Education & Pedagogy

This article provides a critical sociological analysis of trends and perspectives pervasive during the emergence of North American adult education (1919-1970). In discussing transitions during the first 50 years of what is considered modern practice, it draws on Webster E. Cotton's (1986, "On Behalf of Adult Education: A Historical Examination of the Supporting Literature." Boston, MA: Center for the Study of Liberal Education for Adults) periodization model--modified a few years later--to organize people, politics, and ideas as categories shaping North American adult education. In exploring this complexity, the article reflects on the perennial difficulty of answering the question "What is adult education?" Following brief considerations of periods one (1919-1929) and two (1930-1946) in the field's emergence, the article focuses on period three (1947-1970) in more detail, providing critical perspectives on field expansion during the perceived corporate age of adult education. It considers how adult education and constituent higher adult education were each affected as the field of study and practice negotiated the "knowledge-culture-language-power" nexus where it sought presence and place. Then, comparing the historical example of post-World War II North American adult education and the contemporary example of lifelong learning in neoliberal times, the article concludes by considering how cultural change forces have placed educational formations into reactive modes over time and tides.

This paper questions whether the second Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education targets by 2015 for all children to complete a full course of primary schooling, can be realised. A key contention of this paper is that this forecast is far-fetched when we take into cognizance refugee children's accessibility to education. As much as it has reported that enrolment in primary education is on the rise, refugee access to education remains a great challenge. The purpose of this paper is to explore refugee children's access to education, with reference to the South African experience. The study adopted a qualitative approach and case study design. Refugee children have limited opportunities to secondary education and experience many problems accessing primary education because of their refugee status. The study found that there are two forms of barriers to refugee children's access to education: obstacles to enrolling in a school and barriers in respect of sustaining themselves after enrolling at schools. It is concluded that the refugee children's lack of access to education does not support the attainment of second Millennium Development Goal. The study recommends enlightening school management teams about refugee children's rights to quality education. This South African study, which is symptomatic of the global refugee experience, suggests the Second Millennium Development Goal will not be realised unless the education of refugee children is taken seriously.

This paper reviews the ideological trends in initial teacher education curricula in East African universities during the post-independent and contemporary times. From the mid-1960s and mid-1980s, initial teacher education curricula were integrated and harmonised with support from the East African Community whose efforts were coordinated by the Inter-University Council for East Africa. With the breakup of the Community in 1977, each independent state pursued its own educational strategy. However, underfunding of the public sector by governments, introduction of market-friendly reforms under the World Bank Structural Adjustment Programme in 1987 and the de-regularisation policies led to the liberalisation of public services, including education. Liberalisation affected among others, the quality of the initial teacher education curricula. Consequently, national councils and commissions for higher education were established to control standards in higher education, and the Inter-University Council for East Africa was revived to standardise and harmonise educational standards at regional level. The review shows that over the past five decades, the structure and organisation of initial teacher education curricula has continuously adjusted itself and been adjusted to a hybrid culture blending classical humanism, utilitarianism, social re-constructionism, market and global ideologies. Comparable ideological inclinations at socio-economic and political levels have influenced this trend in the region. The paper highlights the implications of such trends on the future of initial teacher education in the region.

The role of the principal is very complex. Principals are the leader of the building and all the education that occurs within its walls. Included in the responsibilities for principals is the education of students with disabilities. A principal needs to have solid, fundamental knowledge of the scope of special education and the processes used for evaluating and educating students protected under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Realizing principals need to know about special education, this paper reviews recommendations from multiple studies related to special education competencies for principals, and will also review suggestions from experts in the field. Based on the recommendations for principal's knowledge about special education, it will review the standards for principals' training provided by multiple organizations specifically as it relates to special education. The organizations and their recommendations related to principal training will be reviewed by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC), the National Policy Board for Educational Administration (NPBEA), along with recommendations of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Finally, it will propose a specific set of special education competencies for principals based on recommendations from hundreds of principals across the nation.

