History of Education, Teacher Training, Teaching, Teachers

Western history of teacher training, education history, teaching theories, education of teachers, modern history od education, began in early 18th century Germany: teaching seminaries educating teachers were the first formal teacher training in Western history of education and teaching.

(History of education had 2nd century-BC Greek Spartan free public education, Athenian Academy until age 18 and higher Academy and Lyceum; Roman private formal schooling in tiers; China’s 1st century-BC administrator examinations; 1st century Jewish informal Cul’ Tura general education; Islam’s 9th century universities [madrasahs]; 16th century Aztec mandatory teen education; 18th century Russian nation-wide education, Poland’s Education Ministry, Chez ‘teacher of nations’ Comenius’s ‘Didactica Magna’ on universal education [compulsory, certified teachers, tests]; leading later Western history of education –17th century Scotland’s free education, 18th’s Norway’s mandatory literacy and  New Zealand’s standard education, 21st’s Europe’s Bologna process equalising educational qualifications.)

Teacher education and training, first teacher training college in French  history of education and history of teaching, Jean Babtiste de la Salle’s 18th century Brothers of the Christian schools, had non-clerical male teachers teaching poor and middle class children. Based on Greek philosophers’ philosophy of education and teaching, re-introduced by Islam, spirituality was not its only reason, basis of education. Teacher education and training had been clerical –this was Western history of education’s first secular teacher training college.

This philosophy of education changed educational history’s attitude to education. It reformed education, educational theory, learning, enabled further education reforms and educational theories of teaching in history of education. With education reforms in education history, educational theory of teacher education required of teachers an understanding of the human mind and the theory of education, knowledge of sciences and arts, principles and educational methods of teaching. This need in educational history for a teaching method, method of education, necessitated theories of education -in Western history of education educational theories on teacher education interested educators.

These educational philosophies and theories of education on teacher education became the norm in Western history of education, teacher training establishments first Normal Schools in the history of education and training of teachers.

Teacher education progressed educational history: in history of education and history of teaching the system of education required and enabled knowledge, in-service experience, certification for teachers, continuing professional development for teachers in teaching. This non-uniform system of teacher education and training enabled teachers, while teaching, at teacher seminars to refresh and increase their knowledge of theory of education and method of teaching -exchanging ideas among teachers.

Napoleon, in history of education and teacher training,  uniformed professional teaching. Adopting Germany’s teacher seminars, in French history of education and in Western history of education and training of teachers, established the first uniform teacher education system.

Neither the USA’s educational history nor British history of education did in educational philosophies, systems of education, include formal teacher education and training, although Elizabeth-I had introduced teachers’ moral teaching fitness certification in teacher education .

In England’s history of education and teaching, in early 19th century Joseph Lancaster and Andrew Bell founded the Lancastarian teaching method of teacher training: in a monitorial system of teacher education and training senior students (‘monitors’) receiving teaching from tutors were teaching junior students, acting as teachers.

In Scotland’s history of education and teaching, 17th century free education compulsory in late 19th, Germany’s teacher education and training influenced David Stowe’s founding the Glasgow Normal Seminary for teachers.

Progress in teaching and teacher training began with Horace Mann’s Massachusetts Normal Schools in the USA’s educational history, and in Britain’s history of education by the churches’ and voluntary organisations’ teacher training colleges and teaching the colonials.

In philosophies of education arguments followed on teacher education in educational history: should persons of lower English social class attend teacher training colleges and give teaching to children of higher social class!? Might teachers’ teaching not influence young French minds with liberal ideas?!

(Japan’s educational philosophy [perhaps influencing the USA's educational philosophy, history of education and teaching] emphasised patriotic teacher education and teaching.)

In Europe’s history of teacher education and training, Rosencrantz’s 19th century ‘Philosophy of Education’ emphasised ‘philosophical and psychological data’; this, resembling Islam’s university faculties, developed into separate teaching disciplines.

In Sweden’s history of education and teaching, Pestalozzi furthered the progress of systems of education, advocating formal teacher training colleges.

(Pestalozzi, except theologically, was self-educated, did not leave a written account of teaching and of teacher training colleges; his place in the history of education and teaching is deducible in outline from his various writings, loving sincere deeds, the example he set.)

Germany’s Froebel, and Alexander Bain’s ‘Education as a Science’, favoured education of teachers through teacher training colleges; teacher education adopted what philosophies of education in Western educational history and teaching had lacked -Herbart’s pedagogical emphasis in teaching on five formal steps: preparation, presentation, comparison, generalisation, application.

Germany’s teacher education and training became the basis of developments in the history of education and teacher training; Derwent Coleridge and James Kay Shuttleworth in Britain, Mann in the USA broadly agreed: teacher education and training should emphasise techniques of teaching -”not only the subjects of instructions, but also the method of teaching”.

Jules Ferry laws’ compulsory education established teacher education and training in late 19th century French history of education: teacher education and training, by law, should be through formal teacher training colleges.

English speaking countries’ history of education and teaching, formal teacher education and training, began with the University of Edinburgh’s creating a chair in education, with St. Andrews; in the USA’s history of education, e.g., Henry Bernard, Nicholas Murray Butler, followed.

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In Western history of education, England’s progress involved pedagogy and Herbart Sepencer’s teaching techniques in teacher education and training, the USA’s e.g., Francis W. Parker’s, studying Germany’s pedagogical teacher education developments.

In the USA’s history of education and teaching the Darwinian hypothesis (as before later scientific evaluation) influenced John Dewey at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools; taking into account from other disciplines what were considered relevant in teaching to child development, the religiously affiliated Brown University founded an education department.

(The La Salle College in Philadelphia, had been teaching education.)

New York’s Teachers College, founded 1888, was incorporated into the Columbia University, 1893, establishing its teacher training college, announcing: “The purpose of the Teacher Training College is to afford opportunity, both theoretical and practical, for the training of teachers, of both sexes, for kindergartens and elementary schools and secondary schools, of principals, supervisors, and superintendents of schools, and of specialists in various branches of school work, involving normal schools and colleges” -it became the basis, in Western history of education and teaching, of teacher education and training and Teacher Colleges.

(The USA’s educational history experts’ versions vary on it history of education.)

In most of British Commonwealth’s history of education and system of teacher training, entry into teacher training came to require senior secondary education at High School level or British Grammar School education with national Matriculation or Ordinary and Advanced General Certificate of Education (GCE) examinations –or equivalent.

In Europe’s history of education and teacher training, education with similar Gymnasium(/Abitur)  or General Lycè e Diploma, or equivalent education, became professional teacher education and training entry qualification.

(In British history of education, until early 20th century, holders of those qualifications, by selection examination, could become temporary teachers. Oxbridge graduates could register ‘master’ and be syndicated teachers. Other universities’ graduates, to become teachers, attended teacher training colleges [if Bachelor of Education, second year teacher training of a teacher training college].)

In British Commonwealth’s history of education greater importance was attached to professionalism in teacher education and training: academic qualifications did not suffice for teaching; teacher examinations required specific periods of specifically professional study in teaching. Professional teaching involved two years’ professional study in teaching and additional in-house teacher training before professional teacher status. Professional teachers could, with another educational year at the teacher training college, specialise in a subject, e.g., geography or history (in farming colonies, e.g., Cyprus where Agriculture became a secondary school examination subject,  with one or two more educational years’ through the Teacher Training College’s Rural Agricultural School). Science graduates without professional teaching training and education qualified for permanent teaching after a year’s classroom teaching experience approved by professionally qualified headmasters, as teachers of their subjects. Teachers were expected to attend teachers’ seminars as continuing professional development.

While professional qualifications are regarded for professional reasons equivalent to doctorates in their counterparts and what qualify for teaching, teacher education and training (school age becoming lower and years less, to enable maturer teachers and teaching), for professional teaching knowledge and skills acquired at teacher training colleges, favoured bachelor degrees with teaching content emphasising skills over theory and, e.g., the USA’s academic ‘first professional degree’ –more for research than professional practice.

(British history of education desired teaching with Post-graduate Certificate in Education [PGCE] -for English state school teaching Qualified Teacher Status [QTS] skills test, and [also if Bachelor of Education] successfully completing an induction year [in Scotland two] in school teaching as Newly Qualified Teacher [NQT], with continuing professional development; alternatively a specific teaching degree or on-the-job teacher training. Teachers trained at Teacher Training Colleges in [former] colonies –and similarly trained teachers with GCSE [grade C] or equivalent in English and Mathematics [for primary school teaching, also Physics] enjoy Qualified Teacher Status.)

(Canada’s provinces or schools certify teachers; Australia requires none for federally funded private schools; France’s is college/bachelor and Teacher Institute [master's -2010].)

{In the USA’s history of education, until 1960s, one year’s teacher training college education was required for teacher certification. In 1984 an alternate teaching route was introduced: bachelor’s with teaching preparation and within a specified number of years completing a teaching or content based master’s. (Some universities award [with summer study] bachelor degrees in two years, some two bachelor degrees simultaneously [e.g., with two arts and two science majors both BA Philosophy and BS ChE Chemical Engineering]; the  doctoral JD is pre-requisite to master’s LL.M which not all tenured professors need posses.) The ‘Master of Professional Studies’ (MPS) First Professional Degree is academic, not professional. Many states require of teachers, for permanent teaching, examinations in pedagogy and a content area or general knowledge accredited by many private associations’ varying standards; in early 21st century Marlboro-Carolina 20% of teachers had no certification.}

In educational history post general education having been academic for career advancement and scholarly activity or research, or professional for actual practice in the filed, the professional qualification is normally the terminating qualification; in professional teaching, advanced professional degrees enabling specialised teaching, e.g., at universities, are not regarded as part of professional teacher education and training for general education teaching; the USA’s main master’s area is for Ed.D or Ph.D. –research.)

In European history of education, teaching related educational leadership gained importance at the end of 20th century. Desiring the benefits of learnable leadership skills and inherent personal leadership qualities, teachers’ educational leadership skills in teaching leadership are remunerated according to national teacher pay scales.

The USA’s educational leadership teachers’ pay is non-uniform; educational leadership skills standards vary. Graduate educational leadership programs are in, e.g., community issues and educational law. Private Teacher Advancement Programmes (TAP) subscribed by some schools encourage teachers in administrative or teaching development: a teacher prepares an individual growth plan (IGP) with an educational goal or teaching activity, or a cluster group of teachers identify a student learning need, becoming ‘mentor’ or ‘master teacher’/‘teacher of teachers’.

As others’, USA’s teacher training colleges’ comparable teaching qualifications enjoy international regard.

In their history of education, having less aspired to ‘practical’ general education as in the USA and 21st century Britain, most British Commonwealth and European teaching institutions almost uniformly value widely academic general education as culture not acquirable in post general education (e.g., an opposition leader to a Prime Minister [both lawyers] “I as a Grammar School boy” [would not take ‘that' from him who was not]) and Britain’s suggestion to equate practical skills certificates with general academic qualifications was criticised.

(Early 21st century British educational history saw [university or equivalent  mandatory student grants becoming loans, unemployment necessitating longer and more courses, foreigners scoring higher in English] no increase since late 20th in literacy.)

(In the USA’s history of education, with 20% adult functional illiteracy, as the educationists’ concerns grew, the educationalists considered Europe’s baccalaureate system of education; with growing public interest in education, at the end of 20th century a state appointed three generals to improve the standards of teaching and education and at the beginning of 21st century a general was appointed to federally improve teaching and educational standards.)

In educational history interest in the teaching profession has been based on the status of teachers. Regard for teachers in late 20th century was highest in Russia where teachers enjoyed better employment terms than elsewhere.

(In Britain’s history of education, 1980s’ miss-projection of numbers of teachers needed necessitated engaging science graduates without teaching qualifications as teachers; but a status was enjoyed by teachers of regard as in Europe, and, about the end of 20th century, knighthood for long serving teachers was suggested –due to controversy over peerages it did not materialise. At the beginning of 21st century reducing undergraduate degrees to two years with vocational content was considered, with master’s for teachers -also non-major professional qualifications being above undergraduate degrees in National Vocational Qualifications; but Teachers’ status was regarded to have been equated for economical reasons to classroom assistants’ socially criticised for taking classes without professional teacher education and training.])

