Dispelling Myths about Latino Parent Participation in Schools

This qualitative study was conducted to discuss and dispel commonly held myths about Latino parents' involvement in their children's education. Differences between teacher perceptions of Latino parent involvement and parents' understanding of their roles in supporting their children's education—including the learning and use of the English language—were explored. Results indicated that some teachers held negative perceptions of Latino parents. The study also revealed that Latino parents had high expectations of their children's academic achievement and wanted to be more involved in their education, but felt excluded from the school community.     

Parent involvement and views of school success: The role of parents' Latino and White American cultural orientations

We examined ethnicity and cultural orientation as predictors of parents' views of and involvement in children's education, using data gathered from the Latino (n = 74) and non‐Latino (17 White and 13 ethnic minority) parents of children in an elementary school's dual‐language program. Parents completed a questionnaire that assessed Latino and White American cultural orientations, importance of children's academic and social success, and self‐ and significant other involvement in children's education. Results indicated that Latino (and other ethnic minority) parents valued academic and social success equally and more strongly than did Whites and that Whites valued social success more strongly than academic success. Latinos also reported greater involvement of significant others. These differences were largely accounted for by cultural orientations. Educational practices that take into account differences in cultural orientations and the involvement of significant others thus seem more likely to improve academic outcomes than do efforts intended to promote the valuing of education. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Betwixt and Between: Working Through the Aesthetic in Philosophy of Education: George F. Kneller Lecture,Conference of the American Educational Studies Association Savannah,Georgia, October 30, 2008

At a time when both philosophy of education and the arts are under threat within education, this article inquires into interdisciplinarity as one way of approaching the disciplines of philosophy of education and aesthetics. The article offers a retrospective autobiographical intellectual history and phenomenology of the author's own learning and scholarship within Higher Education in three main areas—philosophy of literature education, women's studies, and philosophy of music education, areas paralleling the three periods of her academic career. One sub-theme of this narrative about the balancing act of working in literature and music through philosophy of education is the author's ongoing resistance to professionalization or disciplinary academic control—of literature, philosophy, and music—while being a critical student of educational theory and practice in these areas—philosophy, literature and music within philosophy of education—of thus being “betwixt and between.” Two other themes comprising the article's subtext are “praxis” and “embodiment.” The double entendre of the phrase “working through” entails, first, using the arts of literature and music to practise philosophy of education; and secondly, embracing the psychological, ethical, and spiritual introspection that comes with critical engagement of the arts and its discourses. In short, the article aims to reprise some burning philosophical educational questions that have preoccupied its author over the years, questions deemed especially pertinent to the current increasingly diverse membership in the discipline of educational studies.     

Strengthening Community Schools Through University Partnerships

Given the mounting call for academic achievement gains in America's public schools—particularly urban schools labeled “failing”—the need for community engagement to tackle a host of underlying social challenges warrants the resources of the nation's colleges and universities (Harkavy & Hartley, 2009). Because colleges and universities are often underutilized anchors of resources in communities, coordinated alignment of K-12 and higher education goals can create a seamless pipeline of educational attainment for communities challenged to produce high academic achievement. Higher education's engagement with community schools further helps to address the whole child and their families in K-12 education by expanding the opportunities for the students and community to access necessary support services. Drawing upon experiences of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and collaboration with its adjacent neighborhoods, this article illustrates the transformative and relevant impact of university and community engagement, as well as new pedagogical approaches to teaching, learning, and training. This article reflects upon the experiences of IUPUI and nearby George Washington Community High School as it can uniquely serve as a roadmap for other school community/university partnerships that are interested in embarking upon a similar education reform path.     

A SYSTEMATIC CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLICATIONS RELATIVE TO THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION

“The accent in cultural history is on close examin‐ ation — of texts, of pictures, and of actions — and an open‐mindedness to what those examinations will reveal, rather than on elaboration of new master narratives.”

Lynn Hunt (Ed.), The New Cultural History (Berkeley, Calif., 1989), p. 22.

