Initial teacher education (ITE) has attracted the attention of many researchers worldwide aiming at discussing its curriculum and rationale, but essentially its impact on the education and professional socialisation of pre-service teachers. This paper looks at the major trends in the recent ITE curriculum in the Portuguese context, as a…

As a research and technical assistance organization, CNA Education would be the last to deny the importance of good data and the first to applaud efforts to improve the quality and scope of the data available. Solid data are critical to CNA's mission to further general understanding of the efficacy of specific education reform initiatives and to…

A recent independent review of Australian higher education has made a series of recommendations that the government has largely accepted and that have the potential to alter dramatically that country's university system. In combination, some of the consequences of the review have significant implications for regional education, particularly new…

The UNESCO International Bureau of Education (IBE), through the Community of Practice (COP) in Curriculum Development, organized eight Regional Preparatory Workshops on Inclusive Education in 2007. These workshops had the overall goal of initiating a participatory, consultative process in order to highlight key issues and challenges regarding…

Explores how salient aspects of globalization, such as free trade zones, have led to emergence of trans-regional educational exchange schemes (TREES) in higher education. Discusses how these schemes are set apart from others by the proliferation of international university organizations that go beyond region and infiltrate other parts of the globe…

The paper traces developments over the last 30 years in Scandinavia regarding the treatment of individuals with mental retardation. Noted are shifts toward decentralization and integration, with the most radical changes taking place in Denmark. The critical role of voluntary organizations in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden is observed. Operation of…

One of a series of papers on critical issues in vocational-technical education, this paper discusses four aspects of Competency-Based Vocational Education (CBVE): What is CBVE?, Why CBVE?, V-TECS (Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States)--A System of Curriculum Development, and Problems--Issues. Focus is on Kentucky program development…

The major purpose of this descriptive report is to provide an overview of the structure, capacity, and roles of educational service agencies (ESAs) across five states--Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin--in the Great Lakes region, within the context of the broader statewide systems of support for educational improvement and progress.…

Information and statistics on community colleges in the southern United States are presented in this paper. First, trends in the member states of the Southern Regional Education Board (i.e., Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West…

The Microelectronics Education Programme (MEP) has focused its attentions on the classroom teacher as the agent of educational change by providing computer based learning coordinators to implement teacher training programs to support all aspects of the school curriculum. Discusses computer training before MEP, with MEP involvement, and after…

The Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS) closed circuit delivery system, which became operational on the California State University (CSU), Chico campus in 1975, has offered 61 courses (up to 13 per semester) with up to 27 transmission hours per week to campus students and people at six surrounding Regional Learning Centers (RLC). CSU,…

To identify trends in state and local programs for retarded persons, the 51 state mental retardation coordinators were surveyed. Through telephone interviews information was obtained on the following topics: organization of state services, regional and local service patterns, the role of the private sector, budgetary trends, program trends, the…

This collection of three reports by Swedish educators deals with problems of educational change posed by new patterns of teacher education and tasks at primary and secondary levels. The reports are preceded by Marklund's introduction, "The Background to Questions Concerning New Patterns of Teacher Education and Tasks." The first report, "Research…

This report summarizes trends and needs in higher education. The first section considers the value of higher education and provides data showing that a college education is more valuable today than ever, and that higher education is not given a high enough priority when state and national budget decisions are made. Positive changes that have been…

As part of an overall regional needs assessment, an overview is provided of testing programs in the mid-Atlantic region, consisting of: the District of Columbia; Delaware; Maryland; New Jersey; and Pennsylvania. The testing programs vary widely by objective and approach. One of the major needs assessment activities is the examination of student…