Context: The paper focuses on an analysis of school-based vocational education and training (VET) of adults in Slovakia against the background of the concept of second-chance education (hereafter SCE). The concept of SCE involves different conditions of education to those that adults faced during their initial education and were unable to meet.…

This article explores how responses to a generic skills framework are materialised in Irish schools, and the main aim is to shed light on multiple dimensions of policy enactment. The Key Skills Framework (KSF) was introduced as part of a curricular reform in Irish lower secondary schools -- a reform that has met substantial resistance locally and…

How far is the world away from ensuring that every child obtains the basic skills needed to be internationally competitive? And what would accomplishing this mean for world development? Based on the micro data of international and regional achievement tests, we map achievement onto a common (PISA) scale. We then estimate the share of children not…

What pupils learn in school should ideally be useful throughout their whole lives. It should help them in further studies, in working life, and when acting as responsible citizens in democratic society. This is challenging for all subjects, including technology. Technology develops fast. It is most likely that wheels, wedges, and inclined planes…

This study examined the effect of small class size intervention on student outcomes using reading achievement scores as measured by the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), a standardized, norm-referenced test, while controlling for independent variables inclusive of students' gender, race, socioeconomic status (SES), and environment. This…

Despite increasing demand in distance education, relatively little is known about the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as basic skill levels of adult distance education participants at the national level in the US. This study analyzed the US data from the 2012/2014 and 2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult…

Purpose: Framed in self-determination theory, the aim of this study was to explore students' perceptions of learning in a fundamental movement skills (FMS)-focused physical education program that incorporated student voice. Methods: Participants included 13 females attending a designated disadvantaged post primary school (13-14 years old).…

The promotion of teachers to management positions in many instances has led to a decline in the motivation and dedication of academically and professionally deserving teachers. The purpose of this qualitative case study located within an interpretive paradigm was to explore the practices followed by school governing bodies (SGBs) in recommending…

While adolescent foundational skills interventions can be critical levers for reading improvement, district leaders, teachers, and researchers must make complex decisions about how to evaluate their effectiveness in context. In this discussion article, we explore three issues and tensions we experienced during a 2-year research-practice…

Federal legislation requires every student receive access to and make progress in the general curriculum. Teachers have reported difficulties in meeting this requirement for students with extensive support needs (ESN) who do not yet demonstrate foundational academic skills, such as in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Once students enter high…

In this embedded-descriptive, single-case qualitative study, the researcher sought (a) to examine the teaching and assessment strategy of project-based learning (PBL) at one comprehensive secondary school in the British West Indies and (b) to explore the stakeholders' perceptions of its efficacy on students' success in secondary school and beyond.…

In this article we describe the Books 2 Basketball (B2B) program created by a school counselor for Black youth along with some preliminary outcomes examined after its implementation. This program was not evaluated for effectiveness but to determine if the program was feasible and to share feedback from some of the participants. The B2B program is…

This study uses Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis performance model which systematically analyzes organizational goals to identify current performance levels and stakeholder assets or needs within an organization. In this study, the model was adapted as a promising practice approach to identify the knowledge, motivation, and organizational…

Few people doubt that education is valuable for individuals and that a well-educated society benefits each country. But many do not fully understand the magnitude of impact of high-quality education on economic wellbeing. This report provides an analysis of the economic benefits of educational improvement for each of the EU countries. The analysis…

A public education system's effectiveness should be based primarily on whether graduates have been equipped to be productive workers following program completion. Otherwise, neither the system nor the completion certificate (diploma) is worth the tax dollars spent. As Kentucky's education commissioner, the author found it woefully apparent that…