Search

This document contains five papers. "Vocational Teacher Education in U.S. Colleges and Universities and Its Responsiveness to the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act of 1990" (Richard L. Lynch) documents the trend toward decreasing enrollments in teacher training programs in virtually all vocational fields. "Occupational Experience as the Basis for Alternative Teacher Certification in Vocational Education" (Richard L. Lynch) establishes that occupational experience is an inadequate substitute for formal teacher preparation in vocational education. "Curricular Tracks and High School Vocational Education" (James A. Kulik) demonstrates that most of the difference between vocational and academic students' test scores is due to students' characteristics rather than the nature of vocational education. "The Impact of Academic Course Work on Labor Market Outcomes for Youth Who Do Not Attend College: A Research Review" (Adam Gamoran) documents the importance of a solid foundation in basic academic skills. "The Effect of High School Vocational Education on Academic Achievement Gain and High School Persistence: Evidence from NELS:88 (National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988)" (Kenneth A. Rasinski, Steven Pedlow) suggests that the benefits of vocational education for high school completion may occur by improving students' success in courses. (MN)

Thirteen brief papers address issues in inclusive education, with special emphasis on concerns and applications in Illinois. The following issues are discussed: (1) the relationship of the inclusive schools concept to that of providing a continuum of alternative placement options; (2) needed changes in current funding of special education to provide incentives (rather than disincentives) for school districts to include students with disabilities in regular classes and schools; (3) the practices of mainstreaming, integration, and "dumping" of students into regular classes without supports as opposed to "supportive" education in an inclusive education system; (4) needed restructuring in preservice training of teachers if inclusive education is to be fostered; (5) benefits of inclusive education for families; (6) the destructive effects of categorical labels; (7) the urgency of the removal of architectural barriers in public schools; (8) inservice and administrative supports needed by both regular and special education teachers for successful inclusion of students with disabilities; (9) specific ways administrators can support inclusion; (10) the role of the individualized education program in inclusive schooling; (11) a comparison of such terms as "least restrictive environment,""integration,""mainstreaming,""regular education initiative," and "inclusion"; (12) accountability issues at the state level; and (13) curriculum issues and inclusive education. Some papers contain references. (DB)

Volume 2 of the handbook has been designed to supplement the material presented in Volume 1, which was concerned with basic problems associated with the Adult Basic Education (ABE) classroom. Volume 2 aims at a wider audience. Chapter 1 attempts to give a detailed description of the deprived adult learner, and considers such questions as how they are; why they are as they are; and what to do about it. Chapter 2 suggests some methods and means of increasing and improving services to the deprived. Chapters 3 and 4 present some data and arguments favoring public support of adult education. Chapter 5 considers the crucial problem of communicating and interacting with the deprived. Chapters 6 and 7 attempt to make Chapter 2 more extensive, intensive, and protensive by setting forth curriculum practices and suggesting techniques, tools, and trends in ABE. Chapter 7 indicates how the total program in adult education may be improved, unified, and made more continuous through the coordinated efforts of administrators and supervisors in the field. Finally, the appendixes, through a series of position papers, present some thought-provoking subject matter selected from a wide array of scholars considered knowledgeable in the area of adult education. (Author)

This paper highlights the developments in teaching methods in China in the era of the post-Cultural Revolution, and explains how these methods grew out of educational experimentation during the Yenan period. The Yenan period followed the historic "long march, "when Mao Tse-tung and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) established their base in Shensi province. At that time, a school was established characterized by political education, firm leadership, integration of theory with practice, and simplified curriculum. The basic method of teaching was the enlightenment method, an inquiry process involving initial questions and group discussion to develop answers. Many of these practices are now prevalent in Chinese schools. Political education stressing Maoist teachings is of primary importance and begins in the fourth grade. Schools are run by workers, revolutionary cadres, and local PLA Units. Curriculum is related to needs of individual communities. Productive labor is emphasized as well as book learning, a concept which helps produce a classless society. The teacher's authority is not absolute; traditional respect for teachers' intellectual superiority is no longer acceptable. This has created a need to re-educate teachers to have an ideological outlook consistent with Maoist tenets. Problems arising from this change include class discipline and blending Maoist thought into all lesson content. (Author/AV)

Graduate education of administrators for mental retardation and developmental disability programs are defined under the umbrella of Health Services Administration. These programs have in common the delivery of health care. From the administrative standpoint, the broad area of human services must be brought down to manageable, functional segments, but must also be concerned with all of the human services. A way an administrator can relate to other human services is by first having a thorough knowledge and understanding of the health care delivery system and the role management plays within it. This initial working document deals with graduate education for administrators of mental retardation, development disability programs, and institutions. Included is a questionnaire and results that identify major functional areas of responsibilities for administrators. (Author/KE)

