Future Directions In Education Research Articles

Introduction: a report on the National Multicultural Conference and Summit II.

Multiculturalism, in its broadest terms, not only is defined by race and ethnicity but also involves topics of gender, sexual orientation, and disability. Underlying this notion is the assumption that there is no one way to conceptualize human behavior, no one theory that explains the realities and experiences of various forms of diversity, and no particular set of competencies that have been proven to be effective with every form of diversity. Yet, it is possible to seek and provide information that can move psychologists and other social scientists forward in the search for multicultural awareness, respect, and competence. The 2nd National Multicultural Conference and Summit, held in January 2001 in Santa Barbara, California, was designed to promote knowledge about multiculturalism in these broad terms. This introduction to the special section is designed to (a) provide an overview of the proceedings of the Summit, (b) identify themes that emerged throughout the Summit with a special focus on the major keynote addresses, and (c) recommend future directions for education, training, practice, and research in multicultural psychology.

Future Directions in Education and Inclusion of Students with Disabilities: A Delphi Investigation

This article reports on a survey of 37 educators regarding future directions in the education of students with disabilities. The survey used the Delphi technique. For the decade of the 1990s and after the year 2000, respondents' predictions included the following: The movement toward increasing inclusion will occur; the belief will prevail that people with disabilities have a right to participate in inclusive environments; students with mild disabilities will be educated in general classrooms; teachers will increase their use of instructional approaches such as cooperative learning and instructional technology; and researchers will focus on matching instructional needs with learner characteristics.

Bilingualism in education and bilingual education: The state of the art in the United States

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the current status and future directions of education for limited English proficient (LEP) students in elementary and secondary schools in the United States. First, the context of current educational activities is established through a brief description of the following topics: -estimates of numbers of LEP school‐aged children;-legislative history of bilingual education;-estimates of qualified teachers for LEP students;-role of the Department of Education in the education of LEP students. Following this, issues related to current U.S. government initiatives in the education of LEP students are discussed. The effects of these initiatives on the following areas are described: -types of school programmes now eligible for federal funding;-network of services being provided to school districts serving LEP populations;-teacher training programmes,-recent research findings that are affecting the education of LEP students. Finally, an assessment of probable future directions in the education of LEP students in the United States is discussed. These directions include: -research on effectiveness of different methods for teaching English as a second language (ESL);-development of content‐based ESL programmes and materials;-training of regular classroom teachers to meet the needs of LEP students;-efforts to improve the quality of programme evaluation;-research on second‐language learning strategies.

Assessment of Directions and Opportunities in Current and Future Materials Education

There is considerable excitement and some turmoil in undergraduate and graduate education in the broad field of materials, as well as in its subfields of metallurgy, ceramics, and polymers. While the reasons are many, the underlying driver is the growth in the visibility and diversity of a young field evolving rapidly into a true discipline, much like chemical engineering and biology from their early roots mainly in chemistry.The University Materials Council (UMC), the group representing accredited materials departments has had a longstanding, obvious interest in education and has been actively involved in assessing current and future directions. More recently, a comprehensive study under the auspices of the National Research Council (the Materials Science and Engineering Study), has been undertaken to develop a unified view of recent progress and new directions in materials science and engineering (MSE), and to assess future opportunities and needs. As part of this ambitious endeavor, a panel on education (Panel 5) was established with the following charges:• To investigate and document existing human resources in MSE;• To identify future directions of education in MSE, including education in and out of materials departments;• To identify needs and opportunities for increasing interdisciplinarity in MSE; and• To identify needs and opportunities in lifelong education.

Appropriate Education for All Incarcerated Youth

Many incarcerated handicapped youth do not receive the educational services to which they are entitled under federal and state mandates. This paper takes the position that problems associated with providing educational services to those youth will not be remedied until appropriate educational services are available to all adjudicated youth. After reviewing problems related to providing educational services in detention, strategies adopted by the Los Angeles County Juvenile Court Schools to meet the needs of all incarcerated youth are discussed. The paper concludes with a discussion of future directions in education for incarcerated handicapped youth.