“[Films] are a legitimate way ... of representing, interpreting, thinking about and making meaning from the traces of the past ... that seriously deals with the relationship of past and present.”

Robert A. Rosenstone (Ed.), Revisioning History (Princeton, N.J., 1995), p. 3.

One of postmodernism's major lines of development collapses the boundaries and hierarchical distinctions between elite or academic culture and popular culture, giving us new opportunities to cross boundaries separating history from literature and the arts, the “academic” from the “popular”, the archival from the imaginative. I embrace the freedom that postmodernism offers to entertain new ideas, play different kinds of language games, challenge established “ways of seeing”.

I propose here that we extend the range of what we regard as historical “source” to include film, and that film be accepted by historians of education as a legitimate form of textual representation and important evidentiary “source” for our exploration and interpre‐ tation of culture and of education. What follows is an attempt at integrating film into the historiography of education. For illustrative purposes, I've chosen Peter Weir's “Dead Poets Society” ("DPS”, 1989) for my text. I don't presume to give “the” meaning of “DPS” for understanding recent American educational history, but to suggest some of its possible meanings, which, given the problematic nature of “meaning” in our postmodern epoch, is about all we can hope for, but which may be enough to continue the conversation about movies after the movie is over.     

Can “Some College” Help Reduce Future Earnings Inequality?

This article addresses the policy debate over “college for all” versus “college for some” in the United States and analyzes the relationship between “some college” (as a formal education attainment category) and earnings. Our evidence confirms—using data from the American Community Survey (ACS), the Panel Study on Income Dynamics (PSID), and the Survey on Income and Program Participation (SIPP)—that more (postsecondary) education, on average, is associated with higher median earnings. However, there is emerging evidence that a proportion of workers who have attained lower levels of education (i.e., “some college”) earn more than those who have attained higher levels of education (bachelor's degree).

We focus particular attention on the subset of Americans who fall into the U.S. Census official category entitled “some college.” This is a heterogeneous group who have alternate educational credentials but who have not acquired a formal associate or bachelor's degree. Instead of an unequivocal focus on “college for all” or even “community college for all,” we argue that educators and policymakers should consider “some college” as a viable pathway to future labor market success. In sum, we conclude that some types of “some college” could lead to a reduction in earnings inequality.     

Learning to Write: Plowing and Hoeing,Labor and Essaying

In this paper Amanda Fulford addresses the issue of student writing in the university, and explores how the increasing dominance of outcome‐driven modes of learning and assessment is changing the understanding of what it is to write, what is expected of students in their writing, and how academic writing should best be supported. The starting point is the increasing use of what are termed “technologies” of writing — “handbooks” for students that address issues of academic writing — that systematize, and smooth the work of writing in, Fulford argues, an unhelpful way. This leads to a reconsideration of what it means to write in the university, and what it is to be a student who writes. Fulford explores etymologically the concept of “writing” and suggests that it might be seen metaphorically as physical labor. Writing as physical labor is explored further through the agricultural metaphors in Henry David Thoreau's Walden and through Stanley Cavell's reading of that text. In making a distinction between writing‐as‐plowing and writing‐as‐hoeing, Fulford argues that some technologies of writing deny voice rather than facilitate it, and she concludes by offering a number of suggestions for the teaching and learning of writing in the university that emphasize the value of being lost (in one's subject and one's work) and finding one's own way out. These “lessons” are illustrated with reference to Thoreau's text Walden and to American literature and film.     

Brown Plus 50 Counter-Storytelling: A Critical Race Theory Analysis of the “Majoritarian Achievement Gap” Story

This essay provides a Critical Race Theory (CRT) analysis of current discussions of the “achievement gap” as the latest incarnation of the “white intellectual superiority/African American intellectual inferiority” notion that is a mainstay of “majoritarian storytelling” in U.S. culture. A critical race counter-story chronicles both the historical development and maintenance of the “achievement gap,” along with efforts of African Americans to secure access to education. The process by which the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision was subverted as a historical intervener in systemic access to equity in educational opportunity for African Americans is discussed. This essay concludes with principles to promote successful academic achievement of African American children.     

