Search

This study is conducted are descriptive and order of importance to determine the characteristics of effective teachers. Population of the study is 1087 teachers and 167 elementary school principals whom working in the academic year 2011-2012 the province of Kilis. Research sample consists of 229 teachers and 34 managers. "Effective Teacher Characteristics Form" which include seven item given to the participants were asked to rank these features. Teachers in this study, as the first feature of effective teachers "create a behavioral model is ideal for students" feature, last in the "high expectations of the students have to learn and you can succeed in" feature, which they understood. School administrators during the first property of the effective teachers "education-teaching-related issues, in cooperation with the work" feature, ranked last in the "high expectations of the students have to learn and you can succeed in" feature to see it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thought of a Physical Education Teacher (PET) being assigned the position of a Principal and exercising educational Leadership in Primary and Secondary Schools hasn't always been taken for granted, as it was the case with the other disciplines. Indicative of the hindered equal accessibility in the position of a school Principal is the fact that only since 1985 (Law 1566/1985) the Physical Education Teachers (PET) are allowed to claim the Principal's position in secondary schools. Currently, Physical Education Teachers (PET) have gained more self-confidence and identify differently their role in the Greek school. Given the fact that Physical Education Teachers (PET) already constitute the third in volume discipline occupying the position of school Principal in Secondary Education, a significant question rises: Can Physical Education Teachers (PET) be effective school leaders? The purpose of the present paper is to identify which administrative skills of the Physical Education Teachers (PET) need improvement, so as the latter to be considered effective Principles according to their teachers' perceptions. Making use of a questionnaire (Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale-PIMRS) adapted to the Greek reality, a total number of 460 teachers of 32 schools run by Physical Education Teachers (PET) participated. The gap analysis technique applied revealed statistically significant results in all the items comprised in the measurement tool. The first three abilities/ skills lacking and should be developed by Principals - PET are the following:: "working with multilingual parent groups" with a mean difference of 0.75 (t(454)=14,649 p=0,000); "converting the curriculum objectives into a curriculum on the school's website" with a mean difference of 0.73 (t(452)=12,859 p=0,000); and "informing parents on their children's educational advancement" (t(452)=10,117 p=0,000). The present study confirms the findings of previous research concerning the effective Principal's catalytic role in the quality of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines different models and theories of leadership with a view to discern relevance, meaning and applicability to a small state, St Lucia. It reviews the evolution and distinguishing features of leadership and compares selected models in order to determine significance to St. Lucia context for achieving effective schools. Different school leadership models evolved to suit societal changes, educational reforms and demands and perceptions of educational researchers who viewed schools as organizations based on corporate - organization models, but exhibited greater complex and dynamism. Other researchers viewed schools as communities with a network of interconnecting people and relationships, with varying degrees of commitments and conflicting expectations, thus creating a unique environment in each school. Apprehension about the degree of applicability of these models with regard to outcomes and the quality of schooling that students require in this challenging era, led to the development of new leadership theories. These new leadership models suggest that school leaders should to be driven by a noble and morale purpose. However the literature seems to indicate that transformational models and new leadership concepts are theoretical and have not been empirically tested in schools. Then again, if available, the few empirically based theories are context specific; they are researched in developed and different countries with completely different circumstances and may not be easily transferable. Adoption and application of these models are dependent on the prevailing circumstances and environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of ethnographic research that examined the transformation of a previously failing school into one of the highest performing schools in the state. The study sought to examine the school's transformation and to identify the factors that were connected to the transformation. There were three factors identified as key elements in the transformation of the school and they were: administrative transformations, curricular transformations, and instructional transformations. The research used both quantitative and qualitative data to paint a portrait of the school prior to transformation and qualitative data to document that transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Theory of Planned Behavior" provided a specific theoretical framework to evaluate the impact of attitudes, norms, and controls on parental involvement in a local school district. The "new knowledge" that resulted from the measurement of these constructs affirmed that regardless of the perceived level of parental involvement, virtually all parents believed that engagement in their child's education was important (attitudes). Parents also shared a variety of "good intentions" in wanting to participate in a range of scheduled school activities. In addition, the same obstacles (or "controls") to these "good intentions" were shared between parents deemed "involved" and parents deemed "not involved." There was a significance difference in norms, however. Parents