فصلنامه تعلیم و تربیت
سال سی‌ام شماره 2 (پیاپی 118، تابستان 1393)

To improve student's learning in math and science enrichment programs have been introduced, yet their effectiveness has never been assessed. To this end, a large sample of administrators, teachers, and students were questioned and tested, while 46 class sessions were also observed. Over 400 students participating in the enrichment program did not show any significant difference in performance on the math and science tests with the comparison group of close to as many students. Yet the overall attitudes of both administrators and teachers towards the program appeared rather positive, although there were those who considered the program as inappropriate and ineffective. The main reasons for its ineffectiveness seem to be inadequate preparation of both schools and teachers participating in the program. The success of such programs is subject to a greater coordination among goals and expectations across the educational system.

Schools are among highly valued social institutions wherein the new generation's way to progress is paved. As such, they must operate in a way that promotes and protects children's basic rights. One area of operation in schools is evaluation. Hence, it too needs to be in accordance with the children's rights charter. The new qualitative and descriptive approach to evaluation in Iran has been in trial stage during the past six years, yet no one has looked at this approach from the stand point of promoting and protecting children's rights. Appraisal of the new approach in terms of providing protection, prevention, needs satisfaction, and cooperation for children within the framework of basic rights, revealed a high degree of compliance. In other words, the new approach to evaluation is a step towards realization of children's rights.

Curriculum planning is a major task in any national educational system as it involves not only educational concerns, but socio-political and cultural issues as well. Given the variety of perspectives on each of these dimensions, it would be natural to have differing views on the very nature of a national curriculum and its basic roles and functions. To analyze the socio-political nature of the Islamic Republic's recently ratified national curriculum, a theoretical framework is initially constructed, wherein a range of objectives from reinforcement of national identity to an attempt at homogenization are considered. The subsequent critical evaluation of the ratified document, not only clarifies the leading experiential and political lines of thinking in planning the curriculum, but clarifies both areas and ways of improving the planned curriculum.

The Iranian High Council on Education has identified certain characteristics for high school administrators in order to ensure the quality of running such places of learning. However, the extent to which the current administrators possess these characteristics is a matter of research reported herein. The general and professional characteristics of a number of high school administrators working over a period of two years were determined using a questionnaire. The analysis of the collected data revealed a huge gap between what the High Council has outlined as required general characteristics and those possessed by the current administrators. Although in professional domain, the average tenure is high, the educational background of 88% of the current administrators does not match the requirement set by the High Council.

The two year teacher training programs in Iran include courses in education that form the very foundation of the professional performance of the future teachers. As such, the curricula of these courses need to be evaluated in order to determine their probable shortcomings and take the necessary remedial steps. Towards this end a large number of administrators, teachers, students, and graduates of these programs were questioned and tested, while the teaching approach of a number of teachers was also observed. The instruments used were of adequate validity and reliability. Data analyses revealed the implemented and acquired curricula being rather poor in comparison to the intended one. Performance and attitudinal objectives were much less attended to in comparison to the knowledge objectives. The content of the courses did not show adequate relevance to the professional needs of the future teachers. Teacher trainers themselves lack adequate specialization and the centers lack adequate facilities and equipment. Test scores on knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the graduating students were mostly disappointing, as was the observation of the classroom behaviors of the graduates.

Since 78% of the work force in Iranian industries consists of those holding a high school diploma or less, any investment in increasing this level of education could lead to an increase in the added value in the industrial sector. Analyses of the available annual data covering the period of 1979-2009, show that any increase in educational expenditures, both short and long term, has led to a significant increase in industrial added value. In the long run, educational expenditures have the third highest effect, following industrial investment and higher education expenditures, on added value. For every 1% increase in educational expenditure, 0.17% increase in industrial added value was observed.

Textbooks need to be written in such a way that their readers can understand the written texts. One way of ensuring this objective in first grade textbooks would be the use of basic vocabulary, as determined by Nematzadeh, et.al. (1384). Considering the importance of the Quran textbook, and the need for students full comprehension of its text, the extent of the use of this vocabulary could be an index of its effectiveness. Of 137 words identified as basic, only 13 were observed in the first grade's Quran textbook! Such low frequency of the basic vocabulary could cause learning difficulty for the learners. However, the texts could easily re-written using the basic vocabulary.