Education & Pedagogy

This explanatory mixed methods study focuses on the perceptions of principals and special education teachers about special education teachers' roles and responsibilities. An online survey was conducted with 11 principals and 41 special education teachers (Resource Specialists and Special Day Class teachers). Independent semi-structured interviews were completed with three principals and three special education teachers. Thirty-two Likert scale statements were presented on the survey along with closed and opened ended questions. The principal group and the special education teacher group showed a significant difference between the means on 11 of the 32 Likert scale items as revealed by independent samples t tests. Topics in which there tended to be varied responses included special education teacher challenges, compensation for special education teachers, special education teachers' feelings of isolation, principal and special education teacher leadership, special education teacher collaboration time with principals and general education teachers, the amount of time special education teachers spend on tasks, and Response to Intervention practices. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

This report was prepared by The Colorado Department of Higher Education (DHE) pursuant to 23-1-113.3 C.R.S. The information in this report is presented to inform the ongoing dialogue regarding preparation for college and the effects of developmental education in Colorado. This report documents data gathered by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (DHE) for academic year 2016 (Summer 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016) as required by statute. The report concerns students taking developmental education courses at Colorado's public higher education institutions. The report is submitted to the Education Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Joint Budget Committee (JBC), the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), and each Colorado public school district superintendent. This report summarizes the current developmental education landscape for the Colorado High School Class of 2015, including their enrollment rates and outcomes in developmental education courses and the student and state costs of providing developmental education courses. The report also summarizes reforms to Colorado's traditional developmental education system as well as a number of initiatives across the state targeted at reducing students' need for developmental education courses and decreasing the amount of time they spend taking these classes.

The rise of private higher education in Jamaica plays a key role in expanding educational access to the masses. The shift towards the neo-liberal perspective has directed the focus of education policy reforms toward emphasizing economic efficiency, diversity in choice, and market mechanisms. The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain insight, from the perspective of high level administrators at four local private higher education institutions in Jamaica, on why private higher education institutions have flourished as key providers of Jamaican higher education, how these institutions facilitate access to higher education, and to what extent private institutions contribute to achieving Jamaica's higher education goals. The researcher utilized a holistic, multiple-case study design. Methods employed in this study included face-to-face individual interviews, document analysis, and site visits to private higher education institutions in Jamaica. Human capital theory was used as an analytical lens to examine the extent to which the neoliberal framework is appropriate for understanding how higher education is unfolding in Jamaica. This paper focuses on the general conclusions of the research, which suggest that Jamaican private higher education institutions serve to challenge the status quo by providing access to members of the society who had been marginalized by the public higher education system. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

The Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture are responsible for setting the aims for the cultural and creative dimensions of education. Decisions about the creation of the curriculum related to culture and creativity within education are made on central level as well as the creation of the arts curriculum. Decisions about the implementation of the arts curriculum are made on school level. Swedish arts curriculum includes a combination of integrated and separated subjects. The following art subjects make part of the curriculum: (1) Music; (2) Crafts (i.e. Textiles and Wood- and metalwork); (3) Arts; (4) Dance (integrated as a component in the subject called "Physical education and health"); and (5) Drama (integrated as a component in the subject Swedish). This paper contains the following sections: (1) Responsibility and purpose; (2) Organisation and aims of arts education; (3) Special provision with a focus on art education; (4) Assessment of pupils' progress and monitoring of standards in the arts; (5) Teacher education in the arts; (6) Initiatives; (7) Ongoing reforms and proposals; and (8) Existing national surveys and reports on practices. (Contains 1 footnote.)

This paper focuses on Italy's arts and cultural education. The Ministry of Education is responsible for setting the national curriculum and for the cultural axes. The decisions on all the cultural and creative aims for each type of education are taken at national level and at the level of each individual school. At national level the guidelines for the knowledge, proficiencies and skills required for meeting the general aims are set out. The contents of the teaching programmes to meet the general aims are drawn up at the individual school level. At the ISCED levels 1 and 2 education in the arts is provided through two separate subjects called "Music" and "Art and Image." The arts at the ISCED level 3 fall under more general heading of the "language/linguistic axis". This paper contains the following sections: (1) Responsibility and purpose; (2) Organisation and aims of arts education; (3) Special provision with a focus on art education; (4) Assessment of pupils' progress and monitoring of standards in the arts; (5) Teacher education in the arts; (6) Initiatives; and (7) Ongoing reforms and proposals. (Contains 1 footnote.)