perceived as "not involved" were more likely to note that friends and neighbors were not actively involved -and that a majority of parents were unable or unlikely to be actively involved. This provides a rationale for a norm-based initiative that might increase parental involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Theoretical Educational Science / Kuramsal Eğitimbilim Dergisi is the property of Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the past three decades, South African education has experienced an immense decline in teaching and learning standards as a result of the political upheavals that have afflicted the country. This decline in standards as well as other, mainly political, factors has resulted in legislation being passed to transform and renew the South African education system by inter alia, creating new structures and opportunities for all stakeholders in education to participate in the management and governance of South African schools. School-based management, or SBM, is therefore no longer an option, but a reality in South African education. Legislation and policy documents all point South Africa firmly towards a school-based system of education management. The new policy framework for decentralised decision-making is also embedded in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996. The effective management and governance of SBM structures are widely regarded as essential dimensions for effective SBM. In response, this article is an attempt to explain the critical role of management and governance of SBM structures in ensuring effective SBM in South Africa where educational reform is the norm, rather than the exception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this article is twofold. First, we show that despite students' disadvantaged backgrounds and despite not having more financial resources than similar schools, there are schools in Chile that serve low-income students and that obtain superior academic outcomes. Second, we present qualitative evidence to identify school and classroom processes that might explain these good results. Specifically, we analyse a network of Chilean private voucher schools called Sociedad de Instruccion Primaria (SIP). In the econometric analysis we use a number of propensity score-based estimation methods to find that SIP students' achievement is not due to observables or selection on measured variables. We also perform a number of interviews in SIP schools and other neighbouring schools. Our qualitative analysis suggests that having children's learning as a central and permanent goal, an aim that is shared and that drives the community's efforts, seems to best summarize what makes SIP schools special. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of underprepared freshmen to a high school presents a host of challenges for all stakeholders. West High School in Bakersfield, California, responded to a problem of academic failure of a significant number of freshmen by developing and implementing a Freshman Academy for underprepared students entering the 9th grade. During two years of this intervention, the school experienced improvement in the matriculation rate, an increase in literacy skills, and a reduction in student suspensions. The Freshman Academy identified students’ academic and nonacademic needs and provided a supportive learning environment to help address these needs in a way that led to successful promotion through high school. Two critical attributes of this approach are teacher efficacy and teacher collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The issue of leadership competencies has been the subject of scientific research since 1980s. Through this study, it is determined whether instructional competencies of school principals vary depending on the type of school they work at and their field. Data obtained as a result of this study were associated with the effect of the field and type of school in selecting school principals on the instructional competencies of school principals. It is thought that the findings of the study will provide significant data in selecting and educating school principals, which is among the underlying factors of the effective school concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present key aspects of a research project entitled ‘Students’ Cultural Diversity and School Efficacy: A Repertory of Best Practice in Compulsory Learning Centers.’ First, we present our concept of cultural diversity and a reflection regarding ‘best school practices’ and the notion of ‘student achievement at school.’ In the second part, we analyze two practices which may seem quite different from each other: learning communities and a program of attention to diversity, which illustrate several ways of adopting an intercultural approach. The repertory of good practices mentioned can serve as an insightful resource for teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalent organisational climate in primary schools in the North West Province was determined in order to formulate management strategies to increase the organisational climate. For this purpose, a quantitative research method, founded in post-positivistic points of departure, was applied. In the process, the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire - Rutgers Elementary (OCDQ-RE) was applied in order to determine the behaviour of principals and school educators. The investigation indicated that the behaviour of the principals and that of the educators contributed only to an average degree to the establishment of a more effective organisational climate in the primary schools investigated. Furthermore the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that certain items in the original climate questionnaire, which were grouped in the directive behaviour of the principal, were viewed by the respondents in South Africa as supportive but, in some instances, also as restrictive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a tribute to the writings of Dr. Roland Barth through a personal story spanning over two decades. It explores Dr. Barth's personal vision of an effective school