Culture, Education, and Future

The Top 10 Trends in P-12 and Higher Education, 2024

Russ Marion — 2024-06-26

In the editorial for this edition of Culture, Education, and Future, the editor-in-chief, the editors, and the editorial board present our choices for the top 10 trends in education for 2024. These trends are side effects of technological advances, political changes, and shifting cultural preferences; we project that they will affect educational systems in the foreseeable future. We have generated two Top-10 lists, one for P-12 education and one for higher education.

We generate these lists to accomplish two goals. First, the intent is to focus readers’ attention on emerging futures germane to this journal, events that emerge from or that generate cultural changes that affect education—culture, education, and the future. Second, the lists hopefully will stimulate researchers to write about subjects of interest to our readership, which will be appropriate submissions for CEF. If the list catches on, we may also make the top 10 trends an annual editorial.

The criteria for inclusion in our Top 10 lists is related to a trend’s importance as reflected in the frequency of headlines, editorials, and concerns found in educational news outlooks, such as Education Week and Chronicles of Higher Education (or equivalent outlets in various cultures). We additionally polled our Editors and the Editorial Board, who come from all over the globe, about trends in their cultures.

Several trends identified in the two lists are specific to given cultures, but most have more global influence. We invite scholars to write from both perspectives. The two sources list occasionally overlapped as they did regarding the impact of artificial intelligence, for example. In other cases, a trend was identified by different respondents for opposite reasons, such as when diversity policies were mentioned as opportunities by some and a problem by others. Finally, we saw regional differences that reflected efforts to rectify prior conditions such as colonialism or tradition. In each case, I have attempted to identify trends that are characteristic of large numbers of, if not cultures and nations.

Equity and excellence in English language education in the USA: A literature review from the 1960s to 2020s

Kim Song — 2024-06-26

This study examined the trends in English language education (ELE) using a literature review from the 1960s to the 2020s as a research method. After reading the 1012 journal article abstracts, 210 articles emerged using the 37 keywords, which were supposed to embrace racial and linguistic equity. After multiple iterations of reading and open coding these abstracts, thirty-two articles were selected for the final analysis. One research question guided this study, “What were the emerging trends of PK-12 ELE in the USA in terms of equity and excellence from the 1960s to the 2020s?” Three phases were identified: Phase 1 (1968-1999) on remedial service; Phase 2 (2000-2007) on test accountability; and Phase 3 (2008-2020) on asset-based ELE. We integrated Feiman-Nemser’s central tasks into the four themes: 1) gaining EBLs' funds of knowledge (FoK), 2) enacting EBLs' racial, linguistic, and cultural repertoires, 3) forming teacher beliefs, and 4) deepening knowledge of the curriculum. The findings revealed shifts in three phases under each theme: from assimilating to the target language and culture and devaluing EBLs' assets in Phase 1 to interweaving EBLs’ FoK but with racialized attitude towards EBLs in Phase 2 and valuing EBLs’ FoK as assets, seeing them as ‘language architect’, and integrating translanguaging and resisting raciolinguistic ideologies into ELE in Phase 3.

Radial blended-collaboration in doctoral education: Insights from an Indonesian higher education institute

Ranta Butarbutar — 2024-06-26

This study explored how doctoral educators apply a radial blended collaborative (RBC) strategy to teach EFL speaking. This study used a narrative case study design and a qualitative approach. In doing so, teachers employed eight RBCs' strategies: raising collaboration awareness, forming groups based on 21st-century skills, using controlled-chosen topics and theme-based prior knowledge, employing snowball questioning techniques, engaging in role-play in different contexts, conducting peer evaluations, and providing oral and written feedback. This study found that technology integration, such as WhatsApp, Zoom Meeting, Google Classroom, and electronic mail, enhanced the learning experience, whereas pooling WhatsApp messages was used to direct the chosen discussion topics. The results demonstrated that RBC significantly improved students' speaking performance across four instructional dimensions: collaborative awareness, active learning, classroom interaction, and technological integration. Future research should aim to enhance spoken communication by integrating technology in assessments and fostering collaborative learning environments.

“Racism is alive and well”: (Re)visiting the University of Florida’s Black Student Union’s history through composite counterstorytelling

Matthew Cowley — 2024-06-26

This study centers on the origins of the Black Student Union (BSU) during the late 1960s and early 1970s at the University of Florida (UF) presented as a speculative fiction composite counterstory. The story presented in this manuscript serves as a cautionary tale of what the future of higher education will be, if white supremacy persists, even when white people will no longer represent a numerical majority. Though the findings utilized in this piece are decades old, we offer the current climate of public institutions and DEI initiatives to emphasize the importance of counterstories that underscore the resistance and activism that challenges oppressive systems and birthed such organizations as Black Student Unions, which are now increasingly under threat of elimination. Utilizing BlackCrit, we look backward to explore the permanence of anti-Black racism in our future. We invoke the genre of speculative fiction to give form to our findings - a fictional short story that posits a possible future world that runs counter to expectations for a post-racial future on college campuses and in the United States more broadly. Through a deeper understanding of how Black students drew upon their social networks during the Long Black Student Movement era, we aim to spark dialogue about the future of Black student advocacy at predominantly white American colleges and universities.

