The Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) of 1990 drastically changed the state’s entire educational system in ways of curriculum, governance, and finance. KERA has served as somewhat of a blueprint for reform legislation in a number of other states. A literature review revealed that traditionally the relationship between K-12 reform and higher education (teacher preparation) in the United States has not been very strong. Although the connections between the two were unclear early on in Kentucky’s reform efforts, much progress has been made in linking KERA to the teacher preparation programs in the state. Some documentation on how the state colleges and universities have responded to the legislation exists. Very little literature, however, on how the private institutions have respon...

In November 1998, the author arrived in Mascarilla, a small village in Ecuador's predominantly-black Chota Valley, to begin a six-month teaching assignment at the Escuela "Hernando Tquez" (the local primary school). Based both on his own observations and on the assessments offered by various former students, parents, community leaders, and Ecuadorean scholars, the author judges the educational performance of the Escuela "Hernando Tquez" to be grossly inadequate. Indeed, the various shortcomings attributed to the school (and documented as a case study in chapters three and four of this book) are so glaring that the author was led to question how such a dysfunctional school could be allowed to exist in a country where the government states that "to improve education is to improve the q...

This work seeks to analyze the role that literature has played within the educational sphere throughout the past and recent years, the conflicts derived from the academic views, and how literature is an essential tool for the comprehensive study of a second language, as an integral part of the educational process. The principal aim of the model suggested in this thesis is the introduction of non-traditional approaches to the integration of literary texts, as a cross-curricular interdisciplinary resource for the learning of English as a second language. The literature program here proposed enhances the figure of the teacher and promotes the skills, knowledge, and competences of the students within a multicultural, changing society.

Many educators and the public are interested in online distance education, in particular Internet-based schooling. The underlying assumption is that this is a new and untested fad in education. This is due in part to a lack of documentation within academia of the early development of online distance education, and, in part, to a shortage of experienced, practicing online schools. On the Internet, one may become confused by the flurry of activity and by the various claims from organizations that they are providing a revolutionary method of instruction--online teaching. Furthermore, many people are unaware of the long and distinguished history of distance education itself that is the root of current day Internet-based schooling. Despite the uncertainty, the public is clearly demanding o...

The establishment of alternative education, private foundations, and networks linked to socio-political and spiritual advocacies distinguishes the Thai social movement in this research. This research is a qualitative study that has made use of historical accounts to associate with data gathered from extensive interviews and case studies in order to inquire as to whether alternative education represents an historical spiritual tradition of opposition to reform hegemony, and whether it has had an impact on state reform efforts. Also investigated was whether there are some historical patterns associated with the manner in which the state of Thailand has dealt with the forces of globalization and whether the collective action by informal movements of Thai people also has the same predictable p...

In this collection of work, the contributing authors tackle the topic of non-formal education from a variety of disciplines, such as computer science, psychology, education, science education, literacy, music, art, and social studies by sharing original perspectives, and proposing novel educational approaches. The book chapters present insights into designing and carrying out non-formal education activities, operational management strategies related to non-formal education, activating and creating the well-being of participants in non-formal education activities, and implementing active learning. The current volume appeals to a wide audience, including teachers, parents, students, and education specialists, as well as researchers and community members working with youth and children. More...

The purpose of this study was to describe, using the tools of ethnography and qualitative research, selected events in the history of a public special education school and its school culture. The year of the study, 1994-1995, the school served 125 students with cerebral palsy and other disabilities affecting some or all of their physical, sensory, and cognitive abilities. Study participants included faculty and staff, former students, parents, school administrators, and others identified with the school and in the Nashville community during the 1994-1995 school year. In-depth interviews with study participants, on-site observations, semi-structured interviews with informants, document, and archival research were used to create five collective tales based on stories of those who k...

This comprehensive study of the Japanese education system follows the Japanese child from the kindergarten, through the progressively more arduous and competitive environments of the elementary, middle and high schools, to the relative relaxation, even hedonism, of university life. Drawing on numerous surveys and on the author's personal experience, it provides a wealth of information on teaching methodologies, discipline, class sizes, the school day, assessment and the national curriculum. It also examines the role of the central Ministry of Education and the local boards in administering education throughout the country, and outlines and assesses the government's recent programs of educational reform. The behavior, attitudes and expectations of pupils and parents are discussed in det...

This study was conducted in order to define what constitutes color education in the undergraduate interior design curriculum. The study was also intended to assess students' knowledge of color upon completing their design education and preparing to enter the profession. The research for this study was conducted via the following: an evaluation of the curriculum of 96 accredited interior design programs and several course syllabi and supporting materials; a survey of final-year students regarding their views of color education; an interview with a former Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) site visitor to define criteria for assessing color proficiency in a design program; and a color exercise administered to final-year students to examine their practical color application ...

