Published Article / South Africa has had no formal subject known as Technology Education in its schools until the introduction of Curriculum 2005. The introduction of Curriculum 2005 meant that educators at schools were caught unprepared, as they had to teach a subject that most were not conversant with. The purpose of this study was to determine how successful the introduction of Technology Education (in Secondary Schools in the Free State Province urban areas) was, how the subject is being taught and what problems are experienced. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate the perceptions of educators of Technology Education, their training to present the subject and whether schools are equipped and resourced to present the subject effectively. The approach was mainly qualitative and nonexperimental research was conducted. The population (schools) were selected by means of cluster sampling and the sample (Technology educators) by means of simple random sampling. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and structured interviews. From an international perspective the investigation revealed that the way in which Technology Education has been organised differs from country to country, but that they had similar experiences and problems when they introduced the subject for the first time. The investigation revealed that a low percentage of educators feel that the implementation of Technology Education was successful and that schools were ready for the implementation. Furthermore a need exists for specialised trained teachers, appropriate equipment and physical facilities to present Technology Education. The study further revealed that a high percentage of educators feel that the subject Technology Education does have a place in the Further Education and Training sector.

This study attempts to assess the early education system of Italy (from 1870 to 1918) and shows what effect the early features had upon the lives of the Italian children.

There are an estimated 1.2 million children with one or both parents enlisted in military service. These children are more geographically mobile than civilian children on average, and previous research suggests that mobility can have great effects on an individual's academic performance. This study seeks to answer the question: How does the standardized test performance of Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools compare to those of public schools with high concentrations of military children (funded by Impact Aid). It is hypothesized that due to higher average levels of funding, a standard curriculum, and both embedded and intentional social support, DoDEA schools will have higher standardized test scores than public schools with high concentrations of military children. Consistent with previous literature that finds a standardized test bias in favor of white students, it is also hypothesized that schools that are located in ZIP Codes with high percentages of Black and Hispanic residents will have lower test scores. This research will contribute to a growing body of literature on childhood migration, as well as the literature focused on the effects of the military on personnel's families and children. Through a series of bivariate correlations and nested regression analyses, I find that Impact Aid schools had higher percentages of students proficient in reading, math, and science than DoDEA schools. ZIP Code Tabulation Area measures of racial and ethnic composition, as reported in the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2007- 2011), were statistically significant predictors of proficiency in reading and math. As the percentage of non-White community composition increased, the percentage of students proficient in reading and math decreased (β = -11.328*, p ≤ .05). Controlling for these community-level variables still resulted in higher overall standardized test proficiency in Impact Aid schools

Parent involvement in Thailand was indicated as one critical dimension of effective schooling. This research describes the need to redefine the concept of parent involvement to create collaborative models including the home, the school, and the community. To explore this point, this research drew its sample of 1,811 parents from four schools of the Nontaburi Municipal School System in Thailand. An adaptation of Epstein, Coners, and Salinas's (Revised 1993) parent survey was used. Fifty three percent of the parents returned the surveys. Multiple regression analyses were conducted both across the school system and within each school setting. The findings suggest that student's GPA, grade level, and parent's expectations are predictors of parent involvement, whereas student's gender, parent's education, parent's age, parent's marital status, family income, and family composition do not necessarily predict the level of parent involvement. Also, it appears that the findings on how much the parents were involved across the school system and within each school setting indicate that neither the schools nor the teachers gave them sufficient opportunity for involvement. The program in which parents were most interested was how to discipline their children, whereas the programs on school and community development drew least interest. Concerning pattern of parent involvement, "involvement of parent at home" found the most common occurrence. These findings echo the assumption about traditional perceptions of the passive and distant relationship among family, school, and community that must be remedied.

The purpose of the study is to compare the Graham School System with other school systems in the same area; to evaluate the Graham School System with accepted standards, on the phases of school activities studied; and to make constructive recommendations and suggestions for needed improvements as shown by the data collected.

The purpose of this study is to determine the present practices with respect to business managers in the school systems of Texas. This study attempts to determine from present practices what the business manager's duties and qualifications are; what the scholastic population of a school should be in order to employ a business manager; what the relationship of the business manager to the superintendent and the school board is; what experience and training the business managers have had; what the salaries of business managers are; what the trends in the employment of business managers are; and from what fields business managers are drawn.

