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Background: Subnational actors and organizations are crucial mediators of policy implementation due to their proximity to schools. However, in low- and middle-income country contexts, little is known about their management practices and factors that shape the adoption of these practices to improve education delivery. Purpose: We explore the management context of five District Education Directorates in Ghana, and the factors that enable or constrain them to plan and implement policy. Participants: Forty-three interviews and focus groups with regional and district education officials, district political actors, and basic education school headteachers and teachers. Research Design: A qualitative study of semistructured interviews, focus groups, and education policy and planning documents. Analysis: To understand how policy implementation happens within complex, multitiered bureaucracies, our theoretical framework uses four management functions described in Williams et al. (2021) to explore two different paradigms of how to change public bureaucracies: target setting and prioritization; measurement and monitoring; accountability and incentives; and problem-solving. We coded and analyzed our data based on this framework and developed district-wide narrative memos to synthesize the findings. Findings: We identify three areas of (mis)alignment in management practices: across bureaucratic levels and among actors; around clear and consistent priorities for learning; in expected actions and availability of resources. These (mis)alignments can constrain or be leveraged by districts to improve education delivery in Ghana. Implications: We argue for better prioritization of goals toward learning and the efficient allocation of funds for management practices typical of effective organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally there are increasing numbers of young people on the ASD spectrum attending higher education. Early transition planning is essential and students with ASD often require support to articulate their post-school educational goals and actively participate in transition planning meetings. Services within higher education are primarily designed to provide academic supports however, non-academic supports may be an even more crucial factor in enabling successful transitions for young people on the ASD spectrum who often experience heightened anxiety within an unfamiliar environment. Within this paper, the results of a small-scale exploratory study of the transition experiences of six young people on the ASD spectrum to post-secondary education will be shared. There was limited evidence that transition planning had been initiated as a formal process for the six students. Accessing support in higher education proved to be a complex process for some students who required sustained input from parents to ensure that they would utilise the supports available. Encouraging the development of self-determination skills, a key predictor of success in higher education, needs to begin in secondary school. It is anticipated insights from this study can contribute to the development of an embedded infrastructure to support effective transitions for students with ASD to post-secondary education.

Twenty years after UNESCO's Salamanca Statement enshrined international action for provision for children, youth and adults with special educational needs within the regular educational system, this article presents the current underpinning international and national UK context for developing inclusion in vocational education and training and workplace settings. This context is explored through the justification for developing an EU-funded project entitled "Towards Inclusive Learning Environments (TILE)" and the creation of an associated audit tool, the "Roadmap for Inclusion", by a partnership group consisting of universities and VET settings from Finland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and England.

This small-scale qualitative study examines professional and parental perspectives of dyslexia within international schools located in Bangkok. The views of participants indicated that there is a need for a greater awareness of "dyslexia-friendly" approaches in these settings and a lack of resources to support the identification and teaching of individuals having specific needs. The findings also indicated that the collaboration between parents and professionals was central to what could be identified as "good practice" and that the identification of difficulties alone, without the acknowledgement of an individual's strengths, could be detrimental. Opportunities for continuing professional development are highlighted as central to the needs of professionals working within this region.

In this paper, the results of an investigation into the training needs and expectations of participants of professional development training for specialist teachers and assessors of learners with literacy difficulties and dyslexia are discussed and analysed. The methodology includes both qualitative and quantitative data which were collected over a period of 2 years from participants (N = 75) at the beginning of their courses of study. Current literature is reviewed, and an in-depth analysis of the findings illuminates the rationale and content of the available training. The author discusses these findings and demonstrates the importance of the training. The conclusions offer research-based reflections that are important to all those involved in the design and funding of this and future professional development. (Contains 3 figures and 1 footnote.)

This paper considers the development of teachers' professional identity in the context of educators that have diverse backgrounds. We elucidate how teachers with dyslexia working in tertiary education use narrative resources to construct and negotiate their professional teacher identities. The analysis of narrative interviews, interpreted within the framework of positioning theory and the theories of narrative identity, indicated that the interviewees constructed several professional teacher identities that were closely linked to each teacher's perception of their dyslexia. The experience of dyslexia was clearly evident as a positive element in each identity. Instead of seeing it as an obstacle it can become a part of the teacher's own identity and can be used as a tool to thrive in their profession.

