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Copyright of Marketing of Scientific & Research Organizations / Marketing Instytucji Naukowych i Badawczych is the property of Sciendo 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.)

Background: Creativity is often cited as one of the capacities that needs to be actively encouraged in all aspects of schooling. However, what creativity is and how it may be promoted through formal teaching and learning approaches remain contested. There are also differences between educators in terms of how they understand, discuss and conceptualise this complex concept. Purpose: This paper focuses on the difficulties associated with talking about creativity in education. It considers the ways in which schoolteachers who are involved in the area of arts education understand, describe and discuss the concept of creativity and how it interacts with their classroom practice. Sample: Twenty-three educators who taught Arts (either as generalist primary classroom teachers or as specialist teachers), and the leadership team from a Kindergarten to Year 9 (pupil ages 5-15) school in the suburbs of a city in the Australian state of Victoria participated in the project. Design and methods: In this phenomenological study, data were gathered from participants through questionnaires, discussion groups, email prompts and reflective journals. The material was analysed qualitatively. Findings: By examining the teachers’ dialogic and discursive responses about creativity, it was possible to capture some broad ways in which the participants spoke about creativity. Data were analysed thematically and grouped into categories that represented the connected ‘creative orientations’: thinking orientations, action orientations, emotion orientations and skill/outcome orientations. Conclusion: There is a need for educators in and across a range of discipline areas to share, map and think about creativity. The approach adopted in this exploratory study offers a way that could be used to focus discussions and help facilitate educators’ talk about creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the development of Optimized Adaptive Interventions in Education. Topics discussed include Sequential Multiple Assignment Randomized Trials (SMARTs) promoted by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and reasons for taking Adaptive Interventions and Optimization of Adaptive Interventions and Evaluation of an Adaptive Intervention.

The scientific rigor of education research has improved dramatically since the year 2000. Much of the credit for this improvement is deserved by Institute of Education Sciences (IES) policies that helped create a demand for rigorous research; increased human capital capacity to carry out such work; provided funding for the work itself; and collected, evaluated, and made available the results of that work through the What Works Clearinghouse. Major challenges still remain for education research, however. One challenge is dealing with the replication crisis that has plagued other scientific fields and is likely to be a problem in education science. A second challenge is better supporting the generalizability of education research. A third challenge is adapting our rigorous research designs to the increasing complexity of our interventions and our questions about the mechanisms by which these interventions achieve their effects. Promising approaches to meet each of these challenges are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study aimed to reveal the degree of including Islamic Education textbooks for basic higher Grades in Jordan of contemporary environmental education standards.The study sample consisted of the same study population, the Islamic Education textbooks for basic higher graes issued by the Ministry of Education for the academic year 2006/ 2007.In order to achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher developed a tool to measure and analyze nine axes included 27 contemporary standards of environmental education.The results revealed the low availability of contemporary environmental standards of education in those books.The proportion of the availability of (ethics, values and behavior) were high, while (resources, cooperation, legislation and monitoring) were moderate.(Energy, population, culture, media, awareness, the economy, development and consumption, science and technology) and their standards were low. In light of the results of the study, the researcher recommended the inclusion of environmental dimension, concepts and other issues in the books of Islamic Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common Core State Standards are embroiled in controversy and politics. The need to continue to study the many facets of educational changes remains critical, especially from the perspective of the teachers experiencing such changes firsthand. Existing surveys of teacher perceptions regarding the Common Core State Standards have focused primarily on teacher awareness, preparedness and opinions regarding the quality of the Common Core State Standards and curricular alignment. This survey study addressed teachers' views and support towards the Common Core State Standards and its implementation, their anticipated effects, and how its operation has affected their teaching, their anticipated effects, and their thoughts to leave the profession prematurely. Comparisons were made between teacher groups based on grade-level taught and years of experience. Overall, teachers had a positive attitude towards the Common Core State Standards and its implementation. Attitudes tended to be more negative as grade-level taught increased and were significantly less favorable for those with thoughts of leaving the profession early; responses varied among teachers with differing lengths of experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article problematizes the educational practice of action competence. This practice is said to be a way to empower students, making them willing and able to genuinely engage in