Private Higher Education and the Labor Market in China focuses on Chinese private higher education institutions and investigates their institutional management efforts in linking private higher education to the labor market. The dissertation firstly describes and analyzes how these mostly demand-absorbing institutions include elements aimed at meeting labor market demands in their mission statements, and how they improve student employability and bridge graduates and employers through job-oriented fields of study provision, educational delivery, career services, as well as networking and partnerships. It then examines graduate surveys on initial employment outcomes about employment status, starting salary, job and education match, and job satisfaction, while exploring the associations of t...

In this book, Whitehead argues against the fact-minded orientation of education and the practice of science. It is not that facts are unhelpful, but they have become a substitute for learning (learning is now tantamount to fact memorization). This change handicaps students by eliminating the possibility of creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking; it handicaps science by limiting the kinds of questions that can be asked and where to look for answers; and ultimately puts people out of touch with their experience. The problem is fact-mindedness. Facts are the relics of enlightenment thinking. They represent unbiased and unquestionable truth about our universe. The more you collect, the more you know; the more you know, the more powerful you are; the more powerful you are…. You get t...

In the past twenty years or so, assessment in education has become increasingly viewed as a means of guiding and improving student learning, rather than simply measuring it. The assessment for learning (AfL) movement, arising primarily from mainstream primary and secondary education in the UK, strongly advocates this formative, learning-centered view of assessment. At the level of classroom practice, AfL is comprised of a number of key procedures including: the use of effective feedback, self-and peer assessment, questioning and classroom dialogue, and the formative use of summative tests. Based on a series of classroom research projects, this doctoral thesis examines these AfL procedures in a higher education EFL context with adult students at a university in Tokyo, Japan. After an int...

The Dubai International Conference in Higher Education is a conference where educators, academic managers, students, and researchers from around the world come together to discuss the challenges facing education now and in the future. As global youth unemployment steadily rises, there are even more demands on higher education institutions across the world to demonstrate their relevance both to the needs of the 21st century learner and to those of the 21st century employer. The conference theme for 2013, 'Succeeding in the Pursuit of Quality,' offered an exciting opportunity for international educators to share knowledge, ideas, and expertise as we strive constantly for ever greater quality in teaching learning and research, leadership, and academic management.

An almost universal concern of the Victorian governing classes was with the question of social control: how to deflect a largely uneducated working class from their inevitable challenge to the centres of power, accepted value systems and existing authority structures. The fear in which the masses were held by the middle and upper classes came to dominate access to education or, more accurately, to what they defined as "useful knowledge," since this was designed to instil the values of a just and ordered society. Conversely for the working class, it would give them power; power over their own lives and in so-doing provide access to that social hierarchy currently valued by the governing minority. This book addresses the role of the providers of education alongside the responses of those ...

As distance education schools grow in popularity, contemporary educators are raising important instructional questions about quality of these programs. A vital question involves concerns about the level of interactivity or interaction between students and between teachers and students. Interactivity is a challenging subject because there are few research studies that address the issue. It is a dynamic entity that involves a number of important elements, but the researcher stressed three vital elements: communication, participation, and feedback. The study highlights research results from a survey of students who were pursuing on-line graduate degrees (masters and doctoral). Important distance education issues are discussed such as feedback from professors and the quality of academic dialo...

The purpose of this study was to uncover the counseling-related thoughts and feelings of special education students who began their participation in counseling involuntarily. Under exploration were the client variables and other influences that accounted for resistant or cooperative approaches toward participation in counseling. Eight students enrolled in special education classes at one middle school and two high schools in a rural area of Western New York State were randomly selected from a list of 24 potential research participants. The list of 24 potential research participants was assembled by a local expert commissioned to do so using a purposeful sampling method. A qualitatively designed, semi-structured interview format was chosen as the means of data collection. All int...

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible relationship between instrumental music education in Grades 8 and 11 and critical thinking as assessed by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. The subsets that were examined included Reading (B): Interpretation and Analysis of Fictional and Nonfictional Text, which assesses the academic standards 1.1, Learning to read independently; standard 1.2, Reading critically in all content areas; standard 1.3, Reading, analyzing and interpreting literature, and Mathematics, sections C.1 Geometry- Analyze characteristics of two and three dimensional shapes, D.2 Algebraic concepts- Analyze mathematical situations using numbers, symbols, words, tables and/or graphs, and E.1 Data analysis and probability- Interpret and analyze data by formul...

The present study aims to illuminate the way participant learning in adventure experiences intersects with broader social, cultural and institutional contexts, and was guided by the following questions: How is participant experience constructed in a facilitated, small group adventure setting? How is the construction of the adventure experience related to the intentions and orchestrations of the trainer? How is the construction of the adventure experience related to the institutional and social context in which it occurs? This study used grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1998) and cultural-historical activity theory (Engeström, 1987; Leontiev, 1977; Vygotsky, 1978). Activity as an analytic device facilitates the mapping of historical, social and cultural influences on local a...

