Inclusive and exclusive education in Sweden: principals' opinions and experiences

To support the national and international aims of inclusion, special teacher training in Sweden was replaced in 1990 by special educator training. These special educators would supervise the teachers in their school and would not exclusively teach students. The aim of this study was to investigate what the principals of 14 municipal compulsory schools in Stockholm County thought about the organisation and realisation of special education in 1996 and 2006 respectively. According to the results, there were fewer segregated groups in these schools in 2006, but an increasing number of students were placed in segregated groups that were common to several schools or municipalities. Principals at schools with teaching teams usually saw the special educator as a coordinating and supervising resource while others preferred the special teacher function. The former approach led to a more inclusive school and the latter in the direction of exclusion.     

镜室的映照——对合作探究群体生成实践性知识的探析

一个以教育工作者为成员的合作探究群体在面对真实的教育困境时,如何通过对话探究生成实践性知识？研究发现：不论是教育研究者还是实践者都不能在掌握理论知识与实践经验后自动获得有关教育行动正当性与有效性的判断力;指向行动改变的学习要以他们原有心智模式浮现为前提,而这有赖于群体成员之间的相互激发。此外,“习惯性防御”普遍存在于群体中,成员对此必须有所警惕,并设法创设一个安全、宽松的学习氛围,以减少成员的防御。此类以行动科学作为理论基础的研究,不仅有助于促进教育工作者反思自身既存现况,以增加自己专业行动的有效性,而且能够为构建学习型组织提供理论与实践借鉴。     

CHICANA/O STUDENT JOURNALISTS MAP OUT A CHICANA/O JOURNALISM PRACTICE

Research documenting the media under-representation of people of color indicates that unless journalists re-imagine the way they report on communities of color, those growing segments may be left without a stake in the “public imaginary.” In this paper, I suggest that journalism educators turn their attention to Chicano/a student journalists in order to begin the process of re-envisioning newsgathering and writing in ways that more accurately depict and inform Latino/a communities. Driven by a collaboration between myself and undergraduate student producers of Venceremos, a bilingual Chicano/a student publication at a western state university, this paper builds a case for why these student journalists are an important source of knowledge and inspiration for journalism educators concerned with improving mainstream coverage of diverse communities. The essay also summarizes my association with the Venceremos staff in order to model how journalism educators can team up with alternative student journalists and it demarcates traits that typify their evolving Chicano/a journalism practice.     

A Tribute to Florence

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) have an important presence in contemporary civil society and have gained further prominence through their repertoire of social welfare and services. This study engaged social work educators (n = 316) across nine countries to examine their perceptions of including discourses on faith and FBOs in the social work curriculum. Findings are discussed in terms of intercountry variations on whether FBOs should form a part of the social work curriculum, the curriculum objectives, content, and positioning, and whether the curricular orientation should promote partnerships/collaborations/synergies between FBOs and the discipline of social work.     

进口贸易结构与技术进步的实证研究

根据新贸易理论,进口通过其内生的技术溢出对经济增长起促进作用,而技术溢出的效果则与贸易结构相关.首先构造了资本品、中间品进口贸易结构及技术进步指标,接着对进口贸易结构与技术进步的相互作用进行了协整分析.实证结果表明,资本品、中间品进口均对技术进步有长期稳定的促进作用.我国进口存在技术溢出,且中间进口品的作用较强.但进口贸易与技术进步之间不存在双向因果关系,贸易结构改善与技术进步之间的良性循环并未形成.根据以上结论,最后提出了相关的政策建议.     

新形势下中学体育教师的工作积极性、现状及其成因探析

对１７９名中学体育教师的工作积极性进行了认真调查分析．结果表明：当前中学体育教师的工作积极状态水平总体偏低；反映出随年龄增长而提高的趋势，且呈＂双峰＂状态；具有男教师高于女教师、重点中学教师高于普通中学教师、职称学历高的教师高于低的教师等特点体育教师工作积极性偏低的成因主要可归结为六个方面，并针对现状提出了若干改进措施和建议．     

Between Two Worlds: Australian Publishing on the Horns of an Import Dilemma

This article looks at the consequences of the 1991 amendment to the Australian Copyright Act, which meant that, for the copyright owner or authorised distributor to attain the right to control imports, it had to make the book available in Australia within 30 days of first publication overseas; and, to retain that right, it had to notify the retailer within 7 days of receiving an order whether it could be fulfilled within 90 days, and then in fact do so (. Accessed 28 June 2008). The article discusses the background to that change, what has happened since and what arguments are marshalled by those in favour of the status quo (restrictions that must be qualified for), and those in favour of a completely open market. The arguments used say much about the current preoccupations of those in Australian publishing. The debate around whether booksellers should be free to import copies of a new book from any supplier willing to sell them boils down to four issues: the availability in Australia of books published overseas; the price of books in Australia; the preservation of Australian publishing; and the protection of the rights of copyright holders. Those in favour of the open market believe that it would improve the first two without diminishing the latter two; those who support the status quo, that changing would bring no substantial benefits, and hurt both publishing and the rights of copyright holders. In summary, the reasons for maintaining the status quo are that things work fine as they are; that Australian literature (authors, bookshops, publishers) would suffer if things changed; and that the publisher is entitled to protect its investment through territorial control of copyright. The reasons for going to a completely open market are that only an open market can determine market price; that booksellers are unfairly disadvantaged competing against online sellers, on whom parallel importing restrictions are effectively not imposed; that copyright holders lose their rights when they sell something, and shouldn’t get a secondary chance to protect their investment; there is already a de facto open market, which unfairly restricts those who obey the law; there is a narrow window of opportunity for selling a book, which the current restrictions don’t serve; and the current situation is a poor compromise that doesn’t achieve the benefits of the open market.     

Para‐teacher scheme and quality education for all in India: policy perspectives and challenges for school effectiveness

This paper argues that the concepts, beliefs and understandings of local and non‐local teacher educators in a Hong Kong university are grounded in their own cultural cognition and antecedents. It presents the viewpoint that contemporary notions of good practice were compromised when applied to a context that is strongly influenced by the tenets of Confucianism. Thus the conclusion is that the contingencies of teaching and learning contexts are sufficiently different to compromise the goal of having pre‐constructed notions of good teaching. The alternative is that university tutors and future researchers re‐conceptualise good teaching practices within a context that gives it meaning and purpose.     

Immigration and Education: What Should K-12 Teachers,School Administrators,and Staff Know?

We are currently living in an era of mass global migration. Therefore, it is a pertinent time to reflect on the challenges and the possibilities inherent in educating immigrant and refugee children. Because of the importance immigration has played in the history of the United States, it may be assumed that American K-12 teachers and school administrators understand the complexities surrounding the immigration process; however, this would be erroneous. This article aims to clarify and explain why educators need to gain awareness and become more knowledgeable about this topic.     

Amna Mahmoud Al-Jaydah,a pioneer in the struggle for female education in Qatar: a biographical research study

Much of the historical data, often narratives, on 19th and early 20th century women teachers in the West highlights the ways in which these women educators were influenced by religious institutions and/or the cultural, social, and political contexts in which they lived. This study uses this same lens to examine the life and work of a female educator Qatar (the Middle East) during this period. In 19th century Qatar, the rise of the kuttab system marked the beginning of communal learning for males; for females, however, education was limited to learning the Quran at home. In 1938, Amna Mahmoud Al-Jaydah, considered Qatar’s first female teacher, began to initiate significant changes in this system. This study, utilising biographical methodology with a feminist perspective, documents the life and work of Amna Mahmoud and provides a narrative of the struggle for female education in a society that often rejected the advancement of women.