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This paper explores how increases in modularisation, elements of professional practice and even our relationship to screens and social media are amongst the factors that have changed the way time is experienced in higher fine art education. I draw upon my experience as a student, educator and pedagogical researcher to propose that identity formation and/or transformation are amongst the key functions of higher education in fine art in the West; that becoming an artist involves complex process of socialisation and individuation; and that these processes take time. I speculate that time is something which was once experienced comparatively smoothly but has been striated and fragmented by various factors including an increased focus on employability, the presence of social media, and not least various post Bologna interpretations at national or local level of the introduction of units and modules to comply with standardised credit systems. I propose that the combined effect of these factors amongst others distracts students from the "middle" by focusing them on micro destinations that deflect from developing a practice and impacts on these potentials.

Education policy has long been analyzed as a cycle where various actors influence different stages. However, few such studies have focused on identifying and interrogating the specific moments that shape an education policy's overall equity trajectory. This article uses Bowe, Ball, and Gold's policy cycle as an exploratory theoretical framework, focusing on the historic "Review of Funding for Schooling" (2011) in Australia, which evaluated the nation's school funding policy. The authors concentrate on the Context of Text Production phase of its policymaking process, and consider the implications for equity. From this work, the authors highlight two "critical moments" that they argue significantly influenced how the appointed panel approached equity. Their theorizing of a "critical moment" offers valuable insights for researchers and stakeholders seeking to understand or influence education policy.

The unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges including a need for new curricula, pedagogy, and more accessible forms of professional development (PD). A gap in research exists regarding professional development of educators. This qualitative study used data collected from two surveys, a focus group, and a geographical distribution map. The analysis focuses on identifying factors that influence in-service educators when choosing and participating in an extended, elective PD that focuses on writing and its instruction over two years. Analysis of two online summer National Writing Project institutes revealed several motivators for participation including desires to improve pedagogical skills, online accessibility, and desire to participate in personal writing. Participants indicated a strong desire for the trainings be moved to a later date in the summer and to be offered online. These actionable requests were implemented in the second summer PD offering. Findings will be used to reframe professional development formats.

This study aimed to examine the implementation of STEM education in the university-based STEM centers in Ethiopia. To this end, a descriptive survey research method was employed, and data was collected from 11 coordinators of the STEM centers and 54 STEM educators through questionnaire, interview and observation. Data was analyzed by using both quantitative and narrative techniques. Results of the study uncover that there were variations among the STEM training centers in implementing the program, partly due to absence of a national scheme; irregular and uneven implementation of STEM initiative; inadequate support system; absence of regular monitoring and evaluation; absence of collaborations and commitments of key stakeholders, and the limitations of separate STEM disciplines taught in different classes. Recommendations, hence, call for developing a STEM national curriculum with implementation strategies, strengthening regular monitoring and evaluation of the implementation process, allocation of adequate resources and facilities, broadening of STEM pedagogy ecosystem, fostering collaborations and commitments of stakeholders who are key to the success of STEM initiative, strengthening preparation of STEM educators and teachers, integrating the STEM disciplines in K-12 education programs to stimulate students' passion and interest in science and technology from the earliest level of exposure.

According to the ACLU (2005), ". . .at times of national stress -- real or imagined -- First Amendment rights come under enormous pressure." So, too, academic freedom of expression for faculty, staff, and students has become a casualty in the post-9/11 world. Academics were criticized and reprimanded for not being patriotic enough. Using a conceptual framework that includes historical reanalysis, terror management theory, contradictory constructions of patriotism, and electronic discourse, this essay explores the nexus between patriotism and free expression in higher education. We examine historical trends in freedom of expression, analyze three higher education case studies (Chilling Churchill; 9/11 and Middle Eastern Studies; and Shunning Bob Jensen), and suggest why patriotism and censorship go hand and glove in times of national crisis. We end one a cautionary note, expressing concern about how easily words can be turned against academics, the very people who should have the highest level of protection for their words. Nearly 20 years ago, Professor Pat Somers joined the faculty at the University of Texas at Austin bringing her trademark wit and her seemingly indefatigable energy to root out injustice. The paper below represents one such branch of her academic curiosity in response to a perceived injustice to a fellow member of the Academy. This paper was first presented as a draft manuscript at the American Educational Research Association and later submitted to a notable journal. Unfortunately, a second paper on academic freedom was already included in the edition, but the editors encouraged Pat and her team to pursue other publications. And then, as with many things, this paper fell to the side as Pat pursued a new branch of academic curiosity and stewarded her many doctoral students through the dissertation process. As you will note in the dedication, Pat was a deeply curious and pedagogically dynamic member of the Academy and this paper stands at the ready for updating and resubmission. We present it today unadulterated as a testimony to Pat's prescience, her passion and her drive -- a historical glimpse into the early days of a very real threat to academic freedom that persists today.