This paper, prepared by the New Jersey Science Teachers Association (NJSTA), presents the position that for education to be thorough and efficient, it must provide students with education in science. The paper is intended to provide an impetus for change in the laws of New Jersey relating to education. Topics discussed are: (1) Why teach science; and (2) Concerns of science educators relative to a science education program being brought about by state mandate. Thirty recommendations pertaining to all phases and participants in science education, from state to classroom levels, are presented. (SL)

The document contains 10 papers from the 1973 John Tracy Clinic (Los Angeles, California) Summer Session for teachers on communication skills for deaf/blind children. J. Efron, the author of "Teaching Communication Skills to Deaf/Blind Children--Which Method?" examines advantages and disadvantages of several methods of teaching communication skills, offers some criteria for determining which method is most appropriate, and reviews principles of teaching communication skills to deaf/blind children. In "Acquisition of Communication Skills in the Normal Child," Efron lists stages of skill development in inner language, receptive language, and expressive language. A third paper by D. Cross, "Developing Language Skills in the Prelingual Deaf/Blind Child," contains a workshop outline. Described in question and answer format in a fourth paper (by Cross) is "A Program to Develop Communication and Language Skills via Coactive Movements and Imitation through Movement." A paper titled "The Speech Model" by L. Rowe offers a model which explains the progressions of speech learning which take place in specific lessons and in general learning situations. "Remedial Principles and Practices with the Hearing Impaired" (including lipreading, auditory training, and speech) are reviewed by E. Lowell. Subsequent papers contain guidelines on focusing and tracking for a child with impaired vision; activities for developing the kinesthetic sense, tactile awareness, the stereognostic sense, audition, and sense of weight and temperature; a "Developmental Learning Guide for Deaf/Blind Children" (compiled by D. Cross) which includes behavior and performance checklists, and sequential steps and activities in the areas of awareness of self and others, motor development, perceptual and readiness skills, conceptual skills, academics, and communication; and instructions for teaching practical life activities. (SB)

This collection of papers, consisting of six reports, is the result of a research project during which vocational educators from the United Kingdom traveled to the Federal Republic of Germany to examine the ways in which secondary school students in that country learn about the world of work. Included in the volume are the following reports: "The Secondary School System of the Federal Republic," by Russ Russell; "Arbeitslehre in the Federal Republic of Germany," by J. Woppel; "Concept and Experimental Models for the Teaching of Arbeitslehre in the Rheinland-Pfalz," by Paul Pardall; "Multi-Subject Teaching Unit: Vocational Orientation," by Staatliches Schulamt, Stuttgart; "Arbeitslehre in Baden-Wurttemberg and Berlin," by John Perry; and "The New School Subject," by Stephen Castles and Wiebke Wustenberg. A glossary concludes the volume. (MN)

The following nine papers were presented to the Open Court Editorial Advisory Board Meeting, 1974. In "National Assessment of Educational Progress" J. Stanley Ahmann provides an overview of assessment aims, construction, and results. Jacques Barzun discusses the history of educational theory in "The Use of Tradition in Educational Disputes". In "Crisis in British Education," Rhodes Boyson explores declining standards of achievement as a result of neoprogressivism. Cleanth Brooks suggests the use of literature, poetry in particular, to illuminate the past in "Combined Studies Program: Literary Elements." Peter Hilton discusses five problems peculiar to higher education and applies that discussion to education in general in "Some Problems of Contemporary Education." Banesh Hoffman provides examples of the lack of objectivity in objective tests in "On The Mechanization of Evaluation." in "Reflections on the Disorder of Our Times," Sidney Hook appeals for rationality in our ideas about social order. Albert Williams Levi contributes "History and Philosophy in the International Baccalaureate." Ralph A. Smith outlines a sane educational theory and pedagogy for art instruction in "The 'New' Appreciation of Art." (JH) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Program Description.

Materials are presented from a seminar that brought together practicing German and British educationalists to compare the differing curriculum decisions and implementation processes in England and Wales with those in the Federal Republic of Germany. A foreword provides the objectives, methods, and funding bodies. Section 2 is a comparative introduction to the text that makes recommendations for further study. Detailed comments on the formal structure of technical and vocational education in the Federal Republic of Germany are offered. Specific topics are the upper secondary vocational school system, vocational training at upper secondary level outside schools, and curriculum processes. Section 4 is a glossary of terms used in the three specialists reports. The next three sections contain the reports of the technician education, business education, and vocational education groups. Each report describes the structure of the educational system in the two countries as determined from visits and the curriculum and/or curriculum development. Section 8 presents the conclusions and suggestions for further study from each of the three groups. The final section includes the seminar timetable with a list of institutions studied during the seminar and a list of membership in the seminar. (YLB)

"Proceedings of International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences" includes full papers presented at the International Conference on Humanities, Social and Education Sciences (iHSES), which took place on July 15-19, 2020, in Washington, D.C. The aim of the conference is to offer opportunities to share ideas, to discuss theoretical and practical issues, and to connect with the leaders in the fields of "humanities," "education," and "social sciences." The conference is organized annually by the International Society for Technology, Education, and Science (ISTES). The iHSES invites submissions which address the theory, research, or applications in all disciplines of humanities, education, and social sciences. The iHSES is organized for: (1) faculty members in all disciplines of humanities, education, and social sciences; (2) graduate students; (3) K-12 administrators; (4) teachers; (5) principals; and (6) all interested in education and social sciences. [Individual papers are indexed in ERIC.]

