Education & Pedagogy

The distance education and instructional technology projects that have been undertaken in Alaska over the last decade are detailed in this paper. The basic services offered by the "Learn Alaska Network" are described in relation to three user groups: K-12 education; postsecondary education; and general public education and information. The audio conferencing services of the network are also described, and the declining financial fortunes of all but the audio conferencing network are detailed. Some observations from these experiences are made, and issues that should be addressed in future projects are identified. (EW)

This list of competencies and learner outcomes is the product of a 2-day meeting held to develop competencies for a new consumer and homemaking course for 9th and 10th grade students. Included in the list are competencies pertaining to the following program areas: responsibility and self-image, coping with today, family living and parenthood education, nutrition and foods, management, consumer education, child development, housing, and clothing and textiles. Each section contains parallel lists of concepts, competencies, and learner outcomes. (MN)

Two-year colleges are often overlooked in undergraduate education even though they are responsible for educating 37 percent of all college students and over half of the minorities in higher education. In the fall of 1988, the Office of Undergraduate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (USEME) convened a 2-day conference to discuss the improvement of undergraduate education at the two-year college level. This report includes a brief introduction to the issue, eight recommendations for the improvement of introductory science and mathematics education at the two-year college level, and a list of workshop participants. (CW)

This task force report offers specific recommendations to enhance secondary vocational education as an integral component within the total educational spectrum in the state of Maine. The task force identified six major initiatives and made 30 specific recommendations, which are detailed in this report. The six initiatives cover (1) approaches to educational delivery; (2) access; (3) education for the world of work; (4) career information and planning; (5) structure and finance; and (6) administration. (KC)

This study sought to assess teacher candidates' knowledge of special education policies and procedures as mandated by the federal government. It also examines factors associated with accurate knowledge. A sample of 111 teacher candidates, drawn from a Missouri private university, completed a survey. Overall, teacher candidates lacked accurate knowledge and misperceived their lack of knowledge. The most significant predictors of accurate knowledge were completing more special education courses and having positive attitudes toward inclusion. Additionally, this study revealed no differences in knowledge between regular education teacher candidates versus special education teacher candidates.

This article discusses the professional development needs of beginning physical education teachers based on data extracted from the 2011-2012 Schools and Staffing Survey. The authors identified ways to enhance professional development in a manner that addresses the specific needs of both newly hired and veteran physical education teachers. They also provided recommendations related to advocating for professional development opportunities specific to the needs of physical education teachers. Overall, this article features professional development opportunities designed to enhance the knowledge and skills needed to become a more skillful physical education teacher.

In the 60-plus year history of returns to investment in education estimates, there have been several compilations in the literature. This paper updates Psacharopoulos and Patrinos and reviews the latest trends and patterns based on 1120 estimates in 139 countries from 1950 to 2014. The private average global return to a year of schooling is 9% a year. Private returns to higher education increased, raising issues of financing and equity. Social returns to schooling remain high. Women continue to experience higher average returns to schooling, showing that girls' education remains a priority.

The process of training special education teacher candidates is an issue that has been widely discussed in literature, yet there is no consensus as to the most effective method. Therefore, it is recommended that methods designed to meet the needs of special education teacher candidates with proven efficiency should be used collectively. This research analyzed the serviceability of the teaching practice process considering its strength and weaknesses based on the views of special education teacher candidates and observations of researchers.

This paper argues that changes to both further and higher education that are already well underway are clarified by what can be called the model of the Business Studies University (BSU). The BSU elevates undergraduate student choice of equivalent level modular courses to the "heart of the system" (DBIS, 2011). This is rejected by those few institutions not part of the current competition to cram in funded students; instead, they adhere to traditional academic disciplinary knowledge. As a result, at one pole of a bifurcating hierarchy higher turns into further education, with "cramming" for academic higher education at the other.

In this conceptual article, the authors argue that diversity is an invitation to educators, youth, families, and community members to work together--a goal accomplished only by centering the local community rather than the local school--to educate youth and create a more just society. Based upon liberatory and emancipatory education, liberatory public education, an intersectional conceptual framework, brings together recent and current justice-oriented scholarship focused on youth development, curriculum and pedagogy, schooling, and community liberation, making a parallel case for justice-oriented family engagement in public schooling. The authors conclude with implications for teacher education, education policy, and family engagement scholarship.

The philosophy behind the kind of teacher education one receives affects the preparedness of beginning agricultural education teachers. The purpose of this philosophical study was to examine and summarize the professional knowledge, technical knowledge, and general knowledge competencies needed in a comprehensive teacher education program to prepare beginning school-based agricultural education teachers. Sixteen professional knowledge competencies, three technical knowledge competencies, and 16 general knowledge competencies were derived from the literature. The authors hope the competencies complied in this inquiry will spur philosophical discussions regarding the coursework and experiences provided by an agricultural teacher education program.

This paper deals with future prospects for geographical education in Slovenia, with special emphasis on the development and aims of the didactics of geography. The author discusses the past development of geographical curricula and of competencies of geography teachers, and the education of future teachers of the subject in Slovenia. Her ideas are based on the nature, purpose and context of geographical education, with an emphasis on lifelong learning, internationally comparable education and work-based learning, due to their relevance for a rapidly changing world of new opportunities.

Research on transnational Higher Education governance has provided a thesis explaining how East Asian states have successfully selectively blended elements of globalisation in Higher Education with their pre-existing regulatory regimes. However, this paper argues that the thesis overlooks the significance of local politics in understanding the formulation of Higher Education policy, thus insufficiently acknowledging the indeterminacy that arises in the globalisation process. To address this argument, this paper examines the transnational Higher Education development in Singapore and Hong Kong and explains how political resistance and corresponding policy changes that emerged in these two societies help reconceptualise transnational Higher Education governance.

Individuals and communities occasionally need asking and giving forgiveness. Because the process of forgiving is not always well understood, it has become necessary to consider including forgiveness education in school pedagogy and in formal school programs such as Citizenship Education. This possibility is illustrated with examples from South Africa and The Netherlands. To date, forgiveness education has mostly taken the form of brief research interventions. It is recommended that forgiveness education, also from a Christian viewpoint, be given a more prominent place in school curriculums as well as in teacher education programs.

Sex education is not only a necessary component of public school curriculum, but it is also an important opportunity for students with and without disabilities to learn about their own development as emerging adults. Although comprehensive sex education is not federally mandated, many states and districts choose to offer some form of sex education to students. This article describes a five step collaborative process for planning to implement a sex education program to support the needs of students with disabilities.