Education & Pedagogy

In December 2014, the National Center for Education Research (NCER) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education convened a technical working group (TWG) of experts in the field of rural education to provide input on research needs in this field and how research could be more relevant and useful to rural communities. Ten rural education experts were invited to attend, including individuals working in the K-12 system, national associations, universities, and research organizations. The TWG discussion focused on four broad areas: (1) current issues in rural education research, (2) overview of prior large-scale IES investments in rural education research, (3) challenges and priorities, and (4) synthesis and next steps. This meeting summary covers all of the discussion points of the technical working group and includes both presentations and discussions among participants.

At a time when traditional teacher education is coming under fire, "Transforming Teacher Education" presents a powerful vision of what teacher education could and should be. "Transforming Teacher Education" offers an intimate, reflective account of the development of the renowned Team One teacher education program at Michigan State University. Over a ten-year period, Team One established a first-rate reputation as a beacon of progressive teacher education. In this book, the creators of Team One describe their ongoing efforts to nurture and sustain a teacher education program that could serve as a learning community for students, faculty, and administrators alike. The book weaves together diverse voices to provide a detailed portrait of the ongoing transformation of teachers and students as they learn together.

This annual report explores the state of international education in Canada, taking an in-depth look at international students, study abroad by Canadian students, Canadian education overseas, as well as the overall internationalization agenda in Canada. The report features results of an international student survey and case studies from member institutions, and examines options for taking Canada to a higher level as an international education destination, as well as the factors which could support or impede the country's efforts. Also included in the report is the appendix: Countries by Region.

This study examines the role of religion in Korean elite and higher education during the premodern and modern periods with descriptive analysis. The study focuses on the contribution of Buddhism and Confucianism to premodern elite education in Korea, particularly the interaction between Confucianism and Christianity with modern higher education in Korea and on the role of religion in current Korean higher education through descriptive analysis. Buddhism and Confucianism were either primary or secondary key institutions in informal and formal Korean elite education during the early and medieval times. Christianity had a significant impact on modern higher education in Korea through its role in harmonizing the religious and educational tradition of Confucianism. Now, Christianity and Buddhism play active roles in private institutions, whereas Confucianism is a core factor of organizational culture in higher education.

Rapid growth of tertiary education is partly due to the expansion of post-secondary vocational education and training (PSV). A well developed post-secondary PSV system and links between universities and VET institutions improve skills and employment opportunities. What is post-secondary PSV and how does it relate to other components of the education system? How do the labour market and globalisation trends impact post-secondary PSV? How do OECD countries address the issues of transition, pathways and collaboration in tertiary education? This report is part of the OECD work on Higher Education in Regional and City Development. In the course of the reviews of more than 30 cities and regions, this work identified VET-university linkages as one of the common issues that impact the engagement of tertiary education in socio-economic development across countries.

The Australian education and training system offers a range of options for young people. This publication provides a summary of the statistics relating to young people aged 15 to 19 years who participated in an education and training activity during 2013 Information on participation is presented for VET in Schools students, higher education students, apprentices and trainees, and other publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) students. Table 1 provides an estimate of participation in education and training in Australia by 15 to 19-year-olds at a point in time--August 2013. The sectoral tables (tables 2 to 10) provide statistics on all education and training activities undertaken by young people from 2009 to 2013, by sector.

Technology is enhancing the ability of distance education to reach both aspiring nursing students and professional nurses who want to advance their skills. Distance education also improves access to education and, in doing so, counters the nation's increasing shortage of nurses. It allows nurses to continue to work while enrolling in online courses. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has recently established a Task Fore on Distance Technology and Nursing Education to address some of the issues schools face in establishing distance education programs. Resources, cost of innovation, faculty training, and ownership of intellectual property are key issues. Distance education changes relationships and enhances enrollment in nursing programs. Various technological options exist for distance education programs. Other issues include quality and standards, partnerships among faculty, training, and costs of setup and technical assistance. (HB)

This report on the status of higher education in Texas covers enrollment trends, quality and access, research, campus planning, funding, and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board activities. The first section, Participation and Success, looks at enrollment and participation trends and factors affecting participation in higher education. The second section, Meeting Workforce Needs, discusses the demands of the economy for workers in various areas and the efforts Texas is making to meet labor force requirements. The third section, Funding, describes the allocation of the $12.5 billion all funds appropriation for higher education and other sources of funds. New Trends in the Delivery of Higher Education, the fourth section, discusses supply and demand pathways and the increasing role of distance education. The final section, Statewide Planning Efforts, describes the new plan adopted by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education to bring Texas higher education into the new century. (Contains 10 tables.) (SLD)

