Abstract: Retaining novice teachers in today’s K-12 classrooms has become a challenge for many school districts. There are several factors that contribute to beginning teachers leaving the teaching profession, however an effective mentoring program can provide the support and guidance novice teachers need. This literature review explores the effects of teacher mentoring programs and it identifies three common themes to develop and establish a successful mentoring program. This review suggests recommendations for decision makers to enhance the quality of such studies and maximize the finding to improve mentoring programs and increase teacher retention.

Abstract: Music integrated instruction has been an alternative teaching method for many years. Educators and authors have developed published curriculum that entails music integrated instructional methods. Students in general education and special education need the opportunity to explore learning through more than one sensory mode, or one method, that a teacher chooses to use throughout the school year. This qualitative study will help the reader gain insight of the perceptions of one teacher’s curricular use of music integrated instruction as a teaching method and help readers understand how to “reach outside the box” when contemplating teaching methods in the classroom

Abstract: In the past few years, Taiwan has had a rich experience of experimenting with participatory budgeting in democracy. Communitarianism is important to the establishment and operation of democracy. On the one hand, civic groups can serve as a tool for civil society to resist the intervention of state power, and on the other hand, they can also serve as a forum for people to learn civic skills and develop social connections. The aim of this study is to look at the practice of democracy in local government from the perspective of games to physical exercise. Through the operation of participatory budgeting, we will understand why and how local governments empower citizens to strive for government budgets as a process of civic activism. This study used in-depth interviews with a total of 16 people, including New Taipei City government officials, New Taipei City Council members, district office administrators, participatory budgeting proponents, local grassroots cadres and their accompanying teams. This paper finds that in communities where participatory budgeting is experimental, it is easier to develop the habit of participation and decision making by all because the local elite are not familiar with how participatory budgeting works and have not yet faced the difficulties of maintaining a community. The planning and design of participatory budgeting has changed the traditional Taiwanese park design from one that only focuses on play safety. From play to physical activity, the design of sports facilities in parks lacks the ability to train children's concentration, balance, muscular endurance and physical coordination. Civic participation has further changed the government's budgeting. In conclusion, non-elite led participatory budgeting is more in tune with the spirit of civic engagement, where local governments are less dominant in budgeting and give community members more opportunities to voice and decide.

Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has forced education systems worldwide to find alternatives to face-to-face teaching. Although digital education has provided the opportunity to continue teaching despite the pandemic, several challenges have been identified. This paper reviews the experiences from online teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic. The results indicate that the experiences from online teaching and learning, have not been unanomously positive. Lack of internet connectivity and suitable digital equipment, lack of student-teacher and student-student interaction, challenges for students with special needs, students’ lack of motivation and unprepared teachers, are among the challenges identified. Scaling up digital teaching and learning has been a political goal in many countries for years, and online teaching is considered the solution for achieving life long learning. There are however, challenges that must be solved before online teaching alone can be considered as a replacement for traditional classroom teaching.

Abstract: This article compares principal and teacher perceptions in Canada, regarding the effects of implementing accountability policies. Based on data extractedfromtwo questionnaire surveyscarried out withteachers (n = 4,554) and schooladministrators (n = 2,144) respectively, their perceptions regarding the impact of certain accountability practices on their respective tasks, and the positive effects expected by governments were analyzed. In both cases, the analysis revealed significant differences: compared to teachers, principals perceived a stronger impact of this policy on their work and more positive effects. These divergences are interpreted as the effect of professional ideology differences. Comparative analyses between educational systems showed that the scope of these differences varies across Canadian provincial and territorial systems.

Abstract: The current racial climate in America brings attention to many long-standing issues of social injustices to people of Color, especially Black Americans. Although current to some, the dehumanizing, terroristic treatment of Black Americans has always been a norm to Black Americans. To most Black Americans, racism is as culturally entrenched in American society as baseball and apple pie. The only thing current in the racial conversations is documentation via social media that bears immediate witness to previously ignored acts. The nationally-televised murder of George Floyd, a Black male who was held (8+ minutes) in a ruthless chokehold by a Minneapolis, Minnesota policeman, only uncovers a glimpse of the truthful reality of systemic racism in America. After hundreds of years of such terroristic acts against Black Americans, I pause at the fact that many White Americans appear shocked and outraged. Some even reject the notion of systemic racism. I am neither shocked nor surprised. Angry, reminded of my own reality as a Black American who witnessed pre-and-post-Brown living in southern Bible-belt of America; but not surprised.

