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Showing papers on "Primary education published in 2007"


BookDOI
TL;DR: The role of education in promoting economic well-being, focusing on the role of educational quality, has become controversial because expansion of school attainment has not guaranteed improved economic conditions as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The role of improved schooling, a central part of most development strategies, has become controversial because expansion of school attainment has not guaranteed improved economic conditions. This paper reviews the role of education in promoting economic well-being, focusing on the role of educational quality. It concludes that there is strong evidence that the cognitive skills of the population-rather than mere school attainment-are powerfully related to individual earnings, to the distribution of income, and to economic growth. New empirical results show the importance of both minimal and high-level skills, the complementarity of skills and the quality of economic institutions, and the robustness of the relationship between skills and growth. International comparisons incorporating expanded data on cognitive skills reveal much larger skill deficits in developing countries than generally derived from just school enrollment and attainment. The magnitude of change needed makes it clear that closing the economic gap with industrial countries will require major structural changes in schooling institutions.

808 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the ability of a theoretical model to predict types and levels of parental involvement during the elementary and middle school years, including motivational beliefs about involvement, perceptions of invitations to involvement from others, and perceived life context variables.
Abstract: This study examined the ability of a theoretical model to predict types and levels of parental involvement during the elementary and middle school years. Predictor variables included parents' motivational beliefs about involvement, perceptions of invitations to involvement from others, and perceived life context variables. Analyses of responses from 853 parents of 1st- through 6th-grade students enrolled in an ethnically diverse metropolitan public school system in the mid-southern United States revealed that model constructs predicted significant portions of variance in parents' home- and school-based involvement even when controlling for family socioeconomic status. The predictive power of specific model constructs differed for elementary and middle school parents. Results are discussed in terms of research on parental involvement and school practice.

738 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper examined the long-term educational consequences of summer learning differences by family socioeconomic level using data from the Baltimore Beginning School Study youth panel, and decompose achievement scores at the start of high school into their developmental precursors, back to the time of school entry in 1st grade.
Abstract: Prior research has demonstrated that summer learning rooted in family and community influences widens the achievement gap across social lines, while schooling offsets those family and community influences. In this article, we examine the long-term educational consequences of summer learning differences by family socioeconomic level. Using data from the Baltimore Beginning School Study youth panel, we decompose achievement scores at the start of high school into their developmental precursors, back to the time of school entry in 1st grade. We find that cumulative achievement gains over the first nine years of children’s schooling mainly reflect school-year learning, whereas the high SES–low SES achievement gap at 9th grade mainly traces to differential summer learning over the elementary years. These early out-of-school summer learning differences, in turn, substantially account for achievement-related differences by family SES in high school track placements (college preparatory or not), high school noncompletion, and four-year college attendance. We discuss implications for understanding the bases of educational stratification, as well as educational policy and practice.

674 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship among four parent variables (role construction, sense of efficacy, resources, and perceptions of teacher invitations) with PI activities at home and school and found that specific invitations from teachers had the largest effect on the three types of parent involvement.
Abstract: Parent involvement (PI) in education is associated with positive outcomes for students; however, little is known about how parents decide to be involved in children's education. On the basis of the K. V. Hoover-Dempsey and H. M. Sandler (1995, 1997) model of parent decision making, the authors examined the relationship among 4 parent variables (role construction, sense of efficacy, resources, and perceptions of teacher invitations) with PI activities at home and school. The authors surveyed parents of elementary students from an urban district. Specific invitations from teachers had the largest effect on the 3 types of parent involvement. Parents' sense of efficacy and level of resources were less influential than anticipated. The authors discuss implications of the findings for teacher and school practices, policy development, and future research.