In the USA’s history of education, teaching has hailed a form of essentialism in education, with a culture of practicality and model citizenry, emphasising respect for authority (advocated also for 21st century British education); with no general minimum standard in teacher training and education, some states not recognising the teaching qualifications of some others, teachers and teaching appear officially to enjoy no higher regard then Bernard Shaw’s remark (about writers) “Those who can, do; those who can not, teach”.

(In the USA, e.g., some teachers paid only term time having to seek vacation work, teaching and teachers generally are regarded to have enjoyed less good terms and conditions than elsewhere in proportion to social regard and public resources.)

The growth of interest in culture and education in Western history of teaching has been seen in the European Union, e.g., in Cyprus with the popularisation of education in mid. 20th century -reportedly with highest percentage of university graduates by 21st.

In Western educational reforms spiritual values in education are protected by teaching religious studies in schools in American secularism (protection of religion from political influence) and by the religious affiliations of many universities; in European secularism (protecting against one’s formal dominance of the other), often with a state religion enshrined in the constitution, this is ensured by, e.g., Britain’s Education Acts’ requirement in compulsory education of religious worship by pupils at least once a month and, while British universities are not formally religiously affiliated, the availability of  chapels and chaplains to students at universities.

While preferences in education (e.g., the pedagogy based Steiner-Waldorf education for creating free moral and integrated individuals -its teachers’ and schools’ say on defining the curricula by some disagreed with, or Montessori’s pre-school and elementary school child’s self directed activities with auto-didactic equipment -regarded by some as risking raising obedient automatons), and  emphasis (be it practical skills or Emerson’s ‘thinking man’), have all had praise and criticism in the history of education and teaching and arguments continue on pragmatism and creation -v- evolution, generally Socrates’s argument that the rightly trained mind turns toward virtue carries weight in most educational systems. Basically, in every history of education, an important aim of education and the societies’ all time expectations have been on the lines of these verses (by the Cypriot teacher, the late Orhan Seyfi Ari):

” ‘I was an ape’ you say -or amphibian?
And now?! Are you not now.. ‘man’!? ”

The cultural values balance have been more reflected in the education and training of teachers in Western history of education and teaching and the status of teachers in Europe mostly in Spain, Italy and France where, without much disregard to spiritual values, school teachers’ political and ideological affiliations have been the norm in professional teaching.

The web site may interest on teacher the late Orhan Seyfi Ari at

The author’s favourite site is the Teacher of Teachers

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May 3, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Special Education, Public School Law & Educational Laws and Policies, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the law that provides your child with the right to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE). The purpose of the IDEA is “to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living…” 20 U.S.C. 1400(d) (Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition, page 20). The Board of Education v. Rowley case is significant because it established the principle that school districts are not required to maximize the potential of a child but provide some educational benefit to the child and how courts would examine future disputes under IDEA (Walsh, Kemerer, and Maniotis, 2005).

United States Supreme Court

 

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE HENDRICK HUDSON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, WESTCHESTER COUNTY,

v.

AMY ROWLEY, by her parents, ROWLEY et al.

No. 80 – 1002

 

LITIGANTS

 

Plaintiffs – Petitioners: Board of Education of the Hendrick Hudson Central School District, Westchester County, et al.

 

Defendant – Respondent: Amy Rowley, by her parents, Rowley, et., al.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (IDEA), provides federal money to assist state and local agencies in educating handicapped children, and federally fund States in compliance with extensive goals and procedures. The Act represents an ambitious federal effort to promote the education of handicapped children, and was passed in response to Congress’ perception that a majority of handicapped in the United States “were either totally excluded from schools or [were] sitting idly in regular classrooms awaiting the time when they were old enough to ‘drop out.’” The Acts evolution and major provisions shed light on the question of statutory interpretation which is at the heart of this case.

Congress first addressed the problem of education the handicapped in 1966 when it amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grant program “for the purpose of assisting the States in the initiation, expansion, and improvement of programs and projects for the education of handicapped children. That program was repealed in 1970 by the Education for the Handicapped Act, Pub. L. No. 91-230, 84 Star, 175, Part B of which established a grant program similar in purpose to the repealed legislation. Neither the 1966 nor 1970 legislation contained specific guidelines for state use of the grant money; both were aimed primarily at stimulating the States to develop educational resources and to train personnel for educating the handicapped.

Dissatisfied with the progress being made under these earlier enactments, and spurred by two district court decisions holding that handicapped children should be given access to a public education, Congress in 1974 greatly increased federal funding for education of the handicapped and for the first time required recipient States to adopt “a goal of providing full educational opportunities to all handicapped children.” Pub. L. 93-380, 88 Stat. 579, 583 (1974) (the 1974 statue). The 1974 statute was recognized as an interim measure only, adopted “in order to give the Congress an additional year in which to study what if any additional Federal assistance [was] required to enable the States to meet the needs of handicapped children.” H.R. Rep. No. 94-332, supra, p.4. The ensuing year of study produced the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975.

 

In order to qualify for federal financial assistance under the Act, a State must demonstrate that it “has in effect a policy that assures all handicapped children the right to a free appropriate public education.” 20 U.S.C. 1412(1). The “free appropriate public education” required by the Act is tailored to the unique needs of the handicapped child by means of an ‘individualized educational program” (IEP). In addition to the state plan and the IEP already described, the Act imposes extensive procedural requirements upon State receiving federal funds under its provisions. Parents or guardians of handicapped children must be notified of any proposed change in “the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of the child or the provision of a free appropriate public education to the child,” and must be permitted to being a complaint about “any matter relating to” such evaluation and education. 1415(b)(1)(D) and (E).6 Complaints brought by parents or guardians must be resolved at “an impartial due process hearing,” and appeal to the State educational agency must be provided if the initial hearing is held at the local or regional level. Thus, although the Act leaves to the States the primary responsibility for developing and executing educational programs for handicapped children, it imposes significant requirements to be followed in the discharge of that responsibility. Compliance is assured by provisions permitting the withholding of federal funds upon determination that a participating state or local agency has failed to satisfy the requirements of the Act, 1414(b)(A), 1416, and by the provision for judicial review. At present, all States except New Mexico receive federal funds under the portions of the Act at issue today.

FACTS

Amy Rowley is a deaf student in New York.  Amy has minimal residual hearing and is an excellent lipreader.  During the year before she started attending Furnace Woods School, Amy’s parents and school administrators met and decided to place her in a regular kindergarten classroom to determine what supplemental services would be necessary to her education.  Several members of the administration took a course in sign-language interpretation, and a teletype machine was installed in the principal’s office to facilitate communication with her parents who are also deaf.  After Amy was placed temporarily in the regular classroom, it was determined that she should stay in that class, but be provided with an FM hearing aid to amplify words.  Amy successfully finished her kindergarten year.

 

Before Amy entered first grade, an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) was prepared, which provided that Amy should continue to receive her education in the regular classroom and use the FM hearing aid, she should also receive instruction from a tutor for the deaf for one hour each day and from a speech therapist for three hours each week.  The Rowleys agreed with parts of this plan, but insisted that Amy also be provided a qualified sign-language interpreter in all of her academic classes instead of the assistance proposed in other parts of the IEP.

 

An interpreter had been placed in Amy’s kindergarten class for a 2-week experimental period, but the interpreter had reported that Amy did not need his services at that time.  The same conclusion was reached by the school for Amy’s first grade year.  An independent examiner also agreed with the administrators’ determination that an interpreter was not necessary because Amy was achieving educationally, academically, and socially without such assistance.  Amy performs better than the average child in her class and is advancing easily from grade to grade.  However, she understands less of what goes on in the class than she could if she were not deaf and so she is not learning as much, or performing as well academically, as she would without her handicap.

 

DECISION

 

The Court stated that a “free appropriate public education” is one which consists of educational instruction specially designed to meet the unique needs of the handicapped child, supported by such services as are necessary to permit the child “to benefit” from the instruction.  If personalized instruction is being provided with sufficient supportive services to allow the child to benefit from the instruction, and the other items on the definitional checklist are satisfied, the child is receiving a “free public education.”  Absent in the statute is any substantive standard prescribing the level of education to be accorded handicapped children.

 

“By passing the Act, Congress sought primarily to make public education available to handicapped children.  But in seeking to provide such access to public education, Congress did not impose upon the States any greater substantive educational standard than would be necessary to make such access meaningful.”  Board of Education v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176 at 192.  The Court says the intent of the act was more to open the

Higgins, Green, Reece

 

door of pubic education than to guarantee the level of education once inside.  The Court further states that whatever Congress meant by an “appropriate” education, it did not mean a potential-maximizing education.  It did not mean the State had to provide specialized services to maximize each child’s potential “commensurate with the opportunity provided other children.”  The basic floor of opportunity provided by the Act is access to specialized instruction and related services which are individually designed to provide educational benefit to the handicapped child.

 

DICTA

 

Implicit in the congressional purpose of providing access to a “free appropriate public education” is the requirement that the education to which access is provided be sufficient to confer some educational benefit upon the handicapped child. It would do little good for Congress to spend millions of dollars in providing access to public education only to have the handicapped child receive no benefit from that education. The statutory definition of “free appropriate public education,” in addition to requiring that States provide each child with “specially designed instruction,” expressly requires the provision of “such . . . supportive services . . . as may be required to assist a handicapped child to benefit from special education.” 1401(17) (emphasis added). We therefore conclude that the “basic floor of opportunity” provided by the Act consists of access to specialized instruction and related services which are individually designed to provide educational benefit to the handicapped child.

 

IMPLICATIONS

 

The determination of when handicapped children are receiving sufficient educational benefits to satisfy the requirements of the Act presents a more difficult problem. The Act requires participating States to educate a wide spectrum of handicapped children, from the marginally hearing-impaired to the profoundly retarded palsied. It is clear that the benefits obtainable by children at one end of the spectrum will differ dramatically form those obtainable by children at the other end, with infinite variations in between. One child may have little difficulty competing successfully in an academic setting with nonhandicapped children while another child may encounter great difficulty in acquiring even the most basic of self-maintenance skills. We do not attempt today to establish any one test for determining the adequacy of educational benefits conferred upon all children covered by the Act. Because in this case we are presented with a handicapped child who is receiving substantial specialized instruction and related services, and who is performing above average in the regular classrooms of a public school system, we confine our analysis to the situation.

 

 

 

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT

 

INTRODUCTION

 

An important provision of Public Law 94-142 (IDEA) is that all handicapped students be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE) (Heron & Skinner, 1981).  Federal law expresses a strong preference for placing the child with disabilities in the setting in which that child would be served if there were no disability (Walsh, Kemerer, and Maniotis, 2005). However, these requirements continue to generate complex and interesting questions from the field. In particular, this report focuses on questions that have been raised about the relationship of IDEA’s LRE requirements to “inclusion.”  If the goal of IDEA is to mainstream students with disabilities, despite efforts made from administrators, specialists, and staff, how can this be achievable if the child has not made academic progress in the regular classroom?

 

 

United States Court of Appeals,

Fourth Circuit.

950 F.2d. 156

18 IDELR 350

 

Shannon CARTER, a minor, by and through her father, and next friend, Emory D. Carter, et al., Plaintiffs-Appellee,

v.

FLORENCE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOUR: Ernest K. NICHOLSON, Superintendent, in his official capacity; SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS; Bennie ANDERSON, Chairman; Monroe FRIDAY, Jack ODOM; Elrita BACOTE; T.R. GREEN; James W. HICKS, in their official capacity

No. 91 – 1047

 

LITIGANTS

 

Plaintiffs – Appellees:    Mark Hartmann, et al.

 

Defendant – Appellant: Florence County School District Four, et., al.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Mark Hartmann is an eleven year old child with autism.  Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by significant deficiencies in communication skills, social interaction, and motor control.  Mark is not able to speak and has severed problems with fine motor coordination.  Mark’s ability to write is limited.  He types on a keyboard but can only consistently type a few words such as “is” and “at”.  Mark has had episodes of

 

Loud screeching and other disruptive conduct; including, hitting, pinching, kicking, biting, and removing his clothing.  The school district proposed removing Mark from the regular classroom and place him in a class structured for children with autism.  However, he would be integrated for art, music, physical education, library, and recess.  Mark would be allowed to rejoin the regular education setting as he demonstrated an improved ability to handle it.  The Hartmanns refused to approve the IEP, claiming that it failed to comply with the mainstreaming provision of the IDEA, which states that “to the maximum extent appropriate,” disabled children should be educated with children who are not handicapped. 20 U.S.C. § 1412(5)(B). The county initiated due process proceedings, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(b), and on December 14, 1994, the local hearing officer upheld the May 1994 IEP. She found that Mark’s behavior was disruptive and that despite the “enthusiastic” efforts of the county, he had obtained no academic benefit from the regular education classroom. On May 3, 1995, the state review officer affirmed the decision, adopting both the hearing officer’s findings and her legal analysis. The Hartmanns then challenged the hearing officer’s decision in federal court.

