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Purpose: The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reduced the role of the federal government in K-12 education, giving states more flexibility while maintaining protections for marginalized groups. Despite the potential to leverage flexibility, little is known about how states are addressing equity. Research Methods: Using a critical policy analysis (CPA) approach, this qualitative case study uses semi-structured interviews and document analysis to examine the design and implementation of equity efforts by the state education agency (SEA) in North Carolina. Findings: SEA officials describe writing the state ESSA plan as an exercise in compliance and believe the plan could have gone further in pushing equitable solutions. Competing priorities within the SEA, including the struggle to fulfill its dual roles as service provider and regulatory agency, complicated ESSA implementation, as did state-level political maneuvers. A significant, unexpected finding is that participants were much more comfortable discussing the needs of economically disadvantaged students than students of color, and often avoided mentioning race specifically. Additionally, although the pandemic caused major disruptions to schooling, SEA officials identified "keeps" that were begun as a pandemic response and may continue as the SEA pushes equitable solutions for traditionally underserved students. Implications for Research and Practice: This study suggests that competing initiatives, staff turnover, and political ideology may limit the SEA's capacity to address power and resource imbalances and hinder efforts to promote greater equity in the educational system. Moreover, the SEA's focus shifted to ESSER funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to analyze the supply and demand of marketing and communication consulting services and evaluate actual and perceived gaps. Design/methodology/approach: The paper uses two different datasets to assess the gap. The supply database comes from desk research carried out in the province of Bergamo (n. 159 consulting agencies). The demand dates are the results of 100 structured interviews with local companies that requested marketing and communication consulting services both inside and outside the province. Findings: Findings show that there is no significant shortage in local service supply. Nonetheless, a limited gap exists between the provision of specific services and their overall quality. Conversely, the perceived gap is wider, leading to an impression of scarce availability – a notion disproven by the analysis of the actual supply. Practical implications: The study suggests that local agencies may overcome their "myopic" attitude and need to increase their visibility, competencies and expertise by investing in these areas and improving networking. Originality/value: There are no previous studies that compare the supply and demand for marketing and communication consulting services. The paper also provides insights into actual and perceived gaps in a hypercompetitive environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between the psycho-social working conditions of novice school leaders and their turnover intentions, focusing on potential variations across public- and private schools and school levels. Research Methods: We invited all novice school leaders (n = 3,389) enrolled in the in-service Swedish Principal Training Program to participate in an extensive survey, with a 65% (n = 1,998) response rate. The survey investigated turnover intentions, working conditions, prerequisites, and organizational ambiguity. The collected survey data, in combination with official data, were analyzed using ANOVA's to identify differences across actors and school levels, and linear regressions to investigate factors explaining turnover intentions. Findings: The findings revealed higher turnover intentions among public school leaders compared to private school leaders. This was attributed to differences in prerequisites and organizational ambiguity. All novice school leaders exhibited similar patterns regarding factors strongly associated with turnover intention, despite actor and school level affiliation. Specific levels of demand, autonomy, and support combined, predicted turnover intentions among novice school leaders with notable accuracy. Implications for Research and Practice: The study has profound implications for stakeholders in the educational system striving to decrease novice school leader turnover. Providing adequate working conditions emerges as a key factor for nurturing and retaining school leaders from the novice pool, offering insights into strategies for managing leadership transition in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper seeks to explore how team dynamics influence students’ decisions to either pursue or abandon a business idea following their participation in an experiential entrepreneurship course. Design/Methodology: The paper employs an inductive, qualitative approach to examine the team dynamics by exploring students’ thought processes and actions regarding entrepreneurial activities as a socially situated phenomenon. 20 semi-structured interviews, observation and secondary data serve as data base, following the Gioia method for data analysis. Findings: Findings show that team dynamics have proven to be the most relevant factor for students’ decision on whether to continue with an entrepreneurial project or not. Among various factors, reasons are rooted in the team membership decreasing uncertainty, students’ decision dependencies on team members and the increased importance placed on the team relative to the idea. Research Limitations/Implications: The study concentrates on team-related aspects in students’ decision- making. While the factors have been examined in the study, other determinants may contribute to students’ decisions which are outside the scope of the study. The study offers a set of causalities that offer a nuanced understanding of team dynamics and decision-making processes over an extended post-course timeframe. Originality/Value: The study contributes to the current literature by unraveling the intricate relationship between team dynamics and entrepreneurial decision-making. It offers a nuanced perspective on the understanding of how collaborative contexts shape students’ willingness to pursue projects beyond the entrepreneurship classroom.

