Education & Pedagogy

This book is designed to present issues facing vocational education today and in the immediate future and to serve as a potential agenda for confronting these issues and assisting in responsible and responsive policy development, financing, research, and operation of vocational education programs in the 1990s. The 14 chapters are as follows: "Historical Background of Vocational Education" (Melvin Barlow); "Policy Issues Perspectives" (Melvin Miller); "The Secondary Vocational Program" (Gerald Cheek); "Postsecondary Occupational Education" (Charles Doty); "Vocational Teacher Preparation" (John Glenn, Richard Walter); "Organizational Structure of Vocational Education" (James Greenan); "Administrative Leadership Issues in Vocational Education" (Merle Strong); "The Curriculum" (David Pucel); "Special Programs for Special Needs Students" (Michelle Sarkees); "The Relationship of History to the Future of Vocational Education" (Angelo Gilli); "Issues in Vocational Education" (Curtis Finch, John Hillison); "The Image of the Profession of Vocational Education" (Lynne Gilli); "A Vision of the Next Ten Years" (Jane Ruff); and "The Role of Vocational Education in Preparing Students for the Future" (Albert Pautler). "Bibliography of Review and Synthesis Literature Concerning Vocational and Technical Education" (Charles Doty) gives a perspective of 30 areas of potential problems of any educational endeavor and lists those review and synthesis papers generated from the mid-1960s to August 1988. Author biographies are appended. (YLB)

The articles included in this monograph represent a broad range of topics reflecting the current world scene with regard to the education of children with special needs. Titles and authors of the articles include: "UNESCO and Special Education" (Lena Saleh), which discusses the history, purposes, and activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in Paris; "Special Education Training in Developing Countries" (Ture Jonsson); "What Is EASE and What Is Its Purpose?" (Olof Magne), which describes the history of the European Association for Special Education; "The Arts in Special Education in Europe: An Overview of Trends and Practices" (Kristen D. Juul); "Special Education and Teacher Training in Norway" (Kjell-Arne Solli); "International Advocacy To Develop International School Special Education Opportunities" (Patricia L. Jonietz); "Development of Special Education in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (G. Ali Afrooz); "Special Education in China" (Aaron Armfield); "Cultural and Socio-Economic Factors That Affect Section 8 of the National Policy on Education in Nigeria" (Festus E. Obiakor and Gregory P. Maltby); "Special Education in Brazil: Service Delivery in Profile" (Forrest A. Novy and others); and "Special Education and 'Pokazukha' in the (former) U.S.S.R." (B. J. Elliott). (JDD)

The numbers of vocational education teachers, the number of institutions that provide training for vocational education teachers, and the number of schools that offer vocational education have been declining for the past 10 years or longer; at the same time, the average age of vocational education teachers has risen. As the teacher ranks and the programs to prepare them are shrinking, there are countertrends toward having vocational education teachers integrate basic skills lessons into their classrooms, and toward more technology education or tech prep programs. Among other issues that could affect not only vocational education but all teacher education programs is that with continued military downsizing, a number of highly trained ex-military personnel will be entering the workforce many of whom will look for careers in teaching. This is only one of many factors that suggest that vocational teacher education programs will have to change in order to attract more faculty and more aspiring teachers as well as more money for program improvement. Other important issues in vocational teacher preparation are the need to recruit minorities and the ability to address the special needs population. These and similar issues will continue to have an impact on universities and colleges that prepare vocational education teachers. (Contains 12 references.) (KC)