Abstract: The inevitable and centrally important role of education in advancement of any society is undeniable. India is not only known for its rich heritage, culture and traditions but its education system too has a rich history of its own. Its unique schools (gurukuls), curriculum, Guru-shishya unique relation are few of the many highlights that make our ancient education system to standout in the world. The purpose of our ancient education was not merely imparting and acquiring knowledge but also transmitting the cultural norms of the group to its younger members. The aim of education was to inculcate morals, values, ethics and social norms in the learners. However, due to modernization, industrialization, privatization and globalization there has been a paradigm shift in the process of learning. Teacher centered learning has shifted to child centered learning. The major shift is in the mode of instruction- from face-to-face oral instruction to print based instruction, and from Paper learning to E-learning. Today’s learners are knowledge managers and knowledge producers. They are co-constructors of knowledge along with their teachers and peers. No doubt our present education system is meeting the demands of the new knowledge and productive global economy but it is weighed down by many reasons as a result of which the outcome is becoming ego-centric & self-involved. Today, Indian society is witnessing decline in ethical values, facing problems of indiscipline & intolerance, violation of rules & unlawful activities is at its peak. Even the cordial relation between the teacher and the student which was once the highlight of our nation is missing. All this depicts that our present education system requires reforms which can be implemented from ancient education for overall development of students as a good human being. Drawing out basic essence of the ancient education system the present paper delineates the paradigm shift in education that articulates the trajectory of educational system from past to present. After discussing perks of classical and constructive approach the paper highlights the lacunae and reforms needed in present education system.

Abstract: The aim of this qualitative study is to review the existing local fieldwork supervision scheme ofsub-degree programmes in social work in Hong Kong as well as exploring teaching and learning strategies in fieldwork supervision in Hong Kong. The outcome of this study is to develop useful strategies of fieldwork supervision for sub-degree social work programme. Theoretical sampling is employed to examine teaching and learning strategies in fieldwork supervision for sub-degree social work programme. Fourtypes of stakeholders (faculty members, fieldwork supervisors, on-site supervisors and students) are interviewed using focus groups, in-depth interviews and telephone consultations toexplore teaching and learning strategies in fieldwork supervision. In addition, three local experts are invited to review the research topic. A review of the fieldwork placement handbooks in different institutes is also conducted. The main findings of this study are: that there are no systematic guideline and training for conducting fieldwork supervision in current practice. Fieldwork supervisors conduct supervision based on their experience but are less concerned with the needs of the student. Sub-degree programmes of social work are one of the leading markets in thesocial work field. Around 40 percent of social work posts are sub-degree graduates (Social Worker Registration Board, 2017). Individual and group supervision are commonly used in supervision session but there is little discussion around which strategies are useful for supervising sub-degree students. These findings revealed that individual and group supervision is useful for students but it might be dependent on the needs of students and the stage of fieldwork placement. In the beginning stages of placement, informants are more likely to enjoy group supervision sessions because they gain support from their peers. In the latter stages of fieldwork placement, students enjoy individual supervision session due to disclosure of their personal feelings to supervisors. These findings indicate that emotional support is a very important function in supervising sub-degree students. They felt anxious without their supervisor’s support. Moreover, supervisory practice in fieldwork supervision helps students to become professional social workers in the work context. These findings reveal that skills demonstration and live supervision are the most useful strategies for helping student acquire skills. In current practice, no compulsory guidelines for supervisory practice are suggested among higher education institutes. These findings indicate that the ‘hand-in’ practice is a useful strategy for student’s skill developments. The findings reveal that effective fieldwork supervision stems from different stakeholders who undertake important roles in supervision practice such as fieldwork supervisors, on-site supervisors, faculty members and students. Thus, a framework for sub-degree social work students is proposed here. On-site supervisors should provide an opportunity for student’s learning. Student needs to have an active learning attitude, and faculty member should design comprehensive fieldwork education arrangement for students, for example, assessment systems, pre-preparatory placement workshops and training platforms.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and beliefs of general and special education teacherstowards the inclusion of students with special education needs. The study investigated the correlation between both groups of teachers’ attitudes. A total of 83 teachers from the public-school system on the island of Curacao participated in the study. The questionnaire, My Thinking about Inclusion Scale, was used (Stoiber, K. C., M. Gettinger, and D. Goetz. 1998). The 28-item MTAI Total Scale had an internal consistency of .94 and was comprised of three belief subscales: Core Perspective, Expected Outcomes and Classroom Practices. The results revealed that general education and special education teachers bothheld similar views of inclusion, which were positive. Both groups believed the implementation of inclusive service delivery models would likely succeed if properly vetted with support from stakeholders even though programmatic changes would be challenging due to an entrenched system of educating students with special education needs in separate schools.