environmental issues. The aim is to show how the notion of action competence culturally shapes certain kinds of desirable and undesirable subjects, i.e., defining who fits in as the child to entrust the future to, and who becomes the child at risk. The targets for analysis are five texts promoting teaching for action competence in environmental education. The article analyses responsibilization of the child; namely, how the notion of action competence inscribes what is to be acted on, experienced, and felt. The analysis focuses on how practices and emotions are cultivated and what kinds of subjects are made up as action competent. The results illuminate the ideal action-competent child as participating genuinely, having authentic experiences, and producing feelings as empowerment, empathy, and optimism, but s/he is also well planned and reasonable. This means that the abjected Other, the one in need of changing his/her way of living, is the powerless, pessimistic, and/or spontaneous subject. The article discusses how these standards for practical and emotional skills (re)produce social patterns in terms of race and social class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we seek to illuminate the effects of the global policy convergence in education through a close study of its enactment within an Australian Teacher Education course. Building on an examination of the changing priorities of a cohort of pre-service teachers over a short space of time, we argue that the enactment of New Public Management approaches to the governance of teaching in Australia is having adverse effects on the professional learning of new teachers, defeating the policy goals. Previous studies have investigated the affective impact of current global policy formations on teachers. Building on that work, this study considers the impacts that the teacher policy emphasis on ‘performance’ has had on professional learning processes, which are understood with reference to Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. The study is undertaken using an interpretative phenomenographic approach and informed by the related methods of discursive psychology, which positions discourse as a discursive practice to achieve specific goals in specific contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Student academic success and positive satisfaction in first year health sciences programs is shaped by their transition experience. An introduction to core knowledge, study skills, and engagement with staff and students has historically been overlooked, but this has been newly recognised as a contributor to first year success, especially with mass higher education of students from diverse backgrounds. The University of South Australia 'Preparing for Health Sciences' workshop was designed to assist the student transition into health science programs. The workshop improved confidence and enthusiasm in starting university (56% pre- and 95% post-workshop), and 97% considered the workshop effective overall. Introduction to biological principles was widely considered to be beneficial (87%). The attrition rate after the first semester in 2014 was 7.6%, which is appreciably lower than the standard 12% in science-based courses. These findings demonstrate that an introductory workshop does greatly assist in the transition of students into their health science programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-border higher education (CBHE) has been changing the organizational boundaries of higher education institutions (HEIs). This study aims to analyze the shifting boundaries of Portuguese HEIs through the lens of the identity concept in organization theories, considering three contexts with different levels of regulation: African Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil, and Europe. These different regulation contexts allow to analyze how the level of national regulation influences CBHE, how this relates to the shifting boundaries of HEIs, and how the public or private character of the institutions plays a role in influencing boundary shifts. This research indicates that shifting boundaries through CBHE are influenced by institutional identities shaped by different rationales and conditioned by local policy contexts. Public universities have refrained from creating campuses abroad or from franchising activities, and their international activities seem driven by academic and cultural rationales. Public polytechnics, more recent than universities, seem more open to embarking on CBHE, suggesting the existence of a malleable identity. Contrary to the public sector, private institutions have created campuses abroad, mainly in African Portuguese-speaking countries, apparently following an economic rationale to guide their CBHE activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on interviews with five beginning teachers, who were part of a larger qualitative study, to consider the implications of national standards for teachers, parents and students in New Zealand. Twice a year, New Zealand primary and intermediate (Year 1–8) schools must report on students' learning against national standards in reading, writing and mathematics, positioning students as ‘above’, ‘at’, ‘below’ or ‘well below’ the relevant standard. The teachers in our study described enacting the standards as a key challenge and/or an area where they needed professional development, noting a tension between accountability and care imperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As universities seek to bolster enrollment through distance education, faculty are tasked with maintaining comparable teaching/learning standards in traditional, blended, and online courses. Research has shown that there is an achievement gap between students taking courses exclusively offered online versus those enrolled in face-to-face classes. In an effort to mitigate these observed differences, the School of Business faculty at the research institution investigated various course models to meet the needs of a diverse, non-traditional, and multifaceted student