Education & Pedagogy

This proposal begins with a discussion of technologies used by distance education programs to deliver instruction, including the use of video by the Open Education Faculty (OEF) at Anadolu University in Turkey. The first of five chapters discusses modes of communication that can be used in distance education together with their functions. Specific media described include written materials, educational television and radio, face-to-face communications, and videotape education. The second chapter describes the distance education situation in Turkey, provides a short history of Anadolu University, and explores the use of various modes of communication by the OEF, i.e., books, television and radio broadcasts, local face-to-face communication through Student Information Bureaus (LSIB) and the Academic Advising Teaching Service (AATC), and the "Anadolu Newspaper" for distance education students. Chapter 3 is devoted to a discussion of video and distance education, the facilities video would bring to the OEF, how a video education center operates, the organization of the OEF Student Information Bureau's Video Education Libraries, and the coordination unit of the Video Education Center. The fourth chapter briefly describes four OEF units--Academic Advising Centers, the Radio Club, the Anadolu Newspaper, and the Anadolu University Data Processing Center--that would cooperate with the Video Education Center, and outlines preparations needed before beginning to offer distance education services via video. Chapter 5 details a proposed pilot project that would conduct a formative evaluation of the video education services prepared by the Video Education Centers (VEC). (7 references in English, 30 in Turkish) (DB)

The Institute for the Study of Educational Systems has from its inception set itself the goal of analyzing all aspects of the Israeli education system in the 1980s as the basis for follow-up studies on subjects of concern to the system's decision makers. This research report is intended to complete the analysis of the trends in the education budgets of the 1980s carried out in a previous study. That report examined how the allocation of resources to education reflects the policy of the government and local authorities and expresses national and local priorities and the various manifestations of the decline in the level of education services. When combined with that report, this monograph, which monitors the changes in education policy over the last decade and analyzes the motivations behind the pronouncements and decisions of the system's policymakers, unfolds a comprehensive picture of education in Israel, its problems, structure, sectors, and trends. Divided into five chapters, chapter 1 discusses efficiency as an economic value versus equality as a social value, equality in education, educational equality versus educational elitism, and educational choice as a basis for education policy. Chapter 2 describes the landmarks of education policy in Israel, the strategies of formal equality, differential resources, and reform and integration in education. Chapter 3 focuses on the conflicting aims of the previous decade, describing state religious education, technological education, education reform, and Arab education. Chapter 4 describes what actually took place in the decade. Chapter 5 discusses trends for the future. (DK)

One of a series of studies on the development of technical and vocational education in the member states of UNESCO, this report profiles the educational system in India. The seven parts of the document provide information about the following: geography and education, structure of the educational system, national educational policy, management and financing of the technical education system, the vocational education and training system, and challenges and future perspectives. Some of the highlights are as follows: (1) India has a long tradition of education, both formal and informal; (2) the modern education system was started around 1854 with the implementation of Macaulay's recommendations and was based on British colonial interests--but still was opened up to the masses; (2) the literacy rate is about 52 percent, with about 64 percent of males and 39 percent of females being literate; (3) the literacy rate varies considerably from state to state; (4) the educational system has 5 years of primary education, 5 years of secondary education, and 2 years of general or vocational education (grades 11-12); (5) university education and professional education is mostly privately offered; (6) there has been great growth in polytechnic education, requiring either 10 or 12 years of previous schooling; (7) most of the polytechnics offer 3-year diploma courses in engineering, although some offer electronics, computer science, medical laboratory technology, and other skill; and (8) planned changed in the Indian economy will require the technical education system to become more flexible and efficient. (KC)

This document examines the diversity of family form and function throughout the world and argues that education, social network, and intelligent government policies can enhance families' capacities for long-term commitment to children and to community renewal. Chapter 1 provides an overview of families throughout the world, survival and industrial models of functioning, and their need, in the face of difficulties, for education and support in rearing their children. Chapter 2 describes problems of education in the developing and developed worlds and the promise that a new vision of basic education would make education more relevant to people's concerns and provide lifelong opportunities to learn basic skills and competencies, including family education. Formal education is advocated to improve family well-being through education of girls and the promotion of universal ideas favorable toward children and women. Chapter 3 defines family education as it is applied in the developing and developed worlds and includes brief descriptions of three programs. Contextual factors influencing family well-being and the potential impact of family education are delineated. Arguments for government investment in family education are presented, including social demand, economic returns, legal and equity concerns, and educational efficiency and social development. Chapter 4 provides a rationale for planning family education, describes a nested family systems model to clarify levels of intervention, and discusses potential delivery mechanisms, personnel, and training. The document concludes with recommendations for developing family education programs. (Contains 45 references, 1 table, and 2 figures). (KDFB)

