(1994). General Education Task Force Final Report to the Academic Plan Steering Committee. A General Education Task Force (GETF) was formally constituted at George Brown College (GBC) in June 1992 as one of four task forces created to develop an academic plan for the college. The charge of the GETF was to develop a philosophy statement on general education, a set of post-secondary general education curriculum guidelines, a general education course approval and review process, and an implementation plan regarding general education for the college. This report represents the deliberations and recommendations of the GETF. Part I provides an introduction to the charge and structure of the Task Force. Part II identifies issues which provide a context for the process of curriculum development, including the mandate of Ontario colleges, college accountability, the impact of the economic recession in Ontario, and equity in the curriculum. Part III presents final curriculum recommendations, including: (1) a general education philosophy statement; (2) curriculum, pedagogy, and… [PDF]
(2000). Professionals Ready for Educational Partnerships (PREP): The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Multimedia Distance Education Course on Collaboration. Professionals Ready for Educational Partnerships (PREP) is a multimedia telecourse developed at the University of Utah to help preservice teachers, graduate students in education, and practicing teachers to understand collaboration. Using an ecological perspective, participants learn how to forge partnerships in the school, home, and community. PREP is needed because of growing cultural and linguistic diversity of students, the movement toward inclusion of students with disabilities, and the lack of teacher knowledge about how to actually practice collaboration. Course content includes: definition of collaboration; students at risk; problem solving; communication skills and conflict management; traditional and changing school and professional roles; traditional and alternative assessment procedures; adapting instruction; and school-based, school-home, and community-based partnerships. Each of the course elements is briefly described: textbook; 10 one-hour stand-alone videos; group… [PDF]
(1995). Alternative Delivery Techniques for Training and Information Dissemination for Small and Rural Districts. In light of the increasing diversity of students and the sweeping changes involved in the inclusion movement, many special education administrators in small and rural districts are not prepared to face the emerging challenges and responsibilities of their role. The Institute for Small and Rural Districts was established in 1990 by the Florida Department of Education to provide technical assistance and training to administrators of special education in Florida's 27 small school districts. A needs assessment established that, of the 27 administrators in question, 11 had no prior special education experience and 16 had no prior administrative experience. In addition, inclusionary practices were affecting all districts, and time and distance constrained training possibilities. Extensive research and administrator input generated a ranked list of competencies and knowledge of program components essential to the incoming administrator. The first training was delivered to 54 educators at 5…
(2005). Maryland Teacher Staffing Report, 2005-2007. Maryland State Department of Education This document provides information about teacher candidates completing programs in Maryland institutions of higher education and the hiring needs of local school systems. The report also outlines a number of important incentives and strategies for the recruitment and retention of quality teachers for Maryland public schools. The Maryland State Department of Education, pursuant to 18-703, Sharon Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teacher Education Award, identifies teaching areas of critical shortage and jurisdictions as geographic areas of projected shortages of teachers. Students in Maryland preparing to become teachers in a critical shortage area may be eligible to receive student financial assistance. This report presents four recommendations to the State Board of Education, identifying the critical shortage content areas, the geographic areas of shortage, and areas of gender and diversity shortage; and for the first time, presenting a recommendation on the inclusion of certain… [PDF]
(1993). Bilingual Preschool Programs: Future Directions. Language policy in Australia has evolved in three phases, with three kinds of argumentation prevailing in public attitudes. In the first phase (1945 to the mid 1970s), maintenance of the first language by non-English-speaking-background (NESB) immigrants was considered a hindrance to assimilation and educational achievement, and thus abandonment of the first language was encouraged. In the second phase (beginning in the mid-1970s), first language maintenance came to be seen as a right, either for protection of cultural identity or for educational equity. Although this view remained controversial, Australia's first bilingual education programs were developed during this phase. In the third phase (late 1980s), bilingual education was seen as beneficial not only to NESB students but also to English-speaking-background (ESB) students, for whom knowledge of a second language was considered economically advantageous. For advocates of bilingual education, this argument has the drawback… [PDF]