Science and technology are so intertwined that "technoscience" has been argued to more accurately reflect the progress of science and its impact on society, and most socioscientific issues require technoscientific reasoning. Education policy documents have long noted that the general public lacks sufficient understanding of science and technology necessary for informed decision-making regarding socioscientific/technological issues. The science-technology-society movement and scholarship addressing socioscientific issues in science education reflect efforts in the science education community to promote more informed decision-making regarding such issues. Now Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education has emerged as a major reform movement impacting science education. STEM education efforts emphasize literacy across the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but with rare exceptions, treat issues of technology superficially and uncritically. Informed decision-making regarding many personal and societal issues requires technological literacy beyond merely becoming an enthusiastic designer or skilled user of technology, but the science education community has given little attention to what such literacy entails. Here, we present results of an extensive review of the literature regarding the nature of technology (NOT) in order to identify key issues among scholars who study technology. We then provide predominant perspectives among those scholars and suggest which identified NOT issues are most essential to address as part of STEM education efforts that seek to promote informed personal and societal decision-making.

This paper presents a set of arguments in support of maintaining a cabinet-level Department of Education. It first traces the history of the federal role in education, which was established early in the history of the United States and has evolved over the decades through a series of specific responses to the nation's educational needs. It has never been as a comprehensive plan to nationalize American education. The next chapter presents a threefold rationale for federal involvement in education: to broaden access to education, to enhance the quality of education, and to provide financial assistance to local school districts. Federal education programs are needed because (1) state and local agencies are unable or unwilling to protect the political, economic, and educational rights of the disadvantaged; (2) improvement of the education system is a constant and important goal; (3) the federal government's tax base is broader, and its taxes are less regressive than state and local taxes; and (4) certain activities, such as research and information collection and dissemination, are solely national level functions. A series of appendixes provide a fact sheet on the Reagan Administration's proposals to dismantle the Department of Education and a summary of the accomplishments of the department, along with a letter to Congress describing right-wing attacks on the Department of Education, and a list of national associations supporting the Department of Education Coalition. (TE)

The School Improvement Act of 1987 revises and extends through 1993 the 14 following Federal elementary and secondary education programs: (1) Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act (ECIA), compensatory education for disadvantaged children; (2) Chapter 2 of ECIA, elementary and secondary education block grants to States; (3) Title II of the Education for Economic Security Act (EESA), the mathematics and science education program; (4) The Adult Education Act for adult literacy; (5) The Magnet Schools Assistance Program (Title VII of EESA); (6) The Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1986; (7) The Women's Educational Equity Act; (8) The Allen J. Ellender Fellowship Program; (9) The Emergency Immigrant Education Act; (10) the territorial assistance programs for teacher training and general assistance to the Virgin Islands; (11) the Excellence in Education demonstration grant program (Title VI of EESA); (12) the Bilingual Education Act; (13) the various Indian Education programs; (14) and the Impact Aid program of assistance to schools in Federally-affected areas. In addition, the legislation: (1) creates a new program for gifted and talented children's education; (2) focuses new resources on dropout prevention, secondary school basic skills improvement, and preschool education; and (3) makes revisions in the Federal processes of auditing education and gathering statistics. This report to the 100th Congress includes the bill, as amended, additional views on the legislation, and a cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office. (RH)

To comply with the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act of 1984 requirements, the Michigan State Advisory Council for Vocational Education reviewed data from the Michigan Department of Education to determine the accessibility of vocational education to secondary and postsecondary students as it relates to enrollments. The evaluation component also included the gender and racial/ethnic composition of students currently participating in vocational education, as well as the participation of special populations (handicapped, disadvantaged, adults, single parents/homemakers, students in nontraditional programs, and criminal offenders). The study found significant differences in accessibility of vocational education to students, based on geographical location. It also found that the enrollment of females and males in vocational education appears to be balanced, although this may be due to various areas balancing each other. Overall, trends in secondary education seem to be in the direction of enrolling students in programs that are nontraditional to their gender, although progress in this direction is much slower in postsecondary education. The study also found that vocational education at both levels is serving minorities in proportion to the statewide high school population; however, enrollments vary by program areas. Finally, the study found that only limited numbers of persons are being served in any of the special population categories (Author/KC)

