstrate competence: (1) assessing individual and community needs for health education; (2) planning effective health education programs; (3) implementing health education programs; (4) evaluating the effectiveness of health education programs; (5) coordinating provision of health education services; (6) acting as a resource person in health education; and (7) communicating health and health education needs, concerns, and resources. Chapters 1-7 each examine one of the generic areas of responsibility. Each chapter contains some or all of the following items: a discussion of the nature and purpose of the specific responsibility; examples of execution of the specific responsibility in community, health care, school, and workplace settings; definitions of key terms; and definitions of related competencies and guidelines for developing and demonstrating them. The following items are appended: the code of ethics for the health education profession; information on construction of the health education specialist examination; and practice questions. (Contains 116 references.) (MN)