Th? cr?ativity and g?n?ral cognitiv? d?v?lopm?nt of stud?nts ar? gr?atly aid?d by music ?ducation. In China, th? gov?rnm?nt has tak?n action to nationaliz? th? curriculum in r?cognition of th? valu? of music ?ducation and to ?nsur? that childr?n across th? country r?c?iv? consist?nt, ?xc?ll?nt music training. This study aim?d to ?xamin? th? impact of stud?nt motivation on acad?mic achi?v?m?nt. Furth?rmor?, it ?xplor?d th? m?diating rol? of stud?nt motivation and th? mod?rating rol? of saxophon? t?aching m?thods. Th? study includ?s a sampl? of 375 coll?g? stud?nts in China and us?s a quantitativ? cross-s?ctional d?sign. Th? acc?ptanc? and int?gration of culturally appropriat? music curricula, t?aching strat?gi?s, and ?ducational r?sourc?s ar? r?f?rr?d to as nationalizing music ?ducation. Und?rstanding th? ?ff?cts of nationalization on stud?nts' l?arning r?sults r?quir?s a thorough und?rstanding of stud?nt motivation and acad?mic succ?ss in th? music classroom. Th? principal data coll?ction tool for this study is a surv?y qu?stionnair? that ?xamin?s th? nationalization of music ?ducation, saxophon? t?aching t?chniqu?s, stud?nt motivation, and acad?mic accomplishm?nt. Th? gath?r?d data ar? ?xamin?d using statistical t?chniqu?s lik? PLS-S?M and mod?ration analysis. Th? r?sults of th? study d?monstrat?d a dir?ct and favorabl? r?lationship b?tw??n music ?ducation and acad?mic p?rformanc?. Furth?rmor?, it was discov?r?d that stud?nts' motivation play?d a m?diating rol? in this association, indicating that incr?as?d l?v?ls of motivation amplifi?d th? b?n?ficial influ?nc? of music ?ducation on acad?mic achi?v?m?nts. Mor?ov?r, it was not?d that t?aching mod?s play a mod?rating influ?nc?, wh?r? th? us? of ?xp?rim?ntal t?aching m?thods amplifi?s th? impact of music ?ducation on acad?mic accomplishm?nt, ?sp?cially in practical and cr?ativ? ar?as. This r?s?arch ?nhanc?s th? curr?nt und?rstanding by pr?s?nting ?mpirical ?vid?nc? of th? compl?x conn?ction b?tw??n music ?ducation, stud?nts' motivation, and t?aching m?thods.

Prospective doctoral students face a daunting challenge choosing between Doctor of Education (EdD) programs and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Education due to programmatic ambiguity, inconsistency, and ill-defined career alignment (Carpenter, 1987; Perry, 2012; Shafer & Giblin, 2008). This qualitative study employed comparative analysis to explore the distinctions between 50 US EdD programs, including completion time, modality, credits, qualifying exam (QE) inclusion and requirements, and dissertation requirements. The theoretical framework used to investigate the root causes and potential outcomes of the EdD and PhD inconsistency included Foucault's Power Theory (Aguirre Rojas, 2021) and Adam's Equity Theory (Adams, 1963, 1965). Findings revealed significant differences between EdD programs and between EdD and PhD programmatic features. This data provides valuable insight for prospective students, informs EdD improvement, and urges consistency or standardization for clarity, integrity, and advancement in the field (Fisher et al., 2020; McMahon et al., 2020; Schafer & Giblin, 2008).

Geometry and spatial reasoning form the foundations of learning in mathematics. However, geometry is a subject often ignored by curriculum writers and teachers until high school, leading to students lacking in critical skills in geometric reasoning. As the United States moves into a new curriculum epoch, heralding the commencement of the national common core standards (CCS), one could question if CCS in geometry align with the essential understandings children need to be successful geometric thinkers. This paper begins with an examination of the essential understandings of geometric reasoning leading to an interpretation and critique of the elementary geometry CCS. Finally, the instructional implications are discussed, considering the common core progression through what we know about how children learn geometry.

