Education & Pedagogy

The major issues currently faced by policy makers in education at the state level are identified and discussed in this report. The information included is drawn from questionnaire and interview responses provided by state-level coordinators of the State Education Policy Seminars (SEPS) (sponsored by the Education Commission of the States and the Institute for Educational Leadership, as well as by SEPS participants) and from written reports, journal articles, and other materials surveying contemporary state education issues. The first part of the report considers the state's changing role in formulating and administering public policy, the wide variation among the 50 states in issues affecting education, and the impact of the current economic and social situation on attitudes toward education. Part 2 reports on the major issues identified by the SEPS coordinators in the following areas: tax and spending limitations, finance reform, urban education, education for the handicapped, school desegregation, competency testing, private education, collective bargaining, and the finance and governance of higher education. Part 3 explores the governmental and political processes educators must understand before attempting to resolve these issues. The final section suggests issues likely to arise in the near future and factors that will affect their resolution. (Author/PGD)

Based on data available through June 30, 1978, this report covers all programs administered by the Office of Education (OE). Introductory sections describe OE's evaluation strategies (involving impact and process studies, technical assistance, and identification of effective programs); present highlights from OE evaluation studies in fiscal year 1978; and discuss the uses of evaluation activities, including their effects on budget, program, and legislative decisions. Federal programs' impact on access to quality education is reviewed in eight areas, including basic skills, improving educational practices, and reducing financial barriers. Program-by-program descriptions look at each program's funding history, mandating legislation, goals and objectives, operations, scope, effectiveness, progress, and evaluation studies. OE's 15 elementary and secondary programs include such areas as disadvantaged and bilingual education, educational innovation, and equalization. Thirty postsecondary education programs range from student financial aid to legal training. For the handicapped, 13 programs extend from preschool grants to regional resource services. Career, occupational, and adult education includes 10 programs. The 22 developmental programs go from teacher training to educational media. Two appendices list OE evaluation contracts as of January 1979 and discuss implementation of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. (RW)

Nine research studies are reviewed on specific aspects of teaching outdoor education. Study results suggest instruments useful in establishing school district norms for determining an environmental education program (Horn, 1977); use of the outdoors as an effective educational tool (Peck, 1975); better preservice elementary education courses emphasizing outdoor education methods and a need for inservice programs offered by outdoor education specialists (Mirka, 1973); and preparation of preservice teachers should include use of outdoor education, connection between outdoors and school curriculum, and use of the outdoors as a laboratory (Hammerman and Hammerman, 1973). Other findings recommend: an inservice program in environmental science to increase understanding of scientific principles and attitudes of elementary teachers (Hulleman, 1972); all second year preservice elementary teachers be given an interdisciplinary program (Kalla, 1972); and the outdoors be used as a classroom and laboratory when possible and appropriate (Chrouser, 1970). Another study discusses the Outdoor Education Inventory, developed by Craig Chase in 1969, as an effective tool for evaluating inservice outdoor education programs. Finally, a survey of 50 colleges and universities in the western United States, conducted in 1967 by Raymond Rhead, revealed a lack of research in teacher preparation in outdoor education and most materials available in outdoor education had been published from 1962 to 1967. (ERB)

Recent research leaves unsettled the role of education in the recent fall of productivity growth. Part of this dilemma is due to two major methodological problems in the estimation of education's contribution to productivity growth: the methods for deriving weights for returns to education, and the interaction among education and other factors influencing the quality of labor. To reduce these problems, researchers must derive alternative methods for growth-accounting research. New policies to increase productivity should be examined within a context that accords high priority to two policy concerns: equity and the level of government expenditure. Other areas to be examined include the disaggregation of returns to education, links between education and work, federal spending on education, education and taxes, and the effectiveness of schooling. The National Institute of Education can play one of several roles in resolving these methodological issues. For example, it could focus on a reexamination of the role of education in growth accounting, or it could examine a large number of the research issues relevant to the role of education in productivity growth, including the policy issues mentioned above. (This analysis is one in a series on the relationship between productivity and education.) (MN)

In this keynote address, the Assistant Secretary for Vocational and Adult Education described federal efforts to foster partnerships in support of rural education. According to the 1980 Census, the country's rural non-farm population grew 11.1% between 1970 and 1980 but rural communities lagged behind the rest of the country in educational achievement and economic well-being. Because rural areas have fewer resources with which to buy more expensive services, educational partnerships between the private and public sectors are essential to quality rural education. The proceedings of the National Partnerships in Education Program, held October 13, 1983, outlined how such partnerships can work, noting that they can help schools get assistance with special resource needs; supplement classroom learning; understand the business world, its resources, its requirements, and its concerns; and gain expertise in technical and management areas. The private sector and community organizations can also provide rural schools with tutoring, apprenticeships, speakers, equipment, scholarships, and motivation. The Department of Education intends to further partnerships in rural education through its Intra-Agency Committee on Rural Education and through the Rural Education Subcommittee of the Federal Interagency Committee on Education. The Department has issued a national rural education policy statement, prepared annual comprehensive rural education reports, reviewed legislation and regulations for rural education equity, and planned a conference on rural education partnerships for June 1984. (SB)