While the administrative process continued, Mark entered third grade in the regular education classroom at Ashburn. In December of that year, the Hartmanns withdrew Mark from Ashburn. Mark and his mother moved to Montgomery County, Virginia, to permit the Hartmanns to enroll Mark in public school there. Mark was placed in the regular third-grade classroom for the remainder of that year as well as the next.

The district court reversed the hearing officer’s decision. The court rejected the administrative findings and concluded that Mark could receive significant educational benefit in a regular classroom and that “the Board simply did not take enough appropriate steps to try to include Mark in a regular class.” The court made little of the testimony of Mark’s Loudoun County instructors, and instead relied heavily on its reading of Mark’s experience in Illinois and Montgomery County. While the hearing officer had addressed Mark’s conduct in detail, the court stated that “given the strong presumption for inclusion under the IDEA, disruptive behavior should not be a significant factor in determining the appropriate educational placement for a disabled child.”

 

FACTS

 

Mark spent his pre-school years in various programs for disabled children. In kindergarten, he spent half his time in a self-contained program for autistic children and half in a regular education classroom at Butterfield Elementary in Lombard, Illinois. Upon entering first grade, Mark received speech and occupational therapy one-on-one, but was otherwise included in the regular classroom at Butterfield full-time with an aide to assist him.

After Mark’s first-grade year, the Hartmanns moved to Loudoun County, Virginia, where they enrolled Mark at Ashburn Elementary for the 1993-1994 school year. Based on Mark’s individualized education program (IEP) from Illinois, the school placed Mark in a regular education classroom. To facilitate Mark’s inclusion, Loudoun officials carefully selected his teacher, hired a full-time aide to assist him, and put him in a smaller class with more independent children. Mark’s teacher, Diane Johnson, read extensively about

 

autism, and both Johnson and Mark’s aide, Suz Leitner, received training in facilitated communication, a special communication technique used with autistic children. Mark received five hours per week of speech and language therapy with a qualified specialist,   Carolyn Clement. Halfway through the year, Virginia McCullough, a special education teacher, was assigned to provide Mark with three hours of instruction a week and to advise Mark’s teacher and aide.

Mary Kearney, the Loudoun County Director of Special Education, personally worked with Mark’s IEP team, which consisted of Johnson, Leitner, Clement, and Laurie McDonald, the principal of Ashburn. Kearney provided in-service training for the Ashburn staff on autism and inclusion of disabled children in the regular classroom. Johnson, Leitner, Clement, and McDonald also attended a seminar on inclusion held by the Virginia Council for Administrators of Special Education. Mark’s IEP team also received assistance from educational consultants Jamie Ruppmann and Gail Mayfield, and Johnson conferred with additional specialists whose names were provided to her by the Hartmanns and the school. Mark’s curriculum was continually modified to ensure that it was properly adapted to his needs and abilities.

Frank Johnson, supervisor of the county’s program for autistic children, formally joined the IEP team in January, but provided assistance throughout the year in managing Mark’s behavior. Mark engaged in daily episodes of loud screeching and other disruptive conduct such as hitting, pinching, kicking, biting, and removing his clothing. These outbursts not only required Diane Johnson and Leitner to calm Mark and redirect him, but also consumed the additional time necessary to get the rest of the children back on task after the distraction.

Despite these efforts, by the end of the year Mark’s IEP team concluded that he was making no academic progress in the regular classroom. In Mark’s May 1994 IEP, the team therefore proposed to place Mark in a class specifically structured for autistic children at Leesburg Elementary. Leesburg is a regular elementary school which houses the autism class in order to facilitate interaction between the autistic children and students who are not handicapped. The Leesburg class would have included five autistic students working with a special education teacher and at least one full-time aide. Under the May IEP, Mark would have received only academic instruction and speech in the self-contained classroom, while joining a regular class for art, music, physical education, library, and recess. The Leesburg program also would have permitted Mark to increase the portion of his instruction received in a regular education setting as he demonstrated an improved ability to handle it.

 

DECISION

 

To demand more than this from regular education personnel would essentially require them to become special education teachers trained in the full panoply of disabilities that their students might have. Virginia law does not require this, nor does the IDEA. First, such a requirement would fall afoul of Rowley’s admonition that the IDEA does not guarantee the ideal educational opportunity for every disabled child. Furthermore, when the IDEA was passed, Congress’ intention was not that the Act displace the primacy of

 

States in the field of education, but that States receive funds to assist them in extending their educational systems to the handicapped.” Rowley, 458 U.S. at 208. The IDEA “expressly incorporates State educational standards.” Schimmel v. Spillane, 819 F.2d 477, 484 (4th Cir. 1987). We can think of few steps that would do more to usurp state educational standards and policy than to have federal courts re-write state teaching certification requirements in the guise of applying the IDEA.  In sum, we conclude that Loudoun County’s efforts on behalf of Mark were sufficient to satisfy the IDEA’s mainstreaming directive.

 

DICTA

 

The IDEA embodies important principles governing the relationship between local school authorities and a reviewing district court. Although section 1415(e)(2) provides district courts with authority to grant “appropriate” relief based on a preponderance of the evidence, 20 U.S.C. § 1415(e)(2), that section “is by no means an invitation to the courts to substitute their own notions of sound educational policy for those of the school authorities which they review.” Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central Sch. Dist. v. Rowley, 458 U.S. 176, 206 (1982).  These principles reflect the IDEA’s recognition that federal courts cannot run local schools. Local educators deserve latitude in determining the individualized education program most appropriate for a disabled child. The IDEA does not deprive these educators of the right to apply their professional judgment. Rather it establishes a “basic floor of opportunity” for every handicapped child. Rowley, 458 U.S. at 201. States must provide specialized instruction and related services “sufficient to confer some educational benefit upon the handicapped child,” id. at 200, but the Act does not require “the furnishing of every special service necessary to maximize each handicapped child’s potential,” id. at 199.

 

IMPLICATIONS

 

The IDEA encourages mainstreaming, but only to the extent that it does not prevent a child from receiving educational benefit. The evidence in this case demonstrates that Mark Hartmann was not making academic progress in a regular education classroom despite the provision of adequate supplementary aids and services. Loudoun County properly proposed to place Mark in a partially mainstreamed program which would have addressed the academic deficiencies of his full inclusion program while permitting him to interact with nonhandicapped students to the greatest extent possible. This professional judgment by local educators was deserving of respect. The approval of this educational approach by the local and state administrative officers likewise deserved a deference from the district court which it failed to receive. In rejecting reasonable pedagogical choices and disregarding well-supported administrative findings, the district court assumed an educational mantle which the IDEA did not confer. Accordingly, the judgment must be reversed, and the case remanded with directions to dismiss it.

 

 

 

 

William Allan Kritsonis, PhD

 

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

“Appropriate” education is one that goes beyond the normal school year. If a child will experience severe or substantial regression during the summer months in the absence of a summer program, the handicapped child may be entitled to year round services. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) passed in 1975, this act provided support to state special education programs to provide free appropriate public education to disabled children. National precedent establishing the tests for determining the need for an extended school year for special needs children.

For the purpose of this case we will determine if there is sufficient enough evidence of regression to justify requiring the district to provide summer services to the student.

Case One

 

United States Court of Appeals,

Fifth Circuit

 

 

Alamo Heights Independent School District-Plaintiff-Appellants

v.

State Board Of Education, et al., Defendants-Apelles

790 F .d 1153

 

 

LITIGANTS

Plaintiff –Appellant: Alamo Heights Independent School District

 

Defendants – Apelles: State Board of Education

 

Background

 

In the summer  1979, when Steven was seven, his mother moved into the Alamo Heights Independent School District. That school year Steven attended a special education program at Cambridge Elementary School. In the late spring of 1980, Mrs. G.

 

requested that the Alamo Heights Independent School District provide summer services for Steven.

For seven years prior to 1980 the Alamo Heights School District had offered a summer program to all special education students who were moderately or severely handicapped. The decision to offer the program was made on the administrative level, as a matter of district policy, and any moderate to severely handicapped child was eligible to

 

attend. In the summer of 1980, when Steven would have been eligible for this program, however, the School District changed its policy and offered only a half-day one-month program, without providing transportation. The decision to curtail the summer program was based on its cost and the apparent lack of interest on the part of teachers and eligible students in previous years.

No students from Steven’s multiply handicapped class took advantage of the 1980 summer program, nor did Steven. It is not clear, however, whether Mrs. G. was not told of the program or whether the lack of transportation and the hours made it impossible for Steven to attend. During that summer, Steven stayed with a baby-sitter who had no training in special education. There was testimony that Steven’s behavior deteriorated that summer and that he suffered regression in his ability to stand, point, and feed himself.

The next year Mrs. G.’s request for summer services and transportation was refused by school officials, without consultation with Steven’s Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee or with his teacher. The only caretaker Mrs. G. could find for Steven lived a mile outside of the district boundary, and even during the school year, the School District would not provide out-of-district transportation.

Mrs. G. then employed legal counsel and appealed the denial of services to the Texas Education Agency. The administrative hearing officer issued an interim order requesting a meeting of Steven’s ARD Committee to consider the issue of summer services. The ARD Committee met and agreed only to provide some adaptive equipment for Steven and to request consultative services from the state during the summer of 1981. On August 21, 1981, the hearing officer issued a “proposal for decision” in which he found that the School District was required to provide summer services and related

transportation services during 1981, and also required the School District to make a decision regarding summer services for 1982 by March of 1982.

 

Without some kind of continuous, structured educational program during the evidence to conclude that Steven G. would definitely suffer severe regression after a summer without such a program, neither can it conclude that he would not and there is evidence that shows that Steven G. has suffered more than the loss of skills in isolated instances, and that he has required recoupment time of more than several weeks after summers without continuous, structured programming. A summer without continuous, structured programming would result in substantial regression of knowledge gained and skills learned, and, given the severity of Steven G.’s handicaps, this regression would be significant.

 

Mrs. G.’s efforts to obtain the appropriate provision of free educational services for her son were pursued within the administrative framework set up by the State of Texas pursuant to EAHCA guidelines. The success she achieved in requiring the School District to provide Steven with an appropriate individualized educational placement, including summer services, was obtained through and within the “elaborate, precisely

defined administrative and judicial enforcement system. Because we find that, whether or  denominated due process, the claims upon which Mrs. G. has prevailed are rights granted by the EAHCA, and because the EAHCA contains no provision for attorney’s fees, we agree with the district court that no attorney’s fees are to be awarded under Sec. 1988.

We also find that Mrs. G. is not entitled to attorney’s fees under the Rehabilitation Act. In Smith, the Court stated, “Of course, if a State provided services beyond those required by the [EAHCA], but discriminatorily denied those services to a handicapped child, Section 504 [of the Rehabilitation Act] would remain available as an avenue of relief.”

Mrs. G. asserts that the fact that the School District provided a summer remedial reading program, free of charge, to nonhandicapped children without providing an

analogous free summer program to handicapped children is a clear instance of discrimination on the basis of handicap in violation of Sec. 504.

We do not agree. Under the EAHCA, the School District is required to provide handicapped children with a free, appropriate education geared towards their individual needs. If a handicapped child’s IEP requires summer services under the EAHCA, he is entitled to summer services. The fact that the School District affords some nonhandicapped children remedial help during the summer does not mean that it is required to offer similar remedial summer guidance to handicapped children, irrespective of whether their individual IEP’s provide for structured summer services. The school district’s action in Steven’s case has not been shown to constitute discrimination on the basis of his handicap distinct from the protection afforded under the EAHCA. Hence, Mrs. G. is not entitled to attorney’s fees under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 794a(b), the attorney’s fees provision of the Rehabilitation Act.

Finally, the School District argues that it was denied due process by the procedures employed by the State Board of Education during the administrative stage of this action. It contends that under Helms v. McDaniel, the hearing officer’s initial proposed decision of August 24, 1981 should have been considered the final decision of the case and that the hearing officer’s later adoption of the Commissioner of Education’s decision was a direct violation of Helms. It contends that the failure of the hearing officer to adopt his initial proposed decision as the final decision of the case denied them due process. The School District does not favor us with any authority for the proposition that an adjudicative officer is prohibited by the due process clause from changing his opinion in the course of an orderly procedure. We find the district court did not err in dismissing the School District’s due process claims against the state defendants.