The purposes of this research aimed to develop and validate the suitability, possibility and benefits of strategies implementation, and create a user manual of the strategies of quality community schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission. This study was conducted in five phases. The first phase was the intensive review of the components of quality community schools using relevant documents, research analysis and multiple case studies of the outstanding quality community schools, and an interview with experts. The second phase was the exploration of the needs of the development of quality community schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission using a 5-rating scale questionnaire to explore the current condition and desirable condition of 192 administrators and the head of academic affairs department of schools under the Office of the Basic Education Commission. The participants were selected using multi-stage sampling. The third phase was the development of the quality community school development strategies through focus group discussion of nine qualified experts and scholars. The fourth phase was the validation of suitability, possibility and benefits of the quality community school development strategies by 7 participants of experts and stakeholders of the quality community schools. And the last phase was creating and validating the user manual of the strategies implementation. Statistics used in data analysis were mean, standard deviation, percentage and Priority Needs Index (PNI[subscript modified]).

This article examines how European regionalization influences Ukrainian public universities by exploring the Ukrainian education strategy and institutional internationalization and marketing policies. The study outlines specific historical and geopolitical conditions that have determined the development of the higher education system in Ukraine. Using a case study, the author analyses university development policies within regional, national, and local environments and examines challenges to and supports for the implementation of these policies. The analysis shows how the combined conflicting influences of the Bologna Process and Soviet legacies have affected Ukrainian universities. The article relies on the study results obtained before the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It also offers an analysis of higher education internationalization reforms during the recent events of Russia's war against Ukraine. The study contributes to the understanding of internationalization efforts in an East European country under multiple, sometimes contradictory, influences of the Bologna Process and the Soviet past.

The prediction of physical ability is a key point to understand the physical training effect of college students. This paper uses the error Back Propagation neural network algorithms to investigate the college students' physical test results, and predicts the future trends of the results. The findings indicate that, in future ten years, the physical test grades of both men and women will slip to a certain extent. It implies that the indicators of speed, power, endurance level and physical strength of college students keep going down. This phenomenon should be paid attention to. It is necessary to strength the exercise consciousness, and stimulates the enthusiasm of students' exercise.

The impact of digitalisation on everyday life has necessitated the need for learners to acquire digital competence as part of their education. In order to prepare students to become digital citizens, it has become necessary for teachers to acquire and implement digital competence in the classroom. This study applied the DigCompEdu framework to Lebanese schools and teachers to examine the digital competences of teachers and their alignment with Ministry of Education & Higher Education (MEHE) standards. This study followed a cross-sectional descriptive design and involved 170 in-service teachers in Lebanese schools. This study found that whilst schoolteachers' practice meets all MEHE indicators, there is a significant need for training to schoolteachers in using digital tools and resources to promote collaboration in the learning process. The findings highlighted the importance of digital competences in schools and the need for ongoing training and support for teachers in this area.

This research explores lecturers' perceptions of digital libraries as a learning resource for the industrial era 4.0 that can be used anytime and anywhere to solve the low interest in developing lecturers because of the difficulty of accessing references to conventional libraries, which require lecturers to visit the library building. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 lecturers, and data analysis was performed using thematic analysis. The analysis results found four main themes: benefits, challenges, recommendations, and positive and negative impacts of digital libraries. The research concluded that the existence of a digital library can make it easy for lecturers to browse the references needed quickly, easily, and flexibly just by entering the library's website page. This research contributes to solving the problem of lecturers in Indonesia over the limited learning resources in conventional libraries that are difficult to access online and require particular visiting time because they have to come directly during library operating hours. Therefore, support from the government, university leaders, and the wider community is needed to develop a digital library system to facilitate lecturers in Indonesia having adequate learning resources for the industrial era 4.0.

The natural rhythm and inflection of language offer multiple and authentic ways for music teachers to connect their curriculum with learning in English Language Arts (ELA). While still addressing the National Core Arts Standards, music teachers can connect with ELA skills such as reading, writing, and speaking-listening. In this article, we explore these interdisciplinary intersections and suggest ways in which music teachers can meaningfully and effectively design instruction for authentic integration throughout the K-8 grades. Our focus is to promote integrated music education as a form of professional learning for music teachers. By designing multimodal activities that focus on standards-based learning outcomes, they can also support student success across the curriculum.

