This opinion piece seeks to define and contextualise educational terms that are used, and appear to be misused, in contemporary academic literature and practice. It aims to explore the concept that these three words, "open," "flexible," and "distance," fall into the categories of policy, mode of learning, and models…

In this final chapter I consider the period of the early 1990s, during my period as Principal Educational Psychologist (PEP) from 1991, up to the time I left the service, after 23 years, in 1995. At this point I took up the inaugural chair in Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Warwick. I shall address the…

In this article, Martin Desforges reflects on his appointment as an educational psychologist (EP) to the Sheffield Psychological Service with a focus on his time there from 1980 to 1991. He begins by describing his reactions to the organization and management of Sheffield. Next, he discusses a number of initiatives that emerged over the years to…

This reflective piece was written in response to Best's article, published in Pastoral in Education in September 2014, on Michael Marland's seminal text "Pastoral Care." It uses examples from previously published work carried out by the author, to explore some of the key concepts and ideas explored within the book and their…

Computerized testing, including the widely used MAP test, has infiltrated the public schools in Milwaukee and across the nation, bringing with it a frightening future for public education. High-stakes standardized tests can be scored almost immediately via the internet, and testing companies can now easily link districts to their online data…

Beverly Hall has been superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools since 1999. Before coming to Atlanta, Hall was state district superintendent of Newark Public Schools, deputy chancellor for instruction of New York City Public Schools, superintendent of Community School District 27 in New York City, and a principal in Brooklyn. Hall chairs Harvard…

"School Psychology: A Blueprint for Training and Practice III" (Ysseldyke et al., 2006) continues an over 20-year tradition of reenvisioning school psychology. This latest edition focuses with great clarity on school psychology as, ideally, a profession devoted to the prevention of school-based difficulties for children and capacity building for…

"Absorptive capacity" is a frequently used term amongst development practitioners in education. It is adopted by some as a reason for caution over scaling up aid. Others are of the view that absorptive capacity is an excuse by some donors for not delivering on their Education for All financing commitments. Drawing on interviews with…

This blueprint focuses on the policies that connect professional development activities and that support and make possible an effective implementation of a state system of professional development. It highlights policy principles and essential policy areas that build or sustain an integrated system--a system that ensures quality in all settings in…

With the rapid advances in technology, several online learning tools come onto the stage. Being an online learning delivery tool to support a full range of teaching and learning activities conducted by educational institutions Moodle facilitates online content creation and collaboration by entailing various social and communication tools that…

It is argued that the role of the evaluator is fluid and subject to unpredictable change over time. Two key principles from systems theory support the above: (1) the definition of an organization as an open system, and (2) the self-regulatory or cybernetic nature of systems. Actual experiences are drawn upon to describe that interrupted the…

The two articles have the following titles and authors: "Establishing 'Home-School' Relationships with an Institution--A Team Approach" by R. Baum and D. Perner, and "Can Mainstreaming Cope with the System?" by I. Nadler. The first article describes a program which provides self contained classroom instruction for moderately, severely, and…

Discusses new interactive training technologies; considers risks of adopting a new technology; and presents the conceptual framework of technology life cycle analysis that provides timing information for the adoption of a new technology that should be used in addition to cost-benefit analysis and technical analysis. (LRW)

This article explores issues related to the use of supported employment and time-related transitional employment for blind and visually impaired persons. It defines the concepts; describes the characteristics that distinguish these services from others; and discusses the need for these services from ecological, philosophical, fiscal, and learning…

The author recounts the transition in Norway from a system with specialized professionals in unique settings to a generically based system dealing with handicapped populations under general programs. Both positive and negative observations are offered, as well as recommendations for combining special services by trained professionals with the…