This book contains the full text of papers and posters presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2020), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (W.I.A.R.S.), that this year had to be transformed into a fully Virtual Conference as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID 19) pandemic. Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement our view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons we have many nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. END 2020 received 459 submissions, from more than 40 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Virtual Presentations and Posters. The conference accepted for presentation 125 submissions (27% acceptance rate), from which, 106 submissions are published in full text in this book. The conference also includes a keynote presentation from an internationally distinguished researcher, Prof. Dr. Joy Kutaka-Kennedy (Ed. D., Department of Special Education, Sanford College of Education, National University, San Jose Campus, USA), to whom we express our most gratitude. This conference addressed different categories inside the Education area and papers are expected to fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program, we have chosen four main broad-ranging categories, which also covers different interest areas: (1) In TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Teachers and Staff training and education; Educational quality and standards; Curriculum and Pedagogy; Vocational education and Counseling; Ubiquitous and lifelong learning; Training programs and professional guidance; Teaching and learning relationship; Student affairs (learning, experiences and diversity; Extra-curricular activities; Assessment and measurements in Education. (2) In PROJECTS AND TRENDS: Pedagogic innovations; Challenges and transformations in Education; Technology in teaching and learning; Distance Education and eLearning; Global and sustainable developments for Education; New learning and teaching models; Multicultural and (inter)cultural communications; Inclusive and Special Education; Rural and indigenous Education; Educational projects. (3) In TEACHING AND LEARNING: Critical Thinking; Educational foundations; Research and development methodologies; Early childhood and Primary Education; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Science and technology Education; Literacy, languages and Linguistics (TESL/TEFL); Health Education; Religious Education; Sports Education. (4) In ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES: Educational policy and leadership; Human Resources development; Educational environment; Business, Administration, and Management in Education; Economics in Education; Institutional accreditations and rankings; International Education and Exchange programs; Equity, social justice and social change; Ethics and values; Organizational learning and change, Corporate Education. This book contains the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to teaching, learning and applications in Education nowadays. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, who will extend our view in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues, by sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to our organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [This document contains the proceedings of END 2020: International Conference on Education and New Developments (Virtual Conference).]

This book contains the full text of papers and posters presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2019), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement our view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons we have many nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. END 2019 received 547 submissions, from more than 50 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. The conference accepted for presentation 135 submissions (25% acceptance rate), from which, 114 submissions are published in full text in these volumes. The conference also includes a keynote presentation from an internationally distinguished researcher, Prof. Dr. Denise Whitelock, Professor of Technology Enhanced Assessment and Learning, Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, UK, to whom we express our most gratitude. This conference addressed different categories inside the Education area and papers are expected to fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program, we have chosen four main broad-ranging categories, which also covers different interest areas: (1) In TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Teachers and Staff training and education; Educational quality and standards; Curriculum and Pedagogy; Vocational education and Counseling; Ubiquitous and lifelong learning; Training programs and professional guidance; Teaching and learning relationship; Student affairs (learning, experiences and diversity); Extra-curricular activities; Assessment and measurements in Education. (2) In PROJECTS AND TRENDS: Pedagogic innovations; Challenges and transformations in Education; Technology in teaching and learning; Distance Education and eLearning; Global and sustainable developments for Education; New learning and teaching models; Multicultural and (inter)cultural communications; Inclusive and Special Education; Rural and indigenous Education; Educational projects. (3) In TEACHING AND LEARNING: Critical Thinking; Educational foundations; Research and development methodologies; Early childhood and Primary Education; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Science and technology Education; Literacy, languages and Linguistics (TESL/TEFL); Health Education; Religious Education; Sports Education. (4) In ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES: Educational policy and leadership; Human Resources development; Educational environment; Business, Administration, and Management in Education; Economics in Education; Institutional accreditations and rankings; International Education and Exchange programs; Equity, social justice and social change; Ethics and values; Organizational learning and change, Corporate Education. This is the Volume I of the book "Education and New Developments 2019" and it contains the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to teaching, learning and applications in Education nowadays. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, who will extend our view in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues, by sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This first volume focus in the main areas of TEACHERS AND STUDENTS and PROJECTS AND TRENDS. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to our organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [For Volume II, see ED604966. This document contains the proceedings of END 2019: International Conference on Education and New Developments (Porto, Portugal, June 22-24, 2019).]