through recent brain-based principles. It revisits Barth's axioms and uses recent implications from the neurosciences as new supporting evidence for their success in helping students and their teachers reach profound levels of learning in the classroom and in staff development experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Counseling instructors using evaluations made by their students has shown to be a fruitful approach to enhancing teaching quality. However, prior experimental studies are questionable in terms of external validity. Therefore, we conducted a non-experimental intervention study in which all of the courses offered by a specific department at a German university were evaluated twice with a standardized student evaluation questionnaire (HILVE-II; overall 44 instructors, 140 courses, and 2,546 student evaluations). Additionally, twelve full time instructors received counseling after the first measurement point. Long-term effects over a period of 2 years and transfer effects to other courses were analyzed using multi-level analyses with three levels. Possible influences by bias and unfairness variables were controlled for. Our results indicate a moderate to large effect of counseling on teaching quality. In conclusion, if students' evaluations are accompanied by counseling based on the evaluation results, they present a useful method to assure and increase teaching quality in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explicates the viewpoints of school managers from various dysfunctional, historically black African schools. The 56 school managers from four Eastern Cape districts addressed several questions pertaining to what is really causing the lapse of management and leadership in various “failing schools”. Both these aspects apparently have a bearing on the performance of learners and educators. This was an explorative, qualitative study. Data was collected through focus group sessions with eight participants per session. All the schools represented are, by admission of the participants, “beset with varying managerial and academic problems” and are also labelled ineffective by the immediate communities. The participants highlighted a number of challenges that plagued their schools. The majority also attributed their schools’ under-performance to a number of aspects, including the lack of vision, absence of emphasis on teacher development, poverty in communities and apparent invisibility of district officials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper was to review extant literature on multicultural education in the context of teaching physical education. More specifically, the article was designed to review the literature on physical education teachers' knowledge and skills related to teaching culturally diverse students. The findings revealed teachers' knowledge and skills in multicultural education to embrace cultural competency, cultural sensitivity, culturally responsive pedagogy, and racial identity, and indicated multicultural education coursework and field experiences in teacher education programs to be important avenues for the development of positive attitudes toward cultural diversity. Other findings from this review point to limited previous research studies that focused on multiculturalism in physical education, and further that physical education teachers have varying degrees of knowledge and understanding of multicultural education. The outcomes of these studies underscore the important role physical education teacher education has in preparing pre-service teachers for diversity in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined changes in student motivation and achievement in science during a visit to a university children's science museum. The study was based on the pretest-posttest control comparison group design with four treatment groups: control, exhibit, lesson and exhibit/lesson. The sample consisted of 228 sixth-grade students from a Louisiana public school who were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental groups. Pretest, posttest and delayed posttest measures of intrinsic motivation and achievement in science were obtained using the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and an achievement test written to measure areas of science incorporated in the museum exhibits. The data were analysed using a one-way ANOVA, dependent t tests and Pearson r. Significant differences were found within groups for (1) the lesson group in motivation and (2) the exhibit group in achievement from pretest to posttest and from posttest to delayed posttest. A significant relationship between level of motivation and science achievement was revealed for the exhibit group on the delayed posttest. There were no other significant findings to support that the treatment led to any long-term effects on motivation or achievement within any of the four experimental groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many youth are at risk for failure in school due to various school, family, and community characteristics. To provide more support for youth at risk, school-based mentoring programs have become increasingly popular. However, this seemingly simple intervention is actually quite complex and must be implemented with integrity and fidelity. Although still in emergent stages, key foundational components have been suggested by research to increase the chances of positive outcomes for students. This article discusses the process of building an effective, sustainable mentoring program. Information on specific tools available for program developers and administrators is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A major problem of education in isolated, predominantly First Nations communities in Ontario's far north is that prescriptive statements and ideological preferences assume discussions about the purposes of schooling in these communities. Frequent suggestions, sometimes implicit, and sometimes explicit, indicate that the ideal condition for effective schooling must reflect the social, political, and economic characteristics of Eurocentric societies. Very closely linked with such a notion of schooling