493 citations



Book
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: A follow-up to the successful "Transition to Kindergarten" (1999), the authors offers an updated discussion of transition in the context of today's educational arena, reflecting current policy changing practices, and new program approaches.
Abstract: A follow-up to the successful "Transition to Kindergarten (1999)", this book offers an updated discussion of transition in the context of today's educational arena, reflecting current policy changing practices, and new program approaches. This book presents state-of-the-art knowledge about the kindergarten transition period and examines this knowledge in terms of its implications for pressing policy, practice, training, and research issues for the next decade. Readers will understand what has changed in terms of early education policy and implementation. These changes include assessment and program opportunities (NCLB, Head Start Outcomes Framework); critical issues in the P-3 years, such as health, emotional and attention regulation, and child functioning. This volume also addresses pertinent community influences in early education demographic changes, racial and cultural influences, and the roles of fathers in the transition process. Unlike the first book, the chapters in this volume focus on the individual child's development and background rather than on groups of children (at risk, with disabilities, from low-income families).

385 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using phenomenological analysis, this article examined the long-term effects of an environmental education school field trip on fourth grade elementary students who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park and found that one year after the experience, many students remembered what they had seen and heard and had developed a perceived proenvironmental attitude.
Abstract: Using phenomenological analysis, the authors examined the long-term effects of an environmental education school field trip on fourth grade elementary students who visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The authors' findings suggest that one year after the experience, many students remembered what they had seen and heard and had developed a perceived proenvironmental attitude. The authors discuss the phenomenological analysis, cite interviews with students, and draw conclusions on the effect of the field trip.

301 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Maja Pivec1
TL;DR: Digital game-based learning is a novel approach in the area of universities and lifelong learning, and the search for new positioning of the universities in the changing setting of education; gaming is becoming a new form of interactive content, worthy of exploration.
Abstract: Many of us have grown up playing games, and in primary education games have a high presence in nonformal and informal segments of our learning. Unfortunately, in formal education, games are still often seen just as an unserious activity, and the potentials of games for learning often stay undiscovered. Digital game-based learning is a novel approach in the area of universities and lifelong learning, and the search for new positioning of the universities in the changing setting of education; gaming is becoming a new form of interactive content, worthy of exploration. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00722.x/abstract)

199 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Health education has the potential to help students maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related risk behaviors, however, despite signs of progress, this potential is not being fully realized, particularly at the school level.
Abstract: Background: School health education can effectively help reduce the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among students and have a positive influence on students’ academic performance. This article describes the characteristics of school health education policies and programs in the United States at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were completed by state education agency personnel in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and among a nationally representative sample of districts (n = 459). Computer-assisted personal interviews were conducted with personnel in a nationally representative sample of elementary, middle, and high schools (n = 920) and with a nationally representative sample of teachers of classes covering required health instruction in elementary schools and required health education courses in middle and high schools (n = 912). Results: Most states and districts had adopted a policy stating that schools will teach at least 1 of the 14 health topics, and nearly all schools required students to receive instruction on at least 1 of these topics. However, only 6.4% of elementary schools, 20.6% of middle schools, and 35.8% of high schools required instruction on all 14 topics. In support of schools, most states and districts offered staff development for those who teach health education, although the percentage of teachers of required health instruction receiving staff development was low. Conclusions: Health education has the potential to help students maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, and reduce health-related risk behaviors. However, despite signs of progress, this potential is not being fully realized, particularly at the school level.

197 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed research on the returns to education in Tanzania, both financial and non-financial, and considered whether these returns translate into poverty reduction, considering factors both within and beyond the education system.

193 citations


01 Apr 2007
TL;DR: The authors used administrative data linking students and teachers at the classroom level to estimate teacher value-added to student test scores and found that variation in teacher quality is an important contributor to student achievement more important than has been implied by previous work.
Abstract: This study uses administrative data linking students and teachers at the classroom level to estimate teacher value-added to student test scores. We find that variation in teacher quality is an important contributor to student achievement more important than has been implied by previous work. This result is attributable, at least in part, to the lack of a ceiling effect in the testing instrument used to measure teacher quality. We also show that teacher qualifications are almost entirely unable to predict value-added. Motivated by this result, we consider whether it is feasible to incorporate value-added into evaluation or merit pay programs.



