Humanization in Educational Environments; Aspects Necessary for Living in School Today

While it is true, quality has always been measured through statistics and percentages, often forgetting the training of the whole person.Now, when we talk about issues such as humanism and education supported by technology, we can fall into extremes: it is common to label technology as the provider of all the evils of today’s civilization; or the opposite assumption; to argue that incorporating technologies into education would be the panacea for all the problems it faces and finally, to assume that the subject of the humanities is more typical of actions and attitudes of the past than as a current need, giving vitality to any educational process. However, and fortunately for the educational community, today there are global efforts to make the educational task a human action that minimizes inequities and the abysmal differences that exist in countries like ours. Fernando Reimers says: “Equal educational opportunities must be the priority objective of educational policies, the aim of education must be to contribute to creating just societies. This requires improving the learning environments of the poor, but not only along the paths that have been started over the last decade. This aspect pointed out by Reimers is precisely the central aspect that all educational action must contemplate, the educational policies that are implemented in our country must guarantee, above all, the construction of a just and egalitarian society, strengthening the cultural wealth that we have, with respect to to the diversity of people, their past, their present and especially their future”.

Integrating disability and developmental theories for an equitable inclusive education: towards transformative educational praxes

The US higher education institutions are legally bound to provide equal educational opportunities for diverse learners. This paper contends that despite the growing interest in implementing more inclusive pedagogy, those efforts still fall short of systematically addressing intersecting, oppressive, and anti-ableist practices in the classroom. I call for a theory that frames disability in the context of learning and development and overcomes dichotomized, reductionist and individualistic notions of disability and learning. Drawing on Critical Disability Studies, Vygotsky’s theory of defectology and the Transformative Activist Stance, this paper outlines a transformative pedagogy framework for inclusive, equitable, and anti-ableist education for all learners.

Beyond the Minimalist Critique: An Assessment of the Right to Education in International Human Rights Law

The minimalist critique of human rights advanced by legal historian Samuel Moyn argues that human rights are ineffective in addressing material inequality because, rather than striving for equality, they focus on ensuring sufficient protection levels. This article analyses the right to education model which international human rights bodies have expanded to demonstrate the overstretched nature of the minimalist critique. By examining how the right to education provisions of international human rights treaties are interpreted by various United Nations human rights mechanisms, the article argues that the international human rights system has advanced a model of right to education that reaches beyond the notion of sufficiency. The works of these bodies are analysed in light of the privatisation of education. In defining the connection between the equality and liberty dimensions of the right to education, international human rights bodies have prioratised ensuring equal opportunities over the liberty to private education. The aim of the right to education is not merely to provide basic literacy to the poor but also to assure equal educational opportunities to all.

Changing the Face of Education: Computer-Assisted Instruction in the Secondary Education Classroom

Researched since the early 1990s, computer-assisted instruction (CAI) continues to prove beneficial for learners across the curriculum. While research has been growing greatly with a focus on higher education, its K-12 education counterpart– specifically secondary education where the use of technology is prevalent– remains largely unexplored. Moreover, as technology advances, students are increasingly exposed to CAI. However, with the rapidly increasing speed of technological advancements, it has become difficult for educational research to progress at the same pace. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic advancing the utilization of instructional technology, it is imperative that all educational stakeholders are introduced to the benefits that CAI can provide: an education that caters to students’ learning preferences, equal educational opportunities for all students, and an enhancement of students’ motivation in the classroom. With educators more readily integrating technology to support traditional lesson plans, demonstrating its positive impacts on all educational stakeholders can help to alleviate reservations and foster more effective implementation of CAI.

Discussion on the Fairness of “Private School with Public Assistance” Education Policy of Macaoin the Context of Industrialization

The“PrivateSchool with Public Assistance” Education Policy of Macao is implemented with strong financial support from the government.Rawls' “Justice” thought contains ideological connotations such as equal freedom, fair opportunity, and difference principles. The two justice principles proposed by Rawls have profound value enlightenment for the adjustment of interests and the reconciliation of contradictions in social issues.In Macau, the industrial manufacturing industry is relatively lacking. The development of tourism and gaming industry has accumulated a solid financial foundation for Macau.Currently, the basic education in Macau presents a pattern in which private schools are the mainstay. The government’s subsidy policy for private schools can be inspired by Rawls’s “Justice” thoughts to think about achieving equal educational opportunities, fair resource allocation, and differentiated adjustment of distribution standards.