In this symposium, the participants discuss some preliminary data collected from their problem solving project which uses a design experiment approach. Their approach to problem solving in the school curriculum is in tandem with what Schoenfeld (2007) claimed: "Crafting instruction that would make a wide range of problem-solving strategies accessible to students would be a very valuable contribution. This is an engineering task rather than a conceptual one" (p. 541). In the first paper, the participants look at how two teachers on this project taught problem solving. As good problems are key to the successful implementation of their project, in the second paper, they focus on some of the problems that were used in the project and discuss the views of the participating students on these problems. The third paper shows how an initially selected problem led to a substitute problem to meet their design criteria. The papers included in this symposium are: (1) Enacting a Problem Solving Curriculum (Leong Yew Hoong, Toh Tin Lam, Quek Khiok Seng, Jaguthsing Dindyal, Tay Eng Guan and Lou Sieu Tee); (2) Problems for a Problem Solving Curriculum (Jaguthsing Dindyal, Quek Khiok Seng, Leong Yew Hoong, Toh Tin Lam, Tay Eng Guan and Lou Sieu Tee); and (3) Resources for Teaching Problem Solving: A Problem to Discuss (Quek Khiok Seng, Toh Tin Lam, Jaguthsing Dindyal, Leong Yew Hoong, Tay Eng Guan and Lou Sieu Tee). Individual papers contain tables, figures and references. [For the complete proceedings, "Shaping the Future of Mathematics Education. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (33rd, Freemantle, Western Australia, Australia, July 3-7, 2010)," see ED520764.]

This book contains a compilation of papers presented at the International Conference on Education and New Developments (END 2018), organized by the World Institute for Advanced Research and Science (WIARS). Education, in our contemporary world, is a right since we are born. Every experience has a formative effect on the constitution of the human being, in the way one thinks, feels and acts. One of the most important contributions resides in what and how we learn through the improvement of educational processes, both in formal and informal settings. The International Conference seeks to provide some answers and explore the processes, actions, challenges and outcomes of learning, teaching and human development. The goal is to offer a worldwide connection between teachers, students, researchers and lecturers, from a wide range of academic fields, interested in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues. We take pride in having been able to connect and bring together academics, scholars, practitioners and others interested in a field that is fertile in new perspectives, ideas and knowledge. We counted on an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, which can supplement our view of the human essence and behavior, showing the impact of their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. This is, certainly, one of the reasons we have many nationalities and cultures represented, inspiring multi-disciplinary collaborative links, fomenting intellectual encounter and development. END 2018 received 624 submissions, from more than 50 different countries, reviewed by a double-blind process. Submissions were prepared to take form of Oral Presentations, Posters, Virtual Presentations and Workshops. The conference accepted for presentation 168 submissions (27% acceptance rate). The conference also includes two keynote presentations from internationally distinguished researchers, Prof. Dr. Zoltán Rónay (Ph.D, Associate Professor) Research Group for Higher Education and Innovation, Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary, and Prof. Dr. Gyöngyi Bujdosó (PhD, Senior lecturer) Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen, Hungary, to whom we express our most gratitude. This conference addressed different categories inside the Education area and papers are expected to fit broadly into one of the named themes and sub-themes. To develop the conference program, we have chosen four main broad-ranging categories, which also covers different interest areas: (1) In TEACHERS AND STUDENTS: Teachers and Staff training and education; Educational quality and standards; Curriculum and Pedagogy; Vocational education and Counseling; Ubiquitous and lifelong learning; Training programs and professional guidance; Teaching and learning relationship; Student affairs (learning, experiences and diversity); Extra-curricular activities; Assessment and measurements in Education. (2) In PROJECTS AND TRENDS: Pedagogic innovations; Challenges and transformations in Education; Technology in teaching and learning; Distance Education and eLearning; Global and sustainable developments for Education; New learning and teaching models; Multicultural and (inter)cultural communications; Inclusive and Special Education; Rural and indigenous Education; Educational projects. (3) In TEACHING AND LEARNING: Critical Thinking; Educational foundations; Research and development methodologies; Early childhood and Primary Education; Secondary Education; Higher Education; Science and technology Education; Literacy, languages and Linguistics (TESL/TEFL); Health Education; Religious Education; Sports Education. (4) In ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES: Educational policy and leadership; Human Resources development; Educational environment; Business, Administration, and Management in Education; Economics in Education; Institutional accreditations and rankings; International Education and Exchange programs; Equity, social justice and social change; Ethics and values; Organizational learning and change, Corporate Education. This book contains the results of the research and developments conducted by authors who focused on what they are passionate about: to promote growth in research methods intimately related to teaching, learning and applications in Education nowadays. It includes an extensive variety of contributors and presenters, who will extend our view in exploring and giving their contribution in educational issues, by sharing with us their different personal, academic and cultural experiences. We would like to express thanks to all the authors and participants, the members of the academic scientific committee, and of course, to our organizing and administration team for making and putting this conference together. [This document contains the proceedings of END 2018: International Conference on Education and New Developments (Budapest, Hungary, June 23-25, 2018).]