Purpose: This study contributes to a growing literature focused on institutional complexity, or the phenomenon of competing institutional logics, in PK-12 public education. Responding to calls for more nuanced characterizations of district-level administration, our purpose was to identify the logics of curriculum leadership in one large school district in the Western U.S. and examine how district leaders made sense of their multiple demands. Research Methods: Employing case study methods, we collected curricular documents and conducted 21 interviews of district-level curriculum leaders, principals, and teachers. We used inductive coding to identify patterns in the district's culture of curriculum leadership and then drew upon institutional theory to associate these patterns with particular institutional logics. Findings: We found three coexisting logics of curriculum leadership in the school district: a logic of uniformity, which called for teachers' fidelity to a prescriptive curriculum; a logic of participation, which valued teacher voice and shared leadership; and a logic of performance, which placed a premium on measurable student achievement. These logics were often incompatible or contradictory, producing mixed messages and an institutional complexity that remained largely unacknowledged among leaders. Implications: Tensions among logics of curriculum leadership may not always result in open contestation, yet if leaders do not resolve them at the district level, teachers may be unsupported in their efforts to reconcile competing demands in their classroom practices. Identifying specific logics of curriculum leadership and considering their interactions may help leaders make sense of conflicting values and better support teachers in their classroom decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisis events external to schools can present challenges for teaching and learning, and the ways that school leaders respond to these challenges both immediately and over time can have implications that extend beyond the crisis itself. Drawing on responsible leadership theory (Maak, 2007; Maak & Pless, 2006; Pless, 2007; Pless & Maak, 2011), our qualitative interview study with 26 elementary school principals in 14 states explores how school leaders facilitate learning in a time of crisis. We find that leaders who built and sustained relationships both within their immediate community of stakeholders and beyond with the local district and networks of principal peers ultimately addressed the immediate needs of students as well as created the conditions to support these needs over time. These positive changes impacted all students, but specifically benefitted the schools' most vulnerable learners, including students receiving special education and English language service. These findings draw attention to the importance of understanding the role that responsible leadership plays in school crisis leadership, specifically the necessity of weaving and brokering relationships that help leaders achieve not only their school-level goals but societal goals, including more equitable learning outcomes, while highlighting the implications of what we identify as role expansion for school leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the wake of school board protests nationwide, it is essential for educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers to understand locally controlled educational governance. The stability of educational districts depends on superintendents navigating relationships with their school boards, yet little research exists that addresses board–superintendent relationships in locally controlled districts. Using theories of local will and capacity, and community power relationships, I examine what factors shape the extent of local control enacted by school boards, and how these factors affect superintendent–school board relations. Research Methods: The qualitative case study design is bounded as one multi-district union superintendent and three rural school boards. Data collection included semistructured interviews, ethnographic observations, and document collection to understand the relational dynamics of local control. Data analysis included in vivo and a priori coding, and the development of analytic matrices. Findings: All boards demonstrated local will and some local capacity, which explained the dimensions of enactment of local control. Rural board capacity—tenure, expertise, and residency of board members—influenced the extent of local control. Cross-case analysis revealed a relationship between board capacity, community capacity, and board–superintendent relationships. These patterns are theorized as local control school board–superintendent relationships typology, based on board capacity and local community capacity. The relationships include role contestation, confusion, collaboration, and dependence. Implications for Research and Practice: The study expands the theory of local capacity to include community and board dimensions and describes the complexities of superintendent–board relationships. The study concludes with recommendations for practice, policy, and research on locally controlled school boards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The well-being and mental health of principals is being threatened by changing working conditions such as a broader variety of roles and tasks. In this article, we argue that social capital might buffer against declining (mental) health. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential influence of social capital, including both internal (bonding) and external (bridging and linking) social capital, on principals' well-being. A longitudinal study was set up across three waves of data. Questionnaires were collected from 2084 Australian principals and 829 Irish principals, across six and two timepoints, respectively. The hypotheses were tested using a longitudinal path model approach using maximum likelihood estimation in lavaan for R. In line with our hypotheses, the results indicated that principals who reported higher levels of either internal or external social capital also reported higher levels of well-being. More specifically, support from colleagues outside the school and supervisor support (external social capital) and collaboration and trust in management (internal social capital) predicted well-being positively across time. The results of this study highlight the importance of having social support from colleagues and supervisors and possibilities for collaboration to maintain well-being as a school principal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Existing research on loosely coupled educational systems has largely ignored the social and affective dimensions of such systems. Drawing on literature from organizational behavior, this study examines how “human” factors, including role identity dynamics, power dynamics, and stereotyping, shape the implementation of state-led education reforms. Research Method/ Approach: This study draws on interviews and focus groups with 77 actors from different organizational levels in two states and uses a grounded theory analytical approach. Findings: Our findings indicate that stereotyping is ubiquitous across contexts, that the way actors stereotype and perceive each other depends on their positions in the system, and that stereotypes of higher ups often persist even as higher ups are aware of them and try unsuccessfully to mitigate them. We theorize about the reasons for these outcomes and their consequences for efforts at systemic change. Implications for Research and Practice: This study underscores the importance of social and emotional factors in education reform efforts, which have been under-theorized to this point. It demonstrates that reforms could be more successful when higher ups and lower downs have more frequent and meaningful interactions, which facilitate opportunities to break down social and emotional barriers to successful implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers interviewed higher education professionals, asking: How do professionals working in higher education equity and access sectors, both public and private, assign responsibility for improving access, and what solutions do they propose? Informed by Kingdon's multiple streams framework and Guajardo et al.'s theory of change in action, researchers spoke with professionals to analyze inequities in college access. Respondents disagreed on responsibility for improving access, with solutions varying based on vantage points, values, and privilege. