Explore the vast range of titles available.

The implementation of the framework offered by the international classification of functioning disability and health (ICF) is recognized as a necessary step in the process of school inclusion for pupils with disabilities. This step may be greatly eased by informatics tools that guide users without requiring extensive familiarity with the ICF. Here we describe the development and testing of PETRA, a specific digital tool that supports the personalization of the educational path for students with certified disabilities in Italy. The tool foresees the active participation of the family and the student himself in his own training path and guides the user through sequential steps: observation, planning, realization, validation, The usability and efficiency of the tool was tested in a representative set of schools in the Trento province. Using this tool, each student is considered in his uniqueness and the educational and didactic interventions are calibrated to its specificities (including the oftenunrecognized potentialities,) and the context in which it lives. The tool was well received, showed its efficiency in each of the steps promising to offer substantial support in improving school inclusion and empowerment of students with disabilities.

Understanding racial, ethnic, and immigrant variation in educational achievement and attainment is more important than ever as the U.S. population becomes increasingly diverse. The Census Bureau estimates that in 2000, 34% of all youth aged 15-19 were from minority groups; it estimates that by 2025, this will increase to 46% (U.S. Census Bureau 2000). In addition, approximately one in five school-age children reside in an immigrant family (Zhou 1997, Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco 2001). We provide an overview of recent empirical research on racial, ethnic, and immigrant differences in educational achievement and attainment, and we examine some current theories that attempt to explain these differences. We explore group differences in grades, test scores, course taking, and tracking, especially throughout secondary schooling, and then discuss variation in high school completion, transitions to college, and college completion. We also summarize key theoretical explanations used to explain persistent differences net of variation in socioeconomic status, which focus on family and cultural beliefs that stem from minority group and class experiences. Overall, there are many signs of optimism. Racial and ethnic gaps in educational achievement and attainment have narrowed over the past three decades by every measure available to social scientists. Educational aspirations are universally high for all racial and ethnic groups as most adolescents expect to go to college. However, substantial gaps remain, especially between less advantaged groups such as African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans and more advantaged groups such as whites and Asian Americans. The racial and ethnic hierarchy in educational achievement is apparent across varying measures of the academic experience.

Categorised as planning documents, individual educational plans (IEPs) purport to provide school-based instruction more closely matched to individual pupils' skills and needs. The present study investigated the extent to which IEPs contain practically relevant suggestions for teachers to implement in practice. Based on a sample of 112 IEPs from Germany, the support proposals in these documents were examined. Results showed that about half of the entries consisted of conventional, content-specific methods to be carried out in school. In the average IEP, only 30 per cent of the entries contained content that deviated from the curricula for a particular grade level. Another large proportion of support proposals consisted of conventional but content-unspecific methods to be carried out in school. These proposals were mainly catchwords of generic differentiated instruction practices, signalling adequately personalised support towards to the IEPs' readers but lacking sufficiently clear descriptions to ensure their implementation. Analyses of variance concerning specific contextual and structural characteristics of IEPs made it possible to assess the features of documents with higher potential informational value for teachers and support staff. Overall, most IEPs seem unlikely to fulfil their primary purpose. At the same time, there were indications about how they could be improved.

Empirical research on the decision to attend college is predicated largely on the assumption that students make conscious, utility-maximizing decisions about their educational careers. For many students this may not be the case; in fact, the authors find that a large share of students assume from a young age that they will attend college, exhibiting what might be called a college-going habitus. Consistent with critical arguments about how social class is reproduced, the authors find that white, native-born children of college-educated parents are more likely to take college for granted than their less advantaged peers. Students with a college-going habitus are more likely than others to apply to a four-year college by spring of their senior year in high school. Although social origin accounts for some of the association between habitus and college application, both advantaged and disadvantaged students appear to benefit from a college going habitus.

Teachers play a key role in the optimal development of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) by providing an inclusive learning environment. Strategies used for the education of pupils with SEN are typically based on an individual educational plan (IEP). Based on extant literature, we aimed to understand (1) whether primary school teachers were involved in the preparation of the IEP, (2) the extent to which they were familiar with the adjustments written in the IEP, and (3) the significance of the role played by the IEP in a teacher’s daily work. Eighty-nine primary school teachers from different schools in north-east Slovenia participated in this questionnaire-based research. The results show that fewer than half of the teachers were always involved in the preparation of the IEP for the pupils with SEN they teach. A few reported that they had not taken part in the preparation of pupils’ IEP at all. Furthermore, just over half of participants were familiar with all the adjustments recorded in the IEP. There were also differences in the responses to the research based on the professional title and experience of the teachers. The differences were in favour of teachers with more experience and teachers with more senior professional titles. We also found that most teachers believed that an IEP plays an important role when working with pupils with SEN and writing a regular lesson plan. Our findings represent the starting point for the preparation of education for pupils with SEN and act as a basis for the selfevaluation of a teacher’s pedagogical work.