The 14 papers in this volume examine former and current evaluation systems used in higher education in a number of countries and regions. Chapters include: (1) "Introduction, Apex Institutions, Statuses and Quality Control" (Robert Cowen); (2) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in Algeria" (Boutheina Cheriet); (3) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in Australia" (Barry Sheehan); (4) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in Brazil" (Maria Figueiredo and Isabel Sobreira); (5) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education in Canada" (John Mallea); (6) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in the People's Republic of China " (Tianxiang Xue); (7) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in France" (Guy Neave); (8) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in Hong Kong" (Kai-ming Cheng); (9) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in Japan" (Masateru Baba); (10) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in the Republic of Korea" (Terri Kim); (11) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in the United States" (Susan D. Franzosa); (12) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education System in the United Kingdom" (Ronald Barnett); (13) "The Evaluation of the Higher Education Systems in Latin America" (Denise Leite and Maria Figueiredo); and (14) Coda: Autonomy, the Market and Evaluation Systems and the Individual" (Robert Cowen). (Chapters contains references.) (JLS)

The Vocational Teacher Education Project (VTEP) was a 4-year project designed to create a dynamic vocational teacher education model for use in vocational teacher education programs throughout Florida. The knowledge base requirements for effective teaching and Florida's vocational teaching education delivery models were reviewed. A VTEP model was then developed based on input from the following sources: project advisory committee members, local and state school district vocational education leaders; and reviews of literature and pertinent research reports. The VTEP model developed is a holistic model for planning vocational teacher education that employs partnerships and collaborative working relationships to equip vocational teacher education students with necessary how-to-teach competencies and link vocational teacher education with local vocational education programs. (The bibliography lists 31 references. Appendixes constituting approximately 60% of this document contain the following: advisory committee representation matrix and committee members list; Performance-Based Teacher Education/Competency-Based Staff Development professional competencies survey instrument; Vocational Education Needs Assessment and Planning teacher competencies; data tables from survey analysis; survey comments; VTEP/blueprint/Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills comparisons; and the 48-page report "Vocational Teacher Education: A Context for the Future" (Richard L. Lynch, Mildred B. Griggs), which contains 37 references.) (MN)

This article examined trends in Islamic education and finance publications using bibliometric analysis. The authors used co-citation and co-word analysis to examine 449 Islamic education and finance studies from Scopus database. In the co-citation analysis, 10 themes in Islamic education and finance were identified. After that, co-word analysis is used to understand and identify each research theme's potential future research directions. The results showed that per year the average publication of articles was 2.65. There has been extensive research on this topic in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), and the most popped-up keywords are 'education', 'finance education', 'banking education' and very limited 'Islamic finance education'. Further research can be developed using Islamic jurisprudence education, Islamic insurance education, Islamic capital market education, "zakat" education and "waqf" as keywords. In addition, the study offers a visualization map of theme patterns for future studies to create educational fields for Islamic banking and finance education, particularly in Muslim-majority nations like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Middle East. This research contributes as a foundation for further research in enriching and developing knowledge about Islamic education and finance, especially in majority countries.

This book provides an international platform for educators from different STEM disciplines to present, discuss, connect, and develop collaborations in two inter-related ways: (1) sharing and discussing changes and innovations in individual discipline-based education in STEM/STEAM, and (2) sharing and discussing the development of interdisciplinary STEM/STEAM education. Possible relationships and connections between individual disciplines (like mathematics or physics) and STEM education remain under explored and the integration of traditionally individual discipline-based education in STEM education is far from balanced. Efforts to pursue possible connections among traditionally separated individual disciplines in STEM are not only necessary for the importance of deepening and expanding interdisciplinary research and education in STEM, but also for the ever-increasing need of reflecting on and changing how traditional school subjects (like mathematics or physics) can and should be viewed, taught, and learned. Scholars from eight countries/regions provide diverse perspectives and approaches on changes and innovations in STEM disciplinary and interdisciplinary education. Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Education in STEM will be a great resource to students and researchers in STEM education as well as STEM curriculum developers and teacher educators internationally.