is the suggestion that education represents a single, final state of affairs, namely, excellence, measured by a Eurocentric gauge and analyzed in the units of its standards, that everyone should try to emulate, and the most successful should reach. Certainly, many discussions of schooling in First Nations communities have not occurred at a genuinely conceptual or theoretical level but involve mere word juggling because they do not carry the viewpoints and voices of First Nations people. This study examines the viewpoints of First Nations and Euro-Canadian teachers on the nature and aims of schooling, its guiding principles, its practical functions, and its role in First Nations society. The findings suggest that the idea of schooling is to develop and implement a two-way education that encourages a cross-fertilization of insights, practices, and mental prototypes of both Eurocentric and First Nations traditions and cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational effectiveness research (EER) has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the characteristics and processes associated with more and less effective schools in a diverse range of contexts. However, this remains a contested field of inquiry and has been subjected to significant critique. This paper examines the origins and development of EER and summarises the key critiques and defences of the field during the past 30 years. It then moves on to examine the recent critique of the field by Stephen Gorard in the UK and responds by highlighting statistical errors and simplistic claims made by Gorard about the field's involvement with the development of national value-added systems and interaction with policy-making in his recent papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review draws attention to issues related to school self-assessment. This process has been similarly implemented in a variety of jurisdictions globally in the past decade hence their inclusion herein as an attempt to understand the school self-assessment process which has also been developed for use in local Ontario (Canadian) elementary schools. This review includes an examination of the foundational components of effective schools, the purpose of school self-assessment, and the successes and challenges of school selfassessment both locally and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the potential influence of evidence-based practice (EBP) in school libraries in affirming the role of the school librarian as leader. We begin with an examination of the most recently added role of effective school librarians, that of leader, and provide an overview of the current interpretation of this role. We then proceed with an introduction to the use of EBPs in school libraries, with an emphasis on the relationship of EBPs to student achievement. We articulate a potential relationship of EBP to building leadership credibility among school librarians by presenting examples of the use of EBP in linking student achievement to school library programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAE ratings have been criticized as biased in favour of universities that are old, in England, large and represented on the panel. We investigate these accusations for the 1996 and 2001 RAE ratings of economics departments using independent rankings from the academic literature as quality controls. We find RAE ratings to be largely in agreement with the profession's view of research quality as documented by independent rankings, although the latter appear to be more focused on research quality at the top end of academic achievement. Accusations of bias find no support in the data, except for panel membership in 1996. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the classroom and school characteristics that are associated with student achievement in mathematics and Serbian language in primary schools in Serbia. The study sample consisted of 119 public primary schools, 253 classrooms, and 4,857 third-grade students. Variables from 3 past research paradigms - input-output, effective schools, and instructional effectiveness - as well as key student background variables, were first organised in a conceptually integrated model of school effectiveness. Then, they were simultaneously examined as predictors of student achievement in a 3-level Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM). This research found little association between school-level variables and student achievement. Several classroom-level policy-malleable variables were found to have small positive associations with student achievement: clear and structured classroom instruction, emphasis on complex (as opposed to basic) skills, whole-class instruction (rather than individual or group work), teacher feedback, orderly climate, moderately frequent reinforcement of student effort, and - to a lesser extent - use of a variety of teaching tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools across America are being ranked for their effectiveness on a number of student criteria, among them preparation of students for a successful college experience. This study investigates the relationship between graduating seniors, their successful first year retention in college and several personal and school related factors. The study also explores the relationships between school accountability rankings and the demographics of the respective schools in an effort to assess school effect sizes for student growth, a mandate of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Nearly 11,000 high school seniors from more than 280 schools were included in the analyses. When taken collectively, results from the study indicate that school accountability rankings provide little predictive value when assessing successful first year college retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to describe students' university environment experience from the perspectives of the first two years of university graduates of a newly established small university located in suburban area in Taiwan. A qualitative method of phenomenology with in-depth interviews is adopted. Fourteen male and sixteen