La mente social y la mente física: desarrollo y dominios de conocimiento

Resumen

Este dossier trata de una manifestación “específca” de la especificidad de dominio en el desarrollo: la distinción entre una mente física y una mente social. En él se analizan y presentan algunos datos y teorías que han contribuido durante las dos últimas décadas al establecimiento de esta distinción en la psicología evolutiva. Más concretamente, se analizan, discuten e integran las influencias y aportaciones de: (1) La primatología y su propuesta sobre la evolución de una “inteligencia maquiavélica” en los primates cuyo producto más elaborado da lugar a una “teoría de la mente”—la habilidad de inferir las intenciones, creencias etc. que subyacen al comportamiento con fines predictivos y explicativos—. (2) La psicología de la primera infancia y los datos sobre habilidades expresivas, comunicativas e interactivas de los bebés que se dirigen de manera diferenciada a los “objetos sociales” (las personas) y cómo la lectura reciente de estas habilidades las considera como precursores ontogenéticos de la teoría de la mente. (3) La ciencia cognitiva en una de sus acepciones de la “arquitectura” del sistema cognitivo: la idea de la mente modular. (4) Las aportaciones que desde la psicología evolucionista reciente defienden una estructura modular de procesos mentales especializados en problemas de intercambio social que habrían evolucionado por su valor adaptativo para la cooperación en las primeras sociedades de homínidos (como los mecanismos para la detección de tramposos); en este punto se analizan también los datos que desde el desarrollo apoyan o van en contra de las teorías evolucionistas. (5) Por último, se presentan los datos y teorías que desde el estudio del autism—como un déficit específico en el desarrollo de una teoría de la mente—han contribuido a establecer la distinción entre mente física y mente social en el desarrollo.     

Using Institutional Selection Factors to Develop Recruiting Profiles: Marketing Small,Private Colleges and Universities to Prospective Student Athletes

This paper discusses two important concepts—internationalization and the international marketing of higher education—and how they influence international students' choice of Canadian universities. The paper is based on two studies: one on 140 East Asian international graduate students who enrolled at two large Ontario universities in the academic year 2003–2004, and the other on 95 international undergraduate students who enrolled at an Ontario university in academic year 2005–2006. The research findings show that market segmentation determines the applicability of internationalization and/or marketing of higher education. Activities related to the internationalization of education play a critical role in influencing the research-oriented students' choice of a Canadian graduate school. Marketing activities have a direct impact on graduate students' choice in professional programs. “Twinning” or “incountry” programs—a blend of internationalization and international marketing approach—have a strong influence on undergraduate students' choice to come to Canada.     

Stepchildren of the State. Educating Enfants de Troupe in the French Army, 1800‐1845

Throughout the 19th century, the French army supported and educated the sons of common soldiers known as “enfants de troupe”. The army's chief objectives were to tap this manpower pool for its own uses and to boost army morale by showing that it cared for the families of its defenders. However, during the period 1830‐1845, many officers became increasingly concerned with caring for the children's well‐being, and with providing them with an education beyond practical military training. This concern paralleled similar civilian movements to limit child labor and institute universal primary education, yet the differing cultures and needs of the army and of civilian societies resulted in different approaches to education. Ultimately, the army chose to embrace mutual education with a heavy emphasis on practical training in administrative duties. While officers placed increased emphasis on academic training and on the physical well‐being of the children, the army continued to exploit “enfants de troupe” as “child labor.”     

Current Labor Problems

Brains and gender, separately and in their interrelatedness, are hot items today in popular journals and academic literature. It is in particular the complexity of the interdependence of physical-, psychological-, and contextual-related developments of feminization in education that we focus on these contributions. We argue that a combination of recent findings of brain research and Marcia's psychological model of identity development in a “provocative pedagogy”—combining youngsters’ (boys and girls) need for exploration, console, and support—is a promising “stepped care” strategy for religious development of youngsters in a multicultural and multireligious context.     