 

 

The district court carefully phrased its conclusion and, while it did not explicitly state that the educational program offered by the School District did not meet the “some

 

educational benefit” standard of Rowley, the district court showed that it was aware of that decision and its judgment is therefore tantamount to such a conclusion. Hence, we

 

hold that the district court applied the appropriate standard to the factual determinations supported by the record. The general injunctive relief granted by the court was

appropriate to ensure that Steven receives the summer programming to which he is entitled under the Act.

With respect to out-of-district transportation for Steven G., the district court found that transportation is included in the definition of “related service” under 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401(a)(17) and that such transportation does not cease to be a related service simply because a parent requests transportation to a site a short distance beyond the district boundaries.

 

The evidence indicates that Todd was receiving benefit from the TISD special education program, and hence, the TISD special education program was an appropriate placement under IDEA. Equally important, the TISD special education program provided Todd with an opportunity to interact with nondisabled peers, and was a less restrictive environment than The Oaks. Thus, regardless of whether Todd extracted any academic benefit from the educational program at The Oaks, Todd’s parents’ unilateral decision to place him there remains their financial responsibility. For these reasons, the decision of the district court is AFFIRMED.

 

 

 

 

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

 

Professor William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, The Texas A&M University System

 

 

SPECIAL EDUCATION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

In order to assure that all children are given a meaningful opportunity to

benefit from public education, the education of children with disabilities is

required to be tailored to the unique needs of the handicapped child by means of an individualized education plan (IEP). As a condition of federal funding, IDEA requires states to provide all children with a “free appropriate public education,” with the statutory term “appropriate” designating education from which the schoolchild obtains some degree of benefit.

This report focuses on parents rights to place their son in a unilateral placement despite the public school program and IEP. The parents by law have the right to request reimbursement for private placement.

 

Case One

 

United States Courts of Appeals,

Fifth Circuit

 

TODD L., Mr. and Mrs. L., Defendant-Appellants,

v.
TEAGUE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, et al., Plaintiff-Appellee,

Docket No. No. 92-8427.

 

LITIGANTS

 

Plaintiffs-Appellant: Todd L., Mr. and Mrs. L., et.al

 

Defendant-Appellee: TEAGUE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

As a condition of federal funding, IDEA requires states to provide all children with a “free appropriate public education,” with the statutory term “appropriate” designating education from which the schoolchild obtains some degree of benefit. IDEA requires that children with disabilities be educated to the maximum extent possible with nondisabled children in the least restrictive environment consistent with their needs, a concept referred to as “mainstreaming.” In order to assure that all children are given a meaningful opportunity to benefit from public education, the education of children with disabilities is required to be tailored to the unique needs of the handicapped child by means of an individualized education plan (IEP).

Complying with IDEA, Todd’s local public school district (the Teague Independent School District, “TISD”), in collaboration with Todd and his parents, developed an IEP for Todd. Consistent with IDEA’s requirement that special education services be tailored to the unique needs of the child, the IEP emphasized one-on-one instruction in specially equipped classrooms, and reduced the length of Todd’s school day from seven hours to two hours. Todd’s school day was reduced not for the convenience of school staff, but in response to Todd’s inability to tolerate a longer school day without becoming unduly frustrated and discouraged, leading to regression rather than academic progress.

The school psychologist specifically found that a shortened school day would be necessary, at least temporarily, to assure that Todd’s inability to tolerate frustration did not lead to his giving up on academics altogether and dropping out of school. Though Todd was educated separately from his nondisabled peers for part of the school day, the school arranged for Todd to have contact with nondisabled peers. The goal of Todd’s four-year IEP was to provide him with a nonthreatening environment in which he could continue to make academic progress while gradually learning to tolerate a lengthened school day and increased stress. The record indicates that the authors of Todd’s IEP fully expected that ultimately Todd would be reintegrated into “the mainstream” of regular classes at the TISD school, and would graduate.

 

 

When Todd’s parents sought reimbursement for the costs of Todd’s institutionalization, the TISD refused on the grounds that Todd had been able to benefit from the TISD program and that The Oaks placement was more restrictive than necessary to provide Todd with educational benefit. Todd’s parents appealed to a special education

hearing officer, who found that Todd’s parents should be reimbursed. The special education hearing officer found that Todd’s parents had established that Todd’s local

public school was an inappropriate placement while The Oaks was an appropriate placement. According to the hearing officer, there was no evidence that Todd had obtained any benefit from special education at the TISD School. Contending that this factual conclusion was clearly erroneous, and that the hearing officer did not take into account the relative restrictiveness of The Oaks and the TISD School’s special education program, the school district appealed the hearing officer’s decision to federal district court.

Although the district court indicated that it gave “due weight” to the decision of the hearing officer, the district court concluded, after reviewing all the evidence from the administrative proceeding and hearing additional evidence, that the TISD public school placement was appropriate, and that The Oaks placement was inappropriate. Therefore, the district court reversed the hearing officer’s decision to grant Todd’s parents reimbursement for the cost of Todd’s institutionalization at The Oaks. Todd’s parents appeal the district court’s decision. We affirm.

Having decided that the district court did not err in subjecting the hearing officer’s decision to a searching review, it remains only to decide whether the conclusions drawn by the district court were proper. We review de novo, as a mixed question of law and fact, the district court’s decision that the local school’s IEP was appropriate and that the alternative placement was inappropriate under IDEA. Christopher M. v. Corpus Christi Independent Sch. Dist., 933 F.2d 1285, 1289 (5th Cir.1991). We review the district court’s findings of “underlying fact” for clear error. Id. See also Sherri A.D., 975 F.2d at 207. Findings of “underlying fact” include findings that the schoolchild obtained

any benefit from special education services or would be threatened by a longer school day. Christopher M., 933 F.2d at 1289.  If a parent or guardian unilaterally removes a child from the local public school system, the parent or guardian may obtain reimbursement for an alternative placement only if able to demonstrate that the regular school placement was inappropriate, and that the alternative placement was appropriate. School Comm. of Burlington v. Department of Educ., 471 U.S. 359, 373-74, 105 S.Ct. 1996, 2004, 85 L.Ed.2d 385 (1985). If Todd’s IEP in the local public school district was appropriate, then there is no need to inquire further as to the appropriateness of The Oaks’ program.

Under IDEA, an “appropriate” placement is that which enables a child to obtain “some benefit” from the public education he is receiving; not necessarily maximization of his potential. See Rowley, 458 U.S. at 198-200, 102 S.Ct. at 3047. In addition to requiring that the child’s placement be appropriate in the sense of providing some benefit, IDEA mandates that to the fullest extent possible, disabled children be educated with non-disabled children in the least restrictive environment. See 20 U.S.C. § 1412(5); Rowley, 458 U.S. at 202, 102 S.Ct. at 3048; Sherri A.D., 975 F.2d at 206 (“Even in cases in which mainstreaming is not a feasible alternative, there is a statutory preference for serving disabled individuals in the setting which is least restrictive of their liberty and which is near the community in which their families live”). A presumption exists in favor of the local public school district’s plan for educating the child, provided it comports with IDEA. See Tatro v. State of Texas, 703 F.2d 823, 830 (5th Cir.1983). See generally Rowley, 458 U.S. at 207-08, 102 S.Ct. at 3051.

There is ample evidence that Todd received significant benefit from his public school placement. Todd’s teacher and school psychologist both testified that Todd made significant progress academically and behaviorally while in the TISD special education program. Not only did Todd advance in terms of grade level, he also became steadily more able to focus on particular tasks for longer periods without experiencing debilitating frustration. At the same time, the TISD special education program provided Todd with

some opportunity to interact with nondisabled peers, and the opportunity to participate in the affairs of the community in which he lived.

Todd’s one-on-one instruction at TISD was no more restrictive than necessary to assure that he would receive some academic benefit from special education at TISD. The school psychologist testified that while she would have recommended some sort of residential placement had the district not been able to provide Todd with one-on-one

instruction, she would never consider placing a child like Todd at a residential facility as restrictive as The Oaks without first exhausting the full range of less restrictive alternatives. She testified that even though Todd had serious behavior problems, she did not consider him so unruly as to require twenty-four hour supervision in a locked unit. In the school psychologist’s opinion, The Oaks was a placement of last resort.

By contrast to the unambiguous evidence that Todd benefitted from special education at the TISD school, the evidence that Todd benefitted from educational services at The Oaks is equivocal. The evidence Todd’s parents produced to support their claim that Todd benefitted academically from educational programming at The Oaks compares Todd’s performance before he received special education services at the TISD school with Todd’s performance after he was institutionalized. Hence, it is difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain whether the source of the benefit Todd obtained was provided primarily by the TISD school, or by The Oaks. It is uncontroverted that The Oaks’ focus was on behavior management, and that The Oaks devoted only the same or a little more time to Todd’s educational programming than did the TISD school.

Finally, Todd’s placement at The Oaks involved more restrictions on Todd’s liberty than any other potential placement, removed Todd from his home community, and completely precluded him from having any contact with nondisabled peers. There is exceedingly little evidence, other than the hospital’s willingness to admit Todd, that he required such a restrictive environment. Although we can assume, based on Todd’s admission to The Oaks, that a physician

ratified Todd’s parents’ decision to hospitalize their son, the great weight of the evidence indicated that he could not only cope, but thrive, in a less restrictive setting.

The evidence indicates that Todd was receiving benefit from the TISD special education program, and hence, the TISD special education program was an appropriate placement under IDEA. Equally important, the TISD special education program provided

Todd with an opportunity to interact with nondisabled peers, and was a less restrictive environment than The Oaks. Thus, regardless of whether Todd extracted any academic benefit from the educational program at The Oaks, Todd’s parents’ unilateral decision to place him there remains their financial responsibility. For these reasons, the decision of the district court is AFFIRMED.

The district court carefully phrased its conclusion and, while it did not explicitly state that the educational program offered by the School District did not meet the “some educational benefit” standard of Rowley, the district court showed that it was aware of that decision and its judgment is therefore tantamount to such a conclusion. Hence, we hold that the district court applied the appropriate standard to the factual determinations supported by the record. The general injunctive relief granted by the court was appropriate to ensure that Steven receives the summer programming to which he is entitled under the Act.

 

Good Morning. My name is Angela Stevens McNeil and I have the privilege of introducing the next Hall of Honor Inductee, . was chosen because of his dedication to the educational advancement of Prairie View A&M University students. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in 1969 from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.  In 1971, he earned his Master’s in Education from Seattle Pacific University.  In 1976, he earned his PhD from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Kritsonis has served and blessed the field of education as a teacher, principal, superintendent of schools, director of student teaching and field experiences, invited guest professor, author, consultant, editor-in-chief, and publisher.  He has also earned tenure as a professor at the highest academic rank at two major universities.

In 2005, Dr. Kritsonis was an Invited Visiting Lecturer at the Oxford Round Table at Oriel College in the University of Oxford, Oxford, England.  His lecture was entitled theWays of Knowing through the Realms of Meaning

In 2004, was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies.

is a well respected author of more than 500 articles in professional journals and several books.  In 1983, founded the . These publications represent a group of highly respected scholarly academic periodicals. In 2004, he established the The is the only refereed journal in America committed to publishing doctoral students while they are enrolled in course work in their doctoral programs. Over 300 articles have been published by doctorate and master’s degree students and most are indexed in

Currently, is a Professor in the PhD Program in Educational Leadership here at Prairie View A&M University.

has dedicated himself to the advancement of educational leadership and to the education of students at all levels.  It is my honor to bring him to the stage at this time as a

Dr. Kritsonis Recognized as Distinguished Alumnus

In 2004, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Kritsonis was nominated by alumni, former students, friends, faculty, and staff. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have made a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”

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May 1, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Quality costs in higher education

Higher education is an important stage in the ladder- type continuum of education as a human development process and the necessity to focus on its quality can never be lost sight of. For it is at the level of higher education in this upward process that one’s shaping and sharpening into a quality human resource actually takes place. Quality is a problem in public higher education because student demands matter too little, and cost is a problem in private higher education because student demands matter too much. This proposition, however much it needs to be qualified and complicated, may provide useful starting point for exploring some issues about quality and cost in higher education.