"Higher Education Exchange" publishes case studies, analyses, news, and ideas about efforts within higher education to develop more democratic societies. Contributors to this issue of the "Higher Education Exchange" examine whether institutions of higher learning are doing anything to increase the capacity of citizens to shape their future. Contents include: (1) Foreword (Deborah Witte); (2) Higher Education and the American Commonwealth Partnership: An Interview (Harry Boyte); (3) Tales from Anti-Civic U (Claire Snyder-Hall); (4) Educating Democratically: An Interview (Elizabeth Minnich); (5) Living Democracy: A Project for Students and Citizens (Mark Wilson and Nan Fairley); (6) Civic Engagement and Doctoral Education (Ellen M. Knutson and Dan A. Lewis); (7) Public Scholarship at the Graduate Student Level (Robin Hoecker); (8) Wicked Bedfellows: Can Science and Democracy Coexist in the Land Grant? (Wynne Wright); (9) "What Is College For? The Public Purpose of Higher Education" Edited by Ellen Condliffe Lagemann and Harry Lewis (Elizabeth Hudson); and (10) Higher Education and Har Megiddo (David Mathews). Individual articles contain references. [For "Higher Education Exchange, 2011," see ED539343.]

This bulletin provides guidance and direction to Missouri local education agencies (LEAs) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams regarding the U.S. Office of Special Education Program's findings that indicate Missouri students with disabilities were held to entrance requirements for vocational education programs without consideration of accommodations, and that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams were not allowed to include accommodations or modifications which might be necessary for students with disabilities to be successful in vocational courses. It addresses: (1) types of vocational programs that are available for students with disabilities in area vocational technical schools; (2) eligibility determinations for these programs and the requirement for equal access for students with disabilities with accommodations; (3) the requirement to provide students with disabilities with the same accommodations or modifications in vocational education classes that they receive when participating in general education classes; (4) types of accommodations or modifications that are available to students with disabilities to enable them to be successful in vocational courses; (5) classroom modifications, such as seating assignments, use of cooperative learning, videotaped demonstrations, and development of behavior contracts; and (6) curriculum modifications such as oral testing, taped textbooks, assistive devices, computer-assisted learning, and extended time for testing. (CR)

This report from the Study of Personnel Needs in Special Education (SPeNSE) focuses on working conditions that affect special education teachers and how teachers acquire needed professional skills. The report found: (1) 80% of special education teachers serve students with two or more primary disabilities; (2) almost one-fourth of students served are from a cultural or linguistic group different from their teachers; (3) special education teachers serve fewer students (13 in PreK-6th grade and 25 in 7th-12th) than general educators; (4) the typical special education teacher works 53 hours per week and the typical general educator works 55 hours per week; (5) most general and special education teachers find their workload manageable, however, special education teachers tend to find their workload less manageable; (6) school climate is related to special education teachers workload manageability and intent to stay; (7) special education teachers who rated their preservice preparation as very good or exceptional considered themselves more successful and said their workload was more manageable; (8) special education teachers who judged the quality of their preservice preparation as very good or exceptional completed more weeks of student teaching; and (9) special education and general educators devoted considerable time to continuing professional development, averaging 59 and 65 hours in 1999-2000. (CR)

This paper compares multicultural education in U.S. and Japanese schools, analyzing multicultural education from the ethnic perspective. The paper notes that while the United States is a country with a long history of immigration and is composed of people with many different racial backgrounds, Japan is a country of a single race with only a few exceptions (Korean and Ainu). It discusses kindergarten through 12th grade a general multicultural education curricula in U.S. and Japanese schools, finding that the curricula identify the difference between the schools regarding multicultural education. In U.S. schools, students can study various cultures through ethnic events such as black history month and Asian history month, and are able to cultivate cultural awareness. In Japan, the Ministry of Education sets the guideline for Japanese education throughout the nation and does not create the opportunity for students to learn about Korean and Ainu cultures. The paper discusses target language programs, citing as an example Chicago's (Illinois) Mount Prospect District 59 English as a Second Language Program. It also discusses higher education as a multicultural map. The paper considers the problems that multicultural education confronts today and the future of multicultural education, contending that in the climate of internationalization and globalization, multicultural education is important for Japan and the United States. (Contains 4 figures, 10 tables, 56 notes, and 21 references.) (Author/BT)

This booklet provides concise information about the schools, colleges and universities, and other educational programs and activities of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP). During the 2001-02 school year, OIEP directly served 48,166 K-12 students in 185 schools operated by the BIA or by tribes with BIA funding and indirectly served over 400,000 students through various educational programs. The 26 BIA-funded tribally controlled colleges and the 2 BIA-operated postsecondary institutions enrolled approximately 31,600 students. The Family and Child Education (FACE) program, which serves Indian families with children aged 0-3, expanded from 22 to 32 schools. There are approximately 2,115 educational facilities maintained by the BIA and employing approximately 4,800 teachers, administrators, and other personnel. This booklet provides an overview of OIEP, its mission, U.S. government-tribal relations, and BIA students and schools. A report card presents 2001 educational indicators for BIA schools. Contact information is provided for education line officers, Center for School Improvement education specialists, OIEP School Reform field education specialists, special education coordinators, and tribally controlled colleges. The booklet describes the American Indian Education Foundation, other programs supportive of Indian education, sections of federal legislation relevant to BIA schools, BIA responsibilities, major special education activities of the BIA, federal programs serving eligible Indian students, higher education scholarships and grants for Indian students, and BIA branches and programs. (SV)