This conference provided a forum for presenting research findings to educators and other audiences interested in marketing education. The following papers were presented: "Application and Utilization of the Marketing Education Baccalaureate Degree in the Public School--Training and Development Arenas" (Wyant, Prey); "The Impact of Alternative Scheduling on Marketing Education Programs" (Lucas, Greaven, Miles); "Virginia Secondary School Counselors' Perceptions of Virginia's Marketing Education Programs" (Goins); "Academic Achievement of 1993 Vocational Graduates in Florida" (Thompson); "A Survey of Computer Usage by High School Marketing Education Teachers in South Carolina" (Clodfelter); "Triangulation: Expanding the Definition in Research" (Heath-Camp, Camp); "Marketing Education Philosophy and Objectives 1979 to 1989: A Decade of Research Influence" (Littman); "Motorcoach Tourists: A Market Profile" (Worms, Worms, Cremeans); "A Study of the Frequency and Criticality of Job Tasks and Competencies Performed in Fashion Retailing" (Woloszyk); "The Relationship of Entrepreneurship/Self-Employment to Career Guidance and Career Education in Kansas Schools, 1993" (Hoffman, Christy); "Enhancing Education through Cooperative Learning" (Cooper, Cornick, Malone); "Implications of the Global Economy for International Marketing Education" (O'Brien, Ning); "College Recruitment Survey for Marketing Education" (Searle); "Marketing Education--The Future" (Norwood). Many papers contain bibliographies. (MN)

This report presents the recommendations of a task force appointed to examine ways to improve the coordination, effectiveness, and quality of education experiences for migrant children and their families. After tracing the history and background of the migrant education program, the report discusses the current conditions and future expectations of migrant education in concert with the six national education goals. The expectations for migrant education are: (1) migrant students should enter the first grade fully prepared to learn and schools should be fully prepared to help them; (2) between 1992 and 2002, the number of migrant students graduating from high school should increase annually by 10 percent; (3) migrant students should complete the elementary grades with critical skills in learning and complete the middle school grades and enter high school with specified abilities; (4) migrant students should be provided stimulating learning experiences in science, math, and technology education, and every state department of education should have successful strategies for providing such schooling; (5) migrant students should achieve an academic level for postsecondary education, employment, or both, upon graduating from high school, and out-of-school migrant youth and adults should be provided basic literacy education; (6) migrant students should attend schools that are free of drug and alcohol, where students are healthy and safe. The report discusses specific issues and opportunities for action related to meeting the six national education goals and migrant education expectations. (LP)

This study examines the education policies and education sector strategic plans of Somaliland. For this purpose, qualitative research was adopted and data were collected from reviewing education policies, education sector strategic plans, the joint review of the education sector analysis reports, and the curriculum frameworks of Somaliland. Besides, data were obtained through key informant interviews with purposely selected five higher officials of the Ministry of Education and through focus group discussions. Findings suggest that since its inception, the Somaliland education system was influenced by the Western curricula and the current education policy practice also has its own shortcomings to address the required access, equity, relevance, and quality of education. The lack of standardized policy frameworks, low funding, scarce resources, a limited number of qualified teachers and educational leaders, lack of unified curricula, absence of national language instructional policy, low enrolment, and high dropout rates of students, lack of favourable school environment, and shortage of required education data were among the major challenges deterring the education policy practices of Somaliland. Accordingly, establishing a well-designed education framework; developing unified national curricula and language policy; enhancing the quantity and quality of teachers and school leaders; increasing the education budget and educational resources, and improving the quality assurance and data systems in the country are some of the major practical implications.

Humanity has recently steered itself into an era of environmental instability where the earth is ravaged of its natural resources, where the biodiversity of living organisms is decreasing everyday, and where a rapidly growing human population has become a driving factor in an impending ecological crisis (Rockström et al., 2009; Steffen et al., 2011). Research is increasingly focusing on the roles and responsibilities of public schooling in addressing this crisis (Cassell & Nelson, 2012; Nelson, 2010; Orr, 2004; Stone & Barlow, 2005). However, explicit discussion on the role of music education is being largely neglected. What are the roles and responsibilities of music educators in addressing the impending ecological crisis? The purpose of this article is to discuss implications for the relationship of music education to education for sustainability within the framework of multicultural education. Bennett Reimer's (2003) synergistic philosophy of music education provides a conceptual lens through which to make this connection in a way that not only keeps to the integrity of music education as a discipline, but also addresses issues in multicultural education. In this article, the author first discusses how the field of multicultural environmental education is making space to address multicultural issues in education for sustainability. Next, he briefly summarizes Reimer's synergistic philosophy of music education--specifically his discussion of the feeling dimension of music--and demonstrate how the field of multicultural environmental education is increasingly recognizing the role of emotions in teaching and learning. Utilizing Reimer's philosophy, he concludes with a discussion of music education in education for sustainability through a multicultural perspective.