Journal Article
TL;DR: Catching the Knowledge Wave? The knowledge society and the future of education as discussed by the authors is a good starting point for a discussion of the current state of education in New Zealand and its future.
Abstract: Catching the Knowledge Wave? The knowledge society and the future of education Jane Gilbert Wellington: NZGER Press, 2005 (244pp). ISBN 1-877398-01-3. To ride or not to ride? Over the past decade one particularly powerful catch-cry--'the knowledge society'--has become a popular refrain amongst politicians, policymakers and the educational bureaucracy, not only in New Zealand, but in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia as well as in an increasing number of European and Asian states. Just what lies behind the words, however, is considerably more problematic. Jane Gilbert's very readable introductory book attempts to clarify the various shades of meaning suggested by this enigmatic epithet, and to provide some answers to the problems and issues it poses for schools, teachers, parents, and the general reader. Gilbert begins the book in an engagingly provocative manner, drawing upon a 2001 book by American journalist Michael Lewis provocatively titled, The Future Just Happened. In his book, Lewis presents two case studies of boys who used the internet to cross the boundaries of learner and teacher, thereby challenging existing forms of educational authority. Citing these two case studies, Gilbert introduces what becomes in effect the central thesis of her book. This thesis has it that we are now in the midst of a major social and intellectual revolution typical of post-industrial societies. Gilbert contends that New Zealand educators should see the changes encapsulated in this and in other events, not as a threat, but rather as an opportunity to rethink what we currently attempt to do in our schools. She is particularly attracted to postmodernism, a world view that has been described as a response to the apparent erosion of traditional oppositions between such formerly well-defined entities of left and right, local and global, private and public, high and low cultures. Moreover, as an educator and former teacher of wide experience, Gilbert is particularly receptive to the view that different ways of thinking are both challenging and replacing older, seemingly more rigid ways of thinking, with potentially huge ramifications for schools. For educators not to acknowledge all this, she asserts, is to repeat much of the history of educational development in New Zealand and elsewhere. For those who care to heed the lessons, this history is replete with examples of how well-intentioned policy initiatives failed because they did not take account of what the world beyond the school thought and acted upon. Noting that much of what French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard predicted about knowledge becoming a commodity has since eventuated, Gilbert contends that what distinguishes contemporary knowledge societies from those that simply value knowledge in the traditional sense is that, in the former people, tend to see knowledge in economic terms as the main source of future economic growth. Noting that many educators have resisted this development, often seeing it as an assault on more traditional assumptions about what schools do, Gilbert argues that the education system needs to respond more positively to the challenges confronting it. This need not be done uncritically but through ensuring that we retain the original key purpose of state-funded mass education--the provision of equal opportunity and access. She supports inclusion but correctly in my view, resists the tendency of some postmodernist educators to uncritically embrace cultural relativism. Gilbert is also critical of those who argue that education is primarily an individual benefit to be funded by families, holding instead that an educated population is a public good. Moreover, in advocating a fresh approach to educational problems, Gilbert astutely acknowledges the complexity of New Zealand's educational past. As she notes, much of the impetus for a publicly funded mass primary education system in New Zealand came from decidedly mixed motives, including the need for an educated workforce respectful of hierarchy and authority. …