(1974). A Public School Voucher Demonstration: The First Year at Alum Rock. Summary and Conclusions. Because it included only public schools and guaranteed both school survival and staff employment rights, the first year of the Alum Rock demonstration (1972-73), as sponsored by the Office of Economic Opportunity, was not a test of vouchers as defined in theory. The demonstration was known, therefore, as a "transition" voucher model, which would look to the inclusion of private schools in the future. The participating schools created a limited amount of educational diversity by setting up special instructional programs known as mini-schools; but, as of the second year, there are still no private schools in the demonstration. The demonstration has shown that Federal agencies can offer incentives for schools to follow innovative policies, but these agencies cannot control the shape of future innovations in American public schools. That shape is traditionally determined by local priorities and interests. With Federal support, Alum Rock has shown that it is possible to combine… [PDF]
(2020). Schools' Transition toward Inclusive Education in Post-Soviet Countries: Selected Cases in Kazakhstan. SAGE Open, v10 n2 Apr-Jun. Kazakhstan has adopted a path to implement inclusive education. As in many other countries of the world, transition to an inclusive education system is not easy and sometimes riddled with anomalies, contradictions, and challenges. This qualitative study takes account of inclusive education in Kazakhstani schools, analyzes the current state of the move toward inclusive education in Kazakhstani schools, discusses achievements to date, highlights some challenges, and makes recommendations on how the implementation of inclusive education in schools could (if necessary) be improved. A generic qualitative research design was used, involving semistructured interviews conducted with school directors, teachers, professionals, and regional representatives of the Department of Education, representatives of the Psychological Medical and Pedagogical Commission, nongovernmental organizations, and parents. The study uses Ainscow's levers of change as a theoretical lens to analyze the implication of… [Direct]
(2020). 'Dealing with Diversity': Debating the Focus of Teacher Education for Inclusion. European Journal of Teacher Education, v43 n1 p95-109. Increasingly across the world, teachers are working with diverse groups of learners in inclusive school settings, as inclusion is seen as a strategy to promote social cohesion, citizenship and a more equitable society. Countries working towards this vision need to emphasise more effective teacher education programmes and systems that focus on enabling teachers to engage in inclusive practice in order to provide high-quality education for all learners…. [Direct]
(2009). The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group This collection brings together many of the world's leading sociologists of education to explore and address key issues and concerns within the discipline. The thirty-seven newly commissioned chapters draw upon theory and research to provide new accounts of contemporary educational processes, global trends, and changing and enduring forms of social conflict and social inequality. The research, conducted by leading international scholars in the field, indicates that two complexly interrelated agendas are discernible in the heat and noise of educational change over the past twenty-five years. The first rests on a clear articulation by the state of its requirements of education. The second promotes at least the appearance of greater autonomy on the part of educational institutions in the delivery of those requirements. "The Routledge International Handbook of the Sociology of Education" examines the ways in which the sociology of education has responded to these two political… [Direct]
(1994). Talking with TJ: Teamwork Series. Program Kit [Multimedia]. Noting that working and playing in caring and cooperative ways is an important goal in today's culturally-diverse society, this instruction program is designed to improve the teamwork skills of children in grades 2-4. Through the program, children learn important skills of planning, cooperating, and appreciating differences. The program consists of six sessions, two for each of the skill areas: \making group plans,\\appreciating differences and including people,\ and \playing as a cooperative team in competitive situations.\ The first session in each set lasts approximately 45-50 minutes and features a videotaped scenario, discussion, and short activities. The second session takes approximately 30 to 35 minutes and involves a comic-book story and a related follow-up activity. The teaching kit for this program contains a leader's guide detailing how to run the program and outlining each of the sessions; a videotape introducing \TJ\ (a teen radio talk show host who serves as a mentor…
