Education & Pedagogy

This paper provides a historical analysis of the past century of progressive education, within the general socio-political context of schooling within the US. The purpose of this review is to create a social, historical and philosophical context for understanding the current narrative of progressive education that exists in educational policy discussions today. Major scholarly works related to progressive education are situated within the political climate of the times of their publication. Over the course of this discussion an argument is presented that shows how progressive education has been related to the education and emancipation of disadvantaged children at different points according to the societal emphasis of the time. The final section of the paper proposes a radical form of emancipatory teaching that requires a wide range of abilities among teachers and is matched to elements of the moments in history when progressive education was most effective for poor children.

Building on the Education for All movement, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development re-emphasises quality education as a discrete goal. Contextualising the discussion surrounding this goal in Zambia, this study examines how education quality is conceptualised by educational stakeholders at local, national, and global levels. Triangulating teacher survey and interview data with policy documents from the government of Zambia and UNESCO, we found simultaneous convergence and divergence regarding the concepts of education quality espoused at each level. Convergence was shown in the critical influence of the economic tradition within education and the perceived role of schools in fostering resilient individuals and communities. Divergence was observed through the varying meanings assigned to similar concepts and the dissimilar influences of the humanistic and organisational management traditions at different levels. We discuss the implications of our findings for fostering collective efforts among key partners toward the achievement of quality education in Zambia.

Teachers in general education classrooms must be prepared to meet the needs of all students. This study explored the impact of embedding special education faculty members in general education teacher preparation to coteach a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based elementary methods block. The Attitudes Toward Inclusion Survey was modified to include STEM education and to develop and implement STEM-based curriculum to meet the needs of all students. Statistical analysis was conducted to determine change over time for the STEM-based cohort in relation to a non-STEM-based cohort in five domains reflected in the survey. Significant increases were apparent for those teacher candidates participating in the cotaught cohort in the domains that reflect perceptions of students with disabilities (SWDs), understanding the role of a general education teacher in working with SWDs, and the knowledge and pedagogical skills needed to integrate STEM instruction. Implications for preservice teachers and teacher preparation programs are discussed.

This paper examines how education in Indonesia can help create tolerant and multicultural citizens through the analysis of policies and practices. After the political shift in 1998, Indonesia issued education law No. 20 in 2003 which contains, though vague, a couple of articles that can underpin the development and implementation of multicultural education. This is a 'spirit' of multicultural education, which has been interpreted in subsequent regulations and decrees. In this paper, the author explores how these policies and school curricula have been translated into practices. The author conducted a series of ethnographic fieldwork in two provinces, Yogyakarta and Central Kalimantan, visiting six different schools: four religious (three Islamic and one Catholic), one state secular and one state vocational. The findings suggest that there were inconsistencies between policies and practices of multicultural education due to a lack of explicit policies and incapable education decision-makers and teachers.

Reforming the teacher education system has been a key government policy towards improving school education in India. While recent curriculum and governance reforms articulate a new vision of teacher education that underscores a symbiotic relationship between teacher education and school education, it fails to engage enough with the most important participant of the teacher education system--the teacher educator. Changes to curriculum and governance process in the absence of a pro-active engagement of teacher educators with the reforms can do little to influence the teacher education processes and outcomes. The work of pre-service teacher educators is complex because their responsibilities relate to both school and higher education. The distinctiveness of their work, identity and professional development has always been marginalized in educational discourse. This article analyses select educational documents to examine the construction of work and identity of higher education-based teacher educators. It proposes the development of a professional framework of practice through a collective process, which would help understand the work of teacher educators and offer various possibilities for their professional development.

The purpose of this study was to examine music education doctoral students' shifting occupational identity beliefs, career intent and commitment, and overall confidence for teaching in higher education. A total of 124 music education doctoral students, enrolled at 29 institutions of higher education in the United States, completed a onetime, 29-item online questionnaire. Participants identified more strongly as music teacher educators than as K-12 music teachers, and they were more committed to pursuing a career in higher education than K-12 teaching on completing their degree. However, participants who taught K-12 music concurrently during the degree were more likely to consider returning to K-12 teaching on degree completion. Music education doctoral students demonstrated confidence in their ability to train future K-12 music educators but lacked confidence in their ability to achieve a high-quality life balance in higher education. Implications for music education doctoral programs are discussed.

The system of teacher education management, namely, forms and principles of teacher education management according to the normative base (Education Reform Act (1988); Education Act (1992; 1993; 1996; 1997; 2002); School Standards and Framework Act (1998); Higher Education Act (2004), etc.), monitoring and participation of the public in its management have been analyzed. It has been proved that lately the democratization process in British education management has been combined with the increased attention of the state to monitoring, requirements to appropriate activity of educational establishments and trends seem to be forward education quality enhancing, democratization of evaluation, monitoring and information providing processes. Changes in education management in the historical context have been considered. The organizations participating in education management in Great Britain have been outlined. The data has been presented that enabled to distinguish similarities and differences in the functioning of the organizations participating in education management in Great Britain and ensure the existing of independent management authorities within them.