Closing achievement gaps and beyond: teachers’ reactions to the remedial education policy in Taiwan

Educators have increasingly implemented remedial education in elementary and secondary schools throughout Taiwan as a systemic approach toward closing achievement gaps. However, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and those in remote areas have shown little improvement in academic achievement. This issue raises the question of how educators are providing needed learning support to disadvantaged students in school and classroom settings. Thus, this study applies grounded theory to investigate teachers’ reactions to the remedial education policy in Taiwan, to have a reflective assessment on the policy, and to provide suggestions for policy implementation. The findings suggest that teachers’ responses to this government-imposed, centralized approach—classified as “cosmetic compliance,” “professional commitment,” and “try-out participation”—vary widely based on whether their ideological underpinnings are consistent with the government’s policy intent to close achievement gaps, and on whether they are equipped with professional knowledge and practical strategies to support the effective implementation of remedial education. Based on the findings, this study develops an interactive systemic model for more effectively implementing the remedial education policy, which illustrates a conceptualization that educational practitioners can hold professional autonomy while improving teaching and learning for low-achieving students.     

Black males' self‐perceptions of academic ability and gifted potential in advanced science classes

The purpose of this research effort was to examine Black male students' self‐perceptions of academic ability and gifted potential in science. The purposeful sample consisted of nine Black males between the ages of 14 and 18 years. Four categories of self‐perceptions of academic ability and gifted potential emerged from the data. These included: (a) gifted high achievers; (b) gifted “could do better” high achievers; (c) gifted “could do better” situational nonachievers; and (d) gifted “could do better” underachievers. Science teachers' influences that referenced participants' academic achievement pointed to validation. Participants' perceptions regarding how science teachers' influenced their academic performance focused on science teachers' content knowledge. Power dynamics germane to Black male participants' value or worth that directed their efforts in science learning environments are discussed. Implications are posited for science teaching, science education programs, and future research. This research endeavor was based on two premises. The first premise is that Black males' self‐perceptions of academic ability affect their science academic achievement. The second premise is that, given parental, peer, and community influences, science teachers have considerable influence on students' self‐perceptions of academic ability. However, the focus of this research was not on parental influences, peer influences, or any potential influences that participants' communities may have on their academic achievement. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 888–911, 2005     

Key concepts in postgraduate certificates in higher education teaching and learning in Australasia and the United Kingdom

Post‐colonial theories about liminality, hybridity, unhomeliness, and identity form a novel lens through which to re‐theorise educational development work. Applying these conceptual frameworks allows practitioners and the academics they work with the opportunity to problematise some of educational development’s colonial underpinnings and assumptions. They also enable an exploration of the states of betweenness that form educational developers’ identities and impact implicitly and explicitly upon the nature of their changing practices. This paper seeks to read educational development and research supervisor development in particular “against the grain”. It also seeks to illustrate these concepts through some vignettes of my academic development practice.

Les théories postcoloniales portant sur les notions de “liminality”, “hybridity”, “unhomeliness”, ainsi que sur la notion d’identité constituent un nouvel angle sous lequel nous pouvons réenvisager les travaux dans le domaine du développement pédagogique. L’application de tels cadres conceptuels offre aux praticiens, ainsi qu’aux universitaires auprès de qui ils/elles oeuvrent, l’occasion d’envisager les problèmes associés aux bases et pré‐supposés colonialistes du développement pédagogique. Ces cadres facilitent aussi l’exploration des états reliés à la notion de “between‐ness”, lesquels contribuent à la formation de l’identité des conseillers pédagogiques et ont un impact à la fois implicite et explicite sur la nature des pratiques en mutation. Cet article cherche à effectuer une lecture du développement pédagogique et du développement de la supervision de recherche en adoptant plus particulièrement une approche “against the grain”. L’article cherche aussi à illustrer ces cadres par des vignettes de ma pratique.     

Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540) on the Education of Girls. An Investigation into his Medieval and Spanish Sources

Abstract

Due to his treatise on the education of girls and women, the “De institutione foeminae christianae” (1524), the Spanish humanist Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540) is repeatedly labelled as “an advocate of woman's education” or “revolutionary feminist”. But, Vives’ treatise must be judged on other grounds than feminist or antifeminist, and must be confronted with patristic, medieval and humanistic ideas to give a clear outline of his personal emphases.