The provision of school equivalency programme through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has gained momentum in the 21st century through the establishment of open schools. Open schools has now become a model of choice for many young people and adults who do not want to pursue their secondary education journey through the conventional delivery system. Additionally, shrinking financial resources have made it impossible for governments especially in the developing world to expand education through the conventional system. Pityana (2007) claims that ODL is key in advancing the development agenda of many nations through programmes that accommodate the less privileged members of the society such as women, the unemployed, repeaters, out-of-school youth, disadvantaged and the displaced. Although open schools have made progress in increasing access, low throughput rates and high dropout rates remain the key challenges. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the experiences and perceptions of learners when migrating from the conventional school system to the open and distance learning in general, and to Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) in particular. This study was driven by the assumption that change in the learning environment might be the most influential factor on learners’ ability to integrate into the new distance learning environment. The study mainly focused on the senior secondary (Grade 12) learners who transferred from the formal schools to NAMCOL to upgrade their grades. Moore’s (1883) theory of transactional distance and Tinto’s (1997a) theory of academic and social integration were used as the reference theoretical framework. The applicability of the two theories was assessed and compared with the findings of the study. A multi method research design was applied in data collection. The results of the study identified a gap between the learners’ expectations and the high ODL expectations and its demands. The learners in the study displayed a marginal understanding of the ODL mode of delivery. The study established certain factors that impede or accelerate the integration process and also identified technology mediated services as well as capacity building for staff as measures to facilitate learner integration in the ODL mode of delivery. The study reaffirms that meeting learners’ academic, social and psychological needs are important for successful learner integration. The findings have implications for policy makers, ODL practitioners and learners on the development of the most effective measures of increasing learner integration into open schools. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

<p>This essay compares the public debate in Sweden 1992 caused by the reforms introduced by the then government giving parents a free choice of schools for their children with the current debate in France about proposals for a similar law there. The study concentrates on the positions taken by the teachers trade unions, in Sweden Lärarförbundet and Lärarnas Riksförbund (LR) and in France SGEN-CFDT. To do so it is necessary also to study the arguments given for and against the proposals by the political parties.</p><p>Some of the differences between the debates can be attributed to different circumstances. The Swedish reform was related to the opening up of possibilities to run private schools, which previously had been rare in Sweden. The French debate has no such connections. The private schools, mostly Catholic, have a very stable share of the students and no side is openly arguing for a change of any sort. Other differences depend on the French adversity to liberalism, almost always conflated with neo-liberalism which makes market-oriented arguments much less common in French public debate.</p><p>Among the trade unions the big difference is between the two Swedish organisations, LR was overall positive to the proposals while Lärarförbundet opposed them. In France SGEN-CFDT takes a position strikingly similar to Lärarförbundets in Sweden 1992 seeing free choice as undermining the idea of a school system for all. In Sweden that idea is seen as a part of the welfare state, closely connected to the Social Democratic party. In France it is seen as a republican idea, connected to an idea of citizenship.</p><p>The trade unions of the teachers in both France and Sweden are also in similar positions as their role has become merely reactive. There seems to be little room left for them to formulate policy and push the educational systems in their prefered directions.</p>

After fifty years of challenges to the color line in Montgomery, Alabama, the Metropolitan Statistical Area is more integrated now than it was in 1950. Through exploring the effects of Brown v. Board of Education, the bus boycott, school integration court cases, re-segregation of schools in city and suburban districts, and federal open-housing policies, the volatile transformation appears to shows how, after fifty years, Montgomery has moved from a segregated dual society to a partially integrated society in spite of the massive resistance to integration.

The thesis seeks to examine how newly arrived students are welcomed and introduced to the Swedish school system in Uppsala municipality. When organizing the structure of integrating immigrant children, municipalities in Sweden use different models. Depending on the model, different values are favored such as integration/segregation and collectivism/individualism.  Through interviews and textual analysis the model used in Uppsala is studied as an example of how municipalities choose to organize the structure around newly arrived students. The results show that the ambition in the organization in Uppsala is to actively use integration promoting arrangement in their every day work as well as they’re aiming to find individual solutions for each and everyone. The reality, however, reflects a lack of awareness about to what extent individual arrangements are in fact carried out and the special needs an immigrant child might have in comparison to other children. The mere existence of the school unit LYSA, which is responsible for children who have not yet received a placement in one of the permanent schools in the city, is also a drawback in achieving the ambition of the municipality, as LYSA is a separate unit that makes integration harder.