This report describes a study visit to Czechoslovakia by the Director of Liaison and Training Services at the College of Librarianship, Wales, in order to investigate Czech training and education of library staff at all levels, including library assistants. It is noted that visit objectives included the investigation of practical training integrated into formal educational programs; inservice training in libraries; continuing library education; and part-time courses, correspondence courses, and other methods of distance education. Background information is provided on the educational system, library services, and education for librarianship in Czechoslovakia. Reports are then presented on discussions held in: (1) library education departments at Charles University in Prague and Comenius University in Bratislava; (2) vocational secondary schools for librarians in Prague and Bratislava; (3) centers for research and methodology in librarianship at the Czech State Library, Matica Slovenska (the Slovak Cultural Center), and the Czech Academy of Sciences Central Library-Center for Scientific Information; and (4) the Institute for Continuing Education at the Center for Scientific, Technical, and Economic Information (UVTEI). Several course lists and course descriptions are provided as well as a series of conclusions from the visit. Appendices include the visit time schedule, a list of persons interviewed, and a list of publications received. (ESR)

Vocational education serves secondary and postsecondary students, females and minority groups, special populations, and the disadvantaged. To administer vocational education, states use four basic governance structures. Keeping vocational curriculum current with the requirements of work is a continuing process. An effective program is a mix of in-school and on-the-job training and involves employers, labor, and other community leaders. Besides instruction, vocational education offers a variety of ancillary services. It plays a significant role in some states' economic development efforts and is involved with other providers of human resource development services. An infrastructure has evolved to support vocational education. Federal investment is needed to enable vocational education to contribute to the solution of national concerns. The purpose of vocational education legislation should be to enable the Federal Government to cooperate with states in improving quality employment-related education and training that provides individuals with skills that will contribute to economic stability and enhance the economy. The American Vocational Association believes the new legislation should focus on eight major themes: depressed communities, keeping programs current, national concerns, equity, state and national improvement, bridges between vocational education and other human service systems, mismatch between appropriations and expectations, and consumer and homemaking education. (YLB)

Current negative attitudes about the future of schools of education can be reversed if teacher educators reorganize, regroup, and rethink their position and change what they have historically been doing. The School of Education faculty at Radford University (Virginia) has undergone such a process and has: (1) assumed leadership in initiating partnerships and links with inservice colleagues; (2) initiated changes in the delivery mode of inservice education; (3) developed a mission/philosophy which reflects the School of Education's goals; and (4) implemented major curriculum changes that more appropriately address the educational needs of clients. Eight specific steps have been taken to further the goals of the School of Education: (1) raising admission standards; (2) development of a competency based curriculum; (3) implementation of a four-year field oriented program; (4) development of exit criteria for teacher education graduates; (5) development of a governance structure that is consistent with National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and Virginia State Department of Education standards; (6) establishment of new linkages and collaborative partnerships with the public schools; (7) establishment of a partnership with a selected high school; and (8) formation of a partnership with the National Education Association and the Virginia Education Association to develop a four-year assessment of its preservice programs. (CJB)

This publication points to a need for a renewal of primary education which would provide universal schooling in countries where it does not presently exist. Science and technology education are essential to this renewal since they make the school more relevant to the working world, local realities, and future opportunities. This book attempts to show how primary education systems could become more responsive to the challenges of the modern world. The publication contains the following chapters: (1) "The Science-Technology-Education Partnership" (which consists of an overview and outline of the study); (2) "Contexts of Science and Technology Education in the Primary School" (providing the concept and performance of primary education); (3) "Goals and Objectives or Primary Education"; (4) "Structure and Content of Primary School Curricula"; (5) "The Delivery System in Primary School" (provides information on teaching methods, the educational organization, pupil achievement, teacher training, and consequences of science and technology education); (6) "Renewal of Science and Technology Education" (covering the means, problems, and effects of the renewal); and (7) "Reflections and Questions for Deliberation" (containing the context, dilemmas, curricula structure, and delivery system) of science and technology education in the primary school. (RT)

Major books and articles written on higher education research in China are included in a partially annotated bibliography containing approximately 500 items. The selected books are categorized into 10 subject areas (research methods, theories and policies, reforms in higher education, faculty, teaching methods, moral education for college students, psychology of students, administration and management, admission and job assignment, and history of higher education). The articles have two additional categories, teacher education and scientific research. The selection of literature dates back to 1978, and is organized in three chapters. Chapter 1 sets forth a brief review of research on higher education in recent China (research organizations for higher education, publications on higher education, the idea guiding researchers in education science, subjects of research, cultivation of researchers for higher education, and problems concerning research on higher education). Chapter 2 is a selected and annotated bibliography of major books published in the field since 1978 with the title and a brief summary of the content presented in Chinese and English. Chapter 3 lists selected articles published in academic journals and newspapers. For each entry, a bibliographical description is given in English and then in Chinese. An appendix provides a list of periodicals quoted in the bibliography. (SM)