Purpose: Teacher leadership distinguishes, implicitly or explicitly, among teachers based on their expertise, but the notion of teaching expertise is contested, even among educators. Despite the potential for expert teachers to positively influence their colleagues' practices, we know little about the supports and obstacles to expert teacher leadership. This study examines the ways that the leadership of a particular group of expert teachers--National-Board-certified teachers--is understood and enacted in schools. Methods: Survey data from staff in six elementary schools were used to analyze Board-certified teachers' centrality in their schools' work-related social networks. Survey results were used to select 26 participants for semistructured interviews focused on their understandings of the relationships between teaching expertise, Board certification, and leadership, which were analyzed using alternating rounds of open and closed coding. Findings: Board-certified teachers were more central to their schools' networks than non-Board-certified teachers, although Board-certified teachers interacted with one another more than with non-Board-certified teachers. Board-certified teachers were seen as having expanded influence beyond their classrooms, which some saw as supporting their leadership, but others saw as disconnected from, or even undermining, their leadership. Implications for Research and Practice: Teacher leadership requires a supporting infrastructure in the form of leadership positions, routines, and tools that align with leaders' expertise. Developing a shared understanding of teaching expertise is key to Board-certified teacher leadership, as well as other teacher leadership efforts.

Digital technology has long been ubiquitous in many communities within Australia and internationally, thereby requiring suitable digital proficiencies. While a majority of Australian children experience digital literacies as part of their everyday lives, limitations in access disadvantage others. In educational settings, there is a clear need for teachers to incorporate the digital literacies of learners while also working towards addressing inequities by providing rich literacy experiences that bring together print and digital forms of texts. Well-established understandings about the importance of literacy development early in a child's life support teachers of the first years of school to teach essential digital literacies. In Australian schools, teachers are mandated by a range of documents, including the Australian Curriculum, that provide content for teachers to teach. Situated within a frame of New Literacies theories, this paper reports findings from analyses of the ways these mandated documents may support teachers in the first years of school to design learning experiences that respond to learners' needs in producing digital texts. We then determine implications for teachers' responsiveness to these documents. With the recent release of the Australian Curriculum version 9.0, we argue for the pedagogical knowledge that teachers require to implement digital text production experiences within the mandates of the curriculum and, consequently, the professional learning they need for realising the potential of all children's digital capabilities in their classrooms.

This study explored how secondary school EFL teachers engaged in professional learning opportunities when they participated in the development of ELT materials. While increasing research has examined language teaching materials and teacher learning, the two research fields have remained largely disconnected, hindering the potential of materials writing for professional learning. With eight teachers as focal participants, the data included in-depth interviews, written reflections, and official documents. Findings showed that the EFL teachers took advantage of materials writing for their professional learning in the areas of policy, theory, and practice. Their engagement with the national curriculum standards, language, and language learning theories, together with local classroom realities in relation to teaching materials, reciprocally interacted with their professional learning. Based on the findings, we recommend that professional development programs include materials writing by localizing the content, clarifying its objectives, teaming teachers with researchers, and creating feedback loops.

Family-professional partnerships are essential for promoting positive outcomes for students with and without disabilities. However, the extent to which professional preparation standards address skills to cultivate family-professional partnerships is unclear. Without this knowledge, it is challenging to understand the preparation of education professionals in developing partnerships with families. The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between preparation standards and two factors of family-professional partnerships (i.e., enhancing connection and enhancing capacity) for general and special education teachers as well as other education professionals. The authors use expert review to identify and evaluate 159 professional preparation standards from 15 Specialized Professional Associations and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium in relation to the two factors. Findings showed no significant differences among the standards in relation to enhancing connection among family-professional partnerships. Standards related exclusively to special education, younger students, or teachers (vs other education professionals) were significantly more likely to reflect enhancing capacity among family-professional partnerships. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Background: The Fragile X community has expressed a desire for centralised, national guidelines in the form of integrated guidance for Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Methods: This article draws on existing literature reviews, primary research and clinical trials on FXS, a Fragile X Society conference workshop and first-hand experience of clinicians who have worked with those living with FXS over many years. Results: The article scopes proposed integrated guidance over the life course, including appendices of symptoms, comorbidities and referral options for FXS and Fragile X Premutation Associated Conditions. Conclusion: Integrated guidance would provide an authoritative source for doctors, health professionals, therapists, care workers, social workers, educators, employers, families and those living with FXS, so that a holistic, person-centred approach can be taken across the United Kingdom to garner the best outcomes for those with FXS.

Dance is an essential cultural product often overlooked in curriculum and lesson design in favor of sports, literature, visual arts, music, and other products from the target language culture. Given the similarities between the national standards for dance and for learning languages, movement and dance activities merit a greater role in world language classes. The author, a high school Spanish teacher and professional dancer, presents a continuum of approaches for incorporating movement-based activities into the classroom and describes specific activities that teachers can adapt for their classes, even without formal dance training or professional dance experience.

