Rigor and Relevance

The term ‘differentiate' is often used in the field of education to signify the modification of learning based on student readiness, learning profile, and academic skills, with changes being made to the depth, pace, and breath of the process (instruction), content (curriculum), and product (students' work and assessments). This chapter will focus on differentiation as it relates to gifted culturally different students, with an emphasis on the inclusion of cultural considerations within learning profiles discuss the necessity of both rigor and cultural relevance in lessons, while also being affirmed by what is taught. The curricula and program challenges within general and gifted classrooms will also be discussed. A brief overview of Bloom's taxonomy and James Banks's multicultural curriculum model will be shared in addition to an overview of Ford's Bloom-Banks matrix along with a revised layout of Trotman Scott's color-coded layout of Ford's matrix with pros and cons for each matrix quadrant.

Evaluating the Performance of Community Mental Health Centers in Iran: Strengths and Challenges

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the performance of Community-based Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) in Iran and identifying the strengths and challenges in the provision of mental health services. Methods: This is a qualitative study, conducted using 36 individual interviews and 13 focus group discussions. Content analysis was performed and data were categorized. The findings were presented in terms of the needs for program implementation, achieving the expected goals and outcomes, and the findings of program evaluation. First, the points related to the provision of infrastructure and setting up the centers were mentioned, and then, the features, strengths and challenges facing the program were discussed. Results: Significant successes were achieved in providing infrastructure and implementing the community-based mental health program. Challenges in the implementation of this program included the barriers to attracting more general physicians and the impact of culture and attitudes in each city on the effectiveness of the program. Conclusion: To improve the performance of CMHCs, more attention should be paid to psychiatry and mental health educational programs in the general medicine curriculum, public education about the mental health and providing solutions for better implementation of the program.

A Case Study of Using Telehealth in a Rural Healthcare Facility to Expand Services and Protect the Health and Safety of Patients and Staff

This case study aimed to gain an understanding of the implementation and usage of a telehealth program during the COVID-19 pandemic at a rural healthcare facility. An action research methodology, utilizing cycles of planning, implementation, review and adaptation was adopted to improve use of telehealth as COVID-19 cases continued to increase. Data was collected from literature review, examination of existing documents, review of gap and SWOT analysis, and examination of staffing plans. This helped in ensuring that adequate resources were in place to start and continue usage of telehealth. Additionally, review of the entire process was conducted as the program advanced through various phases of implementation. By conducting rigorous analysis and reflection, these data informed cycles of improvement in the telehealth program. Challenges surrounding the continuation and usage of telehealth have also been described. Because there is a paucity of research on the use of telehealth programs in rural healthcare facilities, especially during the pandemic, this study can provide practical tips to leaders and healthcare managers.

A Qualitative Study of Erasmus Program Challenges and Paradoxes Based on the Experiences of Students from Turkey

Internationalization agenda, especially the Erasmus framework, has become a significant process affecting the Turkish higher education. Erasmus, as being the most influential and preferred mobility scheme, has attracted significant attention and witnessed increasing number of students in years. There are various studies on the outcomes of the Erasmus program in terms of social, cultural, and academic gains of students as well as associated challenges and influence of the Bologna Process on the Turkish higher education outlook. However, there are less visited concepts in terms of challenges that need further attention. This paper addresses these less visited subjects such as project management/implementation issues (diversity, funding, and outcomes), politics of difference, and consumerist approaches. The findings suggest that these issues may complicate program implementations and run the risk of hindering general program targets, leading to a paradoxical outlook such a becoming exclusive to certain group of students, emphasizing difference rather than mutual understanding, seeing the experience as a to-do list item. So, the tension between various issues such as consumerist approaches, politics of difference and project implementation issues and general program targets and outcomes must be acknowledged towards emphasizing the critical role of appropriate student advising and expectation management as well as development of flexible and diverse evaluation-placement methods for efficient and positive program implementation.

