The recent process of decentralization and democratic management of education in Brazil

Brazilian society is beginning a new historical period in which the principle of decentralization is beginning to predominate over centralization, which held sway during the last 25 years. In contrast to recent Brazilian history, there is now a search for political, democratic and participatory decentralization more consonant with grass-roots aspirations. The first section of this article presents a brief analysis of some decentralization policies implemented by the military regime of 1964, and discusses relevant facts related to the resistance of civil society to state authoritarianism, and to the struggle for the democratization and organization of civil society up to the end of the 1970s. The second section analyzes some new experiences of democratic public school administration initiated in the 1970s and 1980s. The final section discusses the move toward decentralization and democratization of public school administration in the new Federal and State Constitutions, and in the draft of the new Law of National Education.

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Zusammenfassung Die brasilianische Gesellschaft beginnt einen neuen Abschnitt in ihrer Geschichte, in dem das Prinzip der Dezentralisierung über die in den letzten 25 Jahren vorherrschende Zentralisierung dominiert. Im Gegensatz zur jüngsten brasilianischen Geschichte wird nunmehr eine politische, demokratische und partizipatorische Dezentralisierung gesucht, die mit den regionalen Bestrebungen besser vereinbar ist. Der erste Teil dieses Artikels enthält eine kurze Analyse einiger 1964 vom Militärregime eingeführter Dezentralisierungmaßnahmen und untersucht relevante Fakten, die mit dem Widerstand der zivilen Gesellschaft gegen die Staatsgewalt und mit dem Kampf um Demokratisierung und eine Organisation der zivilen Gesellschaft bis Ende der 70er Jahre zusammenhängen. Im zweiten Teil werden einige neue Erfahrungen den in der 70er und 80er Jahren eingeführten Verwaltung öffentlicher demokratischer Schulen analysiert. Im Schlußteil geht es um die Entwicklung zur Dezentralisierung und Demokratisierung der öffentlichen Schulverwaltung in den neuen Bundes- und Staatsverfassungen und im Entwurf des neuen Gesetzes zu Nationaler Bildung.

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Résumé La société brésilienne entame une nouvelle ère historique caractérisée par une prédominance du principe de décentralisation sur celui de centralisation, qui a prévalu durant les 25 dernières années. Par comparaison à l'histoire brésilienne moderne, on vise actuellement une décentralisation politique, démocratique et fondée sur la participation, qui soit plus en harmonie avec les aspirations du peuple. La première partie du présent article contient une brève analyse des politiques de décentralisation appliquées par le régime militaire de 1964, et discute les faits pertinents relatifs à la résistance de la société civile à l'autoritarisme de l'Etat, et à la lutte pour la démocratisation et l'organisation de la société civile jusqu'à la fin des années 70. La deuxième partie analyse quelques expériences récentes concernant la démocratisation de l'administration de l'école publique, inaugurée dans les années 70 et 80. La dernière partie examine le passage à la décentralisation et à la démocratisation dans l'administration de l'école publique dans la nouvelle constitution fédérale et dans celles des Etats fédérés, ainsi que dans le nouveau projet de loi sur l'Education nationale.

     

A neurodevelopmental profile of the rural hearing‐impaired child in the QwaQwa region,South Africa

Being hearing impaired does not only affect a child's academic performance, but can also influence a child's overall development and ability to succeed academically. Children with hearing impairment often experience delays in other areas of their development and an understanding of the inter‐relatedness of these delays are important in order to address all these aspects, and thus minimise the impact on a child's overall development. The paper provides a neurodevelopmental profile of 4‐year‐old to 8‐year‐old rural hearing‐impaired children based on the result of a psychometric assessment. Eighteen children were selected from a special needs school in the rural QwaQwa Free State area of South Africa and underwent a psychometric assessment using two test batteries (Griffiths mental developmental scales – extended revised and a neurodevelopmental evaluation scale). The neurodevelopmental profile will contribute to knowledge of the nature of the challenges faced by the hearing‐impaired child in rural education and the neurodevelopmental origin of these challenges.     

The Neolithic or Wood Age

Although perishable under many conditions, wooden artifacts from the Neolithic period have been remarkably well preserved in peat bogs and lakes. Indeed, in view of the large number and quality of the finds, the Neolithic Age might equally well be termed the Wood Age. The objects produced were technically highly sophisticated: the properties of different kinds of wood were well known and used to full advantage, and the skill with which they were made suggests that there may have been craftsmen specializing in woodwork.     