A discussion of international education in the 21st century begins with the premise that international education is an extension of domestic education adapted to emerging global interdependence. Prevailing public and academic debates on the issue are reviewed, focusing on the relationship between education and training. A broad picture of the functions of international education in the coming century is drawn, and some factors affecting the effectiveness and efficiency of international education are discussed. Aspects of the history and current state of international education are examined, and some programs are described. It is concluded that: (1) the desired universality of international education is truer in principle than in practice; (2) a variety of world images should be incorporated into international education; (3) greater articulation of goals and purposes is needed; (4) the relationship of education and training should be kept in perspective; (5) goals and objectives should be clearly distinguished according to the institution's mission; (6) history should be treated not as a record of events but as a perspective; (7) international education is an institutional commitment; (8) planning will be most efficient if undertaken in one of the emerging orientations: ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric, or geocentric; and (9) internationalization plans should be flexible, economical, and timely. A 100-item bibliography is included. (MSE)

In its modern sense, adult education in Japan began after the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Until 1945, adult education functioned as an agent to indoctrinate the nationalistic and military ideology. Since World War II, Japan has adopted the democratic social system and has become a capitalist society like the West. In Japan, social education is the term used in place of adult education. Social education is not equivalent to adult education, but it means adult and continuing education, youth service, community development, and recreational and physical activities. It does not usually include vocational and technical education and has not intended to build any human resources development into its activities. Social education is individualistic in terms of aim and purpose, nonpolitical and neutral in terms of social stance, and based on supply-and-demand principles in terms of provision. Adult education in Japan is engaged in serving consumers who want to look for private entertainment and happiness without consideration for economic, social, and international crises. Currently, the Japanese government is preparing for a new system of education, the so-called system of the "learning society." A new concept of adult education should be designed that contributes to the building of new personalities for a post-industrial society and that focuses on helping people to awaken through learning about the real world. (YLB)

The following papers were presented at this international conference: (1) "Key-Note Report by the Research Institute for Higher Education" (Kazuyuki Kitamura); (2) "Major Dimensions in the Relations between the State and Higher Education" (Neil J. Smelser); (3) "The Role of Government in Japanese Higher Education" (Motohisa Kaneko); (4) "The Role of Government in the Philippine Higher Education System" (Nilo L. Rosas); (5) "The Role of Government in Higher Education--Country Report: Korea" (Bom Mo Chung); (6) "Higher Education: A Proposal for Positive Interventions by the Thai Government" (Apichai Puntasen); (7) "The Role of Government in Indonesian Higher Education--A Search for Equity and Good Quality in Higher Education" (Sukadji Ranuwihardjo); (8) "The Role of the Government in Higher Education in Malaysia" (Isahak Haron); (9) "The Role of Government in Higher Education in Australia" (David Beswick); and (10) "The Structure and Governance of Chinese Higher Education" (Wang Yongquan). The seminar program, a list of participants, and a discussion of the seminar's background and objectives are provided. References are given at the conclusion of each paper. (KM)

An agenda for the future of higher education that is especially appropriate for state- and institutional-level action is presented. One initiative that is important to the future of the country that can also be promoted at the federal level is improvement of the research capacity of U.S. universities. The following views are presented: the most important actions in American higher education are going to come from the states; states that have not already done so should take a careful look at their funding formulas for higher education; the quality of governance of higher education is deteriorating; teacher education needs to be vastly improved; the quality of higher education generally needs more attention; raising the rate of high school graduation should be a number one priority; attention should be directed to advancing education and opportunities for women and minorities, particularly minorities; liberal education is necessary to students, as individuals who are being prepared to live their lives in totality and not just to make a living; and private liberal arts colleges deserve to be preserved. Projections concerning research universities in the Southern Regional Education Board region are included. The wisdom of funding formulas that are based on enrollment is also questioned. (SW)

The degree of professionalization of the field of higher education was investigated. To determine if higher education possesses unique knowledge and skills, a curriculum analysis was undertaken at Indiana University, Columbia University's Teachers College, and the University of Michigan. Using student transcripts, program handbooks, and university catalogs, attention was focused on four concerns: locus of learning (campus-based or experiential), curriculum content (breadth versus depth), program design (faculty, contractal, or student), and program flexibility (required, distribution, or elective). The results confirm the existence of a core of courses that define the unique skills and knowledge of higher education. A comparison of higher education curricular characteristics to those of other occupations was also undertaken. The findings describe higher education as being more professionalized in terms of curriculum characteristics than the emerging professions of business and library science but less so than law and medicine. The field of higher education appears to have become more professionalized in terms of the maturity of its curriculum vis-a-vis other professions. Information is included on the 10 most frequently taken courses in higher education graduate programs at the three sample universities. Transcript and catalog/student handbook information forms are included. (SW)