The aim of this research is to define the perceptions of prospective special education teachers regarding special education teacher through metaphors. Phenomenology design was used in this research. The study group comprised 116 third year prospective special education teachers studying at Marmara University, Ataturk Faculty of Education, Special Education (Mentally Disabled Teaching) Department. The prospective special education teachers were asked to fill a form featuring the phrases, "The special education teacher is like (similar to) …….; because ….." The data were analyzed through content analysis. The results showed that the metaphors created by prospective special education teachers on the concept of special education teacher were grouped under ten categories. These categories are: (1) Patience and devotion; (2) Difficulty of profession; (3) Source of love and affection; (4) Complementing; (5) Superiority of profession; (6) Life coaching/guidance; (7) Weariness of profession; (8) Skill teaching; (9) Social leadership/enlightening, and (10) Social prejudices. All these categories were discussed within the scope of previous researches and some concrete research proposals were suggested for further studies.

The research urgency is caused by necessity of planning regulation of higher education development at all levels of management. The purpose of this article is to develop the structure of a control system of higher education development, the Foundation of which is understanding of the quality of higher education as factor for development of the system and reconcile of the education agents' interest. Based on the definition of levels, types of control and methods for subordination, the authors have developed an innovative governance structure with the development of higher education system, including: a set of agents of higher education system; a set of relations between entities of management of higher education's development; the sequence and dynamics of functioning; criteria for management of higher education system; a set of normalized states for agents of higher education; the level of awareness of higher education agents in making managerial decisions. This article is intended for researchers and specialists in the field of development of higher education.

This article begins with a brief overview of the relationship between globalisation and the internationalisation of higher education. This serves as a backdrop for the focus of the article, which is the internationalisation of teacher education. In order to see the diverse ways that teacher education programmes have been internationalised over the past 15 years, a case study comparing internationalisation initiatives in Greater China and Canada is presented. This comparative case study demonstrates how different globalising processes influence various forms of internationalisation. Comparison also sheds light on the importance of attending not only to broader, global processes, but specific, local contextual factors. Rather than consider internationalisation as one set of practices that have been taken up globally, this article suggests that there are many different forms of internationalisation in teacher education that are influenced by both global and local contexts. In this respect, the study moves us towards a more nuanced and complex understanding of how teacher education institutions across diverse settings are being internationalised in the twenty-first century.

Continued changes to legislation in countries that were previously parts of the Soviet Union cause them to become increasingly differentiated. Many of the changes are to social and economic processes. In the field of education, various parameters have changed and are continuing to change, from details concerning the way to conduct assessments to the broader issues affecting the whole architecture of the educational system. The most recent legislative act in the CIS--the "Education Code of Moldova"--illustrates the nature of changes taking place. This article discusses the most important trends in the legal regulation of the educational system in the post-Soviet area, including: how perceptions of education as a subject of legal regulation is changing; the impact of international cooperation in the field of education; the changing system of higher education and the introduction of a two-tiered system; and the increased attention to the quality of education.

Research on Teach For America (TFA) continues to grow, but scant scholarship has explored the experiences of its corps members working in special education in urban schools. As teachers who require in-depth knowledge of legal and liability processes as well as effective pedagogical practices, corps members in special education positions have significant demands placed on them that often lie beyond the roles and responsibilities of other TFA teachers. This article therefore focuses on the experiences of five TFA corps members placed in special education as it explores their critical reflections about the minimal preparation and support they received from TFA. In light of recent special education initiatives launched by TFA, the article raises questions about the continued involvement of TFA in the field of special education and its ability to adequately prepare corps members for the unique responsibilities served by special education teachers in the United States.

A qualitative case study design was used to investigate the extent that special education program serves the student or serves the organization. If special education serves the student, then a researcher should be able to identify resulting agency and emancipation among the students. However, if special education is serving the organization, then a different picture could be painted. Special education could be serving the functionalist needs of sorting and tracking students. An unintended finding of the study was the apparent neglect and subsequent isolation and marginality of special education teachers, especially teachers who work in self-contained classes. Responses clearly reflect a deficit in social capital. With regard to students, most responses reflect a functionalist approach to serving students in the special education program in that the program sorts challenging students from the mainstream who might impede the progress of other children. These findings are discussed relative to reform for special education, including learning communities.

With the "Every Student Succeeds Act" continuing to legislate accountability for special education and Hispanic students, the appropriate content in principal preparation programs relevant to successful leadership of special education programs is vital. This mixed methods study analyzed the survey responses of 84 principals in South Texas from predominantly Hispanic schools to determine the principals' perceptions regarding their legal, foundational, and contextual knowledge of special education and their suggested topics for inclusion in curriculum content of principal preparation programs to provide the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively implement and supervise special education programs. Results indicated that the principals' greatest need was in knowledge to design curriculum for students with disabilities, however, the most frequent recommendation for inclusion in principal preparation was additional content in special education laws, "Section 504," and Response to Intervention. Recommendations for principal preparation were based on the lowest areas of knowledge indicated by the responses.

The philosophical debate on educational justice currently focusses on the Anglo-American situation. This essay brings in an additional perspective. It provides a justice-oriented critique of the segregated education systems in German-speaking countries. First, arguments that are commonly put forward in favour of these systems are rejected. Second, an additional argument against early tracking in education is formulated. It is claimed that segregated education systems tend to undermine children's "right to an open future." It is also explained that the segregated systems in Germany, Austria and Switzerland are linked to well-established systems of vocational education and training. It is argued, in this essay, that a workplace-based vocational system can be an important element of a just education system. The proposal is, then, to introduce a comprehensive school system in the first 8 or 9 school years that prepares students for both the vocational system and the academic track ("Gymnasium"). Against this background, a so-called threshold conception of educational justice--that contains two different threshold levels--is formulated.