Quality has been used as a tool to ensure some compliance with these concerns. However, the rationale and policy often tend to be worked out after the decision to undertake an audit, assessment or accreditation process has been made. Thus approaches to quality are predominantly about establishing quality monitoring procedures. The quality of education being offered in institutions of higher education is a question being debated widely. With the growing cost of higher education in India, the question has become especially pertinent for all its stakeholders – students to policymakers alike.

In the present scenario, when all stakeholders of Indian higher education system are concerned about the education offered in its Institutions of higher education, against the back drop of declining funds for higher education, it becomes pertinent to look for  options which can make an impact on the existing system in a most cost effective and user friendly manner. Such options and tools must also be in keeping with the all round socio economic development of the country and must also be relevant in the present day knowledge based society. It is therefore that institutions of higher education in India, today are hard pressed to accept the modern management and computerized interventions into their systems in order to ensure value for money and superlative quality of services offered

Over the years, though the higher education system has been benefited by the examination and recommendations of a number of education committees and commissions, the system today is observed to be the one with lot of short comings viz.,

¨      Lack of focused planning at institutional level

¨      Variable quality of higher education in different institutions across the country

¨      Inflexibility of academic structure that inhibits innovation and excellence

¨      Non-productive research being conducted

¨      Lagging quality of curriculum due to lack of enthusiasm in revision and development of new curriculum

¨      Under-utilization of already scarce resources viz. equipments etc., due to ignorance as well as apathy of all concerned

¨      Low standard services being offered to students & alumni

¨     Very low consistency in decision making coupled with slow pace of its delivery

Funding is a special challenge now, because governments in many countries are disinvesting in higher education. Academic institutions are everywhere asked to pay for an increasing part of their budgets through tuition and student fees, funds raised by consulting and selling research-based products, and other revenue-generating activities. Declining resources allocation for higher education and increasing competition among higher education institutions together with the growing awareness about value for money among public at large have all made the quality of higher education being offered in India, put under a scanner. The various constituents & stakeholders of Indian higher education system, raise questions about the quality in higher education with their own interests, namely:

¨      Students: for choice of an Institution for studying

¨      Parents: for worth of personal investment on the education of their wards.

¨      Governments: for accountability & policymaking

¨      Funding Agencies: for deciding the quantum & extent of fund allocation

¨      Society: for value of taxpayer’s money

¨      Industry: for Industry–Institution partnership & also as employers for graduate recruitments

There may be some goods and services which can meaningfully and unambiguously be ranked from “best” to “worst”, but the services of higher education institutions are surely not among them.  Colleges and universities are too various in their missions and clienteles for any single dimensional ranking to make much sense. In fact, it is important to notice that this heterogeneity is of more than one kind.

First, most colleges and universities are “multi-product firms”, aiming to provide more than one, and often many, kinds of services, The large state university, with its concerns for undergraduate, graduate, and professional teaching, for pure and applied research, for public service, for semi-professional athletics, and so on, is the clearest example, but even simpler institutions like community colleges or liberal arts colleges have multiple objectives.

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Second, even if we focus on single broadly defined function — say the improvement of students’ writing skills — institutions differ dramatically in the clienteles they serve.

Another “cut” on the quality issue requires distinguishing these questions:

1. How well does a college do with the resources it’s got?

2. How great are this college’s resources?

It may be meaningful to say that one college, which “costs” society more, is, in “absolute” terms, higher in quality than another less expensive college. But is the extra expenditure worth it — does the more expensive college provide as good or better “value for the money’? To answer this requires some sort of judgment about what the added quality is “worth”, a judgment on which different actors may disagree.

Still another complication in judging quality arises from the fact that, even holding constant mission, clientele, and resources per student, quality may be judged differently by different constituencies that matter to a college or university. Parents may feel differently about heavy “homework” assignments than students do; alumni may have a distinctive view of what good teaching is; the public at large may have a stake in educating students for citizenship which is not felt so acutely by other constituencies; faculty often have a distinctive view of their institution’s mission and central concerns. A full list of groups with a stake in a college’s or university’s conduct would surely include, among others: students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees or governing board members, legislators, and citizens. What quality is depends on how you perceive and why you care about a college.

A final complication in thinking about college quality is the interplay between the quality of the students and the quality of the school. In general, one of the things students care about most in choosing a college is the quality of the students. The evidence, not too surprisingly, is that the typical student wants to attend a college where his or her classmates will be somewhat, but not too much, more accomplished than he or she is. Doubtless this is partly a matter of reputation — the job market prospects of a student, for example, are to some degree influenced by the average quality of her classmates — but there is a real educational point to this preference too, Students learn from their colleagues, and it is quite plausible that a student will typically learn most from peers who are near him or her in capacities and accomplishment — and perhaps preferably a little above.

We might pull together these different aspects of the notion of quality by considering some alternative interpretations of the complaint that the most expensive colleges and universities cost too much — referring here to the resource costs of the institutions rather than their price. There are at least these possible interpretations:

1. These institutions simply waste resources: they could produce exactly the quantity and quality of educational services they do now while using fewer resources.

2. These colleges spend too much money on items that, while desired by some constituencies, are not “genuinely” educationally valuable; such frills add to the cost of education without providing comparable benefits.

3. Too much money is spent on the education of the most able students relative to what is spent on others. Society should find ways to redirect resources from this “elite” education to the education of lower achieving students in other higher education institutions.

4. Too much money is spent on higher education altogether. Fewer resources should be devoted to the education of both more able and less able students in higher education, and the freed resources should be devoted to other social uses that have higher priority.

Only the first of these possibilities conforms unambiguously to an economist’s understanding of “waste”. In every other case, the implied changes would reduce the “cost” of the most expensive colleges and universities only by reducing their “quality”, at least according to the values of some participants. The last three possible interpretations all raise questions about educational priorities, whether among the diverse educational missions and constituencies colleges serve, between institutions serving different categories of students, or between higher education and other social concerns. `Quality’ has evolved from a marginal position to being the foremost concern in higher education alongside funding issues. Approaches to quality in higher education in most countries have started with an assumption that, for various reasons, the quality of higher education needs monitoring. At root, governments around the world are looking for higher education to be more responsive, including:

* making higher education more relevant to social and economic needs;

* widening access to higher education;

* expanding numbers, usually in the face of decreasing unit cost;

* ensuring comparability of provision and procedures, within and between institutions, including international comparisons.

Despite its prominence in recent debate, the notion of “the cost of a year of college education” is fraught with ambiguity. Indeed, the complications seem no less pervasive than those surrounding the idea of the quality of higher education. Some of the ambiguity about costs is due to the degree to which colleges and universities fail to follow our intuitive and usually accurate ideas about economic transactions between buyers and sellers; some ambiguity comes from our embedding in the pricing of higher education social objectives antithetical to the profit motive; and some comes from curious and arcane traditions of college and university accounting that distort their own sense of their own costs.

Investment in higher education.

This paper has been offered in a spirit of exploration. Its purpose has been both to clarify and to complicate; to make distinctions involving cost and quality in higher education, but also to warn against too much precision in debate where there is less in fact. “Quality” is a word, and a goal, with many meanings; even “cost”, a term which has the ring of hard facts and bottom lines turns out to be a much more ambiguous and multi-faceted notion in higher education than may at first appear.

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April 30, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Leading Change in Educational Organization

Leading Change in Educational Organization

Despite the fact that change is difficult to do well, it is a very vital aspect to organizational growth and survival. Dismissal record of success is one thing that is shared by the different forms of change. In educational organizational setting, change is required in order to bring about high performance and high quality of education. It should be clearly understood that out of the very many companies that implement change for success, only a few of them are able to succeed. This is the reason as to why it is indicated that change is difficult to implement. Educational organization across the whole world are beginning to see the benefits of change and hence are increasingly beginning to use a new and innovative approach that brings about small and large scale systems of change in different schools especially universities (Fullan, 2001, pp.43).

This study addresses the concept of change and its impacts or effects to educational organization settings, management and leading change, counteracts to change, politics, and economics, comprehension of the dynamics of change and their effects on the strategic planning of learning institutions, and other information that is related to leading change in educational organizations. Educational organizations are among the aspects that are experiencing a lot of change in the whole world and hence information concerning how this change should be led and managed is of great importance. There are different ways that are used in bringing about change in educational systems. Many researchers and scholars have stated that bring about change is one thing and leading and managing that change is another aspect. Traditional educational settings need to be changed in order to incorporate the aspect of advanced technology in education (Harris, 2007, pp.316).

In order to gain a clear understanding of educational change process and its associated impacts on the practices of education, it is very imperative to examine change, leadership theories, behavior, and principles. In this case, change is brought about by leaders and good leaders usually consult the employees before implementing a change as indicated by the participatory leadership theories (Silverman, 2005, pp.23). According to the behavioral theory of leadership, great leaders are usually made but not born. In this case, a leader learns how to be a leader through practicing. Principles of a good leader include; listening, trusting oneself, empowering the subordinates, learning to be resilient, communicating effectively, and learning to take responsibilities.

In order to clearly understand the concept of change, it is of great importance to define this change. Change can be defined differently according to different situations. As indicated by Werkman (2009, pp.670), change is so all-encompassing in people’s lives to the extent that it almost defeats analysis and description. Generally, change is the aspect of making something looks new or transforming something from the old form to a new one (Harris, 2007, pp.317).

Change occurs over time and hence it is inevitable. This implies that there is not a time when individuals will avoid change; this is an aspect that comes as time goes by. For instance, the increased advancement of technology has brought about a lot of changes in all aspects of life over a very short period of time. Change is not always positive as in some ways it is negative or both. This means that change may come to alter what is already there either negatively or positively or even both. Researches, as indicated by Silverman (2005, pp.23), change is unavoidable and hence it is the role of the affected parties to make sure that this change is well led and managed (Leithwood et al, 1999). Change can be brought about by an individual to the society and it can emanate from the society to an individual. This indicates that a person can change the entire society while on the other hand a society can change the behaviors and thoughts of an individual. It should be noted that for a change to take place or to occur, there must be a cause and effects. In educational settings, technology has caused a lot of changes which have brought about improvement in performance of both students and teachers (Paton & McCalman, 2000).

Until recently, educational management structures and governance have been majorly bureaucratic particularly in their mode of operation which was based on centralized and top-down control. This indicates that the management and leadership of education were from districts to schools to departments to teachers to students (Dubrin, 2004, pp.87). Organizational theories and practices that have been developed and used indicate that effective educational organizations afford tampering and reforming the vertical chains of commands and greater degrees of self management as well as lateral collaborations that are characterized by bureaucratic school management (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.617). This is a good example that change occurs over time and it is inevitable.

The concept of change does not only occur in the leadership and management of educational organizations but also to the performance of students and teachers. In this respect, the quality of education is changing where students because of improved and advanced technologies are increasingly performing very well at schools. It has become very easy for tutors to teach their students especially with the new internet technology. Organizational change, as stated by Fullan (2001, pp.43), is the process of moving from the present or current operational phase into the next and advanced functional phase. This process is very difficult as there are barriers of change. This indicates that there are some aspects that do not allow change to take place. In educational organizational settings, there are some barriers that hinder change from taking place. These barriers include; inefficient leadership and leadership strategies, ineffective communication with parties involved in change implementation, unclear processes and procedures concerning specific and general goals, lack of involvement of all parties that are concerned or involved in change management, resistance from employees, and improper or ineffective management of resources (Easterby-Smith et al, 2003, pp.23).

The above described concepts of change have great impact on educational setting in the present or current education operational systems.  It has been indicated that change is inevitable and occurs over time. In this respect, the traditional management of educational organization that was majorly based on bureaucracy has changed in the recent times and schools are given a lot of autonomy to lead themselves (Davies, 2002, pp.43). Taking an example in the aspect of funding education, it is clear that not only, for example, in the United States of America where the state had overall role of financing education but in the whole world. This has changed over time because of a number of political, social and economic factors. On this basis, state governments in many countries of the world contribute only a half of the educational funding while the rest is contributed by other sources (Dessler, 2001, pp.65).

There has been a general trend towards devolved responsibility where schools are now allowed greater scope for self management and the empowerment of teachers allowing them to take professional responsibility for the learning that goes on their classes. It is of importance to note that communities that are served by schools are allowed to take broader opportunities in these schools in order to become more involved in school governance (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.156). This is a change that has occurred over a period of time and has its causes and effects.