Promoting Gypsy children's behavioural engagement and school success: Evidence from a four‐wave longitudinal study

Low schooling, high non‐attendance and school dropout rates are critical phenomena within disadvantaged groups, especially among the Gypsy community. For example, in the UK, 10%–25% of Gypsy children do not attend school regularly and have significantly higher levels of overall absence from school (percentage of half‐day sessions missed) than pupils from other ethnic groups. In Portugal, available data on Gypsy children is sparse, yet data from one geographic region of the country reports high school failure (45%) and dropout rates (15%) among this population. The present study assessed the efficacy of a four‐year intervention to promote Gypsy children's behavioural engagement and school success. Gypsy communities were contacted and 30 children participating in the four waves were randomly distributed into control and experimental groups. Every school day throughout four years, 16 children in the experimental group were called at home and invited to go to school. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated in four waves (at the end of each of the four school years), assessing behavioural engagement (i.e. school non‐attendance, classroom behaviour) and school achievement (i.e. mathematics achievement, student progression). Findings show the efficacy of the intervention on promoting behaviour engagement and academic success without devaluing Gypsy people's culture.     

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS’ FAMILY–SCHOOL PARTNERING EXPERIENCES WITH LATINOS

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify the beliefs, perceptions, and actions of school psychologists toward family–school partnering (FSP) with Latino families in the public school system. Existing research in this area is extremely limited; therefore, the present study has significant implications for pre‐ and in‐service training to achieve effective FSP with Latino families. Five school psychologists working in school districts with greater than 40% Latino student enrollment participated in this study. Five major themes emerged from data analysis: Attitudes toward FSP, Knowledge and Skills Needed, Expectations for Engagement, Perceived Barriers to FSP, and Engagement Activities. The results of this study will help researchers and educators develop an awareness of the challenges school psychologists face and the actions they take to enhance relationships with Latino families.     

Implementation of a project-based engineering school: increasing student motivation and relevant learning

The School of Engineering at Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM) implemented, starting in the 2012–2013 period, a unified academic model based on project-based learning as the methodology used throughout the entire School. This model expects that every year, in each grade, all the students should participate in a capstone project integrating the contents and competencies of several courses. This paper presents the academic context under which this experience has been implemented, and a summary of the work done to design and implement the Project-Based Engineering School at the UEM. The steps followed, the structure used, some sample projects, as well as the difficulties and benefits of implementing the programme are discussed in this paper. The results are encouraging as students are more motivated and the initial set objectives were accomplished.     

Questionnaire on Perceived Competency-based Learning for primary school students (#ICOMpri1) / Cuestionario del Aprendizaje Percibido basado en Competencias para el Alumnado de Educación Primaria (#ICOMPri1)

The purpose of this study was to design and validate an assessment tool to find out how primary school students perceive their competency-based learning. By examining the content validity (n = 35 experts), comprehension (n = 173 students) and construct (n = 523 students) of the instrument, the results showed correct psychometric quality, internal consistency, reliability and adequacy of the structural model: χ²/df = 2.08, TLI = 0.88, CFI = 0.90, GFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.04, and SRMR = 0.04. The final version of the Questionnaire on Perceived Competency-based Learning of primary school students (#ICOMpri1) includes eight dimensions and 27 items. The results showed a high perceived competency-based learning of primary school students. This is therefore a valid and reliable instrument that provides a more subjective and real vision of primary students’ academic performance. Nevertheless, future studies should analyse the criterion-related validity by comparing perception results with those of international academic achievement.     

Prediction model for the inclusion of key competences in the primary school curriculum through the teachers’ perceptions in the Region de Murcia / Modelo de predicción para la inclusión de las competencias en el currículo de educación primaria según la percepción del profesorado de la Región de Murcia

The purposes of this paper were twofold: (a) to analyse primary school teachers’ perceptions of the inclusion of the key competences in the curriculum; and (b) to test a hypothetical prediction model about the inclusion of the key competences in the curriculum according to their perceptions. The participants were 1,010 teachers from 110 schools. The results showed that the teachers need training on this new competency-based approach to teaching, learning and evaluation. The hypothetical prediction model confirmed the high predictiveness of pre-service teacher education and continuous professional development regarding the proper development of the main elements of competency-based learning which contribute to achieving the purposes of today’s education. One of the possible recommendations that could facilitate the inclusion of the key competences in the curriculum according to their perception is teacher training geared towards pedagogical models adapted to the reality of teaching today which optimize teachers’ professional performance and students’ academic achievement.     

Does teacher homework feedback matter to 6th graders’ school engagement?: a mixed methods study

Metacognition and Learning - The effectiveness of homework on improving student academic achievement depends on several factors; for example, feedback provided by the teacher (i.e. grading) and...