Education & Pedagogy

This brochure describes a model for a capstone cooperative education component for occupational programs in the Eastern Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) shared-time area vocational-technical school. The particular program model is built upon the traditionally accepted strengths and concepts of cooperative education, but it applies them with a focus toward one of the school's organizational principles. This principle is found in the premise of this program model, which states that occupational teachers, acting in the joint capacity of capstone co-op coordinators and occupational instructors provide the most efficient delivery of a capstone cooperative vocational education program within the context of a competency-based vocational education curriculum. Advantages of involving the occupational instructor as co-op coordinator are listed. Co-op duties of the coordinator in these program areas are detailed: select students, select worksites, match students with the appropriate training station, develop the training agreement, and monitor the program. Some implications for initiating a capstone cooperative education program using this model are also discussed. They include program oversight, staff preparation, and compensation. (YLB)

This newsletter briefly discusses three topics generated from the continuing work in the field of education of the international Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI). The topics are titled: (1) The Contribution of Research, Innovation and Development to Effective Learning and Schooling; (2) The Contribution of Research, Innovation, and Development to the Understanding of New Education and Work Relationships; and (3) The Contribution of Research, Innovation, and Development to the Understanding of New Education and Socio-Cultural Relationships. In addition, it evaluates the interface between social policies and education policies of several CERI projects as to program commitment to equality of opportunity, early childhood care and education, teaching handicapped adolescents, and integration of diverse minorities. The newsletter concludes by arguing that the rate of improvement in these areas must accelerate. (JAM)

This journal issue discusses the idea that 1988 was a year in which "green thinking" and environmental matters came to the top of the political and public agenda. At the same time, environmental education received new recognition as a vital dimension of education having relevance to all. In 1989, it seems likely that environmental education will receive further endorsement by its recognition as a key cross-curriculum area by the National Curriculum Council in Great Britain. This publication also provides information on significant trends, initiatives, and the direction of environmental education. Some 30 articles and items cover such areas as: (1) progress during 1988 in England, Wales, and Scotland; (2) research and development initiatives; (3) specific aspects and important case studies; (4) views and reflections on issues; (5) relevant developments in the broad field of education; and (6) a feature looking at three initiatives based on international school links. (CW)

The six case descriptions of adult education programs in Sweden contained in this document are part of a set that reflects a cooperative effort by adult educators to increase international understanding of various educational programs for adults in their societal context. A face sheet for each program provides this information: name, organization, and address of the person who prepared the case description; program name or title; type of program; type of organization with which the case program is associated; and basic characteristics of service. The six case descriptions are Basic Education for Adults (Thang); Distance Education at University Level (Willen); Perspective on Municipal Adult Education (Hoghielm); Corporate Classrooms (Abrahamsson); Labor Market Training (Thang); and Popular Education (Arvidsson). In addition to the case descriptions, this document includes information on the World Perspective case study project, indexes of all cases by country and by category, and guidelines for contributors. (YLB)

This paper assesses federal legislation and programs affecting education for children with disabilities. The enactment of Public Law 94-142 sought to ensure that every handicapped child aged 5-18, and later 3-21, receive appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Studies support the importance of early intervention programs to reduce the later need for special education services. Two federal programs provide support for early childhood education services: the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program and the Preschool Incentive Grant Program. Research also documents that disabled and nondisabled children should be integrated in the educational setting, and several school districts have established integrated educational programs that are appropriate for a range of needs for all children. Recommendations are made calling for legislation to mandate special education and related services beginning at birth, to create standards for the application of the least restrictive environment requirement, to fund a National Technical Assistance Center, and to establish a National Commission for the Study of Excellence in Special Education. (JDD)

This document comprises resource materials on the education of homeless children. It is divided into three parts. Part 1, "Overview," collects publications of the Center for Law and Education, and articles and editorials from "Education Week" and "The New York Times." Part 2, "Relevant Statutes and Regulations," provides materials pertaining to the education provisions of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, compiles state school residency laws, and lists the regulations and guidelines for the education of homeless children mandated by the State and City of New York. Part 3, "Cases and Pleadings," provides materials on the following cases: (1) Richards v. Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 4; (2) Delgado v. Freeport Public School District; (3) Mason v. Board of Education, Freeport Union School District; (4) Vingara v. Borough of Wrightstown; (5) Tynan v. Wooley; and (6) Orozco v. Sobol. (BJV)

The data presented in this report are from the 1986-87 school year public education agency universe survey of the Common Core of Data conducted annually by the Center for Education Statistics. Data for this report were provided by state education agencies from their administrative records. Six tables show the number and percentage of public elementary/secondary education agencies and school districts by state, type and size of agency, membership size, and grade span. Among the highlights are the following: (1) about 92 percent of all public education agencies are regular elementary and/or secondary school districts, as opposed to special purpose education agencies; (2) the median size of an education agency ranges from a low of 28 students in Nebraska to a high of 11,896 in Maryland; and (3) the largest 173 regular school districts served 27.9 percent of the national total number of students, while the 4,071 smallest school districts served 1.4 percent of all students. (MLF)

