Byron Massialas

Short Biography & Significant Contribution

Professor Byron G. Massialas, Ph.D. (Indiana University), is currently associated with St. Thomas University University, Miami Gardens, after having served on the faculties of the University of Chicago, University of Michigan and Florida State University. At St. Thomas University he is the Co-director and Principal Investigator of "Project SUCCESS," School-University Consortium for ELL Academic Success. The project funded by the US Department of Education seeks to improve the quality of schools that have diverse student populations. He is the author or co-author of several monographs, books and multimedia materials for elementary and secondary schools. These include "Inquiry in Social Studies," (McGraw-Hill)"Creative Encounters in the Classroom: Teaching and Learning through Discovery," (John Wiley); "Tradition and Change in Education: A Comparative Study," (Prentice-Hall); "Education and the Political System," (Addison-Wesley); "Social Issues through Inquiry," (Prentice-Hall) "World History through Inquiry," (A nine-unit series for High School Social Studies, Rand McNally); "Global Perspectives for Educators," (Allyn & Bacon, 1999). Many of his works have been translated into other languages including Arabic, Chinese, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish.

Massialas has been involved in international projects in many parts of the world. Most recently he participated with colleagues in training school headmasters and other educational personnel in Cyprus under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The training involved the use of technology in learning and instruction focusing on educational leadership as follows: Visioning; school management; curriculum development; instructional methodology; technology; classroom climate; working with parents and community agents; evaluation including alternative/authentic student assessment.

Massialas was presented with an honorary (Festschrift) volume in 2005 edited by M. Kassoatkis and G. Flouris of the University of Athens, entitled, Topics and Issues in Education, Athens, Greece: ATRAPOS Publisher.

Professor Massialas has long-term research and development experience in the Arab world, including the following:

- During 1967-70 he served as a principal investigator in Beirut studying the role of education in the modernization of Lebanon. The University of Michigan and Ford Foundation supported the study.

- During the spring of 1978 he was invited by the University of Kuwait to advise the planning of the teacher education program.

- In the spring of 1979, under USAID sponsorship, he was a member of a survey team to study the Egyptian educational system and offer a proposal for introducing Basic Education.

- In the fall of 1979 he served as an instructor of a workshop on Population/Environmental Education in Alexandria., under USAI auspices. Egyptian teachers were assisted in preparing innovative but inexpensive materials for use in the classroom.

- In the summer of 1980 he served as a consultant to the World Bank in the development of the Accelerated Literacy Program for Saudi Arabia (ALP II Program).

- During 1983-84, Under USAID and the Academy for Educational Development sponsorship, he served as chief of party to review and evaluate the Basic Education Program in Egypt and recommended appropriate courses of action in curriculum development, instructional methodology, and teacher education.

- In June 1985 he participated in a pre-Nairobi conference in Cyprus on "Planning for Arab Women's Economic Participation." He co-authred a paper with Jamileh Mikati entitled, "Strategies for Educating Arab Women to Participate in National Development."

- A paper, "Educational Opportunity for Arab Women: School Access and Curriculum Content" was presented in 1986 in Spetses, Greece at an International Conference sponsored by the Mediterranean Women's Studies Institute.

- During summer of 1992 he was chief of party in Amman, under INICEF sponsorship, to develop a handbook for teachers of Jordan in core areas as supportive classroom climates, effective questioning techniques, critical thinking skills, and non-formal assessment. The handbook is now available in both English and Arabic and is being distributed by the Ministry of Education in Amman.

- During the spring of 1998 he served as consultant to the Minister of Education and Youth of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. His work focused on a program of professional development of school directors and the creation of an in-service training center.

- During the spring of 1999 he served as chief of party in Dubai to design a Curriculum and Materials Development Center. The Center is currently operating under the UAE Ministry of Education and Youth.