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show how interventions to provide universal primary education (UPE) from the 1970s into the twenty-first century affected efforts to improve the quality of primary education in Kenya and Tanzania.
Abstract: This article shows how interventions to provide Universal Primary Education (UPE) from the 1970s into the twenty-first century affected efforts to improve the quality of primary education in Kenya and Tanzania. While the interventions have made significant differences in the lives of many communities by increasing access to education of children who would have been denied schooling, quality indicators (including attrition and completion rates and examination scores) have stagnated at best or declined. Efforts to ensure and maintain quality in primary education in the two countries are reported to face serious challenges, including mainly inadequate funding to ensure the provision of essential teaching and learning materials, appropriate infrastructure as well as a sufficient number of competent teachers.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of school context, student composition and school leadership on school practice and outcomes in secondary education in Flanders were examined and it was found that school size positively affects school outcomes and its effect is mediated by school practice characteristics like the amount of cooperation between teachers.
Abstract: This study examined effects of school context, student composition and school leadership on school practice and outcomes in secondary education in Flanders. The study reveals that relations between school characteristics do exist and that it is possible to explain an important part of the differences in mean effort and mathematics achievement of schools by means of these school characteristics. Furthermore, it was found that school size positively affects school outcomes and that its effect is mediated by school practice characteristics like the amount of cooperation between teachers, which affects school climate and outcomes. School leadership did not affect the school practice much, perhaps because of a lack of a strong educational leadership in most of the Flemish secondary schools. However, the student composition of schools seemed to be very important for school practice, as well as for school outcomes. Nevertheless, the study revealed that schools can affect the outcomes of their students independently of their student composition and context by means of school practice.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The main objective is to develop an instrumental tool to measure different types of educational computer use in the classroom and to reject the view that computer use can be studied as an isolated variable in a learning environment.
Abstract: In the present study, we reject the view that computer use can be studied as an isolated variable in a learning environment. Our main objective is to develop an instrumental tool to measure different types of educational computer use in the classroom. This builds on a comprehensive review of the literature about computer use in education. This review helped to construct a questionnaire to identify a typology of computer use in primary education. In addition, the questionnaire was enriched by input of experts in this field. The questionnaire was presented to a sample of 352 primary school teachers. The input from a first subsample was used to carry out an exploratory factor analysis; the second subsample was used to verify the identified factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. A three-factor structure of computer use in primary education was identified: ‘the use of computers as an information tool’, ‘the use of computers as a learning tool,’ and ‘learning basic computer skills’. The three-factor structure was confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis. The results underpin a number of meaningful differences in the current practice of computer use in primary education.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper used a mixed-mode method to investigate teachers' insights into ways in which the quality of primary school PE can be improved and found that teachers were not adequately planning, implementing, assessing, reporting, or evaluating PE programs.
Abstract: The quality of physical education (PE) programs in primary schools has been questioned in the literature because of the difficulties that classroom teachers experience when teaching PE. The authors used a mixed-mode method to investigate teachers' insights into ways in which the quality of primary school PE can be improved. Questionnaire data were collected from 189 teachers in 38 randomly selected schools in New South Wales, Australia. Thirty-one of those teachers also volunteered to be involved in semistructured interviews. Results indicated that teachers were not adequately planning, implementing, assessing, reporting, or evaluating PE programs. Key recommendations that teachers described for improving PE related to school-level leadership, simple innovations, and specific professional learning needs.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study is designed to examine how interactive whiteboards influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals in primary (elementary) school classrooms, and builds on the authors’ previous research on Information and Communication Technology in educational dialogues and collaborative activities.
Abstract: Interactive whiteboards have been rapidly introduced into all primary schools under UK Government initiatives. These large, touch-sensitive screens, which control a computer connected to a digital projector, seem to be the first type of educational technology particularly suited for whole-class interaction. Strong claims are made for their value by manufacturers and policy-makers, but there has been little research on how, if at all, they influence established pedagogic practices, communicative processes and educational goals. This study has been designed to examine this issue, using observations in primary (elementary) school classrooms, and builds on the authors' previous research on Information and Communication Technology in educational dialogues and collaborative activities.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of the leadership style of the principal, "transformational leadership and transactional leadership", along with teachers' job satisfaction on schools' organizational health was examined. And the most striking finding is that transformational leadership has a profound impact on teachers' jobs satisfaction, while the transformational leader directly and indirectly affects the school health.
Abstract: This article examines the effects of the leadership style of the principal, "transformational leadership and transactional leadership", along with teachers' job satisfaction on schools' organizational health. Specifically speaking, it investigates to what extent the variations in school health can be related to the principal's leadership style and teachers' job satisfaction. To this end, a Likert-type questionnaire was administered to 635 teachers working in Turkish schools out of a 875-person sample. Path Analysis was used to explain the direct and indirect relationships between the dependent and independent variables. As a result of the analysis, the most striking finding is that transformational leadership has a profound impact on teachers' job satisfaction, while the transformational leadership of the principal directly and, through teachers' job satisfaction, indirectly affects the school health. After the establishment of the Turkish Republic on 29 October 1923, the Unification of Education (Act 430) was enacted on 3 March 1924. Following approval of this act all educational institutes were affiliated to the Ministry of Education for the administration of educational activities from a single center. As a result of this restructuring the Turkish Educational system assumed its current structure. hi 1997, the five year primary education, the first step of the general education system, was merged with the three year secondary education, increasing the period of compulsory education to eight years. Within this process these schools, now named primary schools, largely solved their problems and established a more stable structure. However, high schools, which constitute the second phase of general education, had and are still having some problems. The General National-Education Act 1739 of 1973 describes High schools as three year educational institutes which give general, vocational and technical education. The high schools were redesigned as General high schools, Anatolian high schools, Vocational high schools, and Science high schools. Starting from the 2005- 2006 academic year high school education has been increased to four years. In 2004 -2005 there were 1,733,041 male and 1,306,408 female students (totaling of 3,039,449) in 6861 high schools throughout the country. The total number of teachers working in these schools was 167,949, being 86 thousand male and 81 thousand female teachers (National Educational Statistics, 2005). The objectives of high schools are stated by law. One of these objectives is preparing students for higher education. The gruesome fact that out of the 1,500,000 candidates who entered the University entrance exam in 2005 nearly 60 thousand obtained zero points has forced researchers and the authorities in the Ministry of Education to focus on these schools. A comparison of the success rates of the students from general high schools and those from other types of high schools formed an interesting domain of research. Undoubtedly a failure in converting the central system into a student centered system has played a significant role in this picture. In the present educational system the only authority involved in opening new schools, assigning new teachers and other academic personnel, preparation of the related curricula and meeting the financial needs of the schools is the Ministry of Education., the recent act Local Management Act, which aims to localize the educational system, has not been put into action yet. In spite these difficulties, the renovation studies of the educational system have accelerated in recent years. Among these the most important, starting from the 1998-1999 academic year, were are allowing high schools to define their own visions, initiating performance evaluation studies of the teachers, and, most importantly, seeking new approaches to the training of school administrators in the light of contemporary data. In addition of these, studies related to the job satisfaction of teachers have been the focus of many researchers; this study belongs to this area in attempting to determine the job satisfaction levels of teachers. …