Basically, when community members are allowed greater opportunities and involved in governance, there are the ones who are much aware of the situations of the students in these district schools and hence they direct teachers on which student requires much financial and social support (Fullan, 2007, pp.56). These changes in the organization of schools have at times been extensive and varied from systems mandated standards that permit tutors to utilize their professional judgment in determining the particular approach that should be the best for students in meeting the requirements of those standards, to the spread of charter schools which permit a lot of self management at school levels. The concept of change that characterizes it as providing positive and negative results is outlined by these changes that have been implemented in educational organizations (Bush & Middlewood, 2005, pp.28). In this case, outcomes have been disappointing especially where there is lack of management and leadership principles at school level.

A lot of changes have occurred in educational organizations settings in the last two decades and the years ahead will bring about much more changes. Most of these changes have come from developments in the external environment where educational organizations have to thrive and survive in. Sometimes changes occur without warning but experience has showed that is a very rare case hence implying that people ignore signs of change or misinterpret them.  Change is believed to be brought about by an individual to society or society to individuals and therefore in educational institutions good and well experienced managers are required who can implement positive changes (Spiro, 2010, pp.27). Taking an example in Iran, the minister of education has tried a lot in trying to reduce the high populations of students in the country’s universities. In this case, he proposed the introduction of blended education that is a mixture of face to face learning and online learning. This aspect has changed the overall education systems of this country as many students who are incapable of paying the full tuition fees in campuses are able to enroll for online learning programs. This has also relieved teachers from the burden of teaching large groups of students at universities. This is a good example of change that is brought about by an individual to the whole society.

Change is of no meaning if it is not well led and managed. In educational organizational settings, there is a requirement that well informed and experienced personnel should be selected to manage and lead change. For instance, the change that was introduced in Iranian private universities as describe above could be of no meaning if it was not properly managed and led (Rothwell et al, 2009, pp.45). Bringing about changes is one thing and managing is another. The traditional European education system that was adopted by many countries of the world is increasingly changing in extensity and scope. For instance, in the United States of America a lot of reforms are being implemented that are aimed at improving the quality of education. For instance, the No Child Left Behind Act of the year 2001 indicates that all students should be tested before they graduate from high school education to post secondary education. The responsibility and roles of testing students ranges from state to state, school to school, and from teacher to teacher. Students are tested at state level in order to examine their performance. This change has brought about a lot of positives in the education system as students are able to decide their future careers according to their performance in the numerous subjects that are tested (Hickman, 2009, pp.65). On the other hand, there are some problems that are involved in this process which indicate that changes do not only bring about positive aspects but also negative ones. In this case, students who do not want to continue with post secondary education are not helped by this testing at all (Reeves, 2009, pp.56).

Leading change implies that the change that has been introduced in educational organizations is correctly led in order to bring good yields to the directly and indirectly involved parties. If changing; professionally, organizationally, and personally, were very simple and straightforward process, there could be a lot of visions which are actualized, mission accomplished, and dreams realized (Case, 2005, pp.34). Since change is not a simple aspect to implement and manage, it is required that professionals be used in this aspect. Leading change means that providing relevant resources, engaging all parties involved in the process of implementation of change, and using effective tactics in change implementation (Roueche et al, 2008, pp.31). In the current world, leading and managing change in educational institution setting requires a lot of innovations and inventions. This is because the current world is changing at very high rate and without innovations and inventions educational institutions will lag behind.

The other aspect of change is that it should be learned. This implies that in order to for people to clearly understand changes, they must have plenty of information about the particular changes. This therefore calls for learning of changes. In the current educational institution settings, a lot of changes have been brought about by advancement in technology and hence it’s the role of teachers to train students on the ways of using this technology. For instance, many schools in the world especially in the developed world have moved from the aspect of copying notes in a book to typing notes during classes while using laptops. This is a technological change and which should be taught to students over time (Baldridge & Deal, 1975, pp.76). The best way of managing change in educational organization settings is to train parties involved (teachers, students, and seniors) on the uses of that change. The integration of learning management systems in K-12 has opened a lot of opportunities where teachers, students, and parents are able to communicate and interact online.

It has been indicated by McDonald and Stockley (2010, pp. 37) that, if something cannot be measured in an organization it becomes very difficult to manage it. In this case, changes occurring in educational organization settings need to be measured so that they can be managed. This concept of change has increasingly impacted educational organization as when changes occur they are measure accordingly and when their scopes and intensities are identified, it becomes very easy to manage them (Durrant & Holden, 2005, pp.16). For example, the change that was brought about in Iranian private universities by the minister of education to this country was measurable and hence easily managed.

The numerous changes that have occurred in educational institutions in the whole world have positively and negatively impacted these institutions. This is because a lot of students are enrolling for higher education in different universities of the world as a result of the introduction and implementation of blended learning (Werkman, 2009, pp.25). The quality of education has changed greatly as a result of introduction of new technologies in education sector and increased supply of information from the internet. Changes in educational settings are brought about by political and economic aspects. For instance the blended learning in Iran is as a result of political aspect (Silverman, 2005, pp.58). Additionally, the aspect of many governments from all over the world deciding to fund education partly is a result of economic aspects since educations has become very expensive.

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The negative side of these changes is that education in the whole globe has become very expensive and competitive especially to the international students (Paton & McCalman, 2000, pp.78). Many people are unable to pay their tuition fees while studying in different schools. Learning programs are increasingly changing with the increased technological changes in the whole world. The increase populations in different countries of the world have brought about the increased number of educational organizations. This is explained by the aspect of changes occurring over a period of time since before the last two decades, the number of schools in the whole world were very few as many people were not attending schools. In the current world, education has been defined as the key to economic success of a country and hence there is increased numbers of students at schools (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.623).

One of the contradicting aspects that are facing educational organizations in the whole world is lack of leaders and managers to identify and understand their roles. Leaders do not make plans, solve problems, or organize people but they prepare educational organizations for change and assist them cope in their struggle through change (Dubrin, 2004, pp.34). On the other hand managers, plan and budget for changes, organizing people to be prepared for change, do the staffing, control the workforce, and help in solving problems that may be brought about by this change. it should be noted that in educational organizations setting, change managers analyze the situation, motivate the parties involved in change implementations towards acceptance of this change, and set up public relations with the people (Students, teachers, communities, and administrators) who are affected by the change (Easterby-Smith et al, 2003, pp.63). Leadership in change is always of low percentage as compared to management as it was indicated by Davies (2002, 201).

Effective leadership in change is indicated by actions that create and improve organizational capabilities and management systems which are exhibited through increased interactions with governmental capacities represented by management systems. In leading change in educational organization, leaders should establish a direction, motivate people, and align them in order to be very much prepared in receiving change. It should be noted that changes are mostly rejected by people if they are not made to understand the benefits of this change (Dessler, 2001, pp.26). For instance, blended learning that was introduced in Iran and which is implemented in many other nations of the world could have been rejected by teachers if they were not motivated and aligned to receive it (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.29).

Management on the other hand involves planning, budgeting, organizing, and staffing in order to get prepared for that change. When a certain educational program or course is introduced in a campus in any country, it is the role of the managers to make sure that the project is adequately funded, the sources of funds, the personnel who will be involved in that project like who will be the head of department, which teachers will be teaching this new course and so on, and the responsibilities of each and every member of staff who will be required to take part in that project. If the numbers of tutors or trainers are not enough in undertaking this course, the management is responsible for staffing (Spiro, 2010, pp.45).

In most modern organization, management of change has become a very crucial aspect in seeking the final component of successfully managing strategy, culture, and process (Fullan, 2007, pp.36). The increased technological innovations and demographic changes that are experienced in educational institutions today require these organizations to change at very high rates. This is because, as revealed by Bush and Middlewood (2005, pp.39), change management is a continuous process where a combination of art and science is used in assuring alignment of an educational organization’s process, strategy, and structures. Researchers have indicated that leaders who are much more satisfying to their subjects are more transformational and less transactional (Spiro, 2010, pp.43). This implies that leaders should bring about changes in educational institutions in order to satisfy their followers. An effective leader recognizes that transformational changes will occur in an interaction among the followers. Educational organizations undertake political, social, economic, and technological changes that are needed in their survival and prosperity in the current environment. Teachers, students, and administrators are being involved in these changes in order to make sure that barriers of change are reduced drastically (Reeves, 2009, pp.19).

In order to effectively manage and lead change in educational organizations, there must be change agents and representatives in the management of change. Particular educational institutions should select individuals who are very much capable of bringing about change. Transformational change in education sector is very crucial and hence professionals should be used in determining what type of change that should be implemented (Hickman, 2009, pp.66). For instance, a university that intends to introduce blended learning should be able to manage the aspect of online learning by creating and designing a website where online students will be able to get class materials and present their assignments. These are preparations that should not be underestimated when talking about leading change. In the current world which is full of technological innovations, high level of leadership and management qualities are required in ensuring that educational organizations go hand in hand with the prevailing technological advancements (Rothwell et al, 2009, pp.67).

Leading change in educational organizations is ensuring that the change is making sense to those who are affected. This denotes that people outside educational organizations like community members may be affected by the changes that may be implemented (Baldridge & Deal, 1975, pp.19). There has to be some sound personal reasons why other parties like teachers, non teaching staff, local community representatives, and administrators should be engaged in the process of implementing change (Case, 2005, pp.87). For instance, if it is the case of testing students before they graduate to post secondary education, parents and teachers should be engaged in decision making. Leading change imply getting people engaged and involved with it in order to make them engage positively with it (Roueche et al, 2008, pp.67). When people are engaged in a change, there is a high probability of accepting it.

Leaders of change need to communicate and continue communicating direction and purpose of the change. It should be noted that if change is well led and managed it brings about prosperity to the people involved and the entire educational organizations. Educational organizations are involved in training students to be good managers and leaders and hence they need to be in the front line in matters relating to leading and managing change. The fact that change is inevitable should be used as strength in these organizations in making sure that they are at all times ready for changes. Additionally, as learned under the concept of change, changes are either positive, negative or even both and hence it all depends with the leaders and managers of change. In this case, if the leadership and management are good a change will be favorable (Moe & Chubb, 2009, pp.56).

Change, despite its widespread benefits is not a straightforward aspect that is welcomed by all aspects in educational organizations. This implies that there a number of factors that hinder change and it is the role and responsibility of leaders and managers of change to make sure that these barriers or resistances are counteracted. In order to identify the various ways of counteracting resistance to change, it is of great importance to identify the various barriers of change in educational organizations (McDonald & Stockley, 2010, pp.32).

Organizational change usually involves human resources in the process of altering through advancing the way things are conducted in an institution. This process is very tough for both the institution and the involved parties. It should be noted that in the process of implementing change, there can be changes in the transfer of employees, ownership, and processes of an institution (Durrant & Holden, 2005, pp.65). It is the tendency and nature of human beings to resist change and hence the agents of change usually have a very difficult time in making sure that they are able to counteract the resistances of change. Individuals resist change because of the fear that the change will negatively impact them. For instance, teachers may resist the aspect of blended learning fearing that they will be over burdened or they will be required to further their education (Tye & Tye, 1992, 65). In this case, the fear of negative impacts of change makes people and mostly the employees in educational organizations resist change. It should be noted that many people are mostly concerned with their current circumstances as compared to those of the organization and hence they fear that a change implemented would negatively impact their current circumstances (Werkman, 2009, pp.670). In this case, employees fail to recognize the positive impacts the implemented change will have to the entire organization.

In any organization, employees usually form work habits and hence they usually fear that if a change is introduced in that organization, their habits would be negatively impacted. Mostly, it is very hard to break bad habits but they must be in order for an educational organization like a university to develop (Silverman, 2005, pp.45). For instance, lecturers may have formed a habit of skipping some lectures or leaving lectures earlier than the required period of time and hence they fear that a change in the way students are taught may negatively impact their habits (Cummings & Worley, 2008, pp.34). Employee absenteeism and churn are some of the ways in which employees may manifest their resistance to changes. In this respect, lecturers may start absenting themselves from classes in order to communicate to the administration that they are not in support for the proposed change (Paton & McCalman, 2000, pp.25).