SATISFACTION OF TEACHERS IN THE ONLINE TEACHING-LEARNING INITIATED IN KERALA AT THE PANDEMIC OUTBREAK OF COVID-19

In the pandemic outbreak of Covid-19, the social institutions altogether are facing a dilemma. The prolonged and necessitated social distancing insists the educational institutions take over the online platform for the teaching-learning program. The objective of the study was to analyze the effect of demographic factors like age, gender, school management, and teaching level on the satisfaction of teachers in the recently initiated teaching-learning program in Kerala, India. The study aimed at the satisfaction of teachers in three components. The study employed a mixed methodology. Data is collected through a self-administered survey questionnaire prepared and validated by the investigators. The target population consists of school teachers in Kerala, India. Purposive random sampling was used for the collection of data from 252 teachers. The results showed that the majority of the teachers are satisfied with the program. The study identified no significant dependence on age, gender, and school management type with the satisfaction of teachers in the recently initiated teaching-learning program but a substantial relation to the teaching level. The findings on positive outcomes in online teaching and learning practices can foster the well administration of the program. Challenges in the online context indicated the need for improvement in infrastructure and cognitive support. Recommendations are made to equip the program in the long run.

Open Government Partnership in São Paulo City and the São Paulo Aberta program: challenges in the diffusion and institutionalization of a global policy

Brasil ha sido un lugar importante para implementar prácticas participativas después de su democratización. En 2011, junto con otros siete gobiernos fundadores, Brasil respaldó la Alianza para el de Gobierno Abierto (OGP) y anunció los planes del país para promover una mayor transparencia en las prácticas gubernamentales. El país se convirtió en parte de una iniciativa multilateral que hoy reúne a más de 70 países. Desde su difusión internacional, esta iniciativa fue incorporada por la ciudad de San Pablo, que creó el Comité Intersecretarial de Gobierno Abierto en 2014. Describimos la incorporación de la OGP y de su proceso de difusión y discutimos los desafíos de difusión e institucionalización de una política global a nivel local, entre 2013 y 2016. Las principales conclusiones abordan la importancia de institucionalizar las prácticas políticas además de la difusión de políticas; la importancia del análisis microinstitucional y del trabajo institucional en la teoría organizacional para comprender la importancia de los actores clave en el proceso de implementación; y la influencia de la arquitectura institucional en la implementación de la OGP.

Investigating the Challenges Faced by the Teacher Educators after Implementation of Pre-Service B.Ed (Hons.) Elementary Four-Year Program in Sindh

The main purpose of this article is to bring up the challenges faced by the teacher educators during the implementation of B.Ed (Hons.) elementary program initiated by the provincial governments and HEC in collaboration with United State Agency for International development (USAID) in Pakistan. In this study two general universities i.e., University of Sindh and Karachi University were included which received the funding from USAID for upliftment of Elementary Education in the Sindh province, where this teacher educators’ program was piloted and later on fully implemented. In-depth semi-structured face to face interview schedule was developed to conduct the survey type qualitative research design. Five teacher educators from each university (N=10) through purposive sampling were selected and interviewed to collect the data. The gathered data were thematically analyzed on the pattern of Braun & Clarke (2006) approach. On the bases of the analyses, it was inferred that the program despite of its successful completion of first round faced many intrinsic problems such as the lack of trained human resources, lack of involvement of the concerned faculty in curriculum decisions, lack of implementation of the modern pedagogies for bringing quality into the program. Moreover, the external factors such as physical resources and the quality of the intake were also slanting the performance of the program to some extent. These finding are in alignment with the previous studies conducted in the similar context to assess the implementation of teacher education programs. However, the administration of the institutes of so far found playing active role in carrying on the program smoothly despite of the challenges. In the light of the findings of the study, it is recommended that the intervention to provide the funds as well as physical facilities at this stage is inevitable. Keywords: B.Ed elementary teacher educator program, implementing program, challenges