Five interrelated papers that explore the theme of validity within the context of cross-national assessments are grouped in this collection. These papers were presented at a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. These papers draw on data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The TIMSS involved more than 12,650 schools, 25,300 teachers, and 655,000 students in about 50 countries. A central problem in the evaluation of results of cross-national assessments is that of content validity as evaluated in relation to the specific domain to which test scores are intended to relate. In international assessments, as in national studies, more than one type of domain is of potential interest. Some domains relate to the explicit and implicit intended goals of the curriculum, the "intended" curriculum, and others related to what is actually implemented in the classroom, the implemented curriculum. The degree to which a cross-national assessment reflects a country's curriculum and instruction has great impact on the interpretation of results. The following papers are included: (1) "Opportunity To Learn and the Pitfalls of International Rankings: A Validity Issue?"; (2) "Domain Definitions for Curriculum-Sensitive Tests: Improving the Content Validity of Cross-National Assessments"; (3) "Evaluating Test-to-Curriculum Match: Indices of Content Validity for Curriculum-Sensitive Assessment"; (4) "Item-Topic Clusters, Disaggregation, and Variety of Statistics: Some Approaches to Solving the Validity Dilemma in Cross-National Assessments"; and (5) "Validity Issues in Cross-national Relational Analyses: A Meta-Analytic Approach to Perceived Gender." References, when included, follow the individual papers. (SLD)

This symposium on university programs consists of three presentations. "Institutional and Curricular Characteristics of Leading Graduate Human Resource Development (HRD) Programs in the United States" (K. Peter Kuchinke) reports a study on institutional arrangements, student enrollments, and core curriculum content and found a large degree of heterogeneity among program names, departmental affiliations, and specializations; declining student enrollment; increased part-time course taking; and disparity between course offerings and much current writing in the field. "Assessment of a Graduate Program in HRD: Perceptions of Key Stakeholders" (Julie A. Furst-Bowe, Joseph Benkowski) discusses these findings: overlap among courses; difficulty in providing administrative and student services to students; need for additional staff; lack of quality classrooms and instructional facilities; and quality and level of research and scholarship among faculty and students. "Predicting Academic Performance in Management Education: An Empirical Investigation of Master of Business Administration (MBA) Success" (Baiyin Yang, Xiaoping Rosa Lu) suggests that undergraduate grade point average was the most important predictor for the graduate academic performance, followed by Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) quantitative and GMAT verbal, while language made little contribution. All three papers include substantial bibliographies. (YLB)

Education is a source of national pride in Lebanon. When the general public was asked how the education system was performing, 76 percent of respondents had a positive opinion; and these satisfaction rates have been consistently high over the years. However, perception of education quality does not reflect the reality of the sector; and learning outcomes, which are the determining metrics of success in education, have been lower than the international average, with a declining trend since 2007. This volume seeks to uncover why the education system in Lebanon is not reaching its full potential. It uses a political economy approach to study the drivers and factors that guide education operations to produce and utilize education outcomes. This includes the study of the context, stakeholders, and processes that shape education policies, institutions, and activities. It also aims to identify enablers and constraints for policy change, policy implementation, and results achievement. The analysis encompasses how education policies are developed; how education consumables--such as curricula, textbooks, and learning materials--are produced, distributed, and used by learners; how education services are delivered and monitored; and how results are measured. It includes the identification of the most influential actors in the education arena, as well as their vested interests. It also examines unfavorable frameworks for action that are likely to block the adoption of reforms and delay or derail their implementation. The system-level analysis presented in this volume used a mixed-method approach. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted based on a review and analysis of more than 1,900 research papers, articles, and books; laws and policies; expenditures; trends; and enrollment and outcome indicators. Primary methods of inquiry were also used and included interviews, focus group discussions, and a household-based perception survey. [The studies under Research for Results (R4R) were made possible through generous financial contributions from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).]