population. Ultimately, a blended course model for statistics and quantitative method courses was developed that allowed students to choose between online, remote (via interactive television), and traditional course delivery modes each week. This model is more flexible and agile than existing blended courses that have more static components. Multiple regression analysis, χ2, and t-tests are used to demonstrate the efficacy of our model in maintaining student performance standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of different teaching materials and curriculum for the same subjects is always a confounding factor in studies investigating teacher characteristics and student achievement. The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of different teacher qualities on student achievement in high schools with a standards-based curriculum delivered over a blended learning environment. Utilizing quantitative research approach, this study investigates the effects of teacher characteristics and teaching practices in a course offered through Cisco Networking Academy, which has a standards-oriented curriculum delivered online. Participants in the study were 226 teachers and 3299 students from Networking Academies located in the USA. The findings suggest that certain teacher characteristics such as teaching experience, degree, and primary teaching field do not have effects on student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While policies at all levels affect music educators, and music education researchers have called for increased attention to policy issues, few have explored preservice music teacher educators’ beliefs about policy. This study examined music teacher educators’ (N = 81) familiarity with and attitudes toward contemporary education and music education policies as well as how frequently they addressed these policies in their undergraduate classes. The data indicate that participants had the most familiarity with and most positive attitudes toward the National Music Standards, music education advocacy, and state music standards. Conversely, participants asserted that they had the least positive attitudes toward and spent the least amount of time addressing Race to the Top and STEAM. Respondents indicated more personal knowledge about policy, more time in undergraduate courses, and greater personal interest in policy would have the greatest influence on the amount of time they spent on policy in undergraduate courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reforms that have been promoted in public organisations in developed countries since the 1970s are said to impose changes in professional bureaucracies by promoting self-governance and institutional autonomy and by challenging professionals' status and their values and standards. Taking the specific case of Portugal, this paper intends to contribute to understanding to what extent professional bureaucracies, like hospitals and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), have been affected by changes in state policies and how the professionals involved have responded to these organisational changes. Based on an empirical qualitative study the paper concludes that there are significant differences in the way the state changed the regulatory framework and the professional archetypes in hospitals and HEIs and that professionals give heterogeneous responses to these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter focuses on student voice in the school evaluation process. The New York City Department of Education conducts annual Quality Reviews of K-12 public schools to evaluate their effectiveness. Throughout the two-or three-day school visit, reviewers meet with school leaders, teachers, students, and parents and observe classrooms. The review results in a final score and a report, which are both shared with the public. In 2012, as members of the Student Voice Collaborative (SVC), we were given the opportunity to participate in Quality Reviews as the first student shadows ever. This initiative was part of SVC's yearlong effort to answer the question, "What is student voice?" through first-hand research. In this chapter, we explain how we used the results of our research to design a student voice rubric to help guide our collaborative school improvement work. We share how our rubric informed and was informed by our shadowing experiences, and we detail the ways in which our involvement in SVC has impacted us, our schools, and the school system, particularly as we recommended changes to the Quality Review process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though writing plays an important role in academic, social, and economic success, typical writing instruction generally does not reflect evidence-based practices (EBPs). One potential reason for this is limited signposting of EBPs in standards. We analyzed the content of writing standards from a representative sample of states and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing and language to determine to what degree EBPs were signposted, variability of this signposting, and the overlap of practices signposted in states' standards and the CCSS. We found a few practices signposted fairly consistently (e.g., isolated components of writing process instruction) and others rarely so (e.g., use of text models), as well as great variability across standards, with some covering almost half of the EBPs and others far fewer. Only a few states' writing standards overlapped considerably with the CCSS. We discuss the implications of these findings for teacher professional development and for evaluating standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents gratitude expressed by author on Larry Hedges for founding Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) and also serving as founding editor of the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness (JREE). His contribution to the field of research in Education and the methodology and building usable knowledge in education and views on Big Data are discussed.

