Education & Pedagogy

As the first year of the Sixteenth National People's Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as well as the first year for the new government, the year 2003 witnessed new events and new expectations in Chinese society. The universalization of compulsory education and the elimination of adult illiteracy made new advancements. Secondary education and higher education continued to develop rapidly. In this article, the author describes some of the significant events in the Chinese education community during the year 2003. For one, the year would be remembered as "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Education Year" because society as a whole and the education community united as one in order to weather the SARS crisis. The year 2003 can also be called "Rural Education Year" as for the first time since the foundation of New China, the State Council held a meeting for rural education to make a serious commitment and adopted concrete measures to intensify its efforts to universalize compulsory education in rural areas. [Translated by Jennifer Eagleton.] (Contains 1 table and 40 notes.)

The article examines the importance of effective secondary education for all children as Australian society embraces globalization. In a global era, where societal development will rely on the knowledge and skills of the workforce, an effective education will become even more important for socio-economic engagement and equality. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are the most vulnerable to globalization as they are less likely to achieve academically or go on to benefit from the restructured neo-liberal economy. Education policy will need to continue to support the right of each individual to be prepared for life in general, and employment in particular. Opportunities for democratic pedagogy, curriculum and education policy to respond to risk are outlined and critiqued in relation to the ongoing need for justice in education systems. If adequate funding is not provided for secondary education and directed to ensure an effective education is available for all students, obtaining a quality education will increasingly shift from a right to a privilege in Australian society. (Contains 1 table.)

This article presents a roundtable held by the editorial board of "Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia"; the sector of the sociology of education of the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences; and the committee for research on the sociology of education, Russian Society of Sociologists. The meeting was conducted by Doctor of Sociological Sciences D. L. Konstantinovskii, deputy director of the Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences. Participating were scientists, instructors in higher education, schoolteachers, and personnel of bodies of administration of the sphere of education. The participants talk about how issues of equality, differentiation, and mobility are linked to education on account of the functions that education performs. The participants also address the problems concerning the current educational trends in Russia. These problems include: (1) Changes in the functions of education under the new realities of society, for example, its strengthened differentiation; (2) The modernization of education and the issue of people's opportunities to obtain one; and (3) The interaction between education and the market. The participants also talk about the benefits brought by market conditions to instructors in the general education and in higher education in the light of so many young people currently going to school.

This paper examines the current state and a challenge faced by teachers and teacher education in Vietnam, and analyzes international aid projects providing support to teacher education there. It is necessary to grasp changes in teacher education in Vietnam in the context of the current comprehensive reform of education, which has been greatly influenced by world trends. In Vietnam today, improving the quality of basic education has been given a high priority, in line with the global movement for Education for All (EFA). The main task for improving the quality of education in Vietnam is the effective implementation of the new curriculum adopted in 2002. Teacher education is the key to completing this task. It is important for teachers to learn new methods of instruction, and teacher education needs to be strengthened to allow them to acquire these new methods. A great deal of international assistance is provided for the promotion of this type of teacher education. Projects in this area are provided by the World Bank, Belgium, and Japan. This paper analyzes these projects, and examines the challenges facing international assistance for teacher education. (Contains 5 tables.)

In examining their elementary teacher education program at James Madison University, from their mission to the curriculum and program delivery, the authors used the opportunity to focus explicitly on peace education. The mission and content of teacher education programs are determined largely by the faculty of the institutions of higher education that house them, and by teacher licensing regulations within the given state. Therefore, although committed to making an impact with peace education as an area of focus in their courses, the authors were not free to add peace education as an additional and required course within the program. This article focuses on three courses in which peace education could be more consciously and systematically integrated. These courses (Creativity and the Arts in Early Childhood; Social Studies Methods; and Children's Literature) were taught by three different faculty members across one semester. Through critical and collaborative examinations of their work, student artifacts, and their own philosophical reflections, the authors aspired to expand their effectiveness as peace educators and, in turn, guide their students in the ways of peace.