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 5900 Culminating Experience, requires the student to implement an action research plan designed through (a) the Education 5000 Introduction to Inquiry course or the Education 5010 Methods of Educational Research course, (b) one of the two learning assessments required during student teaching, or (c) a newly-designed project not used as one of the learning assessments. With funding through a UTC Teaching, Learning, and Technology Faculty Fellows award, the Education 5900 course is conducted through the use of an online, course management system (Blackboard), allowing for asynchronous discussion and use of the digital drop box feature for submitting required papers. The action research projects from, fall semester 2010, are presented below. Papers include: (1) Student Perceptions of Layered Curriculum[R] vs. Traditional Coursework on Class Grades for 11th-12th Grade Economics and Government Students (Heidi Beckham); (2) What Motivates Young Readers to Read? (Sarah Bolton); (3) Just Story Time? An Evaluation of the Effects of Reading Aloud to Secondary-aged Students (Keeton Christian); (4) Using a Behavioral Management Reward System to Decrease the Behavioral Problems in a High School Setting (Amber Collins); (5) Ready for Middle School Math? (Dorothy L. Finch); (6) Improving Vocabulary Acquisition and Grammar Comprehension in The Second Language through Five Minutes of In-class Reading Time (Veronica V. Herrera); (7) Technology and Mathematics: Classroom Companions for the Future (April J. Huddleston); (8) Perceptions of Fourth-Grade Math Students on Computer-Based Homework (Amanda I. H. Legge); (9) Do Students Retain More Information through Real Life Images or through Clip Art Cartoon Images? (Courtney Sloane Phillips); (10) The Visual Aspect of Vocabulary: Increasing Comprehension and Retention (Nicole Pinkerton); (11) Increasing Grammar Accuracy in the TPRS Classroom (Erin Segroves); (12) Effective Differentiated Instructional Strategies of Middle Grades' Mathematics Instructors (Elizabeth W. Stewart); (13) Vocational Education: Is It Meeting the Needs of the Community? (Stephen Tompkins); (14) The Effect of Daily Quizzes on Student Scores and Class Participation: A Study on High School Economic Students (Elizabeth Warren); and (15) Math-ercise...Could It Fatten Up Scores? (Wendi Worley). (Individual papers contain references, figures, and appendices.) [For "Culminating Experience Action Research Projects, Volume 16, Spring 2010," see ED518906. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience or with school employment. This course, Education 590 Culminating Experience, requires the student to implement an action research plan designed through (a) the Education 500 Introduction to Inquiry course, (b) one of the two learning assessments required during student teaching, or (c) a newly-designed project not used as one of the learning assessments. With funding through a UTC Teaching, Learning, and Technology Faculty Fellows award, the Education 590 course is conducted through the use of an online, course management system (Blackboard), allowing for asynchronous discussion and use of the digital drop box feature for submitting required papers. The action research projects from fall semester 2009 (part 2), are presented in this document: (1) The Impact of Hands-On Activities and Labs in a Secondary Science Class (Melissa Greever); (2) Action Research Study of Group Work vs. Individual Work in High School Students (Emily Mitchell); (3) Parental Involvement (James Pierce); and (4) Numeracy Across the Middle School Curriculum (LaShelle M. Smith). (Individual papers contain references, figures, and appendices.) [For "Culminating Experience Action Research Projects, Volume 15, Part 1, Fall 2009," see ED518899. Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 590 Culminating Experience, requires the student to implement an action research plan designed through (a) the Education 500 Introduction to Inquiry course, (b) one of the two learning assessments required during student teaching, or (c) a newly-designed project not used as one of the learning assessments. With funding through a UTC Teaching, Learning, and Technology Faculty Fellows award, the Education 590 course is conducted through the use of an online, course management system (Blackboard Learning System Release 6), allowing for asynchronous discussion and use of the digital drop box feature for submitting required papers. The course syllabus for Education 590 Culminating Experience is presented in the next section, followed by action research projects from spring semester 2007. The following papers are included in this document: (1) Alternative Grading: A B from You, an A from Me (Julia L. Anderson); (2) Expanding Technology Use for the 21st Century Classroom (Natasha Brunton); (3) Congress Comes to the Sixth Grade (A Role-Play Exercise) (Andrew Campbell); (4) Factors behind Students' Bad Behavior at School (Nighat Jonathan Cecil); (5) Multiple Intelligences Responding Positively to a Writing Curriculum with Integrated Technology (Esther Clark); (6) Using Technology in Instruction: Internet Web Sites (Jonathan E. Craig); (7) An Investigation Of Homogeneous versus Heterogeneous Grouping in Cooperative Learning Situations (Chara Davis); (8) Using Classwide Peer Tutoring to Increase High School Math Students' Academic Performance (Stephen C. Durand); (9) Effective Strategies for Mastering Spanish in Grades 9-12 (Julieta Goode); (10) English as Second Language Students in a Kindergarten Classroom (Emeri D. Gordon); (11) Impact of Qualified Teachers on Head Start Education (Karina Hendrix); (12) Are Educators Meeting the Needs of all Students? (Allison Hughie); (13) Can Flying Objects Induce Identifiable Respect? (Carl. Kiefer); (14) An Evaluation of Learning in a Eurasian Geography Unit through a Pre-Test/Post-Test (Wayne Kohlwes); (15) Improving Middle School Students' Problem Solving Skills by Increasing the Use of Word Problems (Sarah Lail); (16) Perceptions of Faculty and Administration on the Effectiveness of In-School Suspension for the Modification of Student Behavior (NaJuana P. Lee); (17) Photographs Used in the Classroom to Enhance Children's Literacy Experience (Sean Loftin); (18) Should I Really not Smile until Thanksgiving? Discovering the Key to Effective Classroom Management (Jessica Power); (19) Using Computers in the Classroom to Enhance Students' Acquisition of Knowledge (Eric N. Roberts); (20) Using Probeware Technology to Teach pH Chemistry: A Pre-Test and Post-Test Evaluation (Scott C. Siegel); (21) Writing to Learn (Tina Varnell); (22) Can Mathematics Avoidance Be Avoided? (Kara White); and (23) Rhythm and Rhyme--The Effects of Music on Vocabulary Development of Kindergarten Students (Andrea Ziegler). (Individual papers contain references.) [Abstract modified to meet ERIC guidelines.]

