Education & Pedagogy

The community/adult and continuing education programs and services provided by the Des Moines Department of Community/Adult and Continuing Education were subjected to context, input, process, and program evaluations. The following were among the findings: (1) for the 1996-97 school year, the department had a budget of $1.2 million and an average of 300 part-time teachers and others responsible for delivering courses/programs; (2) all staff participated in technology staff development, program administrators participate in state/national community education conferences and professional development opportunities, and new part-time instructors received inservice training; (3) in the past year, 17,676 students of all ages attended classes, seminars, workshops, and recreational programs offered by the department at school and community locations; (4) participants in the department's adult education classes expressed high levels of satisfaction with their courses and instructors; and (5) the department provided career education programs for women and inmates of correctional institutions, a parent education program for parents of destructive adolescents, and summer radio programming for children. (Appended are the following: summer enrollment table; class offerings for fall 1996; 5-year enrollment trend; attendance year enrollment tables; survey results; sample facility usage; and list of parent project facilitators.) (MN)

This book, which is written from the perspectives of an adult education practitioner engaged in helping create empowering work systems in manufacturing, service organizations, city governments, and educational systems, explains how the principles of emancipatory education and the concept of praxis may be used to reshape organizations into environments more conducive to productive work. The following are among the topics discussed in the book's 11 chapters: practical advice about empowerment and democracy (democratic workplaces and the rationale for empowerment); changing the system (systems thinking, change strategies, stages of change, application of systems theory in workplaces, and identification of empowerment champions); creating an empowerment planning team and team leaders); education for an empowered workplace (vocational, business, and continuing education and development of process, interpersonal, and political skills); changing the support systems (facilitating action research; developing compensation, recognition, appraisal, and complaint review systems; developing an employment/promotion process and performance indicators); consensus decision making; empowerment and planning (strategic/tactical planning); perspectives on democracy in the workplace; adult education and workplace democracy; unions, adult education, and industrial democracy; and creating opportunities through success and avoiding burnout. Each chapter ends with an appendix examining opportunities for praxis. The book contains 214 references and 26 figures/tables. (MN)

This report is based on a community forum convened on May 15, 1991, in Twin Falls, Idaho, to obtain information and views on public education in Idaho; its impact on minorities; and, specifically, the high dropout rate of Hispanics, its causes, and possible solutions. Chapter 1 gives the background of a 1979 lawsuit filed by the Idaho Migrant Council against the Idaho State Board of Education. The lawsuit was settled in 1983 when the defendant agreed to implement plans to meet the needs of students with limited English proficiency. However, the state advisory committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights continued to receive complaints alleging a lack of such educational programs. Demographics show that Hispanics are the largest non-White group in Idaho. Chapter 2 consists of summaries of forum presentations by the state superintendent of instruction, local superintendents, principals, teachers, university staff, corporate education and training experts, the director of education for the state correctional institution, and private citizens. The participants addressed the issues of language and cultural differences affecting Hispanics; the urgent need for bilingual, bicultural staff at all levels of education; and the need for a smarter well-educated work force for industry in Idaho. Chapter 3 includes a summary of 24 recommendations proposed by persons appearing before the Idaho Advisory Committee. Appendix A consists of the consent decree and settlement agreement in the aforementioned lawsuit. (TD)

In 1990 the Michigan Inclusive Education Initiative was implemented by the state department of education to facilitate full inclusion of disabled students into regular classroom settings. This paper reports on implementation of inclusive education within the Marquette-Alger Intermediate School District (MAISD) in the Upper Peninsula region of Michigan. The MAISD consists of 12 rural school districts with a K-12 population of approximately 15,000 students, of which 10 percent receive special education services. The MAISD "systems change" required commitment from the 12 local district superintendents to decentralize special education operations from MAISD to local school districts; integrate special education students within the local district transportation system; change the MAISD's role from operations to extensive leadership in staff development; continue parent/family support systems; and integrate special education planning at the local level, assuring site-based decision-making. The role of MAISD staff in providing technical assistance and staff development leadership to the local districts was critical to the success of program development and implementation. In 1993 the MAISD expanded its technical assistance and staff development services to other Intermediate School Districts that were developing inclusive education programs. An evaluation of the MAISD and its regional systems-change initiatives revealed that the degree of impact on the teaching/learning process for children was highly related to the nature and continuity of staff development experiences. (LP)