Analyzing the success of Hispanic boys in meeting college and career readiness standards in rural Texas high schools

Carlos Barron — 2023-06-26

Examined in this investigation were the percentages of Hispanic boys who were college ready or not college ready as a function of the district’s rural setting for three consecutive school years (i.e., 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019). Descriptive statistics were calculated for all three rural school district types combined and then separately for the three rural school districts (i.e., Rural Remote, Rural Distant, and Rural Fringe). With respect to this investigation, 41% of Hispanic boys met a College, Career, and Military Readiness indicator in mathematics. All three rural school district types had positive trends or negligent changes over the three consecutive school years for Hispanic boys who met a College, Career, and Military Readiness indicator in mathematics. More than a third, 34.36%, of Hispanic boys from rural distant school districts met a college readiness indicator in mathematics. Similar percentages were present for Hispanic boys in rural remote school districts, 35.74%, and for Hispanic boys in rural fringe school districts, 36.01%. However, approximately two-thirds of Hispanic boys did not meet a college readiness indicator in mathematics in any of the three rural district type settings over three consecutive years. As such, educational leaders are encouraged to expand their efforts in this area, along with evaluating the efficacy of their current strategies.

Students speak: Academic, career, and sociocultural experiences of African American college students

Ozalle Toms — 2024-06-26

This manuscript presents the outcomes of a qualitative research investigation centered on the experiences of African American college students in terms of their preparation for high school, college, and careers within a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) situated in rural southeastern Wisconsin. At the time of this research, the comprehensive public university had an undergraduate enrollment of 10,196 students. Among these students, 82.1% self-identified as White, 7.8% as Hispanic or Latinx, 5.4% as African American, 3.2% as Asian or Southeast Asian, and 0.9% as American Indian or Alaskan Native. Using semi-structured interviews with willing student participants, the primary objectives of this study were twofold: (1) to recognize the sociocultural and institutional elements that influence the career trajectories of African American students attending the institution and (2) to effectively capture the educational and career viewpoints and voices of these students as they navigate the complex sociocultural and institutional landscape. Key findings from the research highlight the students’ perspectives on the substantial connections between their high school experiences, particularly those in and around a major urban center in the Midwest, and their subsequent college and career paths. Additionally, the study underscores the challenges these students encounter while navigating the physical and social spaces on a rural PWI campus. Recommendations are made for creating a more welcoming space for African American students and for supporting those engaged in the work.

An analysis of gender differences in industry-based certification attainment rates of Texas high school graduates

Robert Todd Hicks — 2023-06-26

In this statewide, multiyear study, industry-based certification attainment rates were examined by gender for Texas high school graduates. Industry-based certifications included in the study were vetted by the Texas Education Agency and reported through the Texas Academic Performance Reports for the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years. Inferential analyses revealed statistically significant differences in industry-based certification attainment rates for each of the three school years of data analyzed. Both boys and girls demonstrated increases in certification attainment across the years analyzed; however, the attainment rate of Texas male high school graduates increased at a faster rate than the attainment rate of Texas female high school graduates. Differences in attainment rates and associated attainment gaps between male and female graduates are presented for each of the three school years of data analyzed, as well as recommendations for future research.

Preparing early educators for the current context of social emotional learning: A content analysis of course descriptions

Rhianna Thomas — 2024-06-26

Despite the well-established need for teacher preparation in child guidance and social emotional learning, studies have found a lack of robust course offerings in these areas. Further, the United States context for children’s social emotional development is changing due to the global pandemic, racial unrest, and increased gun violence. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has put forth updated teacher competencies to address the changing context as well as new research on early learning. However, little is known about how teacher education programs have implemented the updated guidelines around teacher competencies. For this journal article, we systematically examined 314 early childhood education programs of study from U.S. universities. We share a content analysis of 237 course descriptions from courses dedicated to children’s social emotional learning. We found 26% of programs require no course on social emotional learning. We also identifed the four most and three least represented competencies around social emotional learning. Our content analysis reveals that behaviorist theory is predominant in the design of courses and sociocultural influences are under-represented. We provide implications for regularly updating course descriptions to address the needs of children and families in the ever-changing context of education.

Examining Algebra I performance differences among at-risk Texas Hispanic high school boys: A multiyear investigation

Daniel Craft — 2024-06-26

This investigation examined the Algebra I End-of-Course exam performance of Hispanic boys who were at-risk and those who were not at-risk during the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Data for all students in Texas who took the Algebra I End-of-Course exam during these years were obtained from the Texas Education Agency. The analysis focused exclusively on Hispanic boys. Utilizing secondary data, a causal-comparative or ex post facto study was conducted. The inferential statistical procedures revealed statistically significant differences in performance for at-risk Hispanic boys across all three school years. In each of these years, a significantly lower percentage of at-risk Hispanic boys met the three grade-level standards (Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, and Masters Grade Level) compared to their not-at-risk peers. On average, at-risk Hispanic boys answered about 13 fewer items correctly than those who were not at-risk. These findings indicate that current instructional practices are not adequately meeting the needs of at-risk Hispanic boys. Policymakers and educational leaders are advised to review current programs and implement necessary changes to better support these students.