Background: NETS-T Standards for teachers define the knowledge and skills that teachers or educators need to have in order to successfully and effectively integrate technology in teaching and learning. Purpose: It is essential for every community to know the status of their teachers' NETS-T educational technology practices. Methods: A questionnaire consisting of 6 educational technology factors, with a number of items or performance indicators, under each factor was administered to 76 Grade 10 English medium Secondary School teachers. The sample included 14 male teachers, and 62 female teachers from 11 schools that were conveniently selected. Results: Findings were that most teachers strongly agree to the items mentioned under the TOC factor and PPP factor, while most of them agreed to the items mentioned under PDL, AAE, SEL, and TLC factors. A significant statistical difference in the distribution of the average scores of items for pairwise comparisons of some schools was found under TOC, PDL, AAE and PPP items. Conclusions: There was no significant statistical difference in the distribution of average scores of items for pairwise comparisons of schools under SEL and TLC factors.

In the 21st-century, we need a generation who can read and face the challenges of the times. The research aimed to master patterns of science with the next generation science standards (NGSS) standards of junior high school students in north coastal areas of Java Island. The research method is quantitative expose-facto and subjects were 228 students determined by purposive sampling. The students who come from Tegal, Pekalongan, Pati and Demak Regencies north coastal Java Island, Indonesia. The results showed a significant difference between the achievement of students in Tegal, Pekalongan, Pati, and Demak Regencies (p=0.012; [direct proportionality]=0.05). Based on the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, there was a significant difference between the groups of students' achievements in mastery of science oriented NGSS. It can be concluded that the achievement among students from four different regions is quite significant. Students from families with middle and upper economic levels have low achievement but students with low economic levels have high academic achievement.

Enabling education programs in Australia assist students, who would otherwise have been excluded from higher education, to transition into undergraduate study. These programs emerged independently in response to the needs of individual universities and the varying cohorts of students they serve. The exclusion of these programs from the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) has meant they remain unregulated, with no national framework for standards. The development of academic standards is a dynamic, consensus driven process, and benchmarking provides a method through which academics from across institutions can work in partnership to reach shared understandings and improve and align practices. This practice report outlines the results of the first comprehensive cross-institutional benchmarking project involving nine Australian universities and demonstrates there is shared understanding of the standards of enabling programs between institutions. These findings will contribute to the establishment of national standards for enabling programs in Australia.

The Bologna Process represents the most significant extensive reform of higher education in Europe. The particular aspects of the Bologna Process still incite critical evaluations as regards the successfulness of its implementation. The theoretical part of the paper analyzes the fundamental principles defined in the Bologna Declaration, requirements and critical views of the Bologna Process, as well as the relevant research conducted on this issue used for the comparative analysis. The introduction of the Bologna Process into the Serbian university education has initiated numerous changes, the increase of the student mobility being the most striking one. The empirical part of the paper focuses on the study of the following problem: the manner in which students of social sciences and humanities perceive the Bologna Process fifteen years after its implementation into the Serbian university education. Consequently, the subject matter of the research is the observation and description of students' attitudes to this phenomenon with the purpose of acquiring relevant information "firsthand." The achievable objective of the presented research reviews the context and condition of the Bologna Process during 2019/2020 academic year and its feasible improvements, which can contribute to comparative study of similar researches in the time of the pandemics. The specific research tasks include the study of the Bologna requirements, attitudes to the Bologna Process, benefits and restrictions of this reform, and particularly the attempt to suggest the improvement of the Bologna Process realization from the perspective of students of social sciences and humanities. The research sample consisted of the Bachelor students of social sciences and humanities from the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš (N=150). The survey technique and the scaling technique with a rating scale questionnaire were used (BOL-JM-JOZ). The questionnaire had five closed-ended questions, while the Likert scale was comprised of 23 items. The test of the instrument consistency proved its reliability. The obtained results were shown by the chi square test, which proved a statistically significant difference in the respondents' answers as regards the year of study, p<0.05. The main factors were extracted from the assessment scale by the application of the factor analysis. These factors examined the students' perceptions of the Bologna Process, comparing the answers provided by the students of the first, second, third and fourth year of study of social sciences and humanities, p<0.05.

