This paper analyzed elementary teacher education (hereafter ‘TED’) programs in the top performing European (TIMSS) countries to help inform future elementary TED policy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methodological emphasis revolved around how much emphasis should be placed on general content knowledge (GCK), as opposed to general pedagogical knowledge (GPK), as opposed to methodological pedagogical knowledge (MPK). This study explored these questions while analyzing the elementary TED programs of Germany, Finland, and the U.K. relying mainly on peer-reviewed literature on these topics published between 2000 and 2016 in the English language. Three theoretical frames of reference, aside from TIMSS, were also analyzed during this process: whether the programs were consecutive or concurrent, the model of partnership followed between universities and institutions where field experiences took place, and the overall status and role of teachers in the society as categorized by career-based or position-based. It was found that the top performing European TIMSS countries usually: have consecutive and concurrent options; attract the top academic achievers into their programs; have strict filters for admission; provide very intensive TED experiences to their students focusing on practical and diverse field experiences; enforce students to major in at least one academic subject and place more emphasis on academic subject expertise than pedagogy; have challenging criteria (including exams and portfolios) for graduation from the program; have national accreditation institutes for unifying standards; their sponsor countries enforce various types of induction and professional development once in the field; and lastly these countries offer salaries competitive with other professions that require the same amount of years and training since they are usually career-based positions.

___________________________________________________________________This study compared how the centralization of Egyptian Islamic Higher Education historically affected educational quality, probity of school management and general levels of and appreciation for Islamic knowledge. This research compared characteristics of Egyptian Islamic Higher Education during four pivotal historical periods: the early medieval period (623-1300s C.E.); the 15th century; the 16 th and 17 th centuries; and the period of British and French colonization (the 19 th and 20 th centuries). The logic behind choosing these time periods for comparison was that they represented times of significant centralization/decentralization. Upon analysis of the effects of centralization and de-centralization, it has been found that the centralization of Islamic Higher Education in Egypt has had negative effects. It was identified that the centralization of Islamic Higher Education played a central role in decreasing educational quality, increasing corruption, decreasing general levels of and appreciation for Islamic knowledge, and even supporting Imperial initiatives. Such findings are important given the current geopolitical situation of increasing centralization of Egyptian Islamic higher education. Resumen _________________________________________________________________ Este estudio compara cómo la centralización de la educación superior islámica egipcia ha afectado históricamente la calidad educativa, la probidad de la gestión escolar y los niveles generales de apreciación del conocimiento islámico. La investigación ha comparado las características de la educación superior islámica egipcia durante cuatro períodos históricos fundamentales: el período medieval temprano (623-1300s C.E.); el siglo XV; los siglos XVI y XVII; y el período de colonización británica y francesa (siglos XIX y XX). La lógica para la selección de estos períodos se debe a que representan épocas de significativa centralización/descentralización. Tras el análisis de los efectos de la centralización y la descentralización, se ha identificado que la centralización de la educación superior islámica en Egipto ha generado efectos negativos. Esta jugó un papel central en la disminución de la calidad educativa, el aumento de la corrupción, la reducción de los niveles generales y la apreciación del conocimiento islámico, e incluso del apoyo a las iniciativas imperiales. Tales hallazgos son importantes dada la situación geopolítica actual, con una creciente centralización de la educación superior islámica en Egipto.Palabras Clave: centralización, islámico, educación superior, Egipto, análisis histórico 7(2) 179 rom the Medieval to the present, Islamic Higher Education in Egypt has witnessed an intense process of centralization. This study compares how, over time, the centralization of Islamic Higher Education affected educational quality, probity of school management and general levels of and appreciation for knowledge. This research involves comparing characteristics of ...

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This paper analyzed the costs and benefits of attending the top three U.S. elementary teacher education programs by examining how much emphasis is on general content knowledge (GCK), as opposed to general pedagogical knowledge (GPK), as opposed to methodological pedagogical knowledge (MPK), and how this ratio might have affected student outcomes on TIMSS compared to the top performing TIMSS countries in Europe and Asia. Three theoretical frames of reference guided this analysis: program model, field experience model, and status of teacher in society. Methodologically, this study relied mainly on peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2016 in the English language. It was found that although the ratio of GCK to GPK to MPK in the top three U.S. TED programs was similar to what has been reported about the top performing TIMSS countries, student outcomes on TIMSS don’t seem to have been affected due to the fact that performance on TIMSS seems to be stemming mainly from having a very rigorous K-12 education and only admitting the top academic achievers into TED programs.

In a time of increasing anxiety between 'The Muslim World' and 'The West', it is important to investigate the philosophical assumptions that seem to undergird the two parties' Weltanschauung-particularly as we are slowly realizing that they are not neccesarily exclusive entities. However, given the gravity of what is at stake, it seems imperative to undergo such an exploration through a concrete case-based philosophical study in how these worldviews approach education instead of a merely theoretical discussion. This article is a comparative analysis between Nel Noddings' concept of Ethical Care-and it's application by scholars such as Thomas Lickona and Becky Bailey-and the author's selection of what seem to be the most relevant aspects of Islamic Pedagogy. Particular emphasis is placed upon comparing the Secular Humanist philosophical assumptions underlying Ethical Care in its Western form and the Islamic philosophical assumptions underlying Islamic Pedagogy with the objective of finding common ground between two worldviews presumably in tension-while acknowledging differences where each can benefit from the other. Introduction:Education could be said to involve two processes, official curriculum content and moral education; in other words while a particular subject matter is being taught, teachers also educate and socialise students into the accepted value system of their society either directly or indirectly. While much of the literature in the field of education has focused on the cognitive aspects of education, more recent research has highlighted the importance of discussing what kind of moral education goes on in the classroom (Lickona, 1991; Moore, 2007). In America, values are often derived from the liberal arts public education system, citizens' various personal religious beliefs, or some combination of both (Moore, 1-10, 2007). Herein lies a comparison between the liberal arts value system, which I have referred to as the broader belief system of 'Secular Humanism' dominant in Western countries since 'The Enlightenment', and one particular theological belief system-Islam. I will analyse the theoretical framework of 'ethical caring' laid out by Nel Noddings of the ideal student/teacher ( ‫العدد:‬ ‫األزهر،‬ ‫جامعة‬ ‫بية،‬ ‫التر‬ ‫كلية‬ ‫مجلة‬ 711 ‫لسنة‬ ‫يناير‬ ) ‫األول‬ ‫الجزء‬ 8172 ‫م‬ -681 -relationship and the pragmatic contributions of Thomas Lickona on how to utilise such a relationship to teach values in the classroom. I will compare these arguments to a similar analogue of ideal student/teacher relationships found in Islam, which will highlight similar concepts in theory, but some different suggestions in regard to application. This comparative study will illustrate how peoples with differing belief systems as frameworks for viewing the world-the human-centered Secular Humanist perspective as opposed to the God-centered Islamic one-can come to similar conclusions on issues while respecting each others' differences within their respective contexts. Such research is important at a time that a retur...