(1977). Information Counseling: The Best of ERIC. This bibliography and review has been compiled to offer starting points for an individual who is interested in exploring the interdisciplinary nature of information counseling (IC) and to discern differences and common features between IC and its counterparts in social work, adult education, and library service. An introductory essay enumerates the major elements of IC; provides a definition of IC as it is used in the context of the bibliography; reviews various approaches to IC in the professional literature; and discusses the interdisciplinary perspectives with which IC can be identified and the three primary areas where IC occurs–information and referral service, adult education counseling, and library reference interview. This is followed by a list of references cited in the essay and a bibliography of ERIC documents together with selected journal articles cited in the Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). Entries were selected for inclusion by the following criteria:… [PDF]
(2000). Preparing, Recruiting, and Retaining Special Education Personnel in Rural Areas. Nationwide, the shortage of special education teachers is expected to grow, fueled by expanding demand and high teacher attrition rates. The situation in Texas mirrors that of the nation. A needs assessment conducted by Abilene Christian University (ACU) in west central Texas found: a continuing need for special education teachers in the area; teacher training needs related to the unique aspects of rural schools, inclusive collaborative settings, the use of technology as an instructional tool, and bilingual and multicultural settings; and the need for a system of professional support. To meet these needs, ACU developed Project PRIME (Preparing, Recruiting, and Retaining Teachers for Inclusive Multicultural Environments). Project components and their activities are: (1) retention of special education teachers (a manual covering topics and common problems in special education, peer support groups, a newsletter for ongoing communication, and a resource center); (2) recruitment of… [PDF]
(1996). Peterson's Top Colleges for Science: A Guide to Leading Four-Year Programs in the Biological, Chemical, Geological, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences. This guide, published for the first time, provides prospective college students detailed information on 190 United States colleges and universities identified as having very strong track records in the sciences and mathematics. Following a description of how institutions were identified for inclusion by David Davis-Van Atta, and a discussion on pursuing a career in science, are the in-depth profiles of each institution. These are listed alphabetically by school and each includes institutional name, geographic location by city and state, detailed descriptions of undergraduate science programs, and brief descriptions of graduate science programs. The program descriptions include "fast facts" about the program, data on the department's founding, enrollment, faculty, degree information, program details on course components, scholarly journals for which faculty members serve as editorial advisers, fieldwork opportunities, special features, facilities, career outcomes, and…
(2004). Embracing Diversity: Toolkit for Creating Inclusive Learning-Friendly Environments. UNESCO Bangkok An inclusive, learning-friendly environment (ILFE) welcomes, nurtures, and educates all children regardless of their gender, physical, intellectual, socio-economic, emotional, linguistic and other characteristics. \Inclusive\ in the school setting generally refers to the inclusion or children with disabilities into regular classrooms designed for children without disabilities. In this toolkit however, \inclusive\ means children with disabilities and those who are left out of or excluded from school and from learning. In the past decade, many schools have worked to become \child-friendly\ with a focus on the rights of children to learn to their fullest potential within a safe and welcoming environment. Being \child-friendly\ is important, but not enough. Teachers ought to be included in the process too. Therefore, a \learning-friendly\ environment is both \child-friendly\ and \teacher-friendly\ when both parties learn together as a learning community. The toolkit is divided into six… [PDF]
(1993). Multicultural Counseling. ERIC Digest. Multiculturalism has been defined as the fourth force in psychology, one which complements the psychodynamic, behavioral, and humanistic explanations of human behavior. Pederson's (1991) definition of multiculturalism leads to the inclusion of a large number of variables making multiculturalism generic to all counseling relationships. Locke (1990) has advocated a narrower definition of multiculturalism, particularly as it relates to counseling. In this definition attention is directed toward the racial/ethnic minority groups within that culture. The effective counselor is one who can adapt the counseling models, theories, or techniques to the individual needs of each client. This skill requires that the counselor be able to see the client both as an individual and as a member of a particular cultural group. Multicultural counseling requires the recognition of the importance of racial/ethnic group membership on the socialization of the client; the importance and the uniqueness of the… [PDF]