Educational Background

BA,cum laude, Butler University (1957)

MA, Indiana University (1958)

Ph.D. Indiana University (1961)

Ph.D.(Hon) University of Crete, Rethymnon, Crete, Greece (2002)

Professional Background

Assistant Professor of Education in the Social Sciences, University of Chicago, (1961-1975)

Associate Professor of Education, UNiversity of Michigan, (1965-1970)

Professor of Education, Florida State University, (1970-1997)

Visiting Professor at Florida Atlantic University, (1997-2001)

Co-Director, Project SHELL, Lynn University, (2002-2007)

Co-Director, Project SUCCESS, St. Thomas University, (2007-present)

Affiliations (associations, organizations, institutions)

American Educational Research Association

Comparative and International Education Society

National Council for the Social Studies

Sunshine TESOL

Selected Publications

Kazamias, A. & Massialas, B. (1965). Tradition and change in education: A comparative study. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Massialas, B. (1975). Some propositions about the role of the school in the formation of political behavior and political attitudes of students: Cross-National perspectives. Comparative Education Review, 19, 169-176.

Massialas, B. & Jarrar, S.(1983). Education in the Arab world. New York: Praeger.

Massialas, B. & Jarrar, S.(1991). Arab education in transition. New York: Garland.

Jarra, S. & Massialas, B.(1992). Arab Republic of Egypt. In Cookson, P., Sodavnick, & Semel, S.(Eds). (pp.149-167) International Handbook of Educational Reform. New York: Greenwood.

Massialas, B. (2000). The quest for educational reform in the Gulf: The case of the Emirates.(pp.137151) In Bouzakis, S. (Ed).Historical-Comparative perspectives. Athens, Greece: Gutenberg.

Massialas, B. (2005).The school of the future (in Greek). Journal of Education Sciences, University of Crete. 1, 7-18.

Some Reports and Professional Publications:

(co-author) (August 1979) "Basic Education in Egypt," Report of the Joint Egyptian-American Team.

(senior author) (1984) "Basic Education: An Assessment: Curriculum and Teacher Education." Prepared for the Ministry of Education, Arab Republic of Egypt, by the Academy for Educational Development.

(senior author with Samir Jarrar) (winter 1987) "Conflicts in the Process of Education in the Arab World: The Present Challenge," Arab Studies Quarterly.

(co-author) (1988) "The Education Systems of Algeria; Egypt; Jordan Lebanon; Syria; Tunisia; Morocco; Sudan; Libya. Separate articles on each country", World Education Encyclopedia.

(co-author with Jamileh Mikati) (1988) "Trends in Women's Education and Employment in the Arab World", Women and Economic Development in the Arab World, Julinda Abu Nasr and Irini Lorfing, Eds. Beirut: Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World, BUC, 1988.

"Aspects of Educational Crisis in the Arab World," (1991)World Crisis in Education, I.E. Pyrgiotakis and I.N.Kanakis, Eds. Athens: Grigoris Publishes.

"Higher Education in the Arab World,"( 1991), International Higher Education: An Encyclopedia, Philip Altbach, Ed.

"Education in the Middle East and North Africa," (1992) Encyclopedia of Educational Research (AERA) Sixth edition, Macmillan.

"Female Education in the Arab World: Problems and Prospects" (1992)(Working Paper No. 17) Center for Near Eastern Studies, University of California at Los Angeles.

"Arab States: Adult Education," (1994) International Encyclopedia of Education, Second Ed., Pergamon Press.

"Global Imperatives for Social Studies in the 21st Century," In Graham F. Welcch and Ezzat Abd El Mawgood, eds. Educational Reform in the United Arab Emirates: A Global Perspective. Dubai: UAE Ministry of Education and Youth, 2000.

"Technology and Leadership in Instruction, Curriculum Development and Assessment," in Ezzat Abd El Mawgood, ed. Education reform in the UAE: Education through the Utilization of Technology. Dubai, Ministry of Education and Youth, 2002.

Created: 3/15/2008

Updated: 12/10/2008

Contributed By: Byron Massialas