Global Education Review (Mercy College, New York)
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Early Childhood Education, Care, and Development: Perspectives from around the Globe
Full text linkEarly childhood education, care, and development (ECECD) has reached prominence due to its recognition by the global community as an important national investment and right for children. ECECD programs advocate for quality in education, protection, health, and nutrition for children and families, in most countries and nation-states. Global seekers of quality programs and practices recognize variability in how quality is defined, developed, delivered, and assessed; as well as recognizing each nations\u27 unique focus on culturally relevant aspects of programs and practices for specific contexts. Research indicates that well-designed ECECD programs of high quality contribute to children\u27s holistic development and sense of well-being, educational attainment, workforce productivity, international collaborations, sustainability of peace-building initiatives, and improved economies in the long run. Eleven diverse articles are presented in this themed journal as a contribution to the rich, on-going conversations about the importance of global ECECD programs and practices
Providing feedback, orientation and opportunities for reflection as key elements for successful mentoring programs: Reviewing a program for future business education teachers
Full text linkThe first steps into teaching are critical for novice teachers. Near to the end of their masterΓÇÖs program, students of Business Education and Development spend a particular semester at an assigned school and are introduced to teaching, while being assisted by peer students, mentoring teachers and an companion course. Mentors receive a special training and preparation in advance, thus contributing to a high quality mentoring program. The program is organized threefold: (1) providing feedback, (2) opportunities for reflection and (3) career orientation.The purpose of this paper is to assess key elements of successful mentoring programs and to question which competences of mentors contribute most to the success of these programs. Between 2012 and 2015 188 persons (student teachers and their mentors) were questioned via online survey at the end of their mentoring program. Additionally, data from a study (1,245 questionnaires) regarding the student teachersΓÇÖ perception of their own competences was utilized, allowing for a comparison of the situation before and after the mentoring program.The present results provide insight into the key elements of successful mentoring programs; both from a student teacherΓÇÖs and mentorΓÇÖs perspective. During the semester, students show an increase regarding their self-perception of their professional competences. Students and mentoring teachers value direct feedback after each lesson more than feedback in regular meetings. Opportunities for reflection (e.g. exchange with peer students, learning diaries) are considered helpful. The structure of the mentoring program enables students to perform orientation on the choice whether to become a teacher or not
Are We Ready for integrated ECEC Systems? Greek In-Service Early Childhood Educators Level of Preparation for Implementing Educare Systems.
Full text linkGreece is one of the many countries, which still utilize a split Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system. In fact, this dichotomy characterizes not only preschool programs, but also higher education institutions which train pre-service ECEC educators. Recently, Greek government’s Organization for ECEC organized an open debate for the adoption of a “Unified National Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care”. Although this initiative was greeted enthusiastically by the association of childcare workers, the coordinating body of kindergarten teachers and university departments reacted negatively and openly debated childcare workers’ pedagogical competence to assume the educational aspects of integrated ECEC systems. In addition, relevant announcements indicate kindergarten teachers’ effort to refuse any connection with care.
In the context of the present study a questionnaire was administered to 233 ECEC professionals representing all professional groups working in the Greek ECEC sector to explore their attitudes about the content and the effectiveness of their training in terms of implementing systems that combine education and care. Results showed that professional groups believe that they are well prepared in most aspects of ECEC theory and practice and revealed significant differences among groups. Further, weaknesses in initial education courses were revealed regarding preparation for implementing integrated ECEC practices.
Research results when interpreted in conjunction with reaction to the public debate suggest that Greece is not ready to implement an integrated ECEC system due to various impediments (political, corporate, discursive etc.) and to the unawareness of what integrated ECEC is
MIXED: Educational Perspectives from Families of Mixed East and West Educational Background
Full text linkWill my children’s creativity be hindered if I place them within the rigidity of an East Asian school? Conversely, could my children’s math and science skills benefit from the high expectations of an East Asian curriculum and teacher? The purpose of this study is two-fold: Firstly, it aims to demonstrate that comparison between Eastern and Western educational traditions can be framed in terms of a dialectic concerning students’: development, autonomy, learning environment, and curricula. Secondly, it is to analyze the substance and effects of this dialectic in the context of 15 families of mixed educational background situated between Eastern and Western educational traditions. These families in Hong Kong have access to educational opportunities for their children in adherence to educational styles associated with either Eastern or Western culture, or a combination of both. This study seeks to illuminate the possible: dominance, abandonment, and/or synthesis of cultural background when evaluating schooling options for children in families of mixed educational background. The study finds that these families largely inclined towards educational ideals more associated with Eastern characterizations while their children were at the primary level of education. In stark contrast, they unanimously favored Western propensities in education when their children were in secondary school and beyond. This study concludes that there may be wider ramifications of this model of intercultural compromise beyond the level of the intercultural family, particularly as it relates to broader global and comparative educational discourse surrounding notions of how creativity and innovation may be fostered in educational contexts. 
What Cognitive Neuroscience Tells Us About Creativity Education: A Literature Review
Full text linkRecently, an interest in creativity education has increased globally. Cognitive neuroscience research of creativity has provided possible implications for education, yet few literary reviews that bridge the brain and education studies have been published. This article first introduces the definitions and behavioral measures of creativity from cognitive neuroscientists’ perspectives and provides a brief overview on the brain regions and neural studies on creativity-related cognitive processes. Second, the article examines neuroscience studies on the relationship between creativity and intelligence and discusses the nature side of creativity. Third, a comprehensive review of cognitive neuroscience studies on activities that may trigger new creativity thinking is provided, followed by a discussion on the nurture side of creativity--more specifically--how these findings inform creativity education. Supportive evidence from research in cognitive psychology and education are also presented. Then the article discusses the policy implications of the findings from the literature review as they pertain to creativity skills development in formal education and training. 