In February 1999, the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission initiated the National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education, which investigated the provision of education for children in rural and remote Australia. The inquiry took evidence at formal public hearings in every state and territory and at less formal meetings with parents, students, educators, and community members in rural and remote areas of every state and the Northern Territory. The inquiry received 287 written and e-mailed submissions. The inquiry also commissioned a survey from Melbourne University to which 3,128 individuals responded. This report presents the inquiry findings related to rural education outcomes, responsibility for education, the policy context, and the human rights context. It offers 73 recommendations organized by five necessary features of school education: availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and adaptability. The report makes the adoption of these five features by all education policy makers and providers in Australia its first recommendation. A separate chapter describes necessary policy parameters for the implementation of all inquiry recommendations, including the need for cross-sectoral and interagency collaborations, a new funding framework for rural and remote education, and other strategies. Appendices contain 26 references, extracts from international treaties, and lists of hearings and submitters. (TD)

One possible explanation for Australia's technical and further education's (TAFE's) defensiveness in its relationship with higher education is its lack of a secure definition since its foundation by the Kangan committee. Perhaps vocational education could found its identity on another characteristic. Neither an analysis of various definitions of vocational education nor an examination of the arrangements in some states in the United States and Canadian provinces provides an entirely satisfactory role for Australia's vocational education and training institutes. Vocational education has been defined as a training of the hand rather than an education of the mind; in contrast to general and liberal education; as practical, applied education; and by educational and occupational levels. Most comparable North American institutions offer the first two years of the four-year baccalaureate awarded by universities. There has been some interest in establishing institutions with a similar role in Australia, but the benefits from such a development do not seem great enough to compensate for the extensive restructuring of the existing sectors that would be required. The most similar bodies to Australia's TAFE institutes are Ontario's colleges of applied arts and technology. They provide a useful comparison for Australian vocational education, but they are unusual in North America and a limited example for TAFE's identity. (Contains 46 references.) (YLB)

Many published histories of education and early childhood care omit African Americans' contributions. Many African American women chose careers in teaching and social work after the Civil War. Their leadership throughout the 20th century significantly impacted early care and education. Since its inception in 1868, Virginia's Hampton Institute played a crucial role in training African American women. Its journal, the "Southern Workman" (1881-1929), provides information on the historical contributions of African American educators. The journal's goal was to promote understanding and respect between the races, chronicling achievements of its programs and graduates. Many articles trace the development of early care and education programs and the field's emergence as a professional career path for African American women. These writings reveal that African American educators were important in working for desegregation and equal education for all Virginia children. This paper describes the rise of industrial education; industrial education and Hampton Institute's kindergarten curriculum; public kindergarten for African Americans; private early care and education for African Americans; Hampton Institute's child development laboratory school; the emergence of standards for early care and education in Virginia; and establishment of the Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education (an integrated advocacy group). (Contains 40 references.) (SM)

Contributions to this volume show the current state of self-reflection among researchers in higher education, including the conditions they face and the ways in which they research and communicate their findings. The chapters are: (1) "The Relationships between Higher Education Research and Higher Education Policy and Practice: The Researchers' Perspective" (Ulrich Teichler); (2) "Research, Policy and Practice: Assessing Their Actual and Potential Linkages" (Elaine El-Khawas); (3) "Higher Education Research, Policy and Practice: Context, Conflicts and the New Horizon" (Motohisa Kaneko); (4) "Higher Education Research: The Hourglass Structure and Its Implications" (Peter A. M. Maasen); (5) "Higher Education Research and Policy in Canada" (Glen A. Jones); (6) "Higher Education Policy Research in Australia" (Martin Hayden); (7) "Recent Developments of Higher Education Research and Higher Education Policy in Japan" (Akira Arimoto); (8) "Latin America: Higher Education Research in a Transformation Context" (Carmen Garcia Guadilla); and (9) "Higher Education Research in the Light of a Dialogue between Policy-Makers and Practitioners" (Peter Scott). Three annexes contain "Higher Education and the World Bank: From Policy to Practice" by Jamil Salmi, "Social Science Research in Academia and Policy-Making: The Case of Chile" by Raul Urzua, and a bibliography. (Contains 304 references.) (SLD)

A Web-based survey examined student rankings of teacher-student and student-technology interactions in distance education courses. Respondents were 61 students taking undergraduate or graduate distance education courses in special education at a Carnegie Research I university. Five instructors taught these courses. Three were full-time faculty members who had used an interactive teleconferencing system before, but two were new to the Internet-delivered interactive teleconferencing system used for these courses. Two instructors who co-taught a course were first-time instructors in a higher education setting, were adjunct faculty, and were new to distance education. Concerning how effectively instructors used the technology delivery system, the instructor with the most experience received the highest student ratings, followed by the two other instructors with prior distance education experience. The two instructors with the least amount of distance education experience received the lowest ratings. This pattern was repeated on other questions concerning teacher-student interactions. A majority of students found the course Web site useful, but again the instructor with the most distance education experience received the highest ratings. Most students strongly agreed that the course Web site was easy to use. However, the class having the students with the least experience in distance education received lower rankings on this question. (TD)