Today, there are critics of teacher education who believe that the system itself is archaic. These critics say that "schools of education" are by their very nature incapable of educating teachers. They say there is nothing worth preserving in them. In this paper, the author proposes that teacher education should engender a set of experiences that extends beyond subject areas and methods; a model for critical education that reaps from their personal narratives (historical/place-based) to understand the contradictions in the context of schooling; and promote social change within the educational system and the school culture itself. This implies addressing the social and historical contexts of education. This paper is divided into three parts that address the negative impact of research on teacher education and how teacher educators need to reinvent themselves by examining their past. First, the author discusses and critiques educational research; second, he examines possibilities and hopes for teacher education reform; and third, he provides suggestions to create a "public space" for teacher education programs. (Contains 2 figures.)

If I lose my key in Canada, for instance, and I search for it in the United Kingdom, how long will I take to find it? This paper argues that problems in education are caused by non-professional teachers who are employed when trained teachers move in search of promotion friendly activities or financially rewarding duties. This shift of focus means that policy makers in education act without adequate professional guidance. The problems in education, therefore, result from demands made on mainstream education based on misconceptions about what education can offer. It is argued that the implementation of e-learning in education faces the risk of developing on the basis of unproven theories. This scenario increasingly sees the replacement of formal education activities in institutions of learning with non-formal and informal education practices. Given that the contents and influences of non-formal and informal education are not under the control of the teacher, the experiences that learners bring to education settings are increasingly difficult to manage. The paper proposes that by integrating e-learning in teacher education and rewarding "good teaching", there is a potential for a successful e-learning revolution in education.

This paper addresses the national quantity demand, supply, and shortage of special education teachers (SETs) in comparison to general education teachers (GETs). The main data source was the 1999-00 Schools and Staffing Survey. Results indicated that the total demand for SETs increased 38% from 240,000 in 1987-88 to 330,000 in 1999-00, a rate of growth greater than the 26%increase observed for GETs. For entering teachers, the reserve pool was the predominant source of supply of both SETs and GETs. However, only 46% of first-time SETs completed extensive teacher preparation with degree majors in their primary areas of teaching, whereas the comparable figure for GETs was 82%. As an indication of the inadequate supply of extensively prepared teachers in special education, about 28% of first-time teachers hired in special education positions had completed teacher preparation in general education. Finally, a modest decline in the supply of degree graduates in special education has occurred since 1997-98 in spite of the increasing quantity demand for entering SETs. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables, and 3 footnotes.)

With reference to Karl Marx's writings on education, this article outlines the education of the future as anti-capitalist education. In starting out from a conception of communism as the "real movement which abolishes the present state of things" (Marx), it is argued that the anti-capitalist education of the future consists of three moments: critique, addressing human needs and realms of freedom. It is also argued that all three moments are essential for an anti-capitalist education of the future, but the emphasis on particular moments "changes" (a movement from moment one to three) as capitalist society and education are left behind through social transformation. In the light of this framework, Marx's views on the relation between labour and education, and his views on education run by the state, are critically examined. In the light of the preceding analysis, the article ends with a consideration of two trends that are gaining strength in contemporary education in England: the social production of labour-power and the business takeover of education. Political responses to these are briefly explored. (Contains 7 notes.)

This essay provides an overview of key contemporary issues researched by scholars of Language Issues in Comparative and International Education. The authors present this scholarship around three main themes: L1-based multilingual education; language revitalization and education; and the power dynamics between dominant and non-dominant languages in educational settings. Research in all three themes challenges the view of monolingualism as the norm and invites the view that all languages are resources. These perspectives are relevant to the goals of educational development, particularly to equitable access to quality schooling. Recent research examines some stakeholders' resistance to supporting and sustaining local languages and cultural practices. While language-in-education policy change may be slow, there are promising directions in research on how educators and communities exercise agency in transforming educational institutions to support plurilingualism and intercultural understandings. Scholars highlight the ideological, pedagogical, and policy-level supports needed for sustainable development of multiple languages, literacies and learning across contexts. [For the complete volume, "Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2020. International Perspectives on Education and Society. Volume 40," see ED674891.]