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article utilizes a qualitative case study methodology informed by a Black feminist theoretical lens to explore the experiences of Black women teachers, administrative support, and teacher turnover. Five self-identified Black women teachers discuss the impact that school leaders have on their decisions to leave their schools. Three common leadership practices emerged as contributory factors that influence teacher turnover: (a) arresting social justice efforts, (b) insufficient support for discipline, and (c) relationships with administration. This article concludes with a discussion about the requisite school leader philosophical orientations that support the unique needs of Black women teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a field, school leadership has maintained a colorblind stance, marginalizing practitioners' awareness of culturally sustaining practice, and erasing the experiences of Indigenous and other minoritized groups of students, teachers, and families. Looking to research and practice that attempts to embrace racial and cultural difference in order to make schools more culturally sustaining places to be is imperative in order for the field to respond to the growing diversity in schools. This article specifically explores culturally sustaining and Indigenous school leadership practices. Using data collected from interviews with ten school leaders in Aotearoa (New Zealand) as well as school documents, this article presents new insights into the implementation of culturally sustaining school leadership, which has implications for theory and practice in the field of educational leadership, which has been too long dominated by white ways of knowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because misbehavior in schools is often instigated by a confluence of organizational features, the purpose of this research was to understand what Youth Court reveals about the causes of in-school conflicts and to what extent its processes help to address them. This multi-site qualitative case study collected data in the form of observations, documents, semi-structured and focus group interviews in order to explore Youth Court processes and outcomes. Double-loop learning was used to describe the extent and quality of dialogue and interventions. The research questions were: Does Youth Court facilitate double-loop learning? What contributing variables influencing student misbehavior does this discourse reveal? What is the impact of this discourse on school policies and practices? Youth Court surfaces vital information about students, teachers, classrooms, and school-wide policy necessary to inform the development or adaptation of discipline policies and practices; in some cases, that information became a catalyst for changes in classroom and school-wide policies and practices. Youth Court helped to address individual instances of misbehavior with interventions that were restorative rather than punitive. And yet, the greater benefits of Youth Court, namely improvements to a school's culture and climate, were not necessarily fully realized because Youth Court activity and other school processes and structures are not formally linked. Further research using linkage theory would help to unpack why successes in Youth Court did and did not spread to other areas of school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We used gatekeeping theory to frame our examination of whether and when educators with superintendent certification become superintendents, and how their likelihood of making that transition is influenced by race, sex, and other characteristics. Furthermore, we sought to identify variation in career pathways to the superintendency. Data and Method: We analyzed 26,071 observations of 4,813 unique individuals, representing the entire population of Texas public school educators who obtained their first superintendent certificate between the 2000-2001 and 2014-2015 school years. We constructed alluvial diagrams to visualize these educators' career pathways. In addition to compiling a life table and visual displays of hazard, we used a discrete-time hazard model to control for individual and contextual characteristics associated with transitions into the superintendency. Findings: Educators are most likely to enter the superintendency in the academic year immediately following that in which they obtained the requisite certification. Furthermore, pathways to the superintendency differ greatly based on educator sex and race, as well as the level and locale employment setting. Finally, we determined that age, experience, education, level of employment, and sex all have statistically significant impacts on the likelihood of becoming a superintendent. Implications for Research and Practice: We discuss the role that researchers must play in coordinating with practitioners to ensure more equitable opportunity for aspiring superintendents. We also emphasize the important role that preparation programs play in preparing candidates for the job market. Finally, we ponder further expansions of similar presuperintendency research, as well as more robust applications of alluvial diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose Doctoral student completion rates are notoriously low; although statistics differ depending on which study one consults, a typical completion rate is about 50%. However, studies show mentors can use strategies to improve students' graduation rates. Our purpose was to learn from effective mentors about the processes they believe are most important in guiding doctoral students to the successful completion of a dissertation and, specifically, the strategies they implement to help students with writing and research methods. The study was confirmatory and exploratory; we posed several hypotheses and we were attentive to emergent themes in the data. Background This paper addresses the problem by providing practical strategies mentors can use to help students