The legal status of home education in post-communist countries of Central Europe

As new laws on education were gradually adopted in post-communist states after 1989, the countries also dealt with the problem of how to include home education in their own legislation. This article investigates the development of legislation on home education in five states of post-communist Central Europe: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Hungary. This analysis of the legal environment for home education confirms on the one hand that these countries’ approach is similar in many aspects. Generally, laws tend to regulate home education rather strictly, all home-educated children must be enrolled at some school, and these schools are mandated by the state to serve as supervisory bodies for home-educated children. This legal arrangement puts the parents of home-schooled children in a very subordinate position in relation to the school. Despite these restrictions, however, the states have gradually opened up the option for home education to quite a broad pool of potentially interested people. On the other hand, the findings show that there are also significant differences between individual countries. These differences provide a good illustration of the fact that, despite historical, economic and cultural similarities, political institutions and state bureaucracies in individual states act autonomously, which leads to different policy outcomes.     

New mathematics programmes at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University,Prague

The Bologna Declaration inspired changes in university education in the Czech Republic. In this paper we discuss the impact of these changes on the education of engineers at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University, Prague.     

The legal status of home education in post-communist countries of Central Europe

As new laws on education were gradually adopted in post-communist states after 1989, the countries also dealt with the problem of how to include home education in their own legislation. This article investigates the development of legislation on home education in five states of post-communist Central Europe: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Hungary. This analysis of the legal environment for home education confirms on the one hand that these countries’ approach is similar in many aspects. Generally, laws tend to regulate home education rather strictly, all home-educated children must be enrolled at some school, and these schools are mandated by the state to serve as supervisory bodies for home-educated children. This legal arrangement puts the parents of home-schooled children in a very subordinate position in relation to the school. Despite these restrictions, however, the states have gradually opened up the option for home education to quite a broad pool of potentially interested people. On the other hand, the findings show that there are also significant differences between individual countries. These differences provide a good illustration of the fact that, despite historical, economic and cultural similarities, political institutions and state bureaucracies in individual states act autonomously, which leads to different policy outcomes.     

Common legacy,different paths: the transformation of educational systems in the Czech Republic,Slovakia, Hungary and Poland

The goal of this work is to better understand the institutional changes in the educational systems of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. We demonstrate that the educational reforms implemented during the transformation introduced very different institutional arrangements in the four countries, despite the fact that their systems shared many common characteristics at the beginning of the 1990s. Differences between the national approaches to educational reforms are particularly reflected in the modes of education decentralisation, the level of school autonomy, accountability and funding mechanisms. We believe that different institutional arrangements may have contributed to the divergent achievements of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland in the PISA programme.     

Quality assessment,decision‐making and institutional change

The paper studies the relation between different national cost‐sharing models and how students from different socio‐economic backgrounds finance their higher education in six different European countries: the Czech Republic, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. The findings reveal considerable differences both between the countries and also between different socio‐economic groups of students within each country. Even though there are only small social differences in the students’ level of income, there are considerable social differences in the students’ sources of income. The findings are discussed related to the country’s specific policy and higher education funding structures.     

NEW LAW ON HIGHER EDUCATION IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

The Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic approved, on 10 April 1980, the new law (Nr.39/80) on higher education. This law was under preparation nearly three years by the Czech and Slovak ministries of education and representatives of universities and other institutes of higher education as we'll as experts in charge of economic and social development. Starting from 1 September 1980 it will replace the previous law on higher education (Nr. 19/66) that has been in effect since 1966.

The following article, written for “Higher Education in Europe” by Professor Jiri M#akeri?ka, Director of the Research Institute on Engineering Studies in Prague, presents the main elements of this new law.     

The dramaturgy approach to education in nature: reflections of a decade of International Vacation School Lipnice courses,Czech Republic, 1997–2007

This paper provides an auto-ethnography or narrative of self related to the development of international experiential education programmes in nature developed by Vacation School Lipnice (VSL) in the Czech Republic. The paper provides the cultural background that influences the course design and provides examples, through participant observation, of the international development of VSL's Intertouch courses over the past decade (1997–2007). VSL is a non-profit, non-governmental organization of about 100 active members—volunteers coming from all over the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other countries. Since 1991 VSL has been a member of Outward Bound International, a global experiential education organization. The aim of the VSL courses is to provide ways for further development of the capacities of body and mind using the ‘dramaturgy’ approach to course design, which brings together the distinct elements of art, music, drama and adventure. Courses consist of body-and-mind challenging activities, creative art workshops, discussions and contemplations. Dramaturgy goes beyond traditional interpretations of adventure training, allowing for the integration and balance of physical, social, creative and reflective/emotional ‘waves’ that can change according to the needs of the group. The concepts presented aim to provide examples for creative programming practice and applications to develop more holistic outdoor and experiential courses for youth and adults globally.     

How Students Report Dishonest Behavior in School: Self-Assessment and Anchoring Vignettes

The authors have studied heterogeneity in reporting behavior and its impact on the analysis of self-reports about students’ dishonest behavior in schools. Two hundred sixty-five randomly chosen, seventh-grade students (typically 12 years old) from lower secondary schools in Prague 6, a district in the capital of the Czech Republic, participated in this survey. The results of the self-reports, adjusted for heterogeneity, are highly related to students’ levels of academic achievement and their parents’ education and partly related to their gender, while unadjusted self-reports are only slightly related to the level of parents’ education. The authors also show differences in the reporting behavior across diverse subdomains of school behavior and suggest using anchoring vignettes closely related to the domain described in the self-reports.     