Purpose: This article aims to analyze inter-provincial disparities of rural education and the convergence rate, and to discuss the effects of compulsory education reform after 2001. Design/methodology/approach: The article estimates the rural average education years and education Gini coefficients of China's 31 provinces (municipalities) beside Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan from 2001 to 2008, and applies the method of "economic convergence". Findings: The results show that after the reform of rural compulsory education, inter-provincial rural education disparities and educational equality have been significantly improved and trend to convergence; nevertheless the convergence rate on inter-provincial disparities of education equality declines. The defects of the education input system--"county as principle"--has been a factor that restricts the coordinated development of rural education. Practical limitations: This paper suggests that it is necessary for China's provincial and central government to afford the expense of compulsory education. China's present investment system would also worsen inter-provincial inequities of education. Social implications: Education equality is one of the basic social priorities. In China education equality has been improved; however it could be better if China's provincial and central government afforded the expenses of compulsory education. Originality/value: This paper applies the method of "economic convergence" to analyze China's rural education disparities among its regions. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

This paper reports findings from the first stage of an anticipated four-stage research project investigating the effectiveness of teacher education in health education. Prior to receiving any teacher education in health education, pre-service teachers (student teachers) were surveyed for their experiences of secondary school health education, and their beliefs about and attitudes towards the subject. Data were collected from questionnaire surveys (n = 295) and focus group interviews (n = 61). Results showed that student teachers had more exposure to school health education than had been assumed and had more positive attitudes towards the subject area than indicated by other studies into school health education. Many reported having had sexuality education and drug and alcohol programmes, but these were commonly described in contexts of safety rules and risk avoidance behaviours. Participants had greater understanding of and more exposure to mental health education than had been predicted. Those aged 20 years and younger reported significantly greater exposure to a range of school health education topics than did those aged 21-30 years or 30+ years. This difference is attributed to the younger participants receiving health education based on the "Health and Physical Education in the New Zealand Curriculum", introduced into schools in 1999. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Although reentry education is well documented as an evidence-based, cost-effective approach to preparing incarcerated adults for release (Davis et al. 2014), education services offered by correctional facilities often are disconnected from community-based education programs and other support. This lack of communication and coordination can make it difficult for adults to complete their coursework and earn a credential as they transition in and out of the criminal justice system. The Reentry Education Framework presents an approach for reentry education providers to develop an education continuum that strengthens their services and bridges the gap between facility- and community-based programs. This report offers guidelines, tools, and resources to support implementation of the five components of the framework: (1) Program Infrastructure; (2) Strategic Partnerships; (3) Education Services; (4) Transition Processes; and (5) Sustainability. To assist education providers in using the framework to guide the development and implementation of their individualized education continuum, the report includes: (1) an overview of the Reentry Education Framework; (2) guidelines, technical assistance tools, and resources informed by the experiences of three Promoting Reentry Success Through the Continuity of Education Opportunities (PRSCEO) sites; and (3) examples from the PRSCEO sites describing their experiences with implementing an education continuum.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether higher education is a necessary good or evil from the perspective of happiness education. To review the paper systematically, four research questions are addressed. First, what is the purpose of higher education? Second, is higher education a necessary good? Third, is higher education a necessary evil? Last, what is an ideal aim of future higher education? To defend the research questions, the author uses a descriptive content analysis method, with a cross cultural approach. To argue these questions clearly and limitedly, this paper is defined as follows: higher education is limited to contemporary Korean higher education; and happiness education is reviewed from the perspectives of western and eastern classical standpoints, particularly, the classical Greek philosophers and the classical Confucian thinkers. Based on the research results of this study, the author suggests that Korean higher education for future generations should strengthen healthy moral education and philanthropical cosmopolitanism education, with utilitarian education. For future study, it is recommended that this study should be empirically undertaken to explore the moral values and utility values of higher education in Korean society with quantitative or qualitative research methodology. Finally, the researcher hopes that this position paper will provide basic theories and valuable resources regarding happiness or moral education for the educational practitioners and theorists of the world.

