Education & Pedagogy

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education is one way Namibia combats HIV/AIDS. This exploratory study had two objectives: to investigate attitudes and perceptions towards sex education, and to see what purpose sex education serves in Namibia. To what extent do stakeholders support sex education in Namibia? What kind of obstacles exists to SRH education in Namibia? We believe that knowing how people perceive sex education is necessary for implementing and fine-tuning SRH programmes. Eighteen focus group discussions and eight key informant interviews were used to assess SRH education issues. There was broad support for SRH education among stakeholders. Teachers have very little training in SRH education; some are reportedly uninspiring while Namibia suffers from a paucity of teaching materials. SRH teachers would like active parental support, but many parents are suspicious of schools teaching SRH and do not have an idea what to do. There is need for the students to be graded in sex education for them to value it more. Namibia should also invest more in training SRH teachers.

Calls for sustaining and increasing investment in higher education are often made on the basis that higher education is a "public good". The idea of higher education as a public good is frequently conceptualised in terms of its contribution to economic development. If more people participate in higher education then society as a whole will benefit. Outside of the economic benefits of higher education there is less debate as to what is meant by "public good" in the context of higher education. This article explores higher education as a "public good" and its role in "realising the public good". With particular reference to Ireland, the article also looks at the impact of conceptualising the public good role of higher education from an economic perspective and what this implies for students, higher education institutions and society. Since the 1990s Ireland has experienced rapid economic growth, with its thriving economy popularly dubbed 'the Celtic Tiger'. (Contains 1 endnote.)

Education professionals must re-examine the use of labels for education and learning in diverse settings in light of new understandings of how people learn and updated goals for broader interdisciplinary work. The varied use of the terms informal education, nonformal education, and formal education draw distinctions that serve to divide, not unite, those working to support a wide variety of learners for similar agriscience education goals. What in Extension education is nonformal learning is informal learning in science education. Juxtaposing informal learning or nonformal learning with formal learning also serves, in the eyes of some outside the profession, to devalue the learning that actually predominates human learning, at least in terms of time and opportunity. Education privileges the facilitator, not the learner. One potential new term for consideration is free-choice learning. By breaking down silos, working across disciplinary boundaries, and embracing common terminology that puts the learner at the center, a profession of educators can better leverage resources, increase visibility, and ultimately, support constituents.

Dual certification programs hold significant transformational potential for achieving comprehensive teacher education reform that cultivates equitable, inclusive education. Yet little examination of their curricular or structural elements has occurred. In this study, we used a multidimensional framework, based on four drivers of transformation for inclusion, to analyze the website discourse of all 272 self-identified elementary and secondary dual certification programs in the United States drawn from a national database of teacher education programs. Regarding depth and breadth of transformation, most program websites displayed combinations of extensive and limited inclusive discourse across drivers; few addressed inclusive teacher education philosophy and practices across all drivers in rich, extensive ways. Least represented with any rich discourse was the equity driver. These data offer insight into important aspects of the current state of mediated discourse related to teacher education for inclusion and provide guidance for more comprehensive approaches to advancing robust teacher education reform toward this goal.

In 1954, the Supreme Court's ruling in "Brown v. Board of Education" set the stage for the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. On November 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act into law, transforming public education in the United States. In 1990, the name of the EAHCA was changed to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA defines three dimensions of a free appropriate public education: procedural, substantive, and implementation. Over time, the IDEA's purpose shifted from access to accountability with greater emphasis on the general education curriculum and the integration of evidence, law, and practice. Administrators must ensure that individualized education programs are educationally meaningful, legally compliant, and faithfully implemented with teachers focusing on measurable goals, progress monitoring, and alignment with the general education curriculum.

This annual report presents a program-by-program analysis of the U.S. Department of Education's principal operating components: the Office of the Secretary; the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs; the Office for Civil Rights; the Office of Educational Research and Improvement; the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; the Office of the General Council; the Office of Inspector General; the Office of Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs; the Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs; the Office of Management; Office of Planning, Budget, and Evaluation; the Office of Postsecondary Education; and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education. The report defines procedures used to make and implement decisions and includes information on grants and contracts, organizational structure changes, and new legislation. Appendices list agency advisory boards and commissions, as well as the Secretary of Education's regional representatives.

In laying out policy priorities in their 2020 State of the State addresses, governors recognized the role the public education system plays in supporting strong economies. Often citing the need to align education with the 21st century's knowledge economy, governors agreed that a high-quality education is the key to both an individual's and the state's success. Each year, Education Commission of the States tracks, analyzes and identifies trends in education policy accomplishments and proposals featured in governors' State of the State addresses. To date, 43 governors have delivered their 2020 address. The top education priorities across the states and territories span the entire education spectrum, pre-K through the workforce, and these are the top six education priorities mentioned: (1) CTE and workforce development; (2) K-12 Finance; (3) postsecondary affordability; (4) teacher compensation and benefits; (5) early learning; and (6) student health. [For the 2019 report, see ED594100.]