The purpose of this study was to compare experiences of teachers and learners in the implementation of the National Strategy on Inclusive Education between primary and secondary schools in Malawi using a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach. The findings show that there is no clear difference in the way the National Strategy on Inclusive Education is implemented at both educational levels. Both levels face challenges of not having a system to identify and assess students for inclusive education; teachers do not have adequate knowledge and skills for inclusive education; training institutions do not offer practical programs on inclusive education; teaching and learning resources for students with special needs are not available; school infrastructure is not disability friendly; and some learners discriminate their fellow learners with special needs. These findings imply that there is a need to have all teachers trained in inclusive education; teacher training colleges and universities must offer both theoretical and practical inclusive education programs; there must be a system in schools to identify and assess learners; teaching and learning resources for those with disabilities must be provided; and conducive environment in schools that is disability friendly must be created.

This article describes how to help students connect what they learn in the language classroom to the outside world as they learn to understand, produce, and analyze spoken, written, visual, and cultural information in their second language (L2). As learners make connections between course material and the physical and virtual spaces where the L2 is used, they are introduced to the concept of "linguistic landscape" (LL), which refers to language on signs, advertisements, in graffiti, and other public venues. The examples come from a Hebrew class, where students gain deeper understanding of diverse intercultural realites in Israel and are prepared to function in authentic communicative situations. Colleagues in other languages could also use LL as a basis to explore intercultural realities of any multilingual space--from Berlin to Québec or in students' own environments.

The release of the 2024 SHAPE America National Health Education Standards provides an updated take on the learning standards used to teach students how to become healthy and well. In this revision, the standards emphasize both individual and collective health and well-being; greater inclusion of strengths, assets, and opportunities to practice and work toward health and well-being of self and others; and a deeper understanding of how social and structural factors impact the health and well-being of individuals and communities. Based in theory and evidence, the revised standards provide foundational guidance for educators in the field and others seeking to improve the health and well-being of young people. This article introduces readers to the updated standards and highlights some key principles that guide their use.

Accreditation is a critical process in maintaining standards of consistency and excellence in the academic preparation of students for their chosen profession. While academic programs, professional associations, and credentialing organizations all recognize the importance of programmatic accreditation in recreational therapy professional preparation, there is no current analysis of the impact of accreditation on student professional outcomes. This study examined passing rates on the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) exam by comparing programs accredited by CAAHEP/CARTE to the national average. Results revealed that CAAHEP/CARTE accredited programs had higher passing rates in all years of the five-year examination period and accreditation had a significant impact (p<0.001) in pass rate differences. Professional issues related to accreditation and both current and future preparation of recreational therapy students are further examined.

The paper focuses on findings from research that investigated teachers' and key stakeholders' perspectives on the use of Reception Baseline Assessment. Data collection was carried out in 2021-2022, which was the year this assessment was introduced into Reception classes in England. In total, 70 teachers and key stakeholders from 47 Local Authorities were surveyed using a mixed methods approach. The findings highlight that most participants considered that the assessment was not beneficial to them and negatively impacted children and practice during the crucial first six weeks of Reception Year. Many participants in the study called to scrap this form of assessment.

Most secondary (high) schools in a broad range of jurisdictions internationally engage in various forms of high stakes, standardized assessment and related qualifications. In this paper, we interrogate how educational achievement regimes -- especially via the reporting of curriculum and assessment 'data' -- continue to mobilize particular gender norms. Drawing on Derrida's notion of haunting we explore how such regimes impose and reinscribe stable and binary gendered patterning and create what Barad has named 'entangled relationalities of inheritance' [https://doi.org/10.3366/drt.2010.0206,] despite young people (and many schools) moving towards greater recognition of non-binary genders. Drawing on assessment data from Aotearoa New Zealand, we look at both generalized reporting of educational achievement data along the lines of 'male' and 'female' and on reporting of a single (historically gendered) curriculum subject -- health education. We argue that such systems are 'haunted' by stable gender categorizations and hierarchies and we ask what this means for the reporting of educational assessment data and the erasure of identities that don't align with the binary.

To comparatively analyze nutrient intake and dietary adequacy on weekdays (WKDs) and weekends (WKNs) among undergraduate students. Participants: University students (N = 210), 18-30 years old. Methods: A two-day food record was used. Intake of energy, macronutrients, micronutrients and fiber were calculated, without and with an adjustment for 2000 kcal of energy and compared to the corresponding nutritional requirements. Results: Energy and macronutrients' intake was higher on WKNs (1,776.84 ± 40.68 vs. 2,025.76 ± 52.46 kcal; p < 0.05). There was a high predominance of hypocaloric diet on both WKDs (72%) and WKNs (57%). A low prevalence (<50%) of favorable intake level of most micronutrients and fiber was found on WKDs, WKNs, or both. There was a lower favorable intake of vitamins A, C, iron, and magnesium on WKNs, after adjusting for 2000 kcal. Conclusion: Undergraduate students showed an unfavorable nutrient intake and poor dietary quality on WKNs. Interventions that promote healthy eating are needed.