female seniors, with an average age of 22.75 years old participate in this study. Results reveal that students go through stages, beginning with shock and disappointment, uncertainty and instability, coping and acceptance, resource usage and ability enhancement, belongingness and identity, and retrospection and integration. The more students accept, interact, and identify with the university environment, the more satisfaction they have with their life at the university and the more they grow throughout their university career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the extent to which changes in the effectiveness status of schools can be related to changes in the functioning of school factors included in the dynamic model of educational effectiveness. The methods of a follow-up study were identical to those of a study conducted 4 years ago in order to test the validity of the dynamic model. Since the follow-up study took place in the same schools where the original study took place, changes in the effectiveness status of schools and in the functioning of effectiveness factors were identified. Discriminant function analysis reveals that changes not only in the functioning of some school factors but also in the quality of teaching practice can help us classify the schools into those which improved their effectiveness status, those which remained equally effective, and those which even reduced their effectiveness status. Implications of findings for the development of educational effectiveness research are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reflects on the use of evolving concept instructional strategy in students' multiple and conflicting historical resources. A study points out that high school students using historian heuristics in their history classes use corroboration and sourcing. It points out that computer software help students improve their ability to use source information. It points out that the evolving concept lesson plan aims to help students examine topics associated to history. It suggests teachers to offer temporary support when students learn for new skills.

Copyright of Revue d'Economie Politique is the property of Editions Dalloz Sirrey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue d'Economie Politique is the property of Editions Dalloz Sirrey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revue d'Economie Politique is the property of Editions Dalloz Sirrey and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Teacher turnover disproportionately impacts high poverty districts, where teachers hold fewer professional credentials and working conditions are more challenging. • The disparities in teacher quality and working conditions likely contribute to teacher turnover and workplace instability as well as limit students' opportunities to learn. • Recommendations for finding, supporting, and keeping highly qualified special education teachers in high poverty districts and schools are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, we investigated the relationship of constructed measures for school process variables with distinct student outcome variables, including one measure for student achievement and one psychosocial outcome variable. Two different approaches were used to develop these school process measures: standard confirmatory factor analysis plus aggregation on the one hand (i.e., the traditional approach) and multilevel confirmatory factor analysis on the other hand (i.e., the alternative approach). The main research objective involved the comparison between these two approaches. It was found that the alternative approach could yield different conclusions in comparison with the more traditional approach. Therefore, these results underline the importance of using the most appropriate approach to develop measures for school process variables, which is the alternative approach that explicitly takes into account the hierarchical nature of the data collected on school processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: District effectiveness research (DER) is an emerging field concerned with identifying the organizational structures, administration, and leadership practices at the school district level that help districts find success with all of their students across the schools within the system. This work has mirrored much of the early school effectiveness research (SER). However, to date across the DER literature, site selection for in-depth studies of districts deemed "effective" has been haphazard and nonsystematic. This is problematic given the long history of critiques centered on site selection in SER. The purpose of this study is to address and adapt the critiques from SER to a method of site selection for DER and test the method using a large multiyear data set to identify districts that are significantly unusual and effective. Research Design: A two-level hierarchical linear growth model that nests multiple time points per district (Level 1) within districts (Level 2) was used to predict gains in district achievement for all school districts in the state of Ohio during a 7-year period, 2001-2002 through 2007-2008. Findings: Districts that statistically significantly outperformed their predicted gains in achievement, controlling for background and demographic variables over the period, are identified as possible sites for in-depth qualitative studies for DER in comparison to districts performing at the norm. Conclusions: This study proposes and tests a method for district identification in DER that addresses the critiques from SER through controlling for achievement covariates, modeling district gains over time, and examining the population of districts within an entire state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this two-year longitudinal study was to investigate the role and impact of prior mathematics performance, cognitive appraisals and mathematics-specific, affective anxiety in determining later mathematics achievement and future career orientation among Finnish adolescents. The basic ideas of the control-value theory, assumed to be culturally universal, and previous controversial results