Social Inclusion and Intercultural Values in a School of Education

The aim of the study was to analyze the contextual and personal factors associated with student teachers' inclusive and intercultural values to minimize barriers to learning and participation. It also examined the role higher education played as a facilitator of social inclusion. Method. The sample was comprised of 1234 university students. Researchers applied the Guide Index for Inclusion (Booth & Ainscow, 2000) composed of three dimensions: Culture, Politics and Inclusive Practices. Positive elements emphasized the gender variable with highly significant scores on all dimensions. Besides, younger students with no cooperation between teachers and families didn't collaborate between teachers and family to promote inclusive attitudes. Moreover, it was noted that experience increases to more predisposition to the inclusion and recognition of barriers to learning and participation. As a conclusion, it was recognized that the principles of social inclusion may be influenced by variables such as gender, age, cultural experience and experience with people.

“Theory of IRE with (α,β,γ) Norm”

This chapter introduces a new theory called by “Theory of IRE with (a,ß,?) Norm” which provides an almost complete solution for Higher Education Management (HEM) & Policy Administration in any vast country like India, China, France, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia, USA, UK, Canada, Gulf countries and others in the world. The “Theory of IRE with (a,ß,?) Norm” is an engineering model for solving HEM problems, basically seven major problems which are about: (i) How To Continuously Monitor The Real Time Progress of Research Work of the Ph.D. Scholars in the Universities/Institutions in any country by a Common Rule of the ‘Ministry of HRD' (ii) A New Improved Method for Recruitment of Teachers in Universities (iii) A New Method for Promotion Policy of Teachers In Universities (iv) How to select the ‘Most Suitable Candidate' for the various prestigious awards/honors in a country (v) How to restrict the publications of bad quality research papers in fake/bad journals? (vi) How to select the true experts for every visiting team of NAAC of UGC? and (vii) How to select the ‘Most Suitable Candidates' to fill-up the reserved quota. It is claimed that if this new theory be implemented by the ‘Ministry of HRD (MHRD)' in all its universities/institutions, then a huge amount of quality-assurance can be achieved in pursuance of Excellence in Higher Education Management & Policy Administration in that Country.

Increasing Failure Rates in Canadian University Leadership

There is growing concern in Canada about the increasing failure rate of university presidents. Institutional boards invest significant time and money into presidential recruitment, engaging professional search firms and consulting with a vast array of stakeholders. Given this intense scrutiny, why are more and more Canadian university leaders failing? What changes can be made to reverse this trend? Based on his almost 20 years of experience as university president, a longitudinal study of presidencies in 47 Canadian universities and other current research, the author provides an overview of the issues involved, explores them in more detail through mini-case studies and identifies “institutional fit” as the key variable in presidential success. The chapter concludes with suggestions to Boards and prospective presidential candidates as to how they can increase the likelihood of success in such crucial appointments.

The Evolving Discourse of the Purpose of Higher Education

A brief historical overview of the evolution of the public discourse of the purpose of higher education is undertaken to provide context for current debates over investment in, and reform of, post-secondary education. Four separate discourses are identified: higher education for enlightenment, to develop human capital, as manpower management, and as consumerism. The dominant discourse of the purpose of higher education is shown to have changed from learning for its own sake to an emphasis on manpower planning and consumerism. The separate assumptions and implications of these distinct discourses are often confabulated with little apparent awareness of the contradictory nature of rhetoric drawn from more than one discourse at a time. The authors provide a simple analytical framework to cut through the confusion.

Performance Funding of United States' Public Higher Education

Policy makers around the globe are responsible for decision regarding the funding of higher education and the benchmarks of success. This chapter is geared toward higher education administration and leadership, especially those who shape policy in this arena. This quantitative study examined the effectiveness in the United States of allocating state resources to state public institutions of higher education by investigating the rate of change in the current benchmarks of success, which are graduation and retention rates. The findings revealed that the method of funding was not a statistically significant predictor of either the initial status or the rate of change of graduation rate or retention rate over the eight-year period, although institution type and enrollment were. The study recommends further research of performance funding outcomes, state funding levels, and other environmental factors as a means of helping administrators and policy makers in their quest to facilitate economic progress through an educated citizenry.

An Assessment Study of Quality Model for Medical Schools in Mexico

Excellence in healthcare delivery is only possible by addressing the quality issues in medical education. The authors in this paper assess the development of medical schools in Mexico considering a proposed Quality Model for Medical Schools (QMMS) having five levels of the Incremental Quality Model (IQM). An exploratory descriptive approach was applied in this study wherein 46 authorities from medical schools self-assessed their processes (strategic, core, support and evaluation) included on the QMMS to determine their development in the five levels of the IQM i.e. Start, Development, Standardization, Innovation and Sustainability. The results of the study show the average were: 3.09 strategic processes, 2.96 core processes, 3.19 support processes and 3.00 in evaluation process. The overall mean obtained was 3.07 which correspond to Standardization level. The authors consider that the proposed quality model may serve as a guide to improve their performance to advance to innovation and sustainability.

Change Leadership, Management and Strategies to Promote Quality University Teaching and Learning

This chapter provides an overview of change leadership and management strategies to promote the quality of university teaching and learning. It draws attention to the organisational contexts of universities that encompass change leadership processes, emphasizing the need for whole-of-university approaches and ‘joined-up' policies, plans and procedures that support teaching. The discussion is organized in terms of five principles of action (McInnes et al., 2012). These are (1) Shape the strategic vision that puts student learning and student experience at its core; (2) Inspire and enable excellence; (3) Devolve leadership of learning and teaching; (4) Reward, recognize and develop teaching; and (5) Involve students.

A Typology of Supports for First Generation College Students in the U.S.

First generation college students, students who are the first in their families to enroll in college, are a unique group, in that their parents' level of education in addition to their race, gender, or socioeconomic status, is an indicator of persistence to degree completion. While colleges and universities have historically created programs to assist this group, those initiatives have ranged in purpose, level of institutional and/or government support, and intended audience. This chapter develops a typology of the support programs that currently exist to serve first generation college students attending four-year colleges and universities in the United States. It begins by exploring the academic and financial challenges many first generation college students face, and concludes by offering recommendations that institutional policymakers can implement to expand the possibilities for improving the success of this distinctive group of students.

Language Policy Execution

South Africa is a multilingual country with 11 official languages. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides that every learner may use the official language of his or her choice in any public institution of the country. The Language Policy for Higher Education (Ministry of Education, 2002) requires all South African universities to develop and execute language policies. This chapter focuses on language policy execution by South African universities. The emphasis is on the execution of language policy in relation to the promotion and development of the nine official indigenous languages, namely isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.

Scholarly Praxis at the Edges

This philosophical, comparative content inquiry explores how academic leadership might facilitate an opening for the convergence of scholarly inquiry with a fidelity to concerns that shape the values and experiences of faculty. Three components are explored: academic tradition in higher education (ideological world); the regulatory formation of institution (system world); and the integration of scholarship with personal values in life and work (life world). Tensions emerge at critical moments between what constitutes appropriate scholarly inquiry in a discipline field and the belief systems that form and inform the scholar's worldview. Reflective exploration considers the place of academic leadership in fostering views of tradition, conversation, and scholarship. Issues that seldom arise emerge, providing fresh insight into the practices of academic culture. In conclusion, it is suggested that further research on the need for administrators to provoke grand conversations around their mission and the scholarly tradition is warranted.