Major Challenges Facing Higher Education in the Arab World: Quality Assurance and Relevance

Major Challenges Facing Higher Education in the Arab World: Quality Assurance and Relevance
Author: Adnan Badran
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2019-03-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030037746

This book focuses on two crucial issues that need to be addressed as a matter of urgency by universities in the Arab region, namely (a) conducting independent assessments of the quality of their teaching, research, administration, governance, and planning; and (b) determining the relevance of their teaching, research, and societal impacts. Although well-established around the world in manufacturing industries and private-sector service industries, including the research and commercialisation arms of the major universities and research institutes, it is only in recent years that quality-assurance (QA) assessments have started to be applied to most aspects education. Several Arab universities are adopting various forms of QA but some variants are little more than bureaucratic “box-ticking” exercises with minimal commitment by staff to the ultimate aim of continuing self-improvement. This book will be of interest to senior management at faculty and departmental level and above in all Arab universities specifically, and more generally in Islamic institutions of higher education. Senior management in other universities, especially in the developing world will benefit from its analyses and recommendations.

Absent from School

Absent from School
Author: Michael A. Gottfried
Publisher: Harvard Education Press
Total Pages: 310
Release: 2021-03-09
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1682532798

In Absent from School, Gottfried and Hutt offer a comprehensive and timely resource for educators and policy makers seeking to understand the scope, impact, and causes of chronic student absenteeism. The editors present a series of studies by leading researchers from a variety of disciplines that address which students are missing school and why, what roles schools themselves play in contributing to or offsetting patterns of absenteeism, and ways to assess student attendance for purposes of school accountability. The contributors examine school-based initiatives that focus on a range of issues, including transportation, student health, discipline policies, and protections for immigrant students, as well as interventions intended to improve student attendance. Only in the past two or three years has chronic absenteeism become the focus of attention among policy makers, civil rights advocates, and educators. Absent from School provides the first critical, systematic look at research that can inform and guide those who are working to ensure that every child is in school and learning every day.

The On-track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation

The On-track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation
Author: Elaine Marie Allensworth
Publisher:
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: High school attendance
ISBN: 9780972603560

The First Year Of High School Is A Critical Transition Period For Students, Those Who Succeed In Their First Year Are More Likely To Continue To Do well in The Following Years And Eventually Graduate. Because A Successful Transition Into High School Is So Important, In 1999 The Consortion Developed An Indicator To Gauge Whether Students Make Sufficient Progress In Their Freshman Year Of High School To Be On-Track To Graduate Within Four Years. The Evidence Presented Here Suggests That the On-Track Indicator Can Be A Valuable Tool For Parents, Schools, And The School System As They Work To Improve Students Likelihood Of Graduating.

Preschool Attendance in Chicago Public Schools

Preschool Attendance in Chicago Public Schools
Author: Stacy B. Ehrlich
Publisher: Consortium on Chicago School Research
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2014-05-05
Genre: Education, Preschool
ISBN: 9780989799430

Students who attend preschool regularly are significantly more likely than chronically absent preschoolers, those who missed at least 10 percent of the school year, to be ready for kindergarten and to attend school regularly in later grades. The study, which followed 25,000 three- and four-year-olds served by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) school-based preschool programs, finds chronic absenteeism is rampant among preschoolers in Chicago. In 2011-2012, almost half of three-year-olds and more than one-third of four-year-olds were chronically absent. This report examines the extent of preschool absenteeism and the reasons preschool students are absent. It also examines the relationship between preschool absences and students' scores on measures of kindergarten readiness in math, letter recognition, and social-emotional development, as well as assessments of second-grade reading fluency. Ultimately, students who miss more preschool have lower kindergarten readiness scores, and students who are chronically absent in preschool are more likely to be chronically absent in kindergarten and have lower second grade reading scores. However, students who enter preschool with the weakest skills benefit the most from regular attendance.

The Toolbox Revisited

The Toolbox Revisited
Author: Clifford Adelman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2006
Genre: Education
ISBN:

The Toolbox Revisited is a data essay that follows a nationally representative cohort of students from high school into postsecondary education, and asks what aspects of their formal schooling contribute to completing a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s. The universe of students is confined to those who attended a four-year college at any time, thus including students who started out in other types of institutions, particularly community colleges.

Testing Statistical Assumptions in Research

Testing Statistical Assumptions in Research
Author: J. P. Verma
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2019-04-02
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 1119528410

Comprehensively teaches the basics of testing statistical assumptions in research and the importance in doing so This book facilitates researchers in checking the assumptions of statistical tests used in their research by focusing on the importance of checking assumptions in using statistical methods, showing them how to check assumptions, and explaining what to do if assumptions are not met. Testing Statistical Assumptions in Research discusses the concepts of hypothesis testing and statistical errors in detail, as well as the concepts of power, sample size, and effect size. It introduces SPSS functionality and shows how to segregate data, draw random samples, file split, and create variables automatically. It then goes on to cover different assumptions required in survey studies, and the importance of designing surveys in reporting the efficient findings. The book provides various parametric tests and the related assumptions and shows the procedures for testing these assumptions using SPSS software. To motivate readers to use assumptions, it includes many situations where violation of assumptions affects the findings. Assumptions required for different non-parametric tests such as Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test are also discussed. Finally, it looks at assumptions in non-parametric correlations, such as bi-serial correlation, tetrachoric correlation, and phi coefficient. An excellent reference for graduate students and research scholars of any discipline in testing assumptions of statistical tests before using them in their research study Shows readers the adverse effect of violating the assumptions on findings by means of various illustrations Describes different assumptions associated with different statistical tests commonly used by research scholars Contains examples using SPSS, which helps facilitate readers to understand the procedure involved in testing assumptions Looks at commonly used assumptions in statistical tests, such as z, t and F tests, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analysis Testing Statistical Assumptions in Research is a valuable resource for graduate students of any discipline who write thesis or dissertation for empirical studies in their course works, as well as for data analysts.

Educating the Student Body

Educating the Student Body
Author: Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 503
Release: 2013-11-13
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309283140

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

Adolescents at Risk

Adolescents at Risk
Author: Joy G. Dryfoos
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 1991-08-29
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0195361008

Seven million youngsters--one in four adolescents--have only limited potential for becoming productive adults because they are at high risk for encountering serious problems at home, in school, or in their communities. This is one of the disturbing findings in this unique overview of what is known about young people aged 10 to 17 growing up in the United States today. The book explores four problem areas that are the subject of a great deal of public interest and social concern: delinquency, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and school failure. In examining these problem areas, Dryfoos has three objectives: to present a more cogent picture of adolescents who are at risk of problem behaviors and where they fit in society; to synthesize the experience of programs that have been successful in changing various aspects of these behaviors; and to propose strategies for using this knowledge base to implement more effective approaches to helping youngsters succeed. Among the key concepts emerging from this study are the importance of intense individual attention, social skills training, exposure to the world of work, and packaging components in broad, community-wide interventions. Schools are recognized as the focal institution in prevention, not only in regard to helping children achieve academically, but in giving young people access to social support and health programs. The author also proposes comprehensive youth development initiatives at the local, state and national level, based on programs shown to be effective in real practice. This landmark, state-of-the-art study represents an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the welfare and current problems of youth, including psychologists, sociologists, school administrators, state and federal officials, policymakers, and concerned parents.