This document contains written summaries of workshop activities which took place at the 1984 summer workshop sponsored by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The theme of the workshop was "The Human Dimension of Teacher Education for the 21st Century." Following a description of the background, structure, and objectives of the Association, and a description of workshop procedures, theme group reports were presented, entitled: (1) "On Being Human: the Third Dimension in Teacher Education"; (2) "The Human Dimension of Teacher Education for the 21st Century"; (3) "Affective and Effective Teaching: The Human Dimension of Teacher Education for the 21st Century"; (4) "If the Human Dimension is the Base of the Pyramid for Teacher Education--Where is the Research Support?"; and (5) "Humanistic Teacher Education: What Ought to Be?" The final section of the report is devoted to individual reports on experiences in using the humanistic approach to educating, including such topics as: (1) integrating effective teaching behaviors in the teacher education curriculum; teaching in Third World countries; early childhood education and the formation of a link between the human dimension and competency based teacher training; melding affective and instructional goals; computers; student motivation to read; teacher burnout; aesthetics in teaching; the computer language, LOGO; and a scenario: Education 2084. (JD)

These five papers describe the educational system of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). An introduction by Derek Marsh overviews the climate for and aims of education in the GDR. "A Brief Introduction to the GDR" (Jean Finlayson) summarizes the economic background, standard of living, role of women, politics, religion, sports and culture, health care, and education. "Educational System of the GDR" (D. Marsh, J. Finlayson) discusses management and administration, preschool education, 10-year general polytechnical secondary schools, polytechnical education, post-16 provisions, the vocational guidance system and its organization, and apprentice training. "The Training of Teachers in the GDR" (Patrick Rooke) presents an historical background, describes training for different teachers, and reviews training at pedagogic universities and inservice training. "The Administration of Higher Education in the GDR" (Keith Ebbutt) gives a descriptive account of the administration of higher education, both nationally and institutionally. An attempt is made to show how power is distributed within this system. "Two Ideologies: The Politics of Vocational Training" (D. Marsh) draws broad comparisons between education and training in the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany. Considerations include the roles of the federal government and the states, chambers of industry and commerce, and trade unions. A diagram of the GDR educational and training systems and a glossary are appended. (YLB)

Expansion of the past 10 years in Asian higher education and associated problems, as well as the role of colleges and universities in national development, are discussed in 11 papers from a 1985 International Seminar. Paper titles and authors include: "Prospects and Problems in Asian Higher Education: Introductory Presentation by the Secretariat" (Toru Umakoshi, Hirotoshi Yamasaki, Joe Hicks); "Higher Education Development in Indonesia" (Ir. S. Pramoetadi); "Prospects and Problems in Higher Education Expansion: Malaysia" (Azman Wan Chik); "Prospects and Problems in Higher Education Expansion in Thailand" (Prasarn Malakul; comments by Yoshiya Abe); "Prospects and Problems in Japanese Higher Education: An Age of Adaptation sans Expansion" (Masakazu Yano, Fumihiro Maruyama); "Higher Education Expansion in the Philippines: Problems and Prospects" (Benwardo V. Umila); "Higher Education Expansion in Korea: Its Process, Problems and Prospects" (Byung-Rim Koo, Jong-Chol Kim); "Development and Reform of Chinese Higher Education" (Wang Yingjie); "Why Asian Overseas Students Prefer the United States" (William K. Cummings); "The Situation of Asian Students in Japan: Can Japanese Universities Handle a 10-Fold Increase?" (Joe Hicks); and "UNESCO and Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region" (Muhammed Selim). (SW)