regarding the relationship between mathematics anxiety and mathematics achievement were tested in the Finnish cultural context with a longitudinal design. The key premise of the control-value theory is that control and value appraisals are significant determinants of both activity and outcome achievement emotions. Our results suggest that mathematics anxiety, a prospective outcome emotion, is determined by outcome expectancies (success or failure) and outcome value (the importance of performing well). They also suggest that anxiety as a negative affective emotion is a problem not only for those who perform poorly but probably also for certain pupils across all achievement levels. Compared with the performance level and with the boys, the girls exhibited inaccurately low outcome expectancies in mathematics. These low expectancies connected to the negative value of failure are a potential cause for their higher anxiety level. The educational implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents data that extend an earlier analysis of predictors of academic performance from one to three years. None of the adjustment and other psychosocial variables (help-seeking, academic motivation, self-esteem, perceived stress and perceived academic overload) could predict success at university at the end of three years of study. The only significant predictor was academic performance at the end of the first year of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable number of primary schools in Australia and overseas organise their students into achievement-based classes for literacy (and/or numeracy): a practice often seen in high school settings. Why school systems do this will be examined elsewhere, though it is safe to say that concern for ongoing student achievement is a consideration. Whilst much of the early research on achievement grouping focussed on academic outcomes, with a general consensus that there are no overall advantages for students, more recent overseas studies have investigated affective outcomes for students. No relevant research in the Australian primary context has been identified. This paper examines the attitudes of participating teachers towards this practice, as evidenced through interviews with eight teachers across three schools. It discusses how teacher beliefs related to the strategy impact on their classroom practice in literacy lessons. The conclusion reached is that teaching practices are negatively impacted by the regrouping strategy, and that this is ultimately detrimental to student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The teacher's role has often been described as one of 'orchestration', and this musical analogy is a powerful one in characterising the manipulation of features in the classroom setting in order to generate activity or 'performance' which leads to learning. However, a classical view of orchestration would fail to recognise the extent to which effective teaching and learning make use of serendipity and improvisation - characteristics more often associated with jazz. This paper uses the characteristics of various musical genres to characterise teaching approaches observed in the authors' work in two research projects investigating the use of ICT in mathematics classrooms. In particular the authors demonstrate how jazz and other musical analogies can be useful when describing some of the more effective classrooms in which serendipitous events were exploited and performances were improvised by pupils as well as teachers. They discuss the ways in which teachers were able to use ICT to establish conditions under which more jazz-like performances were likely to occur, offering opportunities for more creative, improvised teaching and learning. They also examine lessons that can be learned by examining differences between musical and pedagogical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much attention has been paid to formal pedagogic elements of the doctorate - supervision and other structured institutional provisions - but we know less about the role played by non-formal practices in doctoral students' learning. This paper explores the experiences of eight doctoral students involved in editing student-run journals. Editorship and reviewing manuscripts are presented as part of academic service - important yet overlooked aspects of academic work, which may be opaque to doctoral students. The analysis draws on concepts relating to workplace learning to understand what these student editors learned and how they learned it. It also pays explicit attention to learners' prior learning and experiences and the role these played in their editorial work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply propensity score matching to the estimation of differential school effectiveness between the publicly funded private sector and the public sector in a sample of 26 countries. This technique allows us to distinguish between school choice and school effectiveness processes and thus to account for selectivity issues involved in the comparison of the 2 sectors. Concerning school choice, we found 2 patterns: a choice of upwardly mobile parents for private schools and a preference for segregation by (lower) middle-class parents. As regards school effectiveness, our results indicate that, after controlling for selectivity, a substantial advantage in reading achievement remains among students in publicly funded private schools in 10 out of the 26 countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper defines education markets based on the major divisions in the school system like public-private, tracking either by curriculum or by ability, and schools' practice regarding admittance of students. These segments in the school system create a “market”, put the schools into various positions in the educational “field”, and parents consider these options when deciding about school choice. Furthermore, school's position in the market has an impact on students' performance even if controlled for school composition. This paper analyzes 23 OECD countries from the PISA 2006 survey. The results indicate that high-status families prefer more selective schools with the exception of ability tracking. Moreover, the more selective schools perform better, but ability grouping does not improve achievement. Applying interaction terms shows that religious schools are able to compensate the disadvantages of pupils coming from low-status families at most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding and knowledge of the micropolitics of an international school are useful in its leadership and management. School politics can have a number of causes, and it is in analysing these causes that a skilled school leader can use them to better understand and develop a school environment. There are nine ways put forward that micropolitics can be utilised to assist leaders of international schools in having more knowledge of their complex and often emotional locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