This collection of papers includes the following: "Style Wars: Teacher-Student Style Conflicts in the Language Classroom" (Rebecca L. Oxford, Madeline E. Ehrman, and Roberta Z. Lavine); "Articulating Learning in High School and College Programs: Holistic Theory in the Foreign Language Curriculum" (Janet Swaffar); "Reconsidering the FL Requirement: From Seat-Time to Proficiency in the Minnesota Experience" (Betsy K. Barnes, Carol A. Klee, and Ray M. Wakefield); "Team Teaching French with Teaching Assistants" (Theodore E.D. Bruan and Bonnie A. Robb); "On Apples and Oranges: The Effects of Integrating Beginners and False Beginners in Elementary French Classes" (Steven J. Loughrin-Sacco); "The Question of Language Program Direction is Academic" (James F. Lee and Bill VanPatten); "The Graduate Teaching Assistant in an Age of Standards" (Joseph A. Murphy); "Advancing the Case for an Advanced Methods Course" (John F. Lalande II); "Bridging the Gap Between Teaching and Learning: A Critical Look at Foreign Language Textbooks" (Renate A. Schulz); "CALL Today: Implications for Multisectioned Language Programs" (Robert Ariew); and "The Preparation and Support of Graduate Teaching Assistants in Foreign Languages: A Bibliography" (David P. Benseler and Christine Cronjaeger). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

The papers in this collection discuss the challenges facing urban education and the sociology of urban education. The more comprehensive perspective presented in this document can contribute to the improvement of city schools and the empowerment of urban students. Following an introduction, "Challenges of the New Sociology of Urban Education" (Karen A. McClafferty, Carlos A. Torres, and Theodore R. Mitchell), the papers are: (1) "Power, Meaning, and Identity: Critical Sociology of Education in the United States" (Michael W. Apple); (2) "Social Theory and Educational Research: Reframing the Quantitative-Qualitative Distinction through a Critical Theory of Methodology" (Raymond A. Morrow); (3) "Sociology of Education and Urban Education Policy" (Geoff Whitty); (4) "Where Neoliberal Ideology Meets Social Context: A Comparative Analysis of U.S. Charter Schools and England's Grant-Maintained Schools" (Amy Stuart Wells); (5) "Corporations and Classrooms: A Critical Examination of the Business Agenda for Urban School Reform" (Roslyn Arlin Mickelson); (6) "A Comparative Analysis of Existing Secondary School Discipline Policies: Implications for Improving Practice and School Safety" (Pamela Fenning, James D. Wilczynski, and Marianela Parraga); (7) "Modeling the Effects of Changing Demography on Student Learning: Applications Designed To Change School District Practices" (Anthony Gary Dworkin, Laurence A. Toenjes, Margaret K. Purser, and Ayman Sheikh-Hussin); (8) "Gangsta Pedagogy and Ghettocentricity: The Hip-Hop Nation as Counterpublic Sphere" (Peter McLaren); (9)"Battlin' Nihilism at an Urban High School: Pedagogy, Perseverance, and Hope" (David Keiser); (10) "Gaps, Bridges, and Buffers in the Research, Policy, and Practice of Urban Education: A Dialogue" (Theodore R. Mitchell, Carlos A. Torres, and Karen A. McClafferty); and (11) "Memoirs of Urban Education Policymakers: A Dialogue among Three Former Urban School Superintendents" (Harry Handler, Sid Thompson, and Eugene Tucker with Carlos A. Torres and Karen A. McClafferty). Each paper contains references. (Contains 10 tables and 1 figure.) (SLD)

This paper on logical reasoning in science education was written from a philosophical, rather than a psychological, orientation within an overall curricular framework. Six areas are treated within this curricular framework: philosophical consideration, logical structure in a field of enquiry, materials development and evaluation, epistemological characteristics, student development and use of logical reasoning in science, and evaluation-research activity. In each area, selected studies are cited and briefly discussed. Research methodology is stressed throughout the paper. An annotated bibliography intended primarily for the use of researchers in science education is included and consists of materials from educational and research journals, curriculum project newsletters, and doctoral dissertations. The references are classified according to the six areas of the paper, with those articles found most useful in developing the paper identified by asterisks. (PEB)

Research issues concerning all levels of education in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland are examined in 22 papers. The papers deal with the following topics: information technology and education; the concept of authority as it applies to the professional teacher; an analysis of the theories of R.F. Dearden; a critical assessment of Michael Oakeshott's concept of education; building student self-concept through specific teaching strategies; storytelling; curriculum research; equality as a curriculum goal; pastoral care as a component of Irish education; mathematics education and the open university, readability levels of history texts used in Irish primary schools; reading standards at the college level; English language and literature education; learning with broadcasting; professionalism in teaching; competing ideologies in teacher training; teacher attitudes following the first year of teaching; and a history of the Northern Ireland Induction Program for teacher training. (LP)