This study seeks to confirm if internal audit, a corporate control process, is functioning effectively in Australian public universities. The study draws on agency theory, published literature and best-practice guidelines to develop an internal audit evaluation framework. A survey instrument is thereafter developed from the framework and used as a basis to examine if internal audit is structured to enhance governance in the Australian public university sector. The results show that a majority of university internal audit functions are operating under flexible structural and functional arrangements to achieve internal audit’s theoretical role of enhancing governance. A minority of functions did not comply with best-practice guidelines for achieving internal auditing’s theoretical role. The flexible arrangements further do not guarantee internal audit functions currently complying with best-practice guidelines will continue to do so. Contributing factors to non-compliance and flexible operating arrangements include the non-availability of mandatory requirements for compliance by the profession or government legislation. The study provides avenues for further research to confirm the findings with other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the name of curriculum breadth and raising standards, recent government policy in England has removed a large number of non-academic qualifications from the list of those that secondary schools can count in league tables, discouraging their use. Most of these were vocational qualifications, but they also include skills-led qualifications. This paper reports mixed methods research investigating the relationship between mainstream secondary school qualifications in England and a specific, widely used skills-led qualification: the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). Neither academic nor vocational, CoPE requires learners to assemble a portfolio of evidence in response to ‘challenges’ negotiated with the teacher. It is designed to promote a reflective learning orientation and to develop (and assess) skills that underpin learning and future employability. We use a combination of regression analysis, pseudo-experiment and qualitative case study. Our research shows that CoPE is associated with improved outcomes in the ‘mainstream’ academic qualifications often regarded as the benchmark for the quality of schools and much of what goes on in them. Thus, we argue that certain reforms designed to raise standards are likely to depress attainment in the very qualifications deemed as core indicators of educational standards. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In higher education's environment of accountability, the development and assessment of student learning outcomes (SLOs) are driven by both external stakeholder requirements for accreditation and internal institutional pressures to demonstrate student learning as the core function of universities and colleges. This paper presents a framework to reduce faculty workload and increase standardization of SLOs for LIS electives across multiple schools. The framework includes a value-added assessment with results that show a significant increase in the overall scores and specifically in areas of focus for the elective. This approach provides a framework for other popular LIS electives to collaborate across schools and standardize SLOs to determine the overall effectiveness of courses and programs without reinventing course objectives, SLOs, and evaluation techniques at each institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research which examined the education policy related to standards, testing and accountability. Topics discussed include the limitation in the democratic curriculum development process, restrictive policies for teachers and students and deconstruction of the rationalization of contemporary education policies with the use of a qualitative discourse analysis.

The article discusses research which explored how the belief in the possibility of an educational level playing field overlooks the socio-economic realities of students. Topics discussed include the teaching of democracy and the use of equality and fairness as catalysts for the imposition of new norms or accountability measures for schools.

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review 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.)