For over 30 years, the Department has published the Annual Condition of Education (COE) report in order to provide education stakeholders quality information about the status of Iowa's education system. The 2020 COE covers a wide variety of content from information about Iowa's students, schools, educators, administrators, performance and school finance. The report can be used as a roadmap to see what is working, what needs more attention and what might be expected in the coming years. The data for this annual report are presented in the following categories: (1) Enrollment; (2) Early Childhood Education; (3) Staff; (4) Program; (5) Student Performance; (6) Special Education; and (7) Finance. [For the 2019 report, see ED605751.]

The 2021 edition of the Annual Condition of Education Report (COE) marks the 32nd edition of the report. For over 30 years, the Department has published the COE in order to provide education stakeholders critical data about the status of Iowa's education system. The 2021 COE covers a wide variety of content including information about Iowa's students, schools, educators, administrators, performance and school finance. The data for this annual report are presented in the following categories: (1) Enrollment; (2) Early Childhood Education; (3) Staff; (4) Program; (5) Student Performance; (6) Special Education; and (7) Finance. [For the 2020 report, see ED614805.]

This book explores democratic possibilities for education after the critique of the impact of neo-liberalism on educational policy and practice. Together, the authors investigate the contours of a 'new publicness' of education. This edited volume refers to well-established critiques that expose how neoliberal governance has normalised the privatisation of public life and undermined the public nature of education. Through historical reconstruction, theoretical exploration, and analyses of educational policies and practices, chapters take a novel approach by investigating democratic possibilities within and beyond the current neoliberal hegemony in education. Covering a range of educational settings -- from early childhood education through to higher and professional education -- chapters spotlight the Irish educational and political context, as well as exploring international implications. Ultimately, this book opens up new avenues for discussion around public education and its future, and will therefore be of great interest to researchers and students in the fields of educational theory, education politics, educational policy and democratic education.

Research has demonstrated the correlation between lack of educational attainment and involvement in the juvenile justice system and the importance of education in preventing recidivism. In acknowledgment of the importance of education in the juvenile justice system, more than 2,600 residential juvenile justice facilities report providing education services (Hockenberry, Sickmund, and Sladky, 2009). Around the country, the prevalence and type of education services, screening for grade level and academic needs, student participation in education services, perceived quality of education services, and student academic and vocational outcomes vary. This Fact Sheet examines these aspects of juvenile justice education drawing from three data sources: (1) The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP) Juvenile Residential Facility Census (2006); (2) The U.S. Department of Education's Title I, Part D, Consolidated State Performance Reports (school year 2006-07 through 2008-09); and (3) OJJDP's Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (2003).

As Costa Rica's economy has developed in recent decades, the education system that helped propel the country to upper middle-income status now needs reform to respond to rising expectations and changing demands for skills. New challenges are emerging: economic growth has recently slowed, inequality is widening and productivity growth is weak. How can Costa Rica improve both the quality and equity of its education system while also addressing efficiency challenges? This report assesses Costa Rica's policies and practices against best practice in education from across the OECD and other reference countries in the Latin American region. It analyses its education system's major strengths and the challenges it faces, from early childhood education and care to tertiary education. It offers recommendations on how Costa Rica can improve quality and equity to ensure strong, sustainable and inclusive growth. This report will be of interest in Costa Rica as well as other countries looking to raise the quality, equity and efficiency of their education systems.

The General Education Board has, since its foundation in 1902, to July 1, 1921, appropriated $88,125,444.56 for various phases of educational work, $80,408,344.99 of this having been paid to or set aside for colleges and other institutions for whites, $5,806,205.62 for institutions for Negroes, and $1,910,893.95 for miscellaneous objects. This bulletin contains a statement of appropriations of the General Education Board for the year ended June 30, 1921. Also contained, are income receipts for the period beginning July 1,1920, and ended June 30, 1921, and a statement of disbursements of income for educational purposes. Included in the contents are: (1) General Education Board; (2) Rockefeller Foundation; (3) Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; (4) Jeanes Fund; (5) John F. Slater Fund; and (6) Ohekos-Stokes Fund. [Best copy available has been provided.]

This paper focuses on the Netherland's arts and cultural education. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science is responsible for setting the aims for cultural and creative dimensions of formal education. Decisions related to the implementation of arts curriculum are made at school level. The cultural and creative aims of the whole curriculum are defined as follows: "Primary education aims to broadly educate children. The education addresses their emotional and intellectual development, the development of their creativity, and their acquisition of social, cultural and physical skills...". 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 2 footnotes.)

This paper deals with research on a comparative education course as assessed by students at the University of Zululand, South Africa. The paper outlines the teacher training program at that university, the place of comparative education within that program, and the curriculum of the comparative education course. At the end of the course 245 students were asked to rate the course as a whole and thereafter each of the following topics on a 5-point Likert scale: education policy; human rights and education; comparative education; the education system of South Africa; the education system of England; and the education system of Kenya. Students were also asked which countries' education systems and/or topics not included in the course they would like to be part of the course. Finally, they were asked to motivate their ratings and their desires of topics that they feel should be included in the course. This paper summarizes and discusses the response to the comparative education course. Contains several tables. A sample questionnaire is appended (Author/BT)