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Descriptors:
Ecology; Selection Criteria; Urban Environment; Public Policy; Public Administration; Multivariate Analysis; Sustainable Development; Social Indicators; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Comparative Analysis; Systems Approach

Abstract:
This paper advances a composite indicator called urban environmental virtuosity index (UEVI), in order to measure the efforts made by public local bodies in applying an ecosystem approach to urban management. UEVI employs the less exploited process-based selection criteria for representing the original concept of virtuosity, providing makes a cross cities comparison. In developing such a framework the main technical issue of constructing a composite indicator, involving the weighting and the aggregation phases, will be overcome by using a multivariate approach. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Educational Quality; Models; Stakeholders; Employer Attitudes; Questionnaires; Outcomes of Education; Resources; Sustainable Development; Educational Finance; Employment Potential; Training; College Graduates; Achievement; Research and Development; Theory Practice Relationship

Abstract:
The present paper proposes a theoretical model of institutional quality of a higher education institution (HEI) which, in addition to the internal dimensions of quality, incorporates also the external dimension, i.e. the outcomes dimension. This dimension has been neglected by the quality standards and models examined in our paper. Furthermore, the standards and models analyzed consider stakeholders as one of the quality factors of a HEI. The stakeholders' perspective is seen as a lens through which stakeholders define, control and assess the quality of a HEI. The proposed model therefore gives stakeholders greater significance compared to the dimensions of institutional quality of a HEI. The model has been validated from the employers' perspective. On the basis of 339 completed questionnaires or a 39.74% response rate we concluded that outcomes constitute the most important dimension of institutional quality of a HEI from the perspective of employers in Slovenia. The outcomes dimension is followed, in descending order, by the non-financial resources and inputs, sustainable development, value chain, and, finally, the financial resources and inputs dimensions. The results of the study have shown that of the 44 quality factors of a HEI the following data are of key importance to employers: information on the participation of students in practical training, achievements of graduates at the workplace, implementation of a HEI's research achievements in practice, graduate employability, and a HEI's responsiveness to the demands and changes in the environment. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Political Attitudes; Scholarship; Environmental Education; Personal Autonomy; Sustainable Development; Citizenship; Required Courses

Abstract:
Recently scholars have wondered whether liberals can promote mandatory programs of formal environmental education, including education for the environment or sustainable development. Critics maintain that they cannot on grounds that environmental education is a threat to student autonomy or cannot be justified using liberal principles. We argue that the perceived conflict between liberalism and environmental education is exaggerated. Whatever the environmentalist ambitions of environmental education, any complete conception of it must prioritize education for skills and virtues that are consistent with students' prospective autonomy. Liberalism is also compatible with meeting the demands of intergenerational justice, which arguably will include sustainability education if not other forms of environmental education. Finally, the skills and virtues future citizens need to manage today's most pressing environmental problems are compatible both with those discussed in international statements on environmental education and with those commonly associated with liberal citizenship. Ultimately, environmental education that will better equip citizens to cope with environmental problems is quite possible for liberal politics. (Contains 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Climate; Geography; Sustainable Development; Sustainability; Curriculum; Environmental Education; Geography Instruction; Role of Education

Abstract:
The economic and environmental crises that face humanity today require an educational response. This article accepts the proposition that education may play a part in preparing human beings to survive impacts of human-induced climate change for example. However, education, according to some conceptualizations, is also in crisis. It therefore appears far from clear what a "curriculum of survival" consists of. This article adopts a sceptical viewpoint on education for sustainability. Rather than be concerned with ever tighter definitions of what this may mean, or prescriptions of more effective practices, it turns its gaze towards what is there already--the imperfect but long-standing idea and disciplinary enquiry called geography. Geography as the "world subject" is of great salience. It is about human occupation of the planet and has always ultimately been concerned with survival. This article explores the two ideas of geography and education, and appeals for a re-assessment of the role of the "traditional" disciplines, especially geography, in a curriculum of survival. (Contains 5 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Lifelong Learning; Sustainable Development; Problem Solving; International Education; International Studies; Performance Factors; Barriers; Educational Philosophy; Global Approach; Change Strategies; Educational Change; Educational Strategies; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; Public Policy; Educational Trends; Fundamental Concepts; Holistic Approach

Abstract:
This paper begins with an analysis of global problems shaping education, particularly as they impact upon learning and life chances. In addressing these problems a range of philosophical positions and controversies are considered, including: traditional romantic and institutional views of schooling; and more recent maximalist, neo-liberal, emancipatory and post-modern-perspectives of lifelong learning. In this paper we argue that these do not represent "the last word" on the provision of learning and the enhancement of life chances and instead we put forward an alternative view based upon the notion of adopting an inclusive problem-solving approach, which we believe may be better suited to offering solutions to the various global problems that have been identified or that are still emerging. We believe that such an approach addresses and expands the individual, social, economic and political features of education and conduces to the improvement and expansion of learning and life chances. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Action Research; Teaching Methods; Preservice Teacher Education; Role of Education; Electronic Learning; Content Analysis; Discourse Analysis; Teacher Educators; Distance Education; Educational Research; Educational Environment; Search Engines; Sustainable Development; Preservice Teachers