This article examines Georgia's integration into the Bologna Process, focusing on academic social responsibility (ASR). Utilizing qualitative methods, including document analysis and 30 in-depth interviews, the study assesses the evolution of higher education, alignment with Bologna standards, and external quality assurance. Findings reveal postintegration improvements, including university closures, fairer examinations, and modernized literature. Challenges include European standard implementation and perceived academic freedom encroachments. Overall, the Bologna Process positively influences Georgia's education system, fostering organizational improvements and successful assimilation within the broader European educational context.

The nationally funded Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) programme aimed to design, deliver and evaluate interventions to improve a range of outcomes for children growing up in areas of low socio-economic status (SES). A key focus for many PEI programmes was to improve the oral language abilities of children, recognising its important link to a range of literacy, learning, social, emotional and behavioural indicators. This paper reviewed the published reports of PEI and community programmes that implemented oral language interventions for children, parents and practitioners. This mapping exercise demonstrated that the oral language interventions implemented varied extensively and were predominantly evaluated through gathering the perspectives of those receiving the supports. A noticeable gap was the lack of a national evaluation framework of the oral language interventions provided, resulting in difficulties making comparisons, determining impact and contributing to the evidence base of the effectiveness of bespoke interventions designed and delivered. Implications of this mapping exercise are outlined for the future implementation and evaluation of universal and targeted oral language interventions.

For nearly three years, a task force with diverse professional backgrounds convened to update the National Physical Education Standards with consideration of the various stakeholders who will be impacted by these changes--most especially students. The previous iteration of the National Standards has been the foundation for the implementation of best practices for more than ten years, with the hope that every child will have a quality physical education experience. However, the circumstances, culture, and politics surrounding K-12 schooling--exemplified by challenges like COVID-19--have necessitated the development of new National Standards. As such, this article aims to present an overview of the new standards, outlining the changes and highlighting new features, including the move from five to four standards, the reconceptualization of physical literacy, and the shift to grade-span learning indicators with learning progressions. The article concludes with insight into how practitioners can effectively implement the standards while maintaining their commitment to a holistic approach to physical education.

How physical education teachers approach standards-based assessment of the new National Physical Education Standards is yet to be determined. But the use of technology for assessments may be one way to support and empower students in the education process toward physical literacy. This article focuses on the ways in which educators have adopted a particular technology, called Plickers, and how its use as an assessment tool can move physical education teachers' practice forward.

Disability-inclusive laws and policies - while not sufficient on their own to advance substantive equality - are an essential step that all countries can take to advance non-discrimination and equity in education for children and youth with disabilities. This is the first study to comprehensively review national law and policy guarantees in 193 countries to assess the extent to which countries have harmonized national laws and policies with international commitments to inclusive education articulated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals. While strong guarantees exist across diverse countries, we find that notable gaps remain. Forty-six percent of countries do not broadly prohibit disability-based discrimination through the completion of secondary education. Legislation in 35% of countries does not guarantee persons with disabilities access to integrated education in mainstream education environments along with necessary individualized accommodations through the completion of secondary school. Thirty-one percent of countries that make primary education compulsory do not pair compulsory education with guarantees to integration in mainstream education environments and individualized supports for students with disabilities. These findings can inform reforms in countries without national guarantees and bolster support for implementation in countries where strong legal guarantees to inclusive education already exist.