High-Stakes Accountability Systems: Creating Cultures of Fear
Full text linkA phenomenological case study by Counsell (2007) explored and investigated the phenomenon of what happened as Florida’s A+ Plan intersected with the life histories of one beginning African American female third grade teacher and one veteran White female third grade teacher at demographically different school communities in one Florida school district. Habermas’ theory of communicative action served as an instructive framework used to examine and contemplate two key emerging trends based on lived experiences of the various social (communicative) actors. In addition to the beginning and veteran third grade teachers, other participating social actors included third graders, their parents, other third grade teachers and school principals at the beginning and veteran teachers’ schools as well as urban school teachers and personnel at urban schools in the same school district. Across the different social actors at each respective middle-income, low-income, and high-poverty school community, the emerging trends and patterns revealed: (a) a continuum of moral and ethical dilemmas specifically and (b) an overall continuum of fear in general. Social actors’ varied lived experiences with fear in relation to high-stakes testing illuminated the following: (a) a fear of speaking out; (b) a fear regarding children’s emotional welfare; (c) fear as it intersects with race; and (d) a fear of taking the test. From these testimonials, the continuum of fear toward the FCAT (according to third grade student reflections), proved to be the most serious (if not detrimental) consequence of Florida’s high-stakes accountability system. These insights can help guide and inform future accountability decisions under the new Every Student Succeeds Act
Early Literacy Education in Preschool Curriculum Reforms: The Case of Post-Communist Slovakia
Full text linkThis paper describes the development of preschool literacy education in Slovakia, beginning with thecommunist era, when the country was isolated from broader international academic discourse and earlyliteracy research, then the period after the fall of the totalitarian regime up to the present day. It describeshow the traditional approach to teaching literacy, relying on an obsolete model of reading and writinginstruction taught at primary school, has resulted in preschools having limited capacity to developchildren’s literacy. It also explains attempts to reform the preschool literacy curriculum after the fall of thetotalitarian regime. The first of these followed Slovakia’s most comprehensive education reform act in2008, but it underestimated the specific role of written language in children’s language and cognitivedevelopment and in subsequent academic performance. Consequently, the reforms merely reproduced thetraditional approach to literacy development within the new format of a decentralized curriculum.The consequences of the 2008 education reform act, and the pressure exerted by the results ofinternational student assessments, resulted in a strong initiative from the academic field to reform thepreschool curriculum on an evidentiary basis. The authors of this paper describe how they developed thethinking behind the new preschool literacy curriculum. The paper looks at how this became part ofSlovakia’s national preschool curriculum which was implemented in 2016, including the process in whichthe curriculum was reviewed by the institutions of the Ministry of Education and by professionalorganizations involved in early childhood education in Slovakia
Scaling Up Early Childhood Development and Education in a Devolved Setting: Policy Making, Resource Allocations, and Impacts of the Tayari School Readiness Program in Kenya
Full text linkEarly childhood development and education (ECDE) is devolved in Kenya, which means that each of Kenya’s 47 counties budgets for and implements ECDE independently. Kenya provides two years of preprimary education to children ages four and five. Given scarce resources, constructing facilities and hiring teachers are often principal considerations for county governments. The present study investigated whether and how counties go beyond the basic provision of facilities and teachers to invest in learning materials, expand teacher professional development, and hire coaches to improve the quality of teaching. These results are presented in the context of the Tayari ECDE program, which was designed to improve school readiness in a cost-effective way. We present qualitative findings from several counties to describe how government bodies invest in additional elements of preprimary quality improvement. We also compare results across counties that do and do not implement the Tayari model to understand whether implementation of an effective program to increase ECDE quality encourages adjustments in government resource allocations. In addition, we present quantitative results from a large-scale longitudinal treatment and control study of the Tayari model, which tested the effectiveness of curriculum-aligned instructional materials and teacher training and support in improving learners’ school readiness in public and low-cost private learning centers. Finally, we present policy implications for decentralized government structures responsible for providing ECDE, noting how these can be supported and incentivized to increase investments in ECDE quality
The Role of the Principal in Facilitating the Inclusion of Elementary Refugee Students
Full text linkAs political and economic instability coupled with natural disasters continue to displace people around the world, migration and resettlement remain necessary. Hosting countries and communities grapple with how to meet the diverse needs of the refugees. Given that over a half of the refugees are under the age of 18 years (i.e., school-age children and youth), schools play a major role in the process of integration in to the new homeland. The purpose of this study was to examine principal leadership efforts to integrate refugee students and their families at Northstar Elementary School. The findings of this study are organized by three themes: fostering new meanings about diversity, promoting inclusive school cultures and instructional programs, and building relationships between schools and communities
Aligning Test Scoring Procedures with Test Uses: A Balancing Act
No full textTest scoring procedures should align with the intended uses and interpretations of test results. In this paper, we examine three test scoring procedures for an operational assessment of early numeracy, the Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA). Current test specifications call for subscores to be reported for each of the eight subtests on the EGMA. This test scoring procedures has been criticized as being difficult for stakeholders to use and interpret, thereby impacting the overall usefulness of the EGMA for informing decisions. We examine the psychometric properties including the reliability and distinctiveness of the results and usefulness of reporting test scores as (1) total scores, (2) subscores, and (3) composite scores. These test scoring procedures are compared using data from an actual administration of the EGMA. Conclusions and recommendations for test scoring procedures are made. Generalizations to other testing programs are proposed