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The characteristics of school health services in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and school practices, suggest that the breadth ofschool health services can and should be improved, but school districts need policy, legislative, and fiscal support to make this happen.
Abstract: Background: The specific health services provided to students at school and the model for delivering these services vary across districts and schools. This article describes the characteristics of school health services in the United States, including state- and district-level policies and school practices. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) every 6 years. In 2006, computer-assisted telephone interviews or self-administered mail questionnaires were completed by state education agency personnel in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and among a nationally representative sample of school districts (n = 449). Computer-assisted personal interviews were conducted with personnel in a nationally representative sample of elementary, middle, and high schools (n = 1029). Results: Most US schools provided basic health services to students, but relatively few provided prevention services or more specialized health services. Although state- and district-level policies requiring school nurses or specifying maximum nurse-to-student ratios were relatively rare, 86.3% of schools had at least a part-time school nurse, and 52.4% of these schools, or 45.1% of all schools, had a nurse-to-student ratio of at least 1:750. Conclusions: SHPPS 2006 suggests that the breadth of school health services can and should be improved, but school districts need policy, legislative, and fiscal support to make this happen. Increasing the percentage of schools with sufficient school nurses is a critical step toward enabling schools to provide more services, but schools also need to enhance collaboration and linkages with community resources if schools are to be able to meet both the health and academic needs of students.