This document contains eight papers in which the principals of eight U.S. and British postsecondary institutions describe the franchising negotiations and arrangements into which their schools have entered. Franchising arrangements at a wide variety of postsecondary institutions are discussed, including community colleges, polytechnics, further education (FE) colleges, and schools in a local education authority (LEA) that offer courses funded by Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) awards. Equally as diverse are the types of franchising arrangements described, including the establishment of a university center at a community college in the absence of a university in the immediate vicinity and an "up-and-down" arrangement in which one FE college developed franchising arrangements both with a polytechnic and with local schools. After a foreword by Susan Leather, the following papers are included: "Franchising Higher Education: The Rochester Community College Experience of Building a University Centre" (Geraldine Evans); "Negotiating Franchising Arrangements" (Raymond Smith); "BTEC in Schools: The Issues Involved" (Brian Cue); "BTEC in Schools: An LEA Scheme" (Barbara Molog); "BTEC in Schools: The Relationship between Schools and FE" (Robert Hughes); "Franchising Higher Education Activity at Polytechnic South West" (Ian Turnbridge); "Higher Education Franchising at Somerset College of Arts and Technology" (Richard Dimbleby); and "Franchising: Some Issues and Concerns" (Susan Leather). (MN)

Chapters in this book reflect the issues in multicultural education that affect the teaching and learning of mathematics and science. They are grouped into sections on teacher education, learning and instruction, assessment, and family and society and include: (1) "Multicultural Teacher Education Programs in America: A Friendly Confrontation" (James Boyer and Kelly A. Radzik-Marsh); (2) "Equity and the Teaching of Mathematics" (Walter Secada); (3) "Moving Towards Culture-Inclusive Mathematics Education" (Patricia Wilson and Julio Mosquera Padron); (4) "A Comprehensive Multicultural Teacher Education Program: An Idea Whose Time Has Come" (H. Prentice Baptiste); (5) "Examining Teaching Styles and Student Learning Styles in Science and Math Classrooms" (James Anderson); (6) "A Comparative Study between Italian and Korean Students' Methods for Solving Word Problems" (Woo Hyung Whang); (7) "Interrelationships between Gender, Affect, and Retention in Science Classrooms: A Theoretical Approach" (Jane Butler Kahle); (8) "Effective Programming for Limited English Proficient Students" (Sheryl Santos); (9) "Criticalmathematics Education: Bringing Multiculturalism to the Mathematics Classroom" (Marilyn Frankenstein); (10) "The Teacher Shortage and Testing: Simple Ignorance or Racism?" (G. Pritchy Smith); (11) "The Impact of Standardized Testing on Children of Color" (Gina Dyer); (12) "Mathematical Empowerment and African American Families" (Marilyn Strutchens); (13) "The Conflict between Teacher and African American Family Questioning Patterns" (Catherine Gardner, Evelyn Hart, and Bobby Jones); and (14) "Paths to Multiculturalism: One Perspective" (Randy McGinnis). References follow each chapter. (Contains 6 figures and 10 tables.) (SLD)

Constructivism is a perspective on learning that is initiated from the learner's perspective rather than by that of the teacher; understanding is constructed by the learner rather than placed upon the learner. If constructivism is fostered in teacher education, practical reasoning can encourage teacher development to its fullest. (The concept of practical reasoning was originally proposed by Aristotle and has been further clarified and applied to education by philosophers and educators.) In the course of the teacher education program, interaction takes place between what the preservice teachers are taught and what they bring to the learning situation; practical reasoning provides a mechanism which allows each preservice teacher to develop a constructivist understanding. Crucial to a constructivist approach to teacher education is the avoidance of prescribing rules that must be followed by every teacher. While recommendations regarding the best possible teacher practices are common in teacher education, constructivist teacher education will not allow the same outcomes for each teacher. First, each teacher brings a unique background that will interact with the new material in unique ways to result in unique understandings. Second, when teacher education students become student teachers and teachers, these constructed understandings will interact with yet one more particular aspect, that of their particular classroom situation. A practical reasoning approach to teacher education allows the constructivist perspective on learning to prosper in teacher education. (Contains 29 references.) (ND)

