Burton Clark's half century: selected writings 1956-2006

The work of Burton Clark extended over more than half a century - and also from its original base in sociology to embrace wider inter-disciplinary studies. His identification of the major research themes in higher education continues to be valid, despite the substantial changes that have taken place in the scale, structure and values of the system. Although his work continued to evolve taking in new topics such as the entrepreneurial university, it continued to be reflect the 'sociological imagination' which had been his starting point - and which explained its conceptual clarity and methodological integrity. © 2010 Institute of Education

Evaluation of voices foundation primer in primary schools

Music education has an important role in contributing towards society's needs in relation to the culture industries and continued development of active and constructive participation in musical activities. In addition to its role in developing musical skills many claims have been made regarding the benefits of music education in relation to a range of transferable skills

Julius Nyerere's Philosophy of Education: Implication for Nigeria's Educational System Reforms

Nyerere’s philosophy of education is one of the most influential and widely studied theories of education. Policy-makers have continued to draw from it for policy re-engineering. In this paper, the Nigerian educational system is examined in the light of the philosophy. This approach is predicated on the informed belief that there are social and historical commonalities between Nigeria and the target-society of Nyerere’s philosophy. To this end, it argues that the philosophy holds some important lessons for Nigeria’s education. For this reason, there is need to inject some doses of its principles into the body polity of Nigeria’s education. The article identifies three areas – school financing, curricula development and entrepreneurial education – where the principles of the philosophy can be practically invaluable for Nigeria. In the final analysis, the paper identifies the linkage between national philosophy of education and national developmental ideology; and argues that a national philosophy of education of any country must be embedded in the national development ideology of that country of which the country’s philosophy of education must drive

An evaluative review of evidence on the ‘enactment’ of the non-statutory National Framework Agreement for Religious Education in England and Wales

Governments world-wide consider education to be a priority, particularly in attempting to “deal with fundamental issues of economic well-being, globalization, climate change and social stability” (REC, 2007a: 2). England and Wales have invested large financial, physical and human resources in educational development within the last twenty years. Pluralism within Britain and across Europe highlights the significance of religion as a binding force relating to diversity and citizenship, and promoting community cohesion. The British government has a responsibility to ensure all citizens are treated equally and with respect. As we are a multi-cultural society, this includes citizens of all faiths and no faiths; the role of religion and belief plays an increasingly important function within communities and the wider social network. A standardised or regulated approach towards Religious Education (RE) is common practice in most countries across Europe, but this has not been the case in Britain. Indeed, the 2004 curriculum ‘health check’ undertaken by The Religious Education Council for England and Wales (REC) revealed “continued curriculum incoherence in religious education … continued low standards relative to National Curriculum subjects … continued non-compliance with legal requirements [and] no consistent criteria … to check the quality of RE” (REC, 2007a: 3). The intention of the 2004 Non-statutory National Framework Agreement for Religious Education (NFRE) was an attempt to address these issues. The NFRE is therefore seen as the vehicle that will promote teaching and learning of RE, encourage a “clear and shared understanding” of all faiths and no faiths, and cultivate spiritual, moral, and social development in young people (QCA & DfES, 2004: 8). REC (2007b: 4) argues that the NFRE “provides for the first time an agreed national rationale for the subject”. The REC propose that implementation of the NFRE will enhance the RE syllabus and also improve the quality of RE taught in schools. This paper explores some of the findings from a four year empirical study that I conducted in Lancashire, England. The research set out to explore specifically the response of a sample of faith-based and community schools to the NFRE. The paper explores the extent to which the theoretical aspirations of the NFRE have been met within the sphere of religious education. The paper also focuses on how and why the NFRE was developed and subsequent evolvement of the policy from 2004 to 2012

Alternative Education: A Continued Examination of How States Are Addressing Alternative Education in Their Schools

In an attempt to understand the current preparation level of Arkansas for the Leave No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002, the current project conducts a preliminary literature and web search to record what other states have done and are doing to prepare for NCLB. A brief synopsis of the history of alternative policies is also included. Results indicate that of the twelve states examined, most states are following a similar pattern with regard to preparing for their “at risk” students and passing similar alternative education policies. Three common characteristics found across the states: defining what alternative education is and who it provides for, legislation providing for each state’s plan, and finally a discussion of the various funding methods

The challenges of intersectionality: Researching difference in physical education

Researching the intersection of class, race, gender, sexuality and disability raises many issues for educational research. Indeed, Maynard (2002, 33) has recently argued that ‘difference is one of the most significant, yet unresolved, issues for feminist and social thinking at the beginning of the twentieth century’. This paper reviews some of the key imperatives of working with ‘intersectional theory’ and explores the extent to these debates are informing research around difference in education and Physical Education (PE). The first part of the paper highlights some key issues in theorising and researching intersectionality before moving on to consider how difference has been addressed within PE. The paper then considers three ongoing challenges of intersectionality – bodies and embodiment, politics and practice and empirical research. The paper argues for a continued focus on the specific context of PE within education for its contribution to these questions

Enhancing school-university partnerships.

Preservice teachers are offered school-based experiences as a component of their undergraduate teacher education programmes. While there have been major shifts toward establishing new types of partnerships between schools and teacher education providers internationally, in New Zealand the relationship has generally gone unexamined. New Zealand teachers, therefore, have continued as supervisors of students' experiences rather than as collaborative partners in teacher education. This study makes particular reference to the professional development school (PDS) movement in the United States of America to seek innovative ideas that might enhance school-university partnerships in New Zealand. Broader issues, however, surface as challenges and complexities are identified. Despite various criticisms there are benefits in the collaborative efforts giving cause for optimism for new types of school-university partnerships

Population Aging and Trends in the Provision of Continued Education

This study investigates whether the incidence of continued vocational education has changed as the German workforce commenced an aging process which is expected to intensify. As the lifespan in productive employment lengthens human capital investments for older workers become increasingly worthwhile. Using the data of a German population survey we describe recent trends in the development of human capital investments and apply decomposition procedures to the probability of continued education. Holding everything else constant the shift in the population age distribution by itself would haveb lead to a decline in training participation over the considered period, 1996-2004. However, the decomposition analyses yield that behavioral changes caused an increase in training particularly among older workers. This is confirmed by multivariate regressions on pooled cross-sectional data: the increase in training probabilities is highest among older workers.specific human capital investment, training, population aging, demographic change

Fearless (Saturday): Michael Hannum

In celebration of Alumni Homecoming Weekend and Hispanic Heritage Week, we proudly feature Michael Hannum, member of the Class of 2011, for his fearless commitment to fighting for social justice issues and his continued involvement in serving the Adams County community. Currently working with the Lincoln Intermediate Unit’s Migrant Education Program as a Recruitment Coordinator, Michael began finding his passion for helping identify families in the migrant community who need extra educational support when he was a first-year student just looking for something to do. [excerpt