This document provides an overview of programs and activities in adult and secondary education, along with statistical data about adult education efforts in the United States. The first part of the document presents seven short sections about council functions and programs in adult education. Included in these sections is the following information: council response to the proposed Adult Education Consolidation Bill; council's functions; descriptions of outstanding programs and professionals throughout the country; the council at work; a historical overview of the Adult Education Act, 1966-1981; a summary of major revisions in the Adult Education Act, 1966-1981; and a list of state directors of adult education. The second part of the report contains 13 tables that present statistical data on the following topics: state allotments for adult basic education; state expenditures; 1981 level of effort in relation to need; number of organizations providing English (second language) or bilingual education; full-time employees in adult basic and secondary education; part-time employees in adult basic and secondary education; race/ethnic group of participants in functional levels 1 and 2 by state; sex and age of participants in basic and secondary programs; number of participants upon entry into program by state; achievements of program participants; and number of participants leaving the program and their reasons. (KC)

The report of the Study Commission on Structure and Governance of Education (commonly known as the Rosenberg Commission), which provoked considerable controversy because of its recommended broad changes, was evaluated by a task force through public and invitational hearings and extensive meetings. The recommendations for elementary and secondary education focus on these areas: the state board of education's structure, the state superintendent of schools' role and office, the Baltimore City school system's structure and administration, jurisdiction over collegiate programs, school construction, programs of health-related and correctional facilities, parent advisory councils, regional services, collective bargaining, cooperative arrangements with industry and government, equalizing educational opportunity, and intergovernmental relations. Recommendations for higher education include broad, statewide changes in system and institutional structures and roles, the size and composition of the State Board for Higher Education, university status for Morgan State University, no changes in the University of Maryland system, retention of a single governing board for the state colleges with some changes, incorporation of community colleges into the larger state system, a regional university system for the Eastern Shore, and consolidation of several abolished state agencies into a Department of Higher Education. Some measures for coordination of elementary, secondary, and higher education are also made. (MSE)

This volume consists of resumes of vocational and technical education curriculum products that were selected by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education (ERIC/ACVE) for inclusion in the July 1981 through June 1982 issues of "Resources in Education." Among the major types of documents abstracted are curriculum guides, research and technical reports, administrator guides, dissertations and theses, conference reports, literature reviews, state-of-the-art papers, journals, legal and regulatory materials, statistical data, position papers, essays, program descriptions, feasibility studies, bibliographies, directories, conference papers, and tests. Each resume contains an ERIC accession number, an author and title listing, information concerning the time and place of publication, a publication type classification code, information concerning the availability of the document, descriptors, identifiers, and an abstract. Three indexes--a subject index, an author index, and an institution index--are provided. Also included in this issue are listings of the six curriculum coordination centers and publications provided by the centers, descriptions of the curriculum centers and labs throughout the country, a listing of curriculum-related organizations at the national level, sources of audiovisual information and materials, and a brief bibliography of curriculum publications available from federal agencies. (MN)

A bibliography of approximately 150 materials authored, coauthored, or edited by Howard R. Bowen from 1935 through 1982 on the economics of American higher education is presented. Specific topics include the following: the wide disparity among colleges in educational cost per student; costs colleges spend per student; adult learning, higher education, and the economics of unused capacity; future social needs and demands for highly educated people; goals, outcomes, and academic evaluation; socially imposed costs of higher education; what college does for the family; the compensation of faculty and staff in American higher education; accountability in higher education; career preparation in the independent liberal arts college; measurements of efficiency; higher education and human equality; outcome data and educational decision making; systems theory, excellence, and values--will they mix; toward social economy; the future of private colleges; efficiency in liberal education; faculty guide to academic economics; research and public policy for higher education; academic freedom and the financing of higher education; the changing power structure in American higher education; federal policy alternatives toward graduate education; inflation and the colleges; marketable skills for youth; philanthropy and academic freedom; financing the external degree; student unrest in the United States; role of the college; the uses of liberal education; graduate education in economics; the study of economics in schools of business; and rising tuition. (SW)