Education journalists have the critically important task of informing the public about education at the local, state, and national levels. Little is known however about this sector of the news media. What does this workforce look like? Do education journalists believe their work matters? Are they satisfied in their jobs? What challenges does the field face to better informing public dialogue on education? Last fall, the Education Writers Association (EWA) teamed up with the Education Week Research Center to answer these and other questions in a first-of-its-kind online national survey and follow-up interviews. The result is this report, "State of the Education Beat 2016." The report offers comprehensive new data that provides the field with important baseline information. The findings can be used to inform decisions about resources devoted to the education beat, and for assessments by media outlets of how they cover--or do not cover--education. This report also tells a compelling story, and a hopeful one. Two-thirds of respondents say education journalism is going in the right direction at their news outlets. A majority hold that view of the field as a whole. The report challenges the widely accepted narrative that education is a steppingstone beat with negligible prestige. Two messages in particular stand out: Education journalists want more time for in-depth coverage and colleagues with more education expertise.

This monograph presents a history of educational services in New York State. Chapter 1 summarizes the history of the University of the State of New York, its Board of Regents, early development, and unification of the university and the Department of Public Instruction. Chapter 2 reviews the State Education Department's history and legal foundations; department organization, management, and planning; and patriotic and moral education requirements. Chapter 3, reviews school district organization and state aid, the free common school system, origins of high schools, the school aid quota system, rural school centralization, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services, urban school districts, and state aid since the 1960s. Chapter 4 focuses on elementary, middle, secondary, and continuing education, including general supervision, universal school attendance, Regents examinations and curricula, urban education, statewide standards, vocational and adult education, physical/health education, and education for non-English speakers. Chapter 5 summarizes vocational and educational services for individuals with disabilities. Chapter 6 reviews higher and professional education, including teacher training, oversight and planning, proprietary school supervision, and scholarships. Chapter 7, on cultural education, covers state libraries, museums, and educational television. Chapter 8 briefly reviews professional regulation. Appendices list administrators since 1784 and numbers of school districts since 1905. (Contains 100 references.) (DB)

This document reviews Alberta's advanced education system for the period 1997-98 onwards. 1997-98 was selected as the base year because it provides several years worth of data and complements an earlier analysis: "Profile of Alberta's Adult Learning System: A Context for Discussion." In 2005, Alberta's Minister of Advanced Education initiated a comprehensive review of the province's advanced education system. This initiative, "A Learning Alberta," will identify a new vision as well as policy outcomes for the system. To assist in development of the vision and policy framework, three discussion documents have been prepared: "Ensuring Affordability in Alberta's Advanced Education System"; "Investing in Alberta's Advanced Education System"; and "Advanced Education in Rural Alberta: Challenges and Opportunities." Each discussion document identifies key issues, outlines challenges to achieving policy objectives, and identifies advanced education system opportunities. A fourth document, "Advanced Education: A Cross-jurisdictional Overview of Accessibility, Affordability and Quality," provides background on advanced education programs and policies in other jurisdictions. This document, the fifth in the series, supports the discussion documents and cross-jurisdictional overview by presenting historical data and trends. These trends can help inform stakeholder discussions, and in turn, support the review's goal of developing a new vision and policy framework for Alberta's advanced education system. (Contains 30 tables.) [This report was produced by Alberta Advanced Education.]

A literature review of cooperative vocational education programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels is presented in this information analysis paper. Two different approaches to cooperative education are identified: (1) the capstone approach, in which the student receives one or more years of in-school vocational training prior to the cooperative experience in specialty areas, and (2) the diversified occupations approach, in which much of the vocational training is done on the job, with little or no formal in-school instruction prior to cooperative experience. Other topics discussed include the following: world of work and career decision making; cooperative education and the special needs student; cooperative education in higher education; adult education (cooperative distributive education for disadvantaged young adults, preretirement programs); cost-benefits; and concerns and problems of cooperative education. Summaries suggest that (1) instructional modes will vary according to expected objective, (2) the world of work involvement provides a sound base for aiding students in making realistic career decisions, (3) cooperative vocational education coordinators should have adequate skills and knowledges in dealing with special needs people to insure maximum success, (4) cooperative programs in adult education will be emerging at a greater rate as the lifelong learning concept is accepted by more adults, and (5) the benefits of cooperative education outweigh its cost. (TA)