Engineering Courses Taught in English Language at the Czech Technical University in Prague

The Czech Technical University in Prague is one of the oldest establishments of higher technical education in central Europe. This university is divided into six faculties, among them the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FEE). One of the fundamental changes which has been introduced in the FEE since the Velvet Revolution is full engineering education programmes in English, leading to Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees.     

高考：社会公平的支点

社会公平是个体能力张扬的展现,是社会发展程度的标志,对社会公平问题的关注必然从教育公平开始,高考是实现社会公平的历史选择。需要从确立大学精英教育思想、平衡区域差异和消除经济与文化贫困几方面入手,为实现高考公平提供政策与制度保障。     

The Difference between Chinese and American Higher Education System

This paper describes the differences between the Chinese and American higher education system, and different issues behind these differences along with history and contemporary complexities, and analyzes the reason of its emergence, then how to solve these issues. I studied at Iowa Wesleyan College in America for two and a half years. In order to further understand American higher education system, I interviewed a librarian of Iowa Wesleyan College named Sherril Gibbs. And I have used a lot of data of the department of education USA government from Wikipedia and other sources in my paper. Then this paper finds that Chinese and American higher education system has their own strengths and weaknesses. Both the systems have a need to learn from each other to execute a better education system and to ensure development of all students as per their interest and abilities.     

基于家庭经济背景差异视域的大学生教育管理研究

不同家庭经济背景下的大学生,其社会价值观、人生观、学习观、交友观带有明显的差异性。分析家庭经济背景差异视域下的大学生的表现,提出相应教育管理对策,并阐述其对高校教育管理工作者的要求。     

Zur reformpädagogischen Bewegung in der Tschechoslowakei zwischen den beiden Weltkriegen

The author gives us a survey of the development of the New Education in Czechoslovakia from the end of the 19th century until the thirties, an evolution which scholars never had a chance to discuss because of the installment of a totalitarian Communist regime after the Second World War. One of the basic features of Czech educational theory was its conscious deviation from the German model and its turning towards Anglo‐Saxon and Romance education and psychology.

First, the author discusses a number of contributions of Czech educationists to the New School Movement. Then he describes the attempts to enforce a uniform Czech model on the schools, that consisted of three levels (the Elementary School, the Komenium and the Atheneum) and was based on the educational theories of Václav Príhoda.     

EAIT special issue: Valuing individual and shared learning: The role of ICT

This special issue supports the conference ‘Valuing individual and shared learning: the role of ICT’ held by the Working Group 3.5 Informatics in Elementary Education in June 2008 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Editorial describes the focus and context of the conference. It draws attention to the wide variety of presentations by Czech colleagues, and the findings of two recent studies of policy and initiatives in Informatics education in the Czech Republic. The selected articles are described and represent the range of themes, including a theoretical model of teachers’ digital competence; a national study of the use of interactive whiteboards; a study of interactivity and dialogue with digital technologies in classrooms; dialogue in student teachers’ interactions with pupils in online environments; the use of virtual reality to support awareness of dyslexia; and a theoretical framework for the use of mediascapes in the curriculum.     

Cost-Sharing in Higher Education: Differences between countries and between distinct socio-economic groups

The paper studies the relation between different national cost-sharing models and how students from different socio-economic backgrounds finance their higher education in six different European countries: the Czech Republic, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. The findings reveal considerable differences both between the countries and also between different socio-economic groups of students within each country. Even though there are only small social differences in the students’ level of income, there are considerable social differences in the students’ sources of income. The findings are discussed related to the country’s specific policy and higher education funding structures.

     

The Educational System in Poland and other Central‐Eastern European Countries during the Transition Period

This article examines the developments and direction of change of the education systems which have taken place in the Vishehrad countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) during the past decade. Comparisons are made between the four countries focusing on the following areas: school reforms, change of the structure and non‐public schools.     

欧美国家职业教育体系构建及比较

通过分析美国和德国的职业教育体系构建的历史成因和现实依据,阐述了不同职业教育体系的特点与优势,从而提出我国职业教育体系改革和发展的基本思路。通过分析认为,在全国统一的职业教育框架下,我国职业教育应针对各地区经济发展水平和劳动力市场需求的差异,地区文化和经济发展差异,在不同地区,发展各具特色的职业教育。     

新时期我国高校行政管理的发展策略

新时期随着国家高等教育体制改革的需要,高校行政管理在适应经济社会发展中和解决学校发展的各种矛盾中的基础地位日益突出。本文用管理的和谐理念在分析高校行政管理特征的基础上,提出了新时期我国高校行政管理必须在确立正确的和谐理念、加强制度建设、提高管理者素质等方面的发展策略。     

A (Con)text for New Discourse as Semiotic Praxis

Contemporary art requires that art and cultural educators reposition encounters with artefacts, images and performances into a context for new discourses. Whereas digital media and other aspects of visual popular culture predominate the frames of reference of school‐age children, their context (codes) of reference, in large part, do not contain those used by art and cultural education professionals. Most art professionals (con)textualise their interpretations from a more formalistic tradition, unlike school‐age children, whose use of iconographic elements from their experiential subcultures, are projected into the content of their visual encounters. In order to find relevancy for today's art education, interrelationships between the codes of the participant and visual experiences must be built upon the development of new strategies between viewers, artefacts and experts. This article presents the background and use of dialogic strategies for new discourse from the‘Open Dialogue Club’programme between the Department of Art Education at Charles University and the Galerie Rudolfinum, a contemporary art space, in Prague, Czech Republic.