Therefore, Vives’ views are confronted in the first place with those of patristic authors like Jerome and Augustine and medieval moralists like Vincent of Beauvais, Aegidius Romanus, Francesco da Barberino, Christine de Pisan and Konrad Bitschin. Secondly, the circumstances of his treatise are compared with those of Italian pedagogues as Vergerio, Brunt and Piccolomini, and a special link is made with the dedication-process of books of houres from the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Conclusion is that Vives’ work was equally influenced by the circumstances of the time of writing and the identity of his addressee, i.e. Catherine of Aragon, “the Spanish Queen in England”, as Vives called her. The impact of Thomas More’s humanist circle on Vives’ treatise is also of great importance.

But scholars have — for several reasons — overlooked the great influence of Vives’ Spanish background, and especially the direct influence of the Catalan Minorite Francesc Eiximenis (ca. 1340- 1409). Not only Vives’ “Institutio” shows many parallels in contenance and style with Eiximenis’ “Llibre de les clones”, there seems to be also an influence of Eiximenis on Vives’ political views in his “De subventione pauperum”. The comparison between Eixmenis and Vives’ views on education of women will preserve tomorrow’s Vives specialists from making rashly attributed claims of originality and will open the eyes for Spanish medieval sources in a so-called “humanist” treatise.     

The Illusion of Freedom: Tyranny,Whiteness, and the State of US Society

Despite boasting its self-characterization as the “land of the free,” US American “freedom” is, at times, tainted with historical amnesia, hypocrisy, and inhumanity. This article examines today's socio-political climate by drawing from de Tocqueville's (2003) prediction that American democracy is a tyranny of the majority. Because tyranny relies on gaslighting and dismissing facts, no definitive portraiture of freedom is made; therefore, the tyrannized wonder whether they are truly living within freedom or, instead, in collective submission to its illusion. This article examines this phenomenon in order to investigate how whiteness (re)produces conditions of disillusionment and tyranny. By employing hermeneutics of whiteness as a methodology, the authors investigate how whiteness infiltrates thoughts/epistemology, speech/rhetoric, emotions/emotionality, and nationalistic symbols/semiotics. The authors analyze implications for US education and offer a plea for all to consider.     

“以学为中心”的六步进阶课程思政教学模式

课程思政已成为新时代高校思想政治教育的新途径,然而“以教为中心”的课程思政教学模式存在难以激发学生的学习兴趣和主动性等问题。为提升课程思政的教学效率和效果,以“固体废物处理与处置”课程为例,遵循“以学为中心”的教学范式,研究了如何设置课程思政教学目标、设计课程思政元素、准备课程思政教学资源、设计课程思政教学过程、选择与使用课程思政教学方法、评定基于成果导向教育的课程思政学习成绩,从而形成“以学为中心”的六步进阶课程思政教学模式。     

LA PLANIFICATION DE L'EDUCATION: PASSE,PRESENT ET FUTUR

L'article qui suit est une version abrégée d'un article rédigé par le Professeur Gareth Williams, Professeur en Planification de l'éducation à l'Institut pour l'Education post‐obligatoire de l'Université de Lancaster. Il décrit deux modèles de planification de l'éducation: (1) le modèle “technocratique” qui procède par étapes, de la fixation des objectifs au calcul des poli‐tiques requises pour les atteindre; et (2) le modèle “politique” par lequel les décisions emergent comme résultat du jeu interne entre de puissants groupes de pression et d'intérêts. Le premier modèle a dominé la planification de l'éducation dans le passé, surtout dans les années I960 et au début des années 1970, période d'expansion de l'enseignement supérieur. Il a été progressivement remplacé par une approche plus “politique”. Finalement, l'auteur analyse les implications du changement des relations entre l'éducation et la structure socio‐économique dans la situation démographique et économique actuelle pour la planification de l'éducation dans l'avenir.