In this volume the authors document examples of programmes/courses/activities that are designed intentionally to build students' capacity to be integrative thinkers and learners. In doing so they try to analyse and name the learning that is taking place, and so make it visible to the reader. The work is intended as a resource for all those involved in teaching and student learning in Higher Education and beyond. The ultimate goal is to ensure that students in higher education can make meaningful connections within and between disciplines, for example by integrating on-campus and off-campus learning experiences, and tying together and synchronising different perspectives and ways of knowing. This paper contains the following chapters: (1) Drawing on Medical Students' Representations to Illuminate Concepts of Humanism and Professionalism in Newborn Medicine (C. Anthony Ryan); (2) Integrative Learning in a Law and Economics Module (John Considine); (3) Making Connections for Mindful Inquiry: Using Reflective Journals to Scaffold an Autobiographical Approach to Learning in Economics (Daniel Blackshields); (4) Integrative Learning on a Criminal Justice Degree Programme (Sinead Conneely and Walter O'Leary); (5) The Use of Learning Journals in Legal Education as a Means of Fostering Integrative Learning through Pedagogy and Assessment (Shane Kilcommins); (6) Beyond Wikipedia and Google: Web-Based Literacies and Student Learning (James G.R. Cronin); (7) Archetype or for the Archive? Are Case Histories Suitable for Assessing Student Learning? (Martina Kelly, Deirdre Bennett and Suin O'Flynn); (8) The Arts in Education as an Integrative Learning Approach (Marian McCarthy); (9) Assessing the Role of Integrated Learning in the BSc International Field Geosciences (IFG) at University College Cork, Ireland (Pat Meere); (10) The Confluence of Professional Legal Training, ICT and Language Learning towards the Construction of Integrative Teaching and Learning (Maura Butler); (11) Integrative Learning with High Fidelity Simulation and Problem-Based Learning: An Evaluative Study (Nuala Walshe, Sinead O'Brien, Angela Flynn, Siobhan Murphy and Irene Hartigan); (12) Facilitating Learning through an Integrated Curriculum Design Driven by Problem-Based Learning: Perceptions of Speech and Language Therapy (Catharine Pettigrew); (13) Building Student Attributes for Integrative Learning (Bettie Higgs); and (14) End-Game: Good Beginnings are Not the Only Measure of Success (C. Anthony Ryan, Bettie Higgs and Shane Kilcommins). Each chapter contains tables/figures and references.

This collection of papers reviews the state of U.S. education 20 years after the original "A Nation at Risk" report on the quality of schools by the National Commission on Educational Excellence. The first paper presents "Findings and Recommendations by the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education." Part 1, "'A Nation at Risk': Then and Now," includes: (1) "A Historic Document" (Diane Ravitch); (2) "Little Gain in Student Achievement" (Paul E. Peterson); (3) "What Has Changed and What Has Not" (Caroline M. Hoxby); (4) "Minority Children at Risk" (Paul Hill, Kacey Guin, and Mary Beth Celio); and (5) "The Importance of School Quality" (Eric A. Hanushek). Part 2, "Why So Little Was Reformed," includes: (6) "The Politics of the Status Quo" (Terry M. Moe); (7) "Teacher Reform Gone Astray" (Chester E. Finn, Jr.); (8) "The Curricular Smorgasbord" (Williamson M. Evers and Paul Clopton); and (9) "Neglecting the Early Grades" (E.D. Hirsch, Jr.). Part 3, "Getting Serious," includes: (10) "Real Accountability" (Herbert J. Walberg) and (11) "Real Choice" (John E. Chubb). (SM)

This book tells how to build a system leading to more student success beginning in elementary school and continuing through high school and postsecondary education. It identifies the key elements, describes effective practices, and shows how they come together to help students and educators succeed. "More Student Success" is an updated and expanded successor to a 2003 State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) publication, "Student Success: Statewide P-16 Systems" (ED478023). The 2003 publication emerged from "case studies" to learn about P-16 practices in five states: California, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. Higher education and K-12 leaders from many states, as well as staff from SHEEO, the Pathways to College Project, the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), the Education Commission of the States (ECS), and the College Board, participated in the case studies to ask challenging questions and learn from each other. "More Student Success" has updated the earlier book to reflect progress since 2003, and it includes a new chapter, by George Kuh, on increasing the rate of student achievement in postsecondary education. Following an executive summary by Paul Lingenfelter, the following essays are presented: (1) Early Outreach (Andrea Venezia and Terese Rainwater); (2) Curriculum and Assessment Systems (Sharmila Basu Conger and Christine Tell); (3) High Quality Teaching (Edward Crowe); (4) Student Financial Assistance (David A. Longanecker and Cheryl D. Blanco); (5) Success in College (George D. Kuh); and (6) Data and Accountability Systems (Hans P. L'Orange). (Individual papers contain references.)