The California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS)--adopted in 2013--have the potential to improve scientific literacy and strengthen the global competitiveness of California's workforce. However, longstanding underinvestment in science education and the unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19 have heightened challenges faced by California's districts, schools, and students. In this report, the authors use data from multiple sources to understand the impact of COVID-19 on science education when schools were mainly virtual. The authors found that: (COVID-19 derailed science education in most; (2) Support for science education was limited; (3) County offices of education received fewer requests for science-related assistance; (4) Most district recovery plans do not prioritize science education; and (5) California can take steps to support equitable investments in science education. [For "The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education. Policy Brief," see ED623555. For "The Impact of COVID-19 on Science Education. Technical Appendices," see ED623557.]

Since the efforts to be made in education equity follow the entire student pathway, this guide seeks to advance a public dialogue about and action toward racial justice across the state's public schools, colleges, and universities. In supporting dialogue and action, this guide also seeks to model it. The model used is borrowed from the California Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP), which convenes a group of education leaders annually to meet and network several times during the year. These professionals work in K-12 schools, higher education, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. They include teachers, faculty, staff, administrators, researchers, and policy specialists. They come together from across their roles in education to: (1) identify and discuss broad challenges and opportunities facing education in California; (2) examine student data and research that can inform these deliberations; (3) expand their knowledge of state, system, and institutional policy across K-12 and higher education; and (4) diversify their statewide networks to take advantage of opportunities for educational advancement in California. [Foreword written by Christopher J. Nellum. This report was written for the California Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).]

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an orientation to instructional design that aims to diversify pedagogy for the purpose of responding to inherently diverse neurological processes that comprise learning (Rose & Meyer, 2002). In the Higher Education Opportunity Act, UDL is recommended as means to provide appropriate accommodations toward high achievement expectations for "all students, including students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient" (HEOA, 2008). UDL is endorsed by other U.S. educational policies, including the Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA), and is increasingly recommended for K-12 education. In this paper I employ a perspective informed by Disability Studies to review the conceptual and empirical literature related to UDL in K12 education. I describe the theory, research, conceptual, and pedagogical development of UDL and provide commentary on whether UDL seems a useful direction for inclusive education. I offer suggestions for further inquiry that may be undertaken in Disability Studies in Education and positivist special education.

These proceedings contain papers of the 3rd International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education (BalticSTE2019) held in Šiauliai, Lithuania, June 17-19, 2019. This symposium was organized by the Scientific Methodical Center "Scientia Educologica" in cooperation with the Institute of Education, Šiauliai University. The proceedings are comprised of forty-five short papers that address the theme of current challenges and possible solutions in science and technology education. Keynote speakers include: Andris Broks, Todar Lakhvich, Solange W. Locatelli, Malgorzata Nodzynska, Dusica Rodic, and Tiia Rüütmann. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

America inherited most of the content, form, and spirit of the education of its schools from Europe; but from Colonial times until now there has been an ever-increasing tendency to adapt these more closely to the needs of life in America and to the American spirit of service. This tendency has been given unusual impetus by the exigencies of war through which the United States has just passed and of readjustment through which its citizens are now passing. The present and the immediate future therefore seem to offer an opportunity,which should not be neglected, to unify the life and work and education of America more completely and more vitally than has ever before been possible. The results of a study of the American spirit in education, embodied in this bulletin, covers the following topics: (1) Benjamin Franklin, the prophet of American education; (2) The apprentice days; (3) Journeyman's estate; (4) Industrial reorganization; (5) The foundation of technical education; (6) The development of technical education; and (7) The future of American education. [Best copy available has been provided.]