This book provides an historical and comparative review of educational policies and practices in eight countries of eastern and southern Africa in the period since political independence. These policies and educational changes were articulated in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, decades characterized by high socioeconomic and political expectations. Education was viewed as the key to development and commanded an important place in the development process. This study highlights the major achievement of this time, especially the expansion of primary, secondary, and higher education. The volume also points out the problems and dilemmas faced during implementation of the educational policies, as well as the outcomes of some of these policies. The book discusses the persistent problems accompanying curriculum change, improvement in quality of schooling, vocational and technical education, science education, and language policy. Useful lessons to policymakers are drawn with the successes and failures of various countries' policies. The complexity of educational change is a lesson that clearly emerges, as is the need for partnership among the state, communities, teachers, and other actors in the education sector. The eight chapters include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Primary Education"; (3) "Secondary Education"; (4) "Higher Education"; (5) "Science Education"; (6) "Vocational and Technical Training"; (7) "Language of Instruction"; and (8) "Conclusions and Policy Implications." (EH)

This volume documents 213 reform efforts in teacher education programs at state colleges and universities around the United States. The programs were described by deans and directors of teacher education in a survey of 321 institutions. Survey respondents were asked to propose up to three brief descriptions of successful teacher education reform initiatives on their campuses. The submissions are organized in 11 chapters based on the program categories of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) "Goals for Preparing Teachers." Chapters describe programs which feature reform efforts in the following areas: (1) standards for teacher education--admission, retention, and exit; (2) diversity in teacher education--faculty, students, and curriculum; (3) the changing curriculum in teacher education; (4) clinical dimensions of teacher education; (5) modeling effective instruction and creative teaching; (6) higher education collaboration with K-12 schools and the community; (7) continuing professional development; (8) alternative routes to licensure; (9) changing role, responsibilities and reward systems for faculty; (10) research for school improvement; and (11) developing models to enhance the teaching profession (the Christa McAuliffe Showcase for Excellence). Each entry describes the program, the intended outcomes, the lessons learned, and gives a contact's name, address, and telephone number. Appendixes contains information on the review committees that worked on the volume. (JB)

This book studies the development of education in the British West Indian colonies from 1846 to 1895. The volume examines the educational policies and the curriculum of schools following the emancipation of slaves in the context of the economic, political, and social structures of these colonies. In addition, the study examines, on one side, the role education played in the social and political changes in the colonies and, on the other side, analyzes the role of the state in the development and implementation of educational policies and programs for the region. Following an extensive introduction, "Socio-Economic and Political Changes Affecting Educational Developments in the British West Indies, 1864-95," chapters include: (1) "Consensus and Conflict over the Provision of Elementary Education"; (2) "Primary School Enrollment and Attendance"; (3) "Factors Influencing School Enrollment and Attendance"; (4) "The Dominance of Religious Education in the Curriculum of the Primary Schools"; (5) "The Role of Industrial Education in the Curriculum of the Primary Schools"; (6) Other Developments in Primary Education"; (7) "Teachers: Their Supply and Status"; (8) "Primary Education, 1846-95: Summary and Conclusions"; (9) "Secondary and Post-secondary Education, 1845-95"; (10) "Secondary School Curriculum"; (11) "Secondary Education and Upward Social Mobility"; and (12) "Analysis and Interpretation." (RJC)

In this book, the need to reform schools and integrate vocational and academic education is examined in the context of the political dynamics that connect schools and the economic system. Throughout the book's 12 chapters, it is argued that integrating academic and vocational education is a better way of educating students and alerting them to the complexities of the world and the nature of the physical, social, political, and economic reality confronting them. The first six chapters trace the fragmentation of schools and workplaces through an examination of the following: the rise and fall of the democratic vision of work education; changes in the workplace as a result of industrialization, Fordism, postindustrialism, and the technological advancement and social disintegration characterizing the 1980s; debates over upskilling/deskilling of the workplace and intelligence at work and school. The second half of the book focuses on the following: how a critical work education helps all students deal with the loss of meaning characteristic of postmodern work, school, and life itself; characteristics of smart workers; ways of reforming schools that foster good work and produce smart workers; a curriculum theory of academic and vocational integration; and connecting work to the world. (Contains 277 references.) (MN)