This report provides an overview of primary education in Norway. Discussion focuses on: (1) provisions relating to compulsory basic education and characteristics of the school system; (2) local education authority; (3) regional authority; (4) national authority; (5) organization of the schools; (6) curriculum guidelines and the model plan for teaching in the basic school; (7) cooperation between school and home; (8) the education of the Sami people; (9) the education of other minority groups; (10) assessment and evaluation; (11) distribution of subjects and periods and the allocation of teaching periods; and (12) problems and trends in primary education, including funding methods, ways to achieve national standards while increasing local autonomy, easing of the transition from preschool to primary education, increasing the number of teachers and decreasing teacher load, removing sex bias, introducing computer technology, and retaining teachers. A note about private schools in Norway concludes the report. (RH)

This model for a conceptual structure of teacher education programs is intended to codify and accumulate aspects of knowledge related to teacher education programs, and to identify available studies on the topic as well as to note problems that need further investigation. It seeks to provide an understanding of the dynamics and interactions of various program elements across all program areas. The model reflects a set of major elements which constitute the multiple dimensions of a teacher education program. These major elements include: (1) administration and resources for teacher education programs; (2) admission and certification of teacher candidates; (3) development and evaluation of teacher education programs; (4) teacher education curricular goals and content; (5) professional development and induction of teachers; and (6) instructional practices used by teacher educators. Current studies related to each of these elements are reviewed to provide examples and meaning for each area and illustrate how the model reflects a comprehensive framework for developing effective teacher education programs. A 94-item reference list is included. (JD)

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) requires that an institution keeps abreast of emerging evaluation techniques and engages in systematic efforts to evaluate the quality of its graduates. This empirical study illustrates how statistical analyses of data obtained from the inception of the "Alabama Initial Certification Test" (AICT) of 590 undergraduates at a state institution can be presented as supportive evidence in fulfilling the NCATE expectations. The Kruskal-Wallis One-Way Analysis of Variance procedure was selected as the test statistic to analyze the data obtained from each of the four AICT subtests based on the following four educational areas: (1) early childhood/elementary education; (2) secondary education; (3) special education; and (4) physical education. The Mann-Whitney U-Test was used to determine which groups differed from other groups. Results indicate significant differences in mean ranks of various groups across areas tested. (TJH)

This discussion of the need for and efforts to develop technological education in K-12 schools argues that the United States must achieve an acceptable level of technological literacy among its children if it is to maintain its competitive edge. Thus, technology is being suggested as an additional domain of knowledge (along with the sciences, humanities, and formal knowledge) in new models of curriculum theory. Technological education programs are now being developed out of, and replacing, long standing programs in industrial arts, with the emphasis in the elementary school on developing children's awareness of the presence of technology in their lives; in the middle school, on the exploration of different kinds of technology; and in the high school, on the choice of technical or vocational education as preparation for the work world. In addition, colleges and universities which prepare teachers for the practical arts must now revise their programs to introduce teacher candidates to technology education. (2 references) (EW)

This research review examines the historical development of training programs for special education teachers, beginning with their apprenticeship at residential institutions for handicapped children. Federal legislation brought about reform in the preparation of special education teachers, by authorizing grants to universities and colleges to train personnel working with the handicapped. The need for inservice training was brought about by rapid changes in the field of special education, causing school systems, state education agencies, and professional organizations to seek to broaden and update the skills and knowledge of school personnel. Efforts are now being made to identify quality practices in the preparation of special education personnel. In conjunction with this, researchers have studied the topics of teacher competencies, teacher certification, and classroom problems, among others. Though few empirical studies were located concerning the legal aspects of Public Law 94-142, researchers have suggested that teachers should become more acquainted with the legal elements of their profession. (JDD)

Preparation of special educators in Poland is discussed in the context of the history of Polish education, the development of special education in Poland, and demographic and cultural factors. Currently, there are more than 250 special schools for the mentally retarded, as well as a considerable number of special classes within public schools. Various levels of interaction provided for exceptional students within the mainstream include cooperative programs between regular and special schools, and selected activities in regular schools for children from special schools. Until 1973, common practice has been to admit only experienced elementary teachers to the study of special education. Current guidelines recommend that a student in special education should first acquire experience in teaching nonhandicapped children. University preservice and inservice programs provide preparation in the following areas: blind, visually handicapped, deaf, hearing impaired, mentally retarded, severely handicapped, and socially maladjusted. Polish educational psychologists have recently stressed the importance of including psychological foundations in special education teacher training. (JW)

This report provides results from a study of the priorities of the vocational and technical education programs in Puerto Rico in light of the opinions of teachers, students, and administrators. Information on the methodology is followed by narrative and tables that present study findings and recommendations. The study covers these areas: identification of current and projected needs according to labor supply and demand, examination of teacher and student needs, evaluation of the quality of vocational education programs in terms of their relevancy and pertinence of these programs to the needs of the world of work, determination of the capacity of the education agencies to deliver the services needed in vocational education, and determination of whether the services and activities sponsored under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act are in tune with the needs identified in the study. (YLB)

This report presents an overview of educational reform proposed by several national reports before focusing specifically upon the Holmes Group goals for transforming teacher education. These goals are to: (1) make the education of teachers intellectually more solid; (2) recognize differences in teachers' knowledge, skill, and commitment in their education, certification and work; (3) create standards of entry to the profession--examinations and education requirements--that are professionally relevant and intellectually defensible; (4) connect colleges with schools; and (5) make schools better places for teachers to work and learn. Each of these goals is discussed in the light of what will actually be required in the way of action and implementation in schools of education. The response of the Texas A&M College of Education (a member of the Holmes Group) to the proposed reform agenda is described. A 6-year program already implemented is described, and future plans and possible difficulties are discussed. A three-page list of references concludes the document. (JD)