Zimbabwe's AIDS action programme for schools

AIDS education started very early in Zimbabwe and is now compulsory in all schools. This evaluation documents the development of the primary and secondary school AIDS Action Programme from 1991 to 1998. Six programme aspects were evaluated: programme start-up, planning and management, development of syllabi and materials, teacher training, research, monitoring and evaluation, and co-ordination. The Programme drew on resources from within the existing educational system. Due to broad-based consultation and participation, it was supported by Government and partners. Flexible management ensured implementation of mid-course corrections. It was concluded that school AIDS programmes should stress participatory teaching and learning methods and life-skills training. Curriculum writers and teachers needed training and supervision in participatory techniques. Cluster workshops between district and school levels were needed to strengthen the cascade model of teacher training that had been adopted. Systematic research, monitoring and evaluation were essential, including follow-ups to baseline surveys. The Zimbabwean programme was well-designed, relatively inexpensive and replicable.     

美国小学ESL教学的特色与启示——以密歇根州红杉小学为例

美国是移民国家，它的小学ESL课程根据学生不同的语言文化背景来进行教学。其中，密歇根州红杉小学的ESL教学颇具特色。通过概述其在课程资源开发、教学策略及教学评价方面的特色，希冀对我国小学外语教学的课程资源观、教学策略观以及教学评价观的转变有一定的借鉴与启示作用。     

Equity and ‘No Fee’ Schools in South Africa: Challenges and Prospects

Despite almost 20 years of democratic governance in South Africa, there is growing evidence that equitable access to quality education remains elusive for the majority of its children. In 2007, the Department of Education declared 40 per cent of schools in the country to be ‘no fee’ schools and, by 2011, 60 per cent of all schools had been designated as such. This article examines the introduction and the effects to date of the no fee schools policy, and assesses the progress of South Africa's undoubtedly pro‐poor education policies towards promoting equality in education and, above all, achieving equity of access to resource allocation. It discusses the main challenges and issues relating to the implementation of the no fee policy at provincial and school levels while also considering the efficacy of existing equitable funding instruments, and concludes with suggestions for how more effective and equitable access to quality education can be realized.     

Elementary renewal theorems for widely dependent random variables with applications to precise large deviations

Abstract

On the basis of Wang and Cheng (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 384 (2011) 597–606), this paper further investigates elementary renewal theorems for counting processes generated by random walks with widely orthant dependent increments. The obtained results improve the corresponding ones of the above-mentioned paper mainly in the sense of weakening the moment conditions on the positive parts of the increments. Meanwhile, a revised version of strong law of large numbers for random walks with widely orthant dependent increments is established, which improves Theorem 1.4 of Wang and Cheng (2011 Wang, Y., and D. Cheng. 2011. Basic renewal theorems for a random walk with widely dependent increments and their applications. Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications 384 (2):597–606. doi:10.1016/j.jmaa.2011.06.010.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) by enlarging the regions of dominating coefficients. Finally, by using the above results, some precise large deviation results for a nonstandard renewal risk model are established, in which the innovations are widely orthant dependent random variables with common heavy tails, and the inter-arrival times are also widely orthant dependent.     

Generalizability of an adult-validated model for predicting increased physical activity in after-school program children: Effects of treatment formats on fitness indicators

Inappropriately high weight in children is a persistent problem in the United States, and physical activity is often reduced in schools due to academic demands. Effective after-school programs could positively impact both physical activity and overweight/obesity, however previous reviews and meta-analyses have indicated minimal effects. Both 4- and 3-day/week versions of a social cognitive theory-driven physical activity/nutrition after-school program were evaluated against unstructured care to assess effects in children (overall M_age = 10.00 years, SD = .80). For changes over 9 months in body mass index (BMI), effects sizes (Cohen’s d) were .68, .40, and .07 in the 4-day (n = 70), 3-day (n = 70), and unstructured (n = 50) groups, respectively. Similar patterns of effects were found for changes in free-time physical activity and cardiovascular endurance. Incorporating a theory-based prediction model previously supported in teens through older adults, with and without medical disorders and health-risk factors, improvements in exercise-related self-regulation and self-efficacy, and mood, significantly predicted increased free-time physical activity (R² = .48). Effects significantly strengthened to R² = .62 when completion/non-completion of the recommended 300 min/week of physical activity was also accounted for. Change in BMI was inversely related to physical activity change, β=-.14, p < .05. The present evaluation process indicated promising effects, and indicated theory-based targets to foster future program improvements.     

综合性大学背景下教师教育改革的再思考

进入新的历史发展时期,综合性大学背景下的教师教育,要实现持续性的发展变革,与时俱进,就必须建立开放的教师教育体系,推进教师职业专业化进程,坚持为基础教育服务,以深化教师教育改革为持久动力,进一步提高人才培养质量.     

Urban community as resource: Evaluation of the mentors in Toledo schools program

We report findings from an evaluation of the Mentors in Toledo Schools program (MITS), which pairs adult community volunteers with elementary school students in need of reading support. Begun in 2012, MITS now operates in five elementary schools in Toledo Public Schools. A quasi-experimental study of 379 students (n = 128 mentored, n = 251 comparison) tested the effectiveness of MITS, using changes (fall to spring) in students’ scores on STAR Reading. Multilevel models demonstrate students who participated in MITS made statistically significant, and educationally meaningful, reading gains compared to students who did not participate. Further, an investigation of the importance of dosage revealed that number of mentoring sessions is related to students’ outcomes; students who participated in reading mentoring at least once per week showed the most educationally meaningful improvements. We also report qualitative feedback from adult program participants, including teachers, mentors, and site coordinators, to help contextualize the STAR Reading results. These findings speak to the opportunity for community volunteers to act as low-cost and effective supports for urban elementary school students who are at-risk for reading failure.     

凉山民族地区小学全科教师现状与培养途径

凉山民族地区是全国三大深度贫困地区,目前小学师资缺乏的问题普遍存在,进而造成小学全科教师师资不足在凉山民 族地区普遍存在。小学全科教师以跨学科教学为核心能力,而目前凉山民族地区的小学全科教师未达到这样的要求。凉山民 族地区小学全科教师应该是在掌握民族文化的基础上,以跨学科教学能力为核心,具有较好的实践教学能力,承担多门不同学 科课程的教学。凉山民族地区全科教师发展具有一定特殊性和历史性,针对其培养可以采用以公费师范生和普通小学全科教 师选拔培养为主要途径,结合本专科不同层级培养,加大现有凉山民族地区小学全科教师在职培训力度,最终实现凉山民族地 区小学全科教师专业素养达标。     

略论近代美国新教传教士在华的教育活动

美国新教传教士在中国的教育活动以建立的教会学校最为典型,它是中国近代历史上的特殊的文化现象,对促进中国高等教育现代化以及中西文化交流起着重要的作用。文章对教会学校的三个发展阶段进行了论述,并对这一现象进行了评价。     

“工科电工电子基础课程教学基地”建设的实践与思考

本文介绍了电子科技大学在国家“工科电工电子基础课程教学基地”建设中的改革思路、建设内容和实施方案。提出了“基地建设”要以转变教育思想、更新教育观念为先导,以深化教学体系和课程内容改革为核心,适应现代电子信息技术发展和经济社会对人才需求的建设指导思想;总结了在构建教学体系、更新教学内容、建设精品课程、建设师资队伍、创建一流实验教学环境等方面的成功经验。