The achievement gap in the United States develops when millions of children enter the classroom on their first day of kindergarten. The sociological effects of the achievement gap as it relates to the racial and socio-economic strata create cyclical, systemic problems in our country that ultimately affect the next generations of children in our…

During the late 1990s public pension funds across the United States accrued large actuarial surpluses. The seemingly flush conditions of the pension funds led legislators in most states to substantially improve retirement benefits for public workers, including teachers. In this study we examine the benefit enhancements to the teacher pension…

In the context of an emerging national focus on evaluating school personnel, the 2009 federal State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF) program requires that states collect data from all local education agencies about their practices for evaluating teachers and principals. In response, the California Department of Education designed and administered…

The "Made in Durham" report sets out a vision that every young person in Durham should have the opportunity to achieve a postsecondary credential and begin a rewarding career by the age of 25. Its central premise is that all Durham's youth and young adults are entitled to a first-rate education and training system that prepares them for…

Reading current accounts of higher education demonstrates the flux and damage of rapid neoliberal changes to the type and conduct of academic work. Opening the Times Higher Education magazine on the 28 April 2011 shows articles about cuts in staffing and undergraduate provision in England, concerns about the quality of for-profit higher education…

The U.S. automotive industry has always been a cyclical business, but its near-collapse in 2008-09 and the subsequent bankruptcy of two of the three largest domestic automakers was more than a cyclical downturn. As light vehicle sales and production slowly recover, the industry has started to hire again, though with caution. In an industry known…

Interdisciplinary collaboration (IC) is a critically important theme generally, and of particular significance in school mental health (SMH), given the range of people from different disciplines who work in schools and the various systems in place. Reflecting the move to a true shared school-family-community system agenda, the collaborative…

With the increasing use of integrated tasks in assessing writing, more and more research studies have been conducted to examine the construct validity of such tasks. Previous studies have largely focused on reading-writing tasks, while relatively little is known about graph-writing tasks. This study examines second language (L2) writers'…

In an effort to document necessary multimedia production competencies of Instructional Design and Technology graduates, a recent analysis of over 7 months' worth of Instructional Design and Technology job advertisements (n = 615) were conducted. Specific job skills from these postings were categorized and analyzed. The data set includes three job…

Background and purpose: This study examines the views of farmers and extension agents participating in extension education courses in Dezful, Iran, with regard to problems with these courses. It relies upon a descriptive methodology, using a survey as its instrument. Sample: The statistical population consisted of 5060 farmers and 50 extension…

Transitioning into a new role can be difficult in any walk of life, and this is no different for physical educators entering a new teaching environment. In a new setting, a physical educator may go through a socialization process where beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and teaching philosophies are influenced. Teacher socialization research suggests…

The dominance of the human capital approach in vocational skills development has been increasingly questioned for being de-humanised and de-contextualised. Contrary to this trend, the discourse in health professional skills development has shown increasing enthusiasm for consolidating this existing paradigm. To debate whether professional skills…

For those studying for the Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), the teaching practice placement can be a daunting experience. Trainee teachers have to adjust into a new workplace and a complicated professional role which can be stressful; this can result in teachers leaving the profession in their early years if they do not equip…

In the last two to three decades teachers' work has been plagued by problems internationally. These problems include a growing dissatisfaction of teachers about their working conditions (characterized by heavy workloads and low salaries), the growing attempts by governments to control teachers' work and the increasing negative public image of the…

This article suggests that educational managers can have an influence through leadership by establishing certain moderators that integrate and shape the faculty into a solid team working towards a high performing organisation. The study looks at a case in China and draws suggestions that could be used in other similar settings. The conclusion is…