Interpreting and enacting curriculum in any school is a complex undertaking, even more so in special school contexts where teachers must develop and enact appropriate curriculum modifications and accommodations for small groups of students and individual students. In special education contexts, educational modifications are changes teachers make based on a standardised curriculum, in order to be able to support the individual learning of students with intellectual and other profound disabilities, in terms of personalising learning for each student. These modifications are derived from teachers' curriculum (re)interpretations. Conversely, educational accommodations are the adjustments that teachers make in how they deliver the interpreted curriculum through individual learning episodes without changing the existent learning foci. This article presents a theorisation of how some special school educators interpret and reinterpret standardised curriculum to support the individual learning needs of students with moderate to profound disabilities through operationalising a theoretical framework of personalised learning. Operationalising personalised learning in special school contexts is theorised to be a collaged hermeneutical circle, where special education teachers work to (re)interpret curriculum, alongside the individual learning needs evidenced through teacher assessments and observations, and from student individual education plans. Within special school contexts, teachers approach the Australian Curriculum text as collaborative teams and engage in dialogue and planning about the curriculum to be taught and assessed. Thus, they aim to ensure that their students engage with the appropriate curriculum and have opportunities for learning on the same basis as students without their specific needs (i.e. students without disability). Unlike teachers in mainstream schooling contexts, teachers in special schools must (re)interpret curriculum that has not been explicitly developed for the unique learning needs of students with profound disability.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate how well college students meet U.S. dietary guidelines by examining the mean intakes of nutrients to limit (sodium, sugar, refined grains, and saturated fat), and what factors lead to exceeding the dietary recommendations. Participants: Participants were first-year undergraduate students (N = 269). Methods: Diet was assessed using a DHQ-III and estimated with food source composition tables. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to model variables associated with exceeding the recommendations. One-sample t-tests were performed to compare the cohort with national intakes. Results: One-third met added sugar guidelines; only 4% met daily refined grains requirements, Fewer than half met saturated fat guidelines, and slightly over half met recommended sodium guidelines. Level of physical activity, race/ethnicity, and living on campus were the important predictors for exceeding recommended intakes. Conclusions: Most students do not adhere to the U.S. dietary guidelines for nutrients to limit.

This longitudinal study examines the relationship between students' knowledge-in-use performance and their performance on third-party designed summative tests within a coherent and equitable learning environment. Focusing on third-grade students across three consecutive project-based learning (PBL) units aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the study includes 1067 participants from 23 schools in a Great Lakes state. Two-level hierarchical linear modeling estimates the effects of post-unit assessments on end-of-year summative tests. Results indicate that post-unit assessment performances predict NGSS-aligned summative test performance. Students experiencing more PBL units demonstrate greater gains on the summative test, with predictions not favoring students from diverse backgrounds. This study underscores the importance of coherence, equity, and the PBL approach in promoting knowledge-in-use and science achievement. A systematically coherent PBL environment across multiple units facilitates the development of students' knowledge-in-use, highlighting the significance of designing science and engineering practices (SEPs) and crosscutting concepts coherently and progressively, with intentional revisitation of disciplinary core ideas (DCIs). The study also investigates how the PBL approach fosters equitable learning environments for diverse demographic groups, offering equitable opportunities through equity-oriented design. Contributions include a coherent assessment system that tracks and supports learning aligned with NGSS, emphasizing the predictive power of post-unit assessments, continuous monitoring and tracking. The implications of context similarity and optimal performance expectations within units are discussed. Findings inform educators, administrators, and policymakers about the benefits of NGSS-aligned PBL systems and the need for coherent and equitable learning and assessment systems supporting knowledge-in-use development and equitable opportunities for all learners.

The SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards have long been the foundation for best practices in quality physical education. Following the 10-year cycle for revising the standards, a task force with diverse professional backgrounds convened to update the National Standards with special consideration for stakeholders who will be impacted by these changes--most notably, K-12 students. This article presents an overview of the new standards, outlining the changes and highlighting new features, including the move from five to four standards, the reconceptualization of physical literacy, and the shift to grade-span learning indicators with learning progressions. A unique feature of this overview is the inclusion of testimonials from practitioners explaining the new standards' benefits, effectiveness, and implementation, while emphasizing a holistic approach to physical education.

Australia first documented national goals for primary and secondary education in 1989 with the Hobart Declaration on Schooling. Since then, Australia's goals for the education of children have been updated in three subsequent National Education Declarations. Each of the Declarations includes specific goals for Indigenous Australian students, as well as goals for students to learn about Indigenous Australian peoples and cultures. Arranged into four thematic sections covering each Declaration, this paper traces colonial representation of Indigenous Australians in these policy documents. Each section discusses the socio-political factors that influenced education policy at the time each Declaration was written, and the socio-political priorities of Indigenous peoples in the same period. We argue that the evolution of representations of Indigenous peoples in education policy is evidence of the continued resistance of Indigenous peoples to colonial dominance in education policies.

Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) as a secondary school subject is affected by two policies, namely the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and Progress 8, which contribute to the measurement of performance in exams at age 16 (GCSEs). In this paper, I discuss the concept of performance measurement in schools and the purpose it purportedly serves, before outlining these two policies and considering how they contribute to the culture of performance measurement and a non-neutral discourse around 'standards'. I argue that the two policies act in tension in a game of tug of war with one another in such a way that the net positive effect on the subject of MFL is zero, but that the negative effect on students is substantial. I suggest that the policies act to impose middle-class notions of what it means to be educated on students, with a substantial negative effect on students from low socio-economic status backgrounds both in terms of their interest in the subject and their perceptions of their own value within the education system.