Teachers may resist change because of the worries of how their lives and work will be affected by the proposed change. This is fear of the uncertainty which makes teachers, even though they have dissatisfaction with their present jobs, to resist change (Leithwood et al, 1999, pp. 36). The concern over personal loss is another aspect that makes teachers to resist change in educational institutions. Some changes may benefit district schools but some teachers may resist this change because of the cost of change in matters relating to loss of power, salary, quality of work, and prestige. Group resistance is another aspect that needs to be addressed in identifying the barriers of change (Harris, 2007, pp.320). In this case, different groups have different norms, behaviors, and performances that are communicated to the members. If a change does not comply with these behaviors, norms, and performances of these groups, this change will be rejected (Jacobson et al, 2005, pp.630).

There are a number of ways that resistance to change may be countered and make it easy to implement change. The methods of counteracting resistance to change are not always forceful but educative and convincing where those people who are resisting change are made to understand the benefits of this change and the benefits that they and the whole institution will have when the proposed changes are implemented (Fullan, 2001, pp.65). These ways include; education and communication, participation and involvement, negotiation and agreement, facilitation and support, manipulation and cooptation, and explicit as well as implicit coercion (Wagner, 1998, pp.513).

When school leaders adequately communicate with organization members in order to assist them see the usefulness of the change and the logic behind it. Communication in any organization, as indicated by Dubrin (2004, pp.56), is very essential as it makes all people feel that they are recognized in that organization. Lack of proper communication and education makes people reject or refuse a change without knowing its implications. This is achieved through face to face communication, publications, special reports, or even formal group presentations (Bascia & Hargreaves, 2000, pp.75). By educating and communicating to each other, the leader- member relation is strengthened and characterized by mutual trust.

Educational institution’s members who are involved in the process of planning and implementing a change are less likely to resist that that as they are the ones who planned and implemented it. As a result of this therefore, as argued by Easterby-Smith et al (2003, pp.19), leaders and managers of change may allow those people oppose change to express their views on the proposed change indicating potential problems and giving suggestions on the modifications. By doing this, resistance to change will be reduced drastically (Lewis, 2011, pp.12).

During the process of implementing change, leaders should manifest facilitative and supportive leadership conducts. This is done by listening to teachers’ ideas, using teachers’ ideas that have merits, and being approachable (Davies, 2002, pp.201). Leaders make the working conditions more pleasant by supporting the organizational members. For instance they may develop the staff by helping them acquire more skills that are crucial in implementing the change especially at difficulty times. Such behaviors are likely to diminish resistance to change (Dessler, 2001, pp.39).

Through provision of incentives for cooperation, leaders are able to neutralize actual or potential resistance. For example when there is a collective bargaining at school between the school board and different employee unions, employees can be given certain concessions in order to provide their support for a new program proposed by the school leaders (Hargreaves et al, 2010, pp.43). These concessions may be things like bonuses, increased union representations in decision making, and increments in salaries. By doing this, the leaders will be reducing the level of resistance of employees to a proposed change (Chrusciel, 2008, pp.150).

In order to make sure that a change will be successful, school leaders chose to be much selective on the people who are supposed to get information, how much information, the accuracy of that information, and when to disseminate the information (Fullan, 2007, pp.17). Additionally, resistance to change may be reduced by giving the leaders of resisting groups the main roles in decision making about the change. This will help in identifying their views and making sure that they propose something which they cannot resist (Bush & Middlewood, 2005, pp.78). It should be noted that the main reason for seeking the advice of resisters is not to arrive at a better decision but to make sure that their endorsement is adequately captured. These two methods are less costly in influencing potential resisters to accept change but they may backfire especially when the resisters know that they are being tricked (Lieberman, 2005, pp.16). In this case therefore, they should be conducted with great care not to bring about more problems.

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Force or coercion should be used as the last resort when all other ways have failed in making people accept change. It should be noted that some changes require urgent or immediate implementation and hence coercion may be used to force the resistors to accept it (Spiro, 2010, pp.89). This can be done by threatening resistors that they will lose their jobs, their salaries will be frozen, or they will be demoted if they do not comply with the change. Coercion should be used with great care since there are negative effects that are associated with it (Horsford, 2010, pp.43). These effects include; alienation, revenge, frustration, and fear which may result in employees’ turnover, dissatisfaction, and poor performance (Hussey, 2000, pp.17).

As indicated earlier in this study, changes are influenced by political and economic factors. In order to implement changes in educational organizations, leaders require seeking a lot of support from the local authorities, from teachers, students, ministry of education, and even the government. This is because political aspects may be used as a way of resisting change (Hiatt & Creasey, 2003, pp.60). Politicization of changes in educational institutions is a concept that is taking place in many parts of the world. In this case, when leaders want their proposed changes to be accepted by the teachers, students, workers’ unions, and other parties, they introduce certain elements of politics (Morrison, 1998, pp.78). When the political leaders are not happy with the proposed change they may ensure that it is not accepted by the affected parties. This is done by lobbying for resistance or by making sure that the affected parties are made to recognize the negative effects of this change. This, as revealed by Sims and Sims (2004, pp.13) is very destructive and may lead to resistance of this change. Change is brought about by individuals and communicated to individuals and hence the political aspect is introduced in this change (McLaughlin, 1977, pp.56).

Change is influenced by economic conditions prevailing in a certain educational organization at a certain period of time. In this case, a change proposed by leaders should be within the proposed budgets of managers in order to avoid proposing a very expensive change (Lee et al, 2004, pp.12). As indicated in leading and managing change, it is the work of managers but not leaders to ensure that there are adequate resources to support the proposed change. On this basis, a change that is too expensive will not be accepted by many people despite the fact that it may be very beneficial (Giacquinta, 1973, pp.180). This is because there will be no resources (capital, human, and physical) to support it. It is therefore very imperative for leaders and managers of change to consider the politics and economics of change before they implement them.

Dynamism is a concept of change and it is characterized with it. Change is dynamic meaning that it keeps on changing with changes in economics, politics, and technologies among other aspects. In this case, aspects in educational organizations change from the past situation through the current to the future. These changes that are characterized with change drastically influence the educational organizations (Pugh, 1974, pp.67). According to Moe and Chubb (2009, pp.34), over a period of time education in higher institutions has gone under a large number of changes. For instance, in the past higher education in both private and public educational institutions was characterized by face to face learning (Sunaina & George, 2005, pp.56).

This aspect has changed drastically in the present situations where many campuses especially private campuses in the developed and developing world have introduced blended learning that encompasses both traditional face to face learning and online learning (Clarke et al, 2000). This is an aspect of dynamism of change that is experienced in the whole world. It should be noted that the aspect of dynamism of change has helped a lot the educational institutions in introducing and implementing a change (Brickell, 1962, pp.84). This is because that type of change that is implemented today may change in the future. When implementing change for instance introducing online learning, campuses usually take into consideration the future aspects of this change. In this case, the leaders and managers of change consider what will be the future changes that will be brought about by the proposed change (Jellison, 2006, pp.45).

Leaders of change should understand the dynamics of change as they are normal outcomes in order to avoid over reacting to the conducts of teachers or workers’ unions. People in most cases feel ill and awkward as well as self conscious when a change is introduced. In this case, when teachers or other employees in educational organizations are required to do things differently, their habitual ways are disrupted (Pugh, 1974, pp.56). As they try to eliminate the old responses and learn the new change, they tend to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Despite the fact that the new changes will bring about positive results both to the employees and the educational institutions in general, employees tend to concentrate mostly on what they will lose rather than the profits or benefits that will be accrued (Moe, T. and Chubb, 2009, pp.34). This indicates that people focus mainly on what they will have to give up when they accept the change. When change leaders in these institutions are very much aware of these dynamics, they will be in a position to deal with employees in the appropriate way (Sunaina & George, 2005, pp.56). It is therefore of great importance for the leaders to acknowledge the loss of the old ways and should not be frustrated with irrational or tentative responses to change.

In most cases, people affected by a change usually feel alone even though everyone else is undergoing through the same change process. This is because each and every individual wants to feel that their situations are special and unique (Brickell, 1962, pp.83). This results in the aspect of isolation for the people who are undergoing the change. In this respect, change leaders should be gentle and proactive in making sure they show the employees that their situations are understood (Clarke et al, 2000). The magnitude of change is a very essential aspect to put into consideration because people are usually unable to handle too much change within a very short time period. Employees in educational organizations will only be able to undergo small changes per certain period of time in order to remain functional (Jellison, 2006, pp.89). It is true that some changes are beyond the control of employees or the parties that are affected by these changes and hence it becomes more advantageous if changes are not piled upon changes.

When any type of change in introduced, there are its supporters and those people who have difficulties in adapting.This indicates that people are at diverse levels of readiness for change. Those people who resist changes initially they come to accept them afterwards (Pugh, 1974, pp.67). In this case, those people who are more ready for changes are in a better position of influencing others to accept them. This can be done through open discussions that are allowed in educational institutions (Moe & Chubb, 2009, pp.34).

change is a concept that occurs over a period of time and from time to time. Not all people in an organization are ready for this change and hence it can be resisted by some people. It is therefore the role of change leaders to make sure that all people are incorporated in the process of adapting change. The managers of change in educational institutions should ensure that there are enough resources for the implementation of a new change. It is very essential for leaders to understand the views of all people in order to avoid much resistance to change.

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April 28, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Educational Resources Awards (ERA) 2011 – Obzipod Activity Table Set

The Obzipod Activity Table is a unique table providing a flexible classroom storage solution and demonstrates how learning and furniture resources can be combined and multipurpose in both early years and primary environments.

The concept was to create an organic modular design for the purpose of tessellating into an activity outdoor classroom space. The aim was to provide a multipurpose Activity Table to support several activities such as Science, Art and for younger children Messy Play and Finding Out.

The Obzipod Activity Table combines a play tray, table and lightweight storage tub that is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. The key objectives when developing this new resource was to include:
• A sturdy yet lightweight activity table that could both operate as a learning tool and storage for any additional resources used
• In-built compartments that can contain messy play, plants, art & craft materials and a range of items children can collect and observe. These activities are also supported by the magnifier containers included with the Obzipod Activity Table Pack
• A clear lid when the in-built compartments are not required either to allow the Obzipod to be used as a conventional table for all kinds of general activity such as writing and arts & craft, or as a propagator option for germination of seeds and growing small shoots, ideal for science lessons
• A mobile modular storage unit with activity tray to give the option for tessellation of several pods together, into an exciting outdoor classroom space which will utilize the lockable castors (this is to ensure the tables are firm and will stay stationary on their wheels)
• Ample playing area for up to four children to use comfortably, great for encouraging group work and activities
• A lightweight yet tough design that was durable enough to withstand repeated use, and fitted into any classroom environment whilst bringing with it opportunities to make activities more interactive and exciting for children

 

We believe this product deserves to win as it is the only multipurpose activity product of its kind available on the market. It can accommodate many types of resources for outdoor or indoor based lessons, at a time when teachers are required to maximise all spaces and improve learning experiences.

This unique product allows the teacher to transport resources quickly to wherever the lesson is to be held and set up activities quickly and easily. Due to the modular design of the Obzipod Activity Table, several can be grouped together with different resources in each to create a separate learning space.

Due to the Obzipod Activity Table’s unique design allowing it to be used as a conventional table for children to work at, plus a mobile storage unit, observation unit and creative/messy play work station for use indoors and outdoors, this new product is extremely good value for money and offers teachers and practitioners the flexibility they need when space is limited.

We sent the Obzipod Activity Table to two local primary schools; Lyndhurst Primary School and Arundale Primary School, to get their reaction to this newly developed resource and see what their children made of it. Here are their comments:

Lyndhurst Primary School
Ann Burke, Year 2 Teacher

“The Obzipod Activity Table is ideal for the classroom due to the range of different activities you can do with it. The opportunities for exploration, messy play, indoor and outdoor use, plus its portable design and shape allows the children to fit into the table and easily reach all of the pods.
For outdoor activities its great for finding out and investigating bugs and plants, whilst encouraging independent learning, all of which can be related to other topic work and develop talking and vocabulary.

We liked the shape and size and the individual compartments which are suitably shaped for messy play and inspire staff to change their contents. So far we’ve used the pods for plants and bug hunting, messy play, colour mixing with paints, sorting and counting in maths and identifying shapes and colours.

We haven’t seen anything like this available before; it is truly unique and that is what we like about it!”

The children were very keen to use the Obzipod Activity Table, and were excited to learn new things and see how it worked. Here are some of the comments the children made:

“We liked the magnifying glasses, taking them around and looking at stuff.”