An evaluation was conducted of teachers’ attitudinal perceptions of their confidence for implementation, stages of innovation adoption, and satisfaction, as a result of participating in the International Society for Technology in Education's National Educational Technology Standards-Teachers (ISTE NETS*T) Certificate of Proficiency Capstone Program. The Self-Efficacy and Stages of Concern instruments provide insight into the attitudinal progression of program participants. Data were collected at pre, mid, post, and follow-up points. Results showed that the capstone program is effective; participants were clearly more confident that they could implement the technology-based/enhanced teaching/learning strategies in their schools; had far fewer concerns about their level of preparedness; were anxious to work with others in their schools; and believed their school/classroom climate was conducive to and supportive of technology integration. Additionally, participants’ principals and/or supervisors were asked to provide data on their perception of the influence the capstone courses had on their teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper uses data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 to examine the associations between characteristics of national education systems (the standardization of curriculum, the number of school types available to 15-year-old students, and early tracking) and students’ STEM occupational expectations. Results show that the associations between characteristics of national education systems and students’ STEM occupational expectations differ by gender as well as across STEM subfields and academic performance levels. Students’ computing and engineering occupational expectations are not associated with the characteristics of secondary education. The negative association between a standardized education system and students’ health service occupational expectations is stronger for students at the bottom of the performance distribution than students at the top. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The standards-based approach to science education has been implemented worldwide. The standardsbased approach requires developing content standards and examinations to measure students' mastery of the content standards. Alignment between curriculum standards and examinations is crucial for providing accurate information about achievement of students, teachers, schools and educational reforms. The aim of this study is to examine the alignment between Middle School Science Curriculum Standards and High School Entrance Examination in Turkey. In this study Porters' alignment model was used. It was found that there was a moderate alignment between the examination and science curriculum standards. This study indicated that both curriculum standards and examination mostly emphasizes understanding at cognitive level. The examinations generally require higher level cognitive skills such as applying, analysing, and evaluating than curriculum standards. The findings of this study can provide some quantitative evidence and instructive information for Turkish standards based education. Also they can be used to compare curriculum standards and assessment systems in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment process for student learning is often influenced and guided by welldefined standards and competencies dictated by various accrediting bodies that oversee graduate professional programs culminating in the master's degree. When applied in an accredited library and information science (LIS) program, traditional assessment techniques, such as portfolios, grades, and authentic assessments, consistently affirmed student high performance, leaving little room to demonstrate student learning and program improvement. Consequently, the program redefined its assessment plan through the development of a pre-/post-test survey instrument that aligned with learning outcomes, the curriculum, and professional competencies. Pre-test responses were analyzed through SPSS software to ascertain initial findings and effectiveness of the instrument to gauge student learning and workplace performance. Implications for student advisement, curriculum adjustments, program improvement, and strengthening the assessment plan for accreditation emerged. Areas for further development, particularly in the work environment, and research were also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of the Bulgarian students from the international evaluation survey PISA and the opportunities to build core competencies and develop scientific literacy depend largely on legal documentation that determines the educational content and the technology of conducting the learning process. In this respect, the most important are the State Educational Requirements for Educational Content. Therefore, the present study analyses not only the PISA results, but also the correlation between the requirements of PISA and the requirements of the normative documents related to science education in Bulgarian schools. This will contribute to improving the quality of education in science, synchronizing it with the modern requirements and providing opportunities for realization of Bulgarian students on the international labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this qualitative study, we explored how accreditation processes as routinized action can retain stability while promoting school reform efforts. We identified three secondary schools (two high schools, one middle) that had each employed accreditation processes as required in their respective school districts. We conducted interviews with key informants at each school, reviewed documents prepared for accreditation, and analyzed the findings based on routinized action theory. Using Feldman's (2000) typology of change (repair, expand, strive to make change), we posited how school renewal takes place in an ongoing and systematic manner. The findings suggest that the routines provided in accreditation processes can offer more than just stabilizing elements in a school organization, which had been the traditional view of organizational theorists. We offer implications for researchers and school leaders to consider in applying routines while seeking reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an analysis of the results of students from Bulgaria on 17 tasks common to research in natural sciences of PISA 2006, 2009 and 2012, in the context of Bulgarian curriculum and standards in different subjects of the Cultural and Educational Field "Science and Ecology". The aim of the analysis is to outline a picture of how and to what extent are formed and learn skills and competencies of students in the natural sciences and how these skills and competencies relate to the competencies measured in international comparative studies of PISA, and how results of international studies correspond to training and assessment in science and set standards in the Bulgarian school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review 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.)