Challenges and Opportunities for Educational Actors in light of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Paraguay / Desafíos y oportunidades para los actores educativos ante la pandemia de COVID-19 en Paraguay

The measures implemented in response to COVID-19 have affected education systems around the world, generating significant disruptions. This study examines the main challenges and opportunities presented to the different educational actors in Paraguay considering the health emergency and the need to give continuity to the educational processes in the country from the last week of March until the first days of May 2020. A total of 2501 people participated, including teachers, students, parents of non-university students, and managers from educational institutions at all levels and from all over the country. It follows a mixed-quan-qual explanatory approach and data collection was conducted through online questionnaires. The study showed changes and strategies implemented by educational actors for the development of classes mediated by digital tools. The results reflect challenges related to access to technological resources, training in the use of ICT, and difficulties in carrying out school activities. Among the opportunities mentioned is the possibility of continuing with studies, learning about technology, and transforming the educational system. These show evidence of the need to improve access to technology to guarantee equal educational opportunities in the country.

Light People: Professor Chennupati Jagadish

EditorialIn 2018, the Indian film “Starting Line” focused the public’s attention on the issue of education in India. It depicted the length some Indian parents were willing to go to secure educational resources for their children, as well as the difficulties faced by those disadvantaged in society in their fight for equal educational opportunities. In reality, many brilliant young Indian talents have been able to study in Australia through a fund set up by Prof. Chennupati Jagadish, a Distinguished Professor of the Australian National University. Prof. Jagadish is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded a UNESCO Prize for his contribution to the development of nanoscience and nanotechnology. He holds many positions, and has won numerous awards. What started Prof. Jagadish on his scientific research career? How did he become the respected scientist he is today? What was his intention in setting up the educational fund for students from developing countries? What advice does he have for young researchers? Here are the answers from Prof. Jagadish.

Perspectives on Learning and Teaching Science

Since birth, humans absorb information from what surrounds them. Kindergartens, schools, and universities work as institutions to insert everyone in a culturally similar environment, giving equal educational opportunities to future citizens. These institutions develop human competencies for a society enabled to feed everyone, to sustain healthcare, and to protect the environment. This effort implies educational performances, whose grounds should rely on theories of learning and different modes of teaching. Pharmacy faculties, apart from teaching, reinforcing, and updating the students' knowledge on pharmaceutical sciences, guide students towards respecting different health professionals, aware of their role as educational supporters of patients and families who use pharmacies as the closest advising and health caring places. This is especially important nowadays, with the complexity of some diseases and the rising costs of healthcare. This chapter gives an overview of pharmacy teaching and learning according to the European Association of Faculties of Pharmacy.

Distance learning in the time of pandemic as a challenge facing the equal status of the public school

A public school is an institution for all pupils in a given administrative region. In its actions, it must be guided by the principles of tolerance and social egalitarianism. Social egalitarianism is framed in terms of equal educational opportunities and social justice. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a significant change in the school practice. Distance learning has become the main form. In this article, we discuss the issue of public school social egalitarianism in the context of the results of the students’ opinion poll on the transformation of traditional forms of education into distance learning.

School Matters: The Contribution of Positive School Climate to Equal Educational Opportunities among Ethnocultural Minority Students

This study carefully examined compensating, mediating, and moderating effects of positive school climate on the relationship of socioeconomic status (SES) and achievement in a nationally representative sample of ethnocultural minority Arabic speaking students in Israel ( N = 21,873). Positive school climate was predominantly influential in schools with vulnerable ethnic groups and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Narrower achievement gaps among students with different personal SES backgrounds were achieved in schools with positive climates. Results suggest improving school climate can increase students’ academic opportunities and offer special benefits for students from less advantaged backgrounds. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.