This paper presents the findings of a comparative study using data from questionnaire surveys carried out in England (n = 57) and Ireland (n = 72). The researchers examine how teachers and teaching assistants who are currently teaching pupils with dyslexia in primary schools describe dyslexia and what may have influenced their conceptualisation. The paper examines teachers' responses both in terms of how they view their pupils presenting difficulties in the classroom, and how far they link these to underlying differences in cognitive processing. The researchers suggest ways in which this might influence their teaching in terms of methodology. Findings have been mapped to the Morton and Frith causal modelling framework. The implications of these findings for the training and support of teachers are discussed in the light of recent national initiatives to improve the teaching of dyslexic pupils in both countries.

This paper sheds light onto a poorly presented group of professionals--teachers with dyslexia in Finnish and English further and higher educational settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was, firstly, to discover what teachers with dyslexia could tell us about the manifestation of dyslexia and the challenges they face in the practice of teaching, and secondly, to find out what these professionals feel about being a dyslexic teacher. The data were gathered through the narrative interviews of six teachers and was analysed using thematic narrative analysis. Teachers' narratives revealed that they had accepted their difficulties but also discovered their own strengths to overcome them. The data also indicated that these teachers appreciate their educator's role, acknowledging the importance of empathy and understanding towards their students. Teachers with dyslexia can be successful and useful in training fellow practitioners to be more aware of students' difficulties with dyslexia, hence having the potential to broaden capacity for inclusion and social equality in educational establishments. (Contains 1 table.)

Increasing numbers of "teaching-only" staff are being appointed in higher education institutions in the UK. At one research-intensive university, a new category of academic staff was recently introduced: University Teachers, who are required to engage in scholarly activity as part of their conditions of employment. For many this scholarly activity equates to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). In an attempt to support this growing body of staff in their engagement with SoTL, a year-long Learning Community (LC) was formed. This paper outlines the activities of the LC and presents the outcomes of a collaborative project to explore its members' experiences. We describe the developmental process of LC membership and consider the parallels between our findings and theories of social capital and transformative learning. We conclude with a consideration of how LCs might be used as an engaging form of academic staff development.

Dyslexia support is likely to be in place for students within educational establishments in England. However, there are a significant number of adults with dyslexia in the English workplace who are no longer involved in education and for whom ongoing support is necessary to enable them to reach their potential in a world of increasing literacy demands. Legislation has led to significant moves towards inclusion in the English workplace, but there has been a lack of public recognition of the concerns and needs articulated by adults with this invisible disability. The formation of local voluntary groups provides one model of support for adults with dyslexia. This article examines the setting up of one such group and highlights issues involved in this process. The nature of the group structure and the support offered is discussed, including its impact on the individuals concerned. Finally, the author makes recommendations for stakeholders in the inclusion of adults with dyslexia.

Internationally there are increasing numbers of young people on the ASD spectrum attending higher education. Early transition planning is essential and students with ASD often require support to articulate their post-school educational goals and actively participate in transition planning meetings. Services within higher education are primarily designed to provide academic supports however, non-academic supports may be an even more crucial factor in enabling successful transitions for young people on the ASD spectrum who often experience heightened anxiety within an unfamiliar environment. Within this paper, the results of a small-scale exploratory study of the transition experiences of six young people on the ASD spectrum to post-secondary education will be shared. There was limited evidence that transition planning had been initiated as a formal process   for the six students. Accessing support in higher education proved to be a complex process for some students who required sustained input from parents to ensure that they would utilise the supports available. Encouraging the development of self-determination skills, a key predictor of success in higher education, needs to begin in secondary school. It is anticipated insights from this study can contribute to the development of an embedded infrastructure to support effective transitions for students with ASD to post-secondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Both within Ireland and England there is concern from government level down about how to address literacy standards in primary schools in general and to improve support for learners with dyslexia/specific learning difficulties. This article draws on data that was collected in Ireland and England and compares the provision and organisation of dyslexia support and the role of specialised staff. Identification, assessment, programmes and materials used in overcoming barriers to learning are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on the implementation of an electronic patient file system, an inter-organizational system (IOS), which would allow general practitioner and pharmacies to share patient data in Netherlands. It informs that the IOS will allow patients to benefit from fewer errors in reporting, faster referrals between doctors and less delay in ordering tests. It reflects that promoters, who were less dependent on the system and held more power, attempt to block the implementation of IOS.