15 European countries were classified into four types in an international comparative study. The country profiles are based on indicators of the key concepts' funding, governance and choice. This research attempts to answer the question of how the quality of schooling of these types of education systems progressed as from 1995 and what explanations an expert panel of educationalists and researchers can provide for the outcomes. We observe significant differences between the performance trends of the four types of education systems. Also, comparisons between the different years show relatively high and significant correlations, especially between the original sample of countries in 1995 and future performances in TIMSS and PISA measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Slovenia new teachers are required to complete a ten-month probationary period in a school. In this period they are supervised by a teacher-mentor, who does not have any detailed documentation on how to supervise the probation teachers. The research we have done investigated how teacher-mentors evaluated their own mentoring experiences. The study irivolvedd 160 teachers and 77 headmasters from Slovenian schools. The data received from the questionnaire was analyzed quantitatively. We found out that the teacher probationary period is suitable. Teachers are satisfied with their menthorship role, because it is a challenge for them and they can gain new knowledge. A lot of teachers think that they would need an additional qualification and an additional material for their work with the probation teachers. Teacher mentors are not enough qualified for their mentors work, therefore they need support in workshops with examples of good practice and detailed guidelines for their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the nature of effective schools serving socially disadvantaged communities, and to point to an overlooked feature in the literature on school effectiveness in relation to social inclusion. Design/methodology/approach - As part of a trans-European project, three English schools are investigated. A qualitative case study approach is utilised. The schools selected have high proportions of ethnic minority students with low socio-economic status backgrounds, yet demonstrate successful results. Findings - The data show the importance of high expectations, and the development of classroom and school-wide systems to translate these into practice. This reflects areas highlighted by earlier research on schools in disadvantaged communities. The data also point to important conclusions about school ethos. Research limitations/implications - The findings are based on a sample of three schools. Though purposively selected (as successful in challenging circumstances), further research is needed into the role of an inclusive ethos in school effectiveness. Practical implications - As Scheerens and Bosker argue, schools are most important for underprivileged and/or initially low-achieving students. Improving the effectiveness of schools in disadvantaged communities is therefore vital, and an ethos of inclusion is an essential dimension in this. Originality/value - The conclusions mirror in many respects the findings of earlier research on effective schools in socio-economically deprived communities. However, the paper also draws attention to the importance of developing and sustaining an ethos of inclusion in schools serving disadvantaged communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the appropriate roles of the federal government in promoting and enforcing laws related to academic achievement and discusses the politics and litigation that contributed to the evolution of federalism in education law and policy. It notes that the guiding principles behind the iteration of the federal Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965 (ESEA)-- No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act were the issues of educational access and accountability. The author states that by creating a system in which the public and small scale civic organizations stay updated into the political process , ESEA will be able to recognize the function of federalism.

The article discusses the ten strategies on how to implement positive changes in school and offer ways to enhance student learning. It suggests that teachers must engage parents as active partners in facilitating student achievement. It indicates that it is important for educators to solicit businesses to support educational goals through an educational program called adopt a school. It notes that teachers must initiate a program that matches senior citizens and students and must work with paraprofessionals or volunteers to monitor campus grounds.

In this article, the author ponders on the importance of acknowledging the fundamental weakness of education in order to achieve the effectiveness of teaching. He refers to the security and effectiveness of language as strong language, establishing the relation of education inputs to educational outcomes. He identifies several aspects that depict the educational effectiveness of language including the strength of leadership, the effectiveness of teaching, and the effectiveness of schools. He also argues why the weakness of education is significant.