“I liked looking at new things.”

Arundale Primary School
Tony Hoskin, KS1 Teacher

“We found the Obzipod Activity Table provided a good opportunity for questioning and discussion within small groups of children, and it encouraged children to use observational skills. The activities we did around the table helped to support personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world, and language development, and was a great additional learning tool to enhance topic based activities and develop new discussions and language. There are several opportunities for peer to peer questioning and also adult to peer questioning and discussion, whilst encouraging turn taking and social development.

It is an excellent piece of equipment with endless opportunities. It’s a very new idea and we like the overall design and style/colour.

Our pupils were very excited because the table was new to us all. The children were very interested in taking turns to view the objects inside the Obzipod as the day continued, and were keen to talk about what other things we could put in the pods.”

Here are some of the comments the children came back with:
“We can look at everything in the world!”

“Makes everything massive”

“It can have all different stuff in it”

Hope Education provides teaching resources and educational supplies for teachersaround the UK to pre, primary and secondary schools. Obzipod Activity Table is one of the best primary resource

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April 24, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

MBA Education opportunities

Students who are interested in managing a business have a myriad of options to choose from as many MBA Colleges are offering different specialization programmes in this field to enhance the skills of the students. Choosing one option might look like an overwhelming task but students can opt for a programme by analyzing their goals and strengths. Business schools have studies the needs of firms in an efficient way.

Schooling in a proper way makes the students fully prepared for the business organizations as required skills are incorporated in them during the programme. The curriculum is designed in such a way so that the students are able to utilize the given opportunity to the max, and are able to go for the important decisions in their life later.

These days, having MBA education makes you desirable and you have bright chances of gaining entry in reputed organizations and earning handsome salary. The needs for managers is growing day by day in many firms and by having the mention of this degree on your resume, you are assured of a great start in the corporate world. All over India, you will find many colleges offering this course to educate pupils and so far the response has been overwhelming.

 

After the completion of the studies, the individual is fit to apply for any high level post as he has all the requited skills which are mandatory for a manager. The syllabi are designed in such a way that all the requirements are fulfilled in a proper manner. The course teaches student how to solve the issues and organizational problems on daily basis and how to motivate employees and provide them with a feeling of recognition so they work harder towards the achievement of a common goal. The leader ship qualities of the manager also help him to lead a tem consisting of a group of employees which is also taught in many MBA colleges. Students have a good knowledge of the department like marketing and finance.

Finance is another specialization programme which is focused on the studies so that the students are able to learn the intricate details concerning investment funds and how the business’s capital and cash is managed to profit the organization. This stream of knowledge emphasizes on the learning of finance, business and ethics pertaining to organizations. The finance programme trains the students to manage the funds of the business in a planned way. MBA in Indiawill provide you with many options to learn and apply the imparted skills in the real world.

These days, working in a global atmosphere won’t give you an edge like working with the international people which is a sure shot way to reach the unimaginable height in any organization. Having an international based degree will allow the students how to tackle the organizational problems in a multi culture; and a diverse land. They will be able to understand what it takes to run an organization with several departments like marketing, finance and production.

So don’t think twice before enrolling in the college to attain this degree as you will not lose, but gain a whole lot of qualities.

ISBF has been established to impart quality education with international recognition in the area of Economics, CFP, Management and Business Schoolsin India.

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April 23, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

MBA Education for Banking and Non-Banking Managerial Jobs

Business schools in many countries offer management courses tailored to full time, part-time, executive and distance learning MBA programs. Since MBA degree from any well-known institute not only offers recognition, but also a high salary package, a wide range of MBA programs are tailored with specialized concentrations like finance, marketing, accounting, information technology, human resource management and many other fields. In India, some MBA colleges offer post graduation diploma courses called PGDM programs which are approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). AITCE is an apex Indian government undertaking with a view to improve the qualitative technical education system throughout the country and regulate the norms and standards for planning the quantitative growth and matters connected therewith. Since the strength of any country’s economy lies in finance and banking sectors, the importance of MBAs in these sectors cannot be understated.

In India, all types of commercial banks, public sector banks, rural banks, foreign banks, private banks and urban co-operative banking institutions play a significant role in boosting the economy and financial position of the country. MBA degree is considered to be the foremost qualification which is required by these banking and financial institutions for their managerial level positions. MBA education in finance provides important knowledge about the financial skills and solutions for the issues relating to the domestic and international banking and services. Market analysis and cash management skills are two important areas which every MBA student must know how to handle. MBA with specialization in finance offers to learn a variety of subjects like costing, budgeting, corporate finance, international finance, investments, working capital finance and securities etc. MBAs pursuing their courses in finance can start their career in any investment firm or any banking institute as an associate manager. MBA in finance from top MBA colleges offers lucrative job placements from big companies and financial institutes. An MBA in finance has options to work with leading banks and non-banking institutions. He or she might have an option to work as a securities analyst or working with brokerage firms dealing in buying and selling of securities.

Degree of MBA in India from any reputed college is considered to be one of the most sought after degree aimed at providing high class management studies. Since the studies of marketing teaches about the art of selling products and services, MBAs has to analyze and assess the feasibility of products and services according to the market demand. They are required to introduce marketing strategies for marketing new products. They have to set marketing goals and have to work on branding, planning and adoption of promotional campaigns. In other words, marketing MBAs have to bring out new ideas and concepts which can help the companies and organizations to grow and prosper. Marketing MBA courses are designed to help inculcate good reasoning and problem solving skills which can help the individual to sell and market the products in difficult situations. MBA in marketing offers good pay-scale packages and jobs in this area are always in demand for all commercial, industrial and corporate sectors.

ISBF has been established to impart quality education with international recognition in the area of Economics, CFP, Management and MBA Educationcourses in India.

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April 22, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Landmark Education on Communication

Everyone at some point has experienced an impasse in communication; those frustrating occasions when it all breaks down and people want to get up and walk out. Just look at a sample of recent headlines: “Peace Talks Breakdown” or “Labor Negotiations at a Stalemate” or “Negotiations Fail to Result in an Accord”. When the stakes are high and people are afraid they have something to loose communication becomes strained and people stop listening to one another. Usually this is while claiming that the people on the other side of the table are actually the ones who are not doing the listening. We get so concerned and fearful about getting other people to hear what we have to say, we become unwilling to hear what they have to say.

 

Indeed, listening seems sometimes as if it is a rare happening among human beings. We can’t really listen to another person speaking if we’re preoccupied, or if we’re trying to decide what we’re going to say when the other stops talking, or if we’re debating about whether what is being spoken is true or relevant or agreeable. Listening, in other words, is being accessible and open to what is being said.

 

At Landmark Education we contend that listening has an amazing power. It gives life to what is being spoken. You might even say it is with the listener that both the speaker and what is spoken exist and come alive. Think of how inspired and enlivened the elderly can become when you sit down and have an extended conversation with them. Think about what happens when someone is really listening to you. Ever notice that you become funnier and more playful when someone laughs at your jokes? What about when a child recognizes that adults are actually listening to them? Their whole demeanor shifts. In the programs of Landmark Education, you find yourself with a new ability to listen to others. You find yourself inspired by the people you have in your life. When you truly listen to people you discover the best of what they have to offer.

 

Speaking, meanwhile, can be something more than talking, more than the exchange of symbols or information, more than saying what you really think. In speaking we can share ourselves; we can evoke experience in others. Speaking is where our ideas become clear and possible. It is where others are expanded by our time spent with them. It allows for the futures we create. Speaking lives in poetry, in the appreciation of another, in idle conversations that pass the time, in great theories and books that give rise to wonder and thought.

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Speaking allows for “who” and “how” we “are” in the world. It is what gives voice to all that is possible in being human. In our ability to speak and share we have the ability to shape the world we live in.

 

In the courses of Landmark Education you find that true communication is creation. It has the power to shape, determine, and alter the course and quality of our lives. It moves people. It generates experience in others. It not only delivers information to others, it actually transforms their ability to hear. True communication transforms both the speaker and listener.

The Landmark Forum suggests that what it is to be human has its own domain and that domain is one of language—of communication, of conversation. Through communication —the realm of language, of conversation—each of us has complete access to ourselves, to others, to the very essence and possibility of what it means to be human.

 

This is the essence of what Landmark Education is about and what The Landmark Forum provides.

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April 21, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

MBA Education for Better Career Growth

MBA or Master of Business Administration is considered to be the most popular and sought after degree in the world and is becoming prerequisite for management positions. MBA education program is designed to equip students with the understanding of major business functions and enhances the skills required to view things with a business perspective.

MBA is becoming an ideal post- graduate qualification for taking up good and rewarding jobs in management. It can also be pursued by anyone who has already done any technical or professional course and is willing to go for a senior management position in any company. So, it becomes necessary to do an MBA from amongst the best business schools for those who wish to work in business and management and want a good career growth, considering great demand of MBA graduates in the corporate world. Apart from the basic educational curriculum, students are vigorously trained and given exposure to industry.

The main advantages of doing MBA are:

• MBA education will help in getting a higher or supervising position in your field and thus helps in career advancement.

• MBA helps in starting own business and preparing for drawing up of the business plans for reception of the starting capital and successful working of the company. Since, MBAs are credited with functional knowledge of business and development of inter-personal skills required for problem solving, these very much help in making the businesses sustain and grow.

 

• MBA education strengthens the knowledge and skills of an individual and offers a chance to develop a wide spectrum of the general business functioning and ability to adapt to new environments by developing communication and inter-personal skills.

• Many MBA collegesoffer courses in different fields like Agribusiness, Aviation, Banking , Biotechnology, Brand Management , Business Administration, Business Management, Clinical Research, Economics, Construction Management, Fashion Designing, Finance, Health Care, Hospital Administration, Hospitality Management , Hotel Management, Human Resources ( HR) , Information Technology, Infrastructure Management , Insurance & Risk Management, International Business, Logistics , Marketing, Materials Management , Media , Oil & Gas, Operations Management, Personnel Management, Petroleum Studies, Pharmacy, Public Relations, Real Estate , Retail Management , Rural Management , Sales & Marketing , Supply Chain Management, Telecom Management and Tourism. So, students have the choice of pursing MBA in different areas of their preference.

• MBA education helps in developing good analytical, quantitative, decision making, leadership and communication skills. In other words, it improves the personality of an individual and makes him or her all-rounder who can work and perform in any type of business environment.

Due to globalization and liberalization, education of MBA in India is gaining a great momentum. The rapid growing economy and post-recession resilience have convinced students from many countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Spain and the United Kingdom to take up MBA programs at leading Indian business schools. With the growing needs of the industry for world class managers, the institutes offering MBAs programs have also gone up in the recent years.

ISBF has been established to impart quality education with international recognition in the area of Economics, CFP, Management and Business Schools in India.

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April 20, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink

Top Educational Supplies for 2011

As we approach the end of the year, thoughts once again turn to fresh starts, new beginnings and making the most of the New Year.

The Classroom is an excellent environment to apply these thought processes; its great for opportunities to try new things, learn a new subject or simply to improve grades and really excel, making 2011 a top year for learning and improving.

To help equip for these New Year Academic goals, an excellent supplier of educational resources is essential. Having one which can provide the best range of great quality products that cover the entire curriculum for all age groups can be tricky to find at the best of times!

So it’s good to know that some suppliers have managed to achieve this by becoming fantastic one-stop-shops for everything you could possibly need to get ahead in 2011.

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These top suppliers are well stocked and packed full of new and innovative educational resources which have been designed to not only aid learning, but to engage pupils, make learning fun & interesting and to ensure you get the most out of teaching in 2011.

If that’s not enough, some of these suppliers have gone the extra mile by having their educational resources tried and tested (and highly approved!) by industry experts and associations which really helps when making decisions. After all, investing in education is so important, it should be done with confidence and peace of mind. So the extra effort made by these educational suppliers really does pay off.

Another great feature of these educational one stop shops which is well worth mentioning is the exceptional quality and value across their entire range. The products are great value for money and thanks to their quality materials and design will stand the test of time, proving to be a lasting resource which cn be used well into the next new year too!

So why not set some Academic goals for 2011 and see what you can achieve or indeed, help others to achieve with the right tools and support from these top Educational Suppliers.

Hope provides teaching resources and educational teacher supplies around the UK to pre, primary and secondary schools

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April 19, 2011 Posted by: Leave a comment - Permalink