01 Nov 2007
TL;DR: In schools across the United States, physical education has been substantially reduced — and in some cases completely eliminated — in response to budget concerns and pressures to improve academic test scores, but the available evidence shows that children who are physically active and fit tend to perform better in the classroom.
Abstract: A national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with direction and technical assistance provided by San Diego State University. In schools across the United States, physical education has been substantially reduced — and in some cases completely eliminated — in response to budget concerns and pressures to improve academic test scores. Yet the available evidence shows that children who are physically active and fit tend to perform better in the classroom and that daily physical education does not adversely affect academic performance. Schools can provide outstanding learning environments while improving children’s health through physical education.

Book
18 Jan 2007
TL;DR: The early political debates and their effect on the American education system can be traced back to the early 1800s when the United States was still a colony of the United Kingdom.
Abstract: 1. The Colonial Experience, 1607-1776 The Colonists at Jamestown The Spanish Colonists in Florida The Pilgrims/Puritans Education Contributions of Other Groups The Extent of the Puritan Contribution The Growth of Higher Education Before the Revolutionary War Relations Between the Puritans and Native Americans Deteriorate Conclusion 2. The Effects of the Revolutionary War Era on American Education Distinguishing a Truly American System of Education The Rise of Charity Schools Supplements to Charity Schools Free Schools and African Americans The Charity School Movement Becomes Nationwide The Decline of the Charity School System The College Level Conclusion 3. The Early Political Debates and Their Effect on the American Education System The Views of the Democratic Republics and the Federalists The Presidents and Educational Leaders from Each Political Party How the Victories By Democratic-Republicans Influenced American Education Conclusion 4. Education, African Americans, and Slavery African American Education in the North The Education of African Americans in the South Changing American Education Forever: Education and Events Leading Up to the Election of Lincoln and Liberation for the Slaves American Northern Heroes Conclusion 5. The Education of Women and Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans The Education of Women The Education of Native Americans The Education of Asian Americans The Education of Latinos Conclusion 6. The Widespread Growth of the Common School & Higher Education Horace Mann and the Rise of the Common Schools Mann's Arguments that Common Schools Would Promote the Common Good Resistance to the Public Schools Contemporaries of Horace Mann in the Common School Movement The Civil War and the Common School Movement The Growth of Higher Education During the First Half of the 1800s Where State Universities Grew and Where They Did Not The Growth of State Colleges in Other States Conclusion 7. The Effects of the Events During and Between the Civil War and World War I The Impact of the Civil War The Impact of the Post-Civil War Period The Debate Over African American Education Increased Immigration Social Role of the School Land Grant Colleges Major Events in the Post-Civil War Period Events Leading Up to and Including World War I Conclusion 8. The Liberal Philosophy of Education As Distinguished from Conservatism The Schools of Educational Philosophy The Educational Philosophy of John Dewey Other Liberal Reformers Moderate Liberals Moderates Neo-Conservatives Conclusion 9. The Great Depression and the Long-Term Effects on World War II and the Cold War on American Education The Educational Challenges of the Great Depression (1929-1941) The Impact of World War II on Education The Rise of Community Colleges The Cold War Conclusion 10. The Civil Rights Movement and Federal Involvement in Educational Policy Truman's Contribution The Pursuit of Civil Rights Legislation in the Courts Brown Helps Build Momentum for the Civil Rights Movement Expanding the Reach of the Civil Rights Movement: Affirmative Action Expanding the Reach of the Civil Rights Movement: Bilingual Eduation Conclusion 11. The Turbulence of the 1960s The Vietnam War and Student Activism Civil Rights and Education The New York City Teacher's Strike The Primacy of New Educational Thought The Removal of Prayer from the Schools Sex Education Conclusion 12. The Rise of Public Criticism of Education Basic Arguments Addressing the Data What Does the College Board's Assessment Mean? Advances in Public Education During the 1963-1980 Period How Did the Rising Criticism of Education Influence Schools? Conclusion 13. The Rise of Multiculturalism & Other Issues The Rise of Multiculturalism The Success of Multicultural Curricula The Debate About Multiculturalism The Future of Multiculturalism Vocational Education Education for the Children with Special Needs or Disabilities Conclusion 14. Educational Reform Under the Republicans and Democrats Reforms Under the Republicans Reagan, Bush, and George W. Bush Democratic Party Reforms Under Bill Clinton The Political Atmosphere Today Conclusion 15. Other Recent Educational Issues and Reforms Equalization of School Expenditures School Shootings School Uniforms The Influence of the Family Learning from Foreign Systems of Education Technology in the Schools Homeschooling Conclusion