PurposeThe key purpose of this study is to systematically examine the landscape of education research funded by the National Plan of Educational Research Funding (NPERF) in China. The study aims to: (1) identify the thematic focus areas that reflect the national education agenda, (2) analyze the general funding patterns of education research projects and (3) gain insights into the distinctive nature of the research agenda in China. The study employs a rigorous data-driven approach to offer valuable insights into the dynamic discourses within the field of education research in China, which has received relatively little attention despite its potential significance.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, we utilized word co-occurrence analysis and corpus-based frequency analysis to analyze the research projects funded by the National Plan of Educational Research Funding (NPERF) from 2011 to 2020.FindingsThe key characteristics of these projects highlight the focus on higher education research, addressing the interests of specific cohorts of students, teachers and disadvantaged populations. Furthermore, these projects demonstrate a remarkable responsiveness to the policy needs of the country and a robust inclination toward an international comparative framework.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings offer valuable insights into the landscape and features of funded education research in China, revealing a strong emphasis on addressing practical needs and enhancing the capacity of the education system in the country.Originality/valueThis paper presents a systematic examination of the topics covered in funded research under the National Plan of Educational Research Funding (NPERF) scheme from 2011 to 2020. It contributes to the advancement of understanding regarding knowledge traditions and practices in the Chinese context. Methodologically, this paper is the first in the literature to be prototyped with a word co-occurrence analysis approach to systematically investigate the funded education research in China. Additionally, it includes the development of a comprehensive corpus list to uncover the key characteristics of the funded projects. The analysis provides unique insights into the priorities and directions of education research supported by the Chinese government, which are of potential interest to international readers.

There is growing concern that many American teenagers hold unrealistic educational plans. This may indicate a detachment from reality, which could be detrimental to well-being in later life. But is this problem specific to certain countries like the United States, or is it common among young people from across the developed world? This article uses data from the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to investigate this issue. It shows how expected and actual college graduation rates differ across a number of countries but also that this gap is particularly large in the United States. Additional analysis suggests that this is being driven, at least in part, by the large proportion of low-achieving American children who believe they will go on to obtain a bachelor's degree. The implications of these findings are discussed in reference to educational policy and contemporary sociological debates.

This study aimed at investigating the parents’ level of participation in the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) of their children with intellectual disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This study employed the qualitative descriptive approach, which helps the researcher to reach the study problem and its merits, as the semi-structured interview method was adopted. In this regard, an initial survey questionnaire, in which more than (33) parents whose children receive special education services and programs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated, was designed. The purpose of the survey questionnaire was to identify the target sample for the interviews, based on the participants' answers and their personal desire to conduct the interview or not. The study included (4) interviews with parents of students with intellectual disabilities. After analyzing the qualitative data, the results revealed several themes and topics that relate to parents and the IEP. For example, the results indicate that all the participants have good knowledge about the basic concepts of the IEP and in a way that makes them able to understand its objectives and basic contents. Regarding communication, the results showed that the participants expressed a noticeable concern about the limited communication with the school.

This study compares the impact of the educational aspirations of parents, teachers, close relatives, and peers on students' educational expectations across various racial groups. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study, the authors found that both the levels of significant others' aspirations and the effects of these aspirations vary by students' racial statuses and types of significant others. First, Asian, Hispanic, and African American parents tend to hold higher educational aspirations for their children than do white parents, but the relative influences of Asian and Hispanic mothers and African American fathers on students' educational expectations are smaller than those of their white counterparts. Second, the aspirations of close relatives have greater effects on African American and Hispanic American students' educational expectations. Third, although teachers and friends vary in their aspirations for students, depending on their race, the effect of these aspirations are similar for all racial groups. (DIPF/Orig.)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many social work students and educators had to switch gears quickly and replace face-to-face courses with online delivery. While most had had experience with remote learning, the unexpected and immediate transition was challenging. Students and educators who had chosen in-person instruction had to adapt quickly to a learning paradigm for which they had not planned, while simultaneously coping with the anxieties brought on by the pandemic, such as economic hardships, threat of illness, and new family responsibilities. The pandemic has engendered fear, trauma, grief, and loss, all of which negatively affect instruction and learning. This reflection paper identifies special challenges and issues with regard to teaching and learning in social work clinical practice courses brought on by the pandemic . Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of ambiguous loss, interpersonal neurobiology, and the here and now approach, this paper suggests effective teaching methods and collaborative learning strategies to inform social work education during academic disruption in this and future emergencies (e.g., natural disasters). It is suggested that social presence, as well as group cohesion among students and between students and instructors, can serve as a protective factor to ensure continued productive motivation for teaching and learning while facing the challenges that are experienced during such times.