Educational foundations programs remain ill-defined despite generations of discussion. A review of the literature over the past three decades indicates that foundational studies are frequently subject to criticism and devaluation as irrelevant, serving no useful purpose, lacking a rigorous body of knowledge, and in general, poorly taught. Students often consider courses in theory less practical than courses in instructional methods or subject matter, and most students lack the philosophical perspective for analysis, or the experience to understand and relate to the material. The literature, however, also indicates that educational foundations rightfully belong in the teacher education curriculum and may be seen as the bridge between general education and pedagogy. An example is given of an undergraduate foundations course at a small East Coast state university that was made relevant by tying it to the real world of education. In addition to traditional course elements of history, philosophy, sociology, finance, and governance, students were required to attend a school board meeting, interview an education official, and spend time in both a special education and a regular education classroom. Though students had anticipated that foundations courses would be uninteresting or irrelevant, informal evaluations indicated that students found the material both relevant and interesting, and they predicted it would prove useful in their preservice teacher education. The findings suggest foundations studies can provide a counterbalance to a preponderance of skill training in the preparation of preservice teacher candidates. (Contains 22 references.) (ND)

During the 1993-94 program year, more than 1.2 million Californians were enrolled in vocational education (VE) at a secondary high school, adult education program, or regional occupational center. An additional 1.2 million Californians were enrolled in community college VE programs. VE services were provided to significant numbers of students with disabilities, limited English proficiency, and disadvantages and also to significant numbers of incarcerated youths and adults. Among the major VE activities completed in California in 1993-94 were the following: extensive VE needs assessment (including surveys of 1,700 individuals from 8 survey populations and a review of 600 existing reports); analysis of the data collected and subsequent development of a "state plan" for use of Perkins Act funds from 1994 through 1996; development of the a version of a state plan for activities under the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994; continued development of model partnership academies (prototype career academies) and cooperative education programs; development of business and industry standards with input from coalitions of employers, workers, education agencies, and trade associations; and reassessment/revision of California's statewide student assessment program. (Fifteen charts are included. Appended is a special project final performance summary report form.) (MN)

This article reports a study of the public policy implications of publicly supported primary and secondary single-sex education in the United States. Twenty-two public intellectuals concerned with educational issues were interviewed. Subjects were either academic researchers, government officials and legislators, directors of public interest groups and educational associations or practicing lawyers and legal scholars. In general, informants expressed strong hesitations about public K-12 single sex education, and stressed the need for an overhaul of co-education as a solution to educational problems. Some informants, however, believed that the potential pedagogical benefit of single-sex K-12 public education was worthy of further study. Most subjects urged a stricter enforcement of Title IX (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational institutions which receive Federal funding) to preserve and further aims of gender equity. Responses are included from the informant groups on issues of creating equal outcomes from an educational system, the role of Federal law, the level of scrutiny toward gender-based classifications in education, the changing trend toward single-sex K-12 education, and public policy implications of single-sex education. The legal aspects of single sex education, including an analysis of statutory, regulatory and case law, are considered. An appendix provides a section-by-section analysis of Title IX. (Contains 21 references.) (JPB)

This study evaluated the relationship between Massachusetts special education expenditures and revenues and the overall allocation of school budgets between special and regular education. An introduction reviews the study's background, census-based funding in Massachusetts, education reform efforts in the state, the Foundation Budget approach which combines local community and state resources with the purpose of providing all schools with adequate and equitable education resources, and the current funding formula. The study analyzed quantitative data, including existing fiscal, student, staffing, and programmatic data from 81 schools in 25 school systems, as well as qualitative data, including interviews with the 25 special education directors. Major findings from the quantitative data are reported in text, tables, and graphs for: personnel expenditure allocation; per student personnel costs; allocation among special education services; costs of inclusion; and comparison of revenues and expenditures for special education. The interviews resulted in identification of policy issues and concerns about the following aspects of the existing formula provisions: flexibility, private residential funding, cost issues, percentage of students identified, types of placement, standard of service, and parental rights to independent assessment. Insufficient funding was the predominant concern expressed by the special education directors interviewed; however, essentially no desire for major changes in the current funding system was found. (DB)