The article presents an introduction in which the editors discusses articles contained within the issue on topics related Assessment for Learning, including teacher teams' adaptation of new resources, teachers' understanding of assessment standards, and the impact of teacher feedback.

Assessment for Learning practices with students such as feedback, and self- and peer assessment are opportunities for teachers and students to develop a shared understanding of how to create quality learning performances. Quality is often represented through achievement standards. This paper explores how primary school teachers in Australia used the process of annotating work samples to develop shared understanding of achievement standards during their curriculum planning phase, and how this understanding informed their teaching so that their students also developed this understanding. Bernstein's concept of the pedagogic device is used to identify the ways teachers recontextualised their assessment knowledge into their pedagogic practices. Two researchers worked alongside seven primary school teachers in two schools over a year, gathering qualitative data through focus groups and interviews. Three general recontextualising approaches were identified in the case studies; recontextualising standards by reinterpreting the role of rubrics, recontextualising by replicating the annotation process with the students and recontextualising by reinterpreting practices with students. While each approach had strengths and limitations, all of the teachers concluded that annotating conversations in the planning phase enhanced their understanding, and informed their practices in helping students to understand expectations for quality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Eighty (80) private nursery schools were randomly selected in Ogun State, Nigeria, out of 196 available in the state government's education handbook. Two questionnaires, namely Student Teachers Questionnaire on Nursery School Facilities (STQNSF), and Nursery School Resources Questionnaire for Head teachers (NSRQH) were used to gather data concerning human resources and facilities available in the nursery schools. Based on the federal government's Guidelines on Minimum Standards in Schools nationwide, the adequacy or otherwise of the human resources and facilities were determined using simple percentages. The three research questions designed for the study are: How suitably located are private pre-primary schools in Ogun State Nigeria? How adequate are the teaching staff and head teachers of private pre-primary schools in Ogun State Nigeria? How adequate are the facilities provided in pre-primary schools in Ogun State Nigeria? It was found that most of the private nursery schools were located in conducive environment, but most were accommodated in substandard buildings. Pupil-teacher ratio in the schools was adequate, head teachers 'qualifications were adequate but teaching staff qualifications were generally inadequate. Most of the schools had inadequate facilities. Over-all, only 44.37% of the schools facilities were included in the study. It is recommended that an independent Pre-primary School Commission, separate from the State Ministry of Education, be put in place by each state in Nigeria, to solely see to the actualization of national standards in all private pre-primary schools. This is to ensure adequate provision of teaching staff and facilities and educational standards therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Education & Psychology is the property of European Journal of Education & Psychology 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.)

Our article starts from the idea that the university of the future in Romania needs innovative, radical and consistent changes claimed by the dynamics of the knowledge society by promoting some performing management and leadership strategies in keeping with the European and international standards; a modern university is a school that innovates permanently; a flexible university which keeps meeting the needs of the current society and those of the "mega-knowledge" society which is to follow. The challenge of the modern higher education institutions involves the manager's objective perspective along with the bright visions and commitment of the wise leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review 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.)

The goal of this chapter is to provide a brief introduction to one of the most rigorous nonexperimental analytical methods currently employed by education researchers: regression discontinuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of centralized curriculum standards and school-based teacher learning communities are presumably necessary to reform science teaching towards inquiry-based instruction in many countries. Drawing on interview, document, and unit plan data from two high school chemistry teachers in China, this study examines these assumptions. Findings indicated that both teachers developed different kinds of science teaching practices despite working under the centralized science curriculum and school-based teacher learning communities. Different teaching experiences of the two teachers and their school cultures of teaching interacted with the centralized curriculum and teacher teaching community to consequently shape their teaching practices in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]