A careful examination of the evolutions of Curriculum as Political Text and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1973 disclosed certain contributory facets to teacher disillusionment in an inclusive high school environment. A diminishing sense of professional self-efficacy, self-empowerment, and optimism stemmed primarily from the political machinations of a hidden curriculum and a misapplication of an inclusive classroom practice.The process used to arrive at these conclusions was heuristic research, wherein outward perceptions and realties assumed meaning vis-a-vis inward reflection and introspection,disclosing an unequivocal new awareness, illumination, and enlightenment. Such personal enrichment, however, arrived only after a journey-of-self unfolded through the three pha...

Michigan State University in Dubai recognized the unprecedented challenges facing higher education in the 21st century. In a world where expectations of the learner are becoming ever more demanding, the universities are asked how they can sustain excellence through innovation.

Teacher evaluation is an activity of assessing teachers' performance. It is equivalent to teacher appraisal/teacher performance management in England. This study explores the complexities of implementing Teacher Evaluation in primary schools in Taiwan. It concentrates principally on the development of Teacher Evaluation in Taiwan in the light of international research, especially that relating to the English context. The philosophical perspective with which this study is most closely aligned is constructivism. In particular, using qualitative methods of documentary analysis and interviews, it explores the nature of Teacher Evaluation and the meaning held by implementers. Government publications, including books, journals and other documentation from public institutions were examined to tr...

The purpose of this thesis is to develop new hybrid admission decision prediction models by using different machine learning methods including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Radial Basis Function (RBF) Network, TreeBoost (TB) and K-Means Clustering (KMC) combined with feature selection algorithms to investigate the effect of the predictor variables on the admission decision of a candidate to the School of Physical Education and Sports at Cukurova University. Three feature selection algorithms including Relief-F, F-Score and Correlation-based Feature Selection (CFS) have been considered. Experiments have been conducted on the datasets, which contain data of participants who applied to the School in 2006 and 2007. The datasets have been randomly split into train...

Individualized Education: Understanding in Light of the Introduction of the Progressive/Regressive Forming and Establishing Developmental Model, as a Human Right That Ultimately Promotes Higher Quality of Life Globally Through Local Practices is an interdisciplinary Ph. D. thesis that analyzes and discusses the importance, influences, and practicality of IEPs (Individualized Educational Programs) in global terms. Furthermore, this thesis statement introduces the Progressive/Regressive Forming and Establishing Developmental Model. This model is a theoretical tool for analyzing individuals in light of social expected norms and how synergy of collective individuals, families, and social organizations local through global positive and negative potential synergy. Using this model, IEPs can b...

This paper seeks to analyze the role that literature has performed throughout the last years, the conflicts derived from the academic views, and how literature is an essential tool for the comprehensive study of a second language, as an integral part of the educational process. The Model suggested enhances the figure of the teacher and promotes the skills, knowledge and attitudes of the students within a multicultural environment.

This book provides strategies for educating learning disabled and English as a Second Language students. Unlike a one-size-fits-all curriculum where all students are expected to learn the same materials, in the same way, in the same amount of time, differentiated instruction provides options. This book uses an array of instructional strategies, including multiple texts and supplementary materials, reality learning games, group investigations, and flexible evaluation. In addition, Dr. Jefferson and Ms. Sweet's book provides a variety of lesson plans on differentiated instruction that will make any teacher's life easier. This book is written to help both new and veteran teachers make classroom lessons engaging and fun again.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the general job satisfaction, intrinsic job satisfaction, and extrinsic job satisfaction levels of Directors of Classified Personnel in the 97 Merit (Civil Service ) Systems school districts in California that employ approximately 60 percent of classified employees. Also examined was the influence or relationship of job satisfaction to variables such as the Director's gender, age, highest degree (or equivalent) earned, years of Director experience, size of organization (district), responsibility for certificated only or both certificated (teaching) and classified (non-teaching) employees, and current minimum and maximum monthly salary amounts. It was found that Directors of Classified Personnel in California Merit System school districts were ...

Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, this research investigated the situation of the Tsotsil language spoken in Chenalhó, Chiapas, Mexico, by focusing on the implementation of a Spanish-Tsotsil bilingual elementary school. It was possible to discover that the Tsotsil language is still alive and that most parents who participated in this research transmit it to their children. However, there are students who prefer Spanish instead of their native language Tsotsil, due to the negative attitudes they have towards it such as “it is the language of old fashioned people while Spanish is the language of fashionable and modern people.” Nonetheless, most students portrayed positive attitudes towards both languages. The barriers that have affected the promotion of Tsotsil are: a monolingu...