Melanesian education systems generally reflect the biases of their former Western colonial masters in that formal education is regarded as a means of preparing for employment in a formal market economy. This bias is evident in resource allocation, with formal education getting the lion's share of education spending. Focusing on the market economy marginalizes indigenous culture and renders invisible the totality of nonmarket production, including subsistence production and care of family members, done primarily by women. Even nonformal education is biased toward the market sector. Most courses are oriented toward vocational skill development or income generation. Male students outnumber females by two to one, reflecting the reality that nonmarket production is women's work and not the primary focus of nonformal education. But Melanesian policymakers and practitioners are working to forge a nonformal education system that better meets the needs of their rural majority. All the Melanesian states are developing qualifications frameworks that seek to integrate vocational training and rural skills development into a unitary structure, giving legitimacy to nonformal education. Recognition by Western development agencies of the importance of nonmarket production and the role women play in this work will facilitate recognition of nonformal education as integral to improving the quality of life as well as economic development. A review of nonformal education in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji discusses rural dependence on subsistence activities, school enrollment, literacy, vocational training, qualifications frameworks, women's programs, and the contributions of nongovernmental organizations. (Contains 46 references.) (TD)

Corsican is a Romance language that belongs to the Italo-Romance group. Corsican has been recognised since 1974 as a regional language in France by the Ministry of National Education. The language is officially recognised by the French Constitution as belonging to the heritage of France. Over the past 25 years, several laws, decrees, regulations, and policies have gradually strengthened the institutional support for the Corsican language. Today, French-Corsican bilingual education is most prevalent in pre-school (reaching 59% of all pre-school children in Corsica) and primary school (51%), dropping to 26% in lower secondary education (French: collège), after which bilingual education is virtually non-existent. Corsican is a mandatory subject in pre-school (3 hours per week) and primary school (typically 1.5-3 hours), while this is optional for students in secondary education and beyond (59% choose Corsican in lower secondary education and 13% in higher secondary education, with instruction for 3 hours per week). Every Regional Dossier begins with an introduction about the region in question, followed by six chapters that each deal with a specific level of the education system (e.g. primary education). Chapters 8 and 9 cover the main lines of research into education of the minority language under discussion, and the prospects for the minority language in general and in education in particular, respectively. Chapter 10 provides a summary of statistics. Lists of (legal) references and useful addresses regarding the minority language are given at the end of the dossier.

When properly employed, technology may enhance and support learning opportunities available to any student, at any location, and at any time. Determining which instructional and delivery methods are best for a specific individual, group of students, community, or circumstance demands that high-quality data be available to students, parents, instructors, administrators, and policymakers. Despite widespread interest in enhancing and expanding virtual teaching and learning, many state and local education agencies (SEAs and LEAs) do not yet have the ability to collect accurate, high-quality virtual education data. Some organizations have not yet specified the data they want to collect, while others have not developed reliable processes for gathering and managing data. The prevalence of virtual education, the increasing diversity in virtual education opportunities, and the rapid pace of technological change require new ways of thinking about how to modify data elements and systems to effectively identify, collect, and use virtual education data to inform and improve education. Education stakeholders such as policymakers and researchers need data on virtual education to understand its uses and its impact on teaching and learning. This document was developed to assist SEAs and (LEAs) as they: (1) consider the impact of virtual education on established data elements and methods of data collection; and (2) address the scope of changes, the rapid pace of new technology development, and the proliferation of resources in virtual education. Chapter 1 examines the role of virtual education in the changing world of elementary and secondary education, reviews commonly used virtual education terminology, discusses the importance of high-quality data for informing policy, identifies challenges to collecting virtual education data, and suggests methods for modifying traditional education data definitions. Chapter 2 identifies data elements commonly used in virtual education data systems. Chapter 3 provides SEAs and LEAs with: (1) a list of topic areas for consideration when collecting virtual education data or modifying existing data systems to accommodate virtual education data; (2) real world examples of the challenges involved in collecting quality virtual education data; (3) virtual education policy questions; (4) common practices for updating data systems and modifying data elements to encompass virtual education data; and (5) links to data elements in Common Education Data Standards (CEDS) that can be used to answer policy questions. Appendices include the following: (1) Examples of SEA and LEA Policies; (2) SEA Virtual and Distance Learning Websites; (3) Suggested Elements for Virtual Education Data Systems: and (4) References and Related Resources. [This publication was prepared with the assistance of Quality Information Partners, Inc.]

Describes the basic principles (referred to as commandments) of progressive education and traditional education. Argues for a synthesis of both education philosophies. (PKP)

Explains elementary science education and science curriculum in Lebanon and describes the status of teacher education programs for elementary school teachers. (Contains 16 references.) (YDS)

Suggestions and recommendations are offered as a basis for a beginning of career education's promotion by key groups in teacher education. (TA)

Provided is a report of the third year's work of the Warnock Committee investigating special education needs in Great Britain. (IM)