Book
26 Sep 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a conceptual framework that facilitates understanding of the factors that influence student learning, including economic, political, and social conditions, student endowments and behaviors, and institutional factors and policies.
Abstract: Improving student learning is the key challenge for education in Latin America and the Caribbean. This book is divided into three parts. Part one focuses on the central role of student learning in education. Chapter one examines why student learning outcomes are important. Chapter two analyzes the extent to which learning takes place in schools in the region. Chapter three discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of generating and using information on student learning to raise the quality of education. Part two reviews the evidence on the factors and policies that affect student learning. It first presents a conceptual framework that facilitates understanding of the factors that influence student learning. It then reviews the evidence on the impact on student learning of economic, political, and social conditions (chapter four); student endowments and behaviors (chapter five); school endowments and behaviors (chapter six); and institutional factors and policies (chapter seven). Part three focuses on quality assurance and beyond. Chapter eight examines evidence from countries that have succeeded in achieving high levels of learning among most, if not all, students, in order to present policy options on education quality assurance. Chapter nine summarizes the book's main messages and discusses unanswered questions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper explored student teachers' attitudes to and experience of character and values education in schools and looked at their assessment of the opportunities provided by schools for the development of character, finding that while they are overwhelmingly in favour of developing their skills in the area of moral development, their opportunities to do this are uneven and are dependent on their course and their teaching placement school.
Abstract: This article explores student teachers' attitudes to and experience of character and values education in schools and looks at their assessment of the opportunities provided by schools for the development of character. The data from over 1000 student teachers in two universities indicates that while they are overwhelmingly in favour of developing their skills in the area of moral development, their opportunities to do this are uneven and are dependent on their course and their teaching placement school. Whilst character education is seen as part of citizenship education in the school curriculum in England, the data indicates that it is not part of the formal curriculum of teacher education.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of teacher preparation experiences on persistence in elementary education employment were examined, and the study involved mining previously collected data on teacher candidates, their entry into teaching on graduation, and their subsequent persistence in teaching.
Abstract: This article describes the findings from a study of professional development schools (PDS) and traditional student teaching elementary education graduates between 1996 and 2004. Specifically, the effects of teacher preparation experiences on persistence in elementary education employment were examined. The study involved mining previously collected data on teacher candidates, their entry into teaching on graduation, and their subsequent persistence in teaching. The findings indicate that even when controlling for important student background and cognitive characteristics, education in a PDS appears to significantly foster graduate's entry into and persistence in teaching. The effect sizes, although statistically significant, were small to moderate.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors look critically at the evolution of consensus about EFA within the international community, and what has changed in the context, rhetoric and practice of such education for development.
Abstract: Over the past decade, the achievement of universal primary education, under the somewhat misleading rubric of ‘Education for All’ (EFA), has steadily built momentum in international forums as a focus for discussion and action. The present study looks critically at the evolution of consensus about EFA within the international community. The first section of this contribution provides an overview of ‘education for development’ in the form in which it has been inherited from the 20th century. The second describes what has changed in the context, rhetoric and practice of such ‘education for development’. The final section reflects on two questions: ‘Why has EFA now moved beyond international rhetoric to action?’; and ‘What can our experience with EFA tell us about the prospects for multilateralism and global governance in the 21st century?’