UPAYA PENINGKATAN MUTU PENDIDIKAN DI SEKOLAH MENENGAH PERTAMA DAN PERMASALAHANNYA

Pendidikan bermutu berperan penting untuk evolusi ekonomi dan pembangunan sosial suatu negara. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menggali upaya peningkatan mutu pendidikan di sekolah menengah pertama dan permasalahan yang dihadapi. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan strategi multi kasus. Lokasi penelitian yaitu tiga sekolah menengah pertama di Kabupaten Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, Indonesia yang terletak di daerah pinggiran, semi kota dan kota. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan wawancara mendalam semi terstruktur kepada kepala sekolah dan guru. Trianggulasi teknik dengan observasi tidak terstruktur dan member checks dilakukan untuk keabsahan data. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ketiga sekolah berupaya meningkatkan mutu pendidikannya. Target mutu yang ingin ditingkatkan atau dicapai berbeda antarsekolah. Namun demikian, mereka menghadapi permasalahan dalam mencapai mutu yang ditargetkan. Permasalahan tersebut meliputi jumlah guru yang belum memadai dan komitmen kerja mereka yang rendah, sekolah pinggiran dan semi kota masih terkendala pada sarana dan prasarana yang belum memadai, dan pendanaan pendidikan yang belum mencukupi di tiap sekolah. Education plays an important role for the economic evolution and social development of a nation. This study aims to explore efforts to improve the quality of education in junior high schools and the problems they faced. This study applied a qualitative approach with a multi-case strategy. The research took place in three junior high schools in Tana Toraja Regency, Sulawesi, Indonesia. They were in different areas which are suburb, semi-city and city. Data collection was carried out by semi-structured in-depth interviews with school principals and teachers. Technical triangulation, which is unstructured observation and member checks, was used to validate the collected data. The results showed that the three schools were trying to improve the quality of their education. The quality targets to be improved or achieved were different between schools. However, they face problems in achieving the targeted quality. These problems include the inadequate number of teachers and their low work commitment, suburban and semi-urban schools that have inadequate facilities and infrastructure, and insufficient educational tests in schools.

INNOVATIONS IN THE PREPARATION OF STUDENTS OF PRESCHOOL SPECIALIZATION TO AN UNDERSTANDING IN TODDLERS CHOICE OF THE SECOND YEAR OF LIFE

As a result of the 3-year study of children from birth to 3-years, the content, methods, various manifestations of their daily choices in various spheres of need - emotional and personal life were detected. Obtained materials served as a content base for the training of educational tests, which the students carried out the choice procedure. In such organized practical choice, they learned to see, distinguish, understand, feel the choice of kids: lawful from unacceptable, expressed in various ways - emotional, oral, tactile, gesture, effective, etc. Due to the achievements and difficulties of their own choice, future educators participated in needs, interests, aspirations, cognitive capes, individuality of children that showed and characterized their subjects in personal development and growth.

Education

Education contributes powerfully to better health and public education is a foundation for democracy. Recently, however, private capital has viewed education as a profit center that can replace revenues lost to the decline of manufacturing. This chapter analyses the ways that modern capitalism has undermined equitable access to quality early childcare, K-12 education, and college by privatizing public education, creating and mandating expensive and inadequately tested but profitable educational tests, technologies and products, and imposing debt on schools and students. A powerful lobby of wealthy individuals and corporate leaders have used their influence to promote market values within the school system. These changes undercut the health- and equity-enhancing characteristics of public education. The chapter also describes how students, parents, teachers, and communities are resisting corporate penetration of public education, rejecting the ways it reinforces systemic racism, and creating models for education that promote health, democracy, and collective success.

Multiracial Individuals and Educational Testing

A literature review focused on quantitative measures and methods regarding multiracial individuals and educational testing revealed that multiracial individuals are uniquely different than monoracial individuals in terms of their racial identity and these unique identities interact with test scores. Until recently, this uniqueness has been ignored by institutions and within the field of educational testing. The uniqueness of multiracial identity should be taken into consideration when using test measures to make decisions for selection and when comparing group outcomes. The review provides a brief picture regarding the history of categorization of multiracial individuals and current research which connects the multiracial experience to test score performance, followed by information on data collection, data coding, data analysis, implications, and recommendations. Suggested methods to address the methodological and analytical challenges of how to categorize multiracial individuals for purposes of group comparisons are challenging and frankly, unsatisfying. Yet, there are some clear recommendations such as allowing individuals to check as many racial/ethnic categories that apply to their identity versus forcing a choice of one race or using “Other” as an option. The limited research regarding multiracial individuals and educational tests supports the need for further research in this field.

Latent-variable Approaches Utilizing Both Item Scores and Response Times To Detect Test Fraud

There is a growing interest in approaches based on latent-variable models for detecting fraudulent behavior on educational tests. Wollack and Schoenig (2018) noted the presence of five types of statistical/psychometric approaches to detect the three broad types of test fraud that occur in educational tests. This paper includes a brief review of the five types of statistical/psychometric approaches mentioned by Wollack and Schoenig (2018). This paper then includes a more detailed review of the recent approaches for detecting test fraud using both item scores and response times—all of these approaches are based on latent-variable models. A real data example demonstrates the use of two of the approaches.

Be Open and See Where Your Path Leads: Dr. Judy Voress

Dr. Judy Voress is the former periodicals director of PRO-ED; is Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hammill Institute on Disabilities; and currently serves as President and a Trustee of the Donald D. Hammill Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, the elderly, and those with financial challenges. Her professional background also includes time spent as a special education teacher, university assistant professor, associate journal editor, adjunct university professor, and author of educational tests and materials.