Abstract:
This paper reports on a fragment from an educational action research in a teacher education setting, ascertaining the possibilities of using the online environment of google.doc for initiating pre-service teachers' discourse about the nature of inclusive relationships between individuals and the environment, and the ways of their enhancement. The method of discourse analysis applied to the generated data demonstrates contradictory evidence as regards the effectiveness of the chosen medium for discourse in terms of the participants' involvement. However, content analysis of the generated discourse yields a system of 15 approaches that pre-service teachers use for communicating about the nature of and prerequisites for inclusive relationships as well as for contemplating the role of education in enhancing them. We suggest that teacher educators can apply these approaches as a framework for exploring the frames of reference that future teachers use in making sense of the phenomenon of inclusion. The identified approaches can help to identify the paths to be pursued to develop these frames, on the grounds of an assumption that a balance can be found between the cognitive, affective, experiential and action orientations. (Contains 4 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Sustainable Development; Citizenship Education; Global Approach; Higher Education; Pilot Projects; Educational Development; Models

Abstract:
Mainstreaming Education for Sustainable Development in higher education is vital if graduates are to possess the abilities, skills, and knowledge needed to tackle the sustainability issues of the future. In this article we explain the development and piloting of a baselining tool, the Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Development Framework, developed with support from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales. We draw comparisons with the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System Program, developed by the North American Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The resulting framework offers consistency with existing Welsh Government strategic documentation, builds on increasing momentum, and has relevance across the higher education sector globally. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Stakeholders; Best Practices; Sustainable Development; Sustainability; Program Implementation; Educational Finance; Colleges; Money Management; Interviews; Institutional Characteristics; Educational Research; Models; Budgets; Budgeting; Financial Support

Abstract:
The goal of this introductory implementation guide is to provide practical guidance for designing, implementing, and managing a green revolving fund (GRF) at a college, university, or other institution. The GRF model is widespread in higher education, with at least 79 funds in operation in North America representing over $111 million in committed investment as of late 2012. GRFs have proven their ability to reduce operating costs and environmental impact while promoting education and engaging stakeholders. The number of GRFs in operation has increased 60 percent since 2010 and 15-fold in the last decade. In 2011, the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) launched The Billion Dollar Green Challenge, an initiative that encourages colleges, universities, and other nonprofit institutions to invest in their own GRFs. As part of this initiative, SEI has researched GRFs at a wide range of institutions and has developed a suite of tools and resources to support GRF adoption. However, it can be difficult to establish and manage an effective GRF. There is a need for a guiding document that taps into the expertise of presidents, administrators, facility managers, sustainability directors, students, consultants, and other stakeholders with GRF experience to establish best practices. This Guide--a co-publication of SEI and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)--is intended to fulfill that need. The Guide is informed by data and insights from schools that have already incorporated GRFs into their campus operations. It includes information from (1) interviews with dozens of stakeholders representing institutions that vary in size, setting, and wealth; (2) research conducted by SEI, AASHE and other organizations; (3) and the direct experience of its authors in implementing and advising on GRFs at a variety of institutions. A list of resources is included. (Contains 1 figure.) [Additional funding for this paper was provided by the David Rockefeller Fund, John Merck Fund, Merck Family Fund, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and Wallace Global Fund.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Performance; Social Indicators; Research Methodology; Scores; Indexes; Sustainable Development; Economic Development; Social Change

Abstract:
In 2010, EU adopted a new growth strategy which includes three growth priorities and five headline targets to be reached by 2020. The aim of this paper is to investigate the current performance of the EU member and candidate states in achieving these growth priorities and the overall strategy target by allocating the headline targets into the priorities and the priorities into the strategy by the use of a composite indicator methodology. The paper determines how far away each member and candidate state is from the targeted levels of the priorities and the strategy by making a distinction between EU 15 and relatively new member states as well. The developed composite indices enable the observation of the performances of the member and candidate states in a single indicator for the overall strategy and each growth priority. The results of the strategy index and three growth priority indices show that Nordic states possess the highest index scores already having reached many of the targets; many new member states performed as good as EU 15 and some EU 15 states are placed at the bottom of the ranking with quite poor performance in reaching the EU 2020 strategy. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Social Capital; Test Construction; Sustainable Development; Governance; Models; Economic Development; Economic Progress; Social Indicators; Public Policy; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Evaluation Methods; Statistical Analysis

Abstract:
This paper presents a new index to quantify, measure and monitor the progress towards the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy. This index is based on a set of relevant, accepted, credible, easy to monitor and robust indicators presented by the European Commission at the time the strategy was launched. The internal analysis of the index shows that the Smart and the Inclusive growth dimensions of the strategy are strictly correlated and that the trade-offs between each of these two dimensions and the Sustainable one exist but are decreasing, suggesting that a change towards more sustainable models of development is occurring in Europe. The external analysis of the index shows that it can be a valid measure to assess the overall competitiveness of countries and that the most critical factors for this strategy to be successful are good governance and social capital. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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