This document contains two papers on fine arts from the SITE (Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education) 2002 conference. "Expanding the Boundaries of the Music Education of the Elementary Teacher Classroom with Information Technology" (Cheryl Jackson) reports on how information technology is used in a music methods course for elementary education majors at Eastern Kentucky University. "The Convergence of Teacher Education, Art Museums and Instructional Technology: Goals, Insights, and Recommendations" (Phyllis Hecht, Julie Springer, Natalie Milman, Bernard R. Robin, Beth B. Schneider, Sara Wilson McKay, Sara G. McNeil, and Donna Odle Smith) describes programs that education specialists from the National Gallery of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Texas), along with educators from the University of Houston (Texas) and George Washington University (District of Columbia), are creating. The benefits, challenges, and lessons learned from these collaborations are discussed. (MES)

This publication provides a comprehensive overview of work done across all parts of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Each issue contains short publications, summaries, and descriptions that cover all NCES publications and data products released during a 3-month period. Each issue also contains a message from the NCES on a timely subject in education statistics and a featured topic with invited commentary. The focus of this issue is the Data on Vocational Education (DOVE) system, which provides detailed information on vocational education at the national level. The issue also contains reports on NCES work in: (1) elementary and secondary education; (2) postsecondary education; (3) public, state, and federal libraries; (4) international statistics; (5) crosscutting statistics; (6) methodology; and (7) data products, other publications, and funding opportunities. (Contains 10 tables and 22 figures.) (SLD)

The educational system of Turkey and educational evaluation efforts are described. In Turkey, the educational system includes optional preschool education, compulsory elementary education through age 14, secondary education for 3 or 4 years more (3 for university preparation, 4 for vocational education), and higher education. All of the preschool, elementary, and secondary programs are centrally prepared by the Ministry of Education (MOE), while higher education is cooperatively prepared by the Higher Educational Council and specialists at the universities. Reflective, formative, and summative evaluations are conducted. Most educational evaluation in Turkey, and especially most formative evaluation, is done by academic researchers, and findings of these evaluations are not used as much as they could be because of lack of cooperation with the MOE and educational systems. To solve the problem of evaluation utilization in Turkey, more cooperation between the MOE and academic researchers will be necessary. (Contains 12 references.) (SLD)

This guide identifies major U.S. Department of Education programs and resources that are available to support school, community, university, and state efforts to invest in good teachers and good teaching. Part 1 places the issue of teacher quality in the context of broad trends in public education and presents some key challenges identified by the President and the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Part 2 offers charts to identify Department of Education programs that contribute to efforts toward meeting each of five key challenges for promoting excellence and accountability in teaching. Part 3 presents Department of Education programs and resources, focusing on formula grant programs, competitive grant programs, and Comprehensive Regional Assistance Centers. An appendix presents other significant resources, including current or upcoming Department of Education resource competitions and a description of resources. (SM)

The purpose of this conceptual paper was to propose an ultimate goal and purpose for the field and practice of adult education. A literature search was conducted to delineate historical philosophies of education that inform the current state of education, including adult education. Furthermore, building upon the rudiments of adult education extant an end goal for the field is presented. The conceptual proposal emphasizes the critical need for the pursuit of foundational truths in the human experience. This is akin to notions of Essentialism and Perennialism. This paper contends that adult education can significantly assist humanity by July preparing adults to more effectively, efficaciously, realistically, and wisely interface the epochal markers in earthly existence. Thus, in order to commence such a litany of admirable traits in adulthood, it is proposed that adult education must involve itself in the business of acquiring and propagating information that leads to, integrates with, and logically yields that which is right, virtuous and timelessly true.

The purpose of the U.S. Department of Education's online newsletter "The Education Innovator" is to promote innovative practices in education; to offer features on promising programs and practices; to provide information on innovative research, schools, policies, and trends; and to keep readers informed of key Department priorities and activities. This issue of the newsletter includes feature article "National Lab Day: More Than the Name Might Imply," highlighting the fact that National Lab Day is not about labs or a day, but a movement that supports STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education in schools by giving students well-equipped labs and access to the STEM-based professionals who can inspire them. Regular sections include: (1) What's New?; and (2) Innovations in the News.

This report provides general findings from the Adult Education for Work-Related Reasons (AEWR) survey of the 2003 National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES). The survey was conducted by random-digit-dial telephone interviewing of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population ages 16 and older who were not enrolled in elementary or secondary school at the time of the survey. NHES (National Household Education Surveys Program) is a system of surveys developed to address important educational issues, and surveys on a variety of educational topics have been administered from 1991 through 2003. The survey defined work-related activities in terms of formal and informal learning activities that are done for reasons related to work. Appended are: (1) Formal Adult Education Logistic Regression Tables; and (2) Informal Adult Education Logistic Regression Tables. (Contains 17 tables.)