succeed. Methodology We conducted semi-structured interviews of 21 effective mentors of doctoral students representing highly ranked educational programs at universities across the United States. We conducted conventional and summative content analysis of the qualitative data. Contribution This research showed that effective mentors provide students with technical support (e.g., scholarly writing and research methods), managerial support (e.g., goal-setting and time management), and emotional support in the form of encouragement. This research goes beyond prior studies by providing specific strategies mentors can apply to improve their practice, particularly regarding support with research methods. Findings The data showed that encouragement, help with time management, and timely communication were key strategies mentors used to support students. Mentors also provided resources and directed students to use skills learned in previous coursework. Many mentors spoke about the importance of writing a strong research question and allowing the question to guide the choice of methods rather than the other way around. Mentors also said they pushed students to conform to APA style and they used Socratic methods to help students develop the logical organization of the manuscript. Many mentors referred students to methodologists and statisticians for help in those areas. Recommendations for Practitioners Individual mentors should conduct a self-assessment to learn if they need to improve on any of the technical, managerial, and interpersonal mentoring skills we identified. Moreover, doctoral programs in educational leadership and related areas are advised to conduct careful assessments of their faculty. If they find their faculty are lacking in these mentoring skills, we recommend that they engage in professional development to increase their capacity to provide effective mentoring. Recommendations for Researchers We recommend that future researchers continue to explore strategies of effective mentors. In particular, researchers should interview mentors who specialize in quantitative methods to learn if they can offer clever and innovative approaches to guide doctoral students. Impact on Society We conclude this paper with practical strategies to help mentors become more effective. We also make some policy recommendations that we believe can improve the mentoring process for doctoral programs in education. We believe better scholarship at the doctoral level will provide new knowledge that will benefit society at large. Future Research This research was a springboard for some new research questions as follows. We recommend future researchers to study how often effective mentors meet with students, how quickly they provide feedback on written drafts, and their strategies for delivering tough feedback in a caring way (i.e., feedback that the student's work did not meet expectations). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study investigates the association between multicultural school leadership, multicultural teaching and majority pupils' ethnic prejudice. Multilevel analyses were carried out on data of 2006 Flemish pupils in 38 Flemish secondary schools, collected through a written questionnaire. Multicultural leadership is not related to pupils' ethnic prejudice or teachers' degree of using examples and information from different cultures in their subject area. Nevertheless, when teachers implement more multicultural teaching, Flemish pupils seem to be less ethnically prejudiced. Preservice school leaders and teachers must be prepared to create a more multicultural school culture by learning how to cope with conflicting interethnic relations. Highlights • We examine how multicultural school leadership, multicultural teaching is related to majority pupils' ethnic prejudice. • Multicultural leadership is not related to majority pupils' ethnic prejudice. • Multicultural leadership is not related to teachers' multicultural practices. • Teachers' multicultural practices are related to majority pupils' ethnic prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Department heads play a pivotal role in the functioning of departments in secondary schools. However, quantitative research about the role of departmental leadership for the development of professional learning communities (PLCs) in subject departments in secondary schools remains scarce. As PLCs are seen as promising contexts for teachers’ continuous professional development, it is highly relevant to study how department heads can facilitate PLC characteristics in their department. Research methodology: This study examines how two dimensions of departmental leadership (group- and development-oriented) relate to interpersonal PLC characteristics in departments. Survey data were collected from 248 experienced mathematics and French teachers in 62 departments in secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium). Two multilevel regression analyses were conducted with collective responsibility and reflective dialogue as dependent interpersonal PLC characteristics. We controlled for several demographic teacher variables and structural departmental variables. Findings: Our results nurture optimism about the potential of departmental leadership for interpersonal PLC characteristics. More specifically, teachers who perceive high group-oriented departmental leadership experience more collective responsibility in their department. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions of both group-oriented and development-oriented departmental leadership are significantly related to the reported frequency of teachers’ reflective dialogues. Implications: This study suggests that department heads play a critical role in facilitating interpersonal PLC characteristics in departments. As a result, department heads need to be carefully selected and adequately supported. As this article is one of the first to offer a quantitative perspective on this matter, it offers an instrument for future studies and informs policy about departmental leadership practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper aims: The purpose of the paper is to offer guidance regarding how to write a Literature Review for empirical papers, that provides adequate background and convincing support. The literature review plays the fundamental role of unveiling the theory, or theories, that underpin the paper argument, sets its limits, and defines and clarifies the main concepts that will be used in the empirical sections of the text. Originality: Most papers and books focus on literature review as full articles (systematic reviews, meta analyses and critical analyses) or dissertation, chapters, this paper is focused on literature review for an empirical article. Research method: It is a theoretical essay. Main findings: The paper summarizes the main steps for performing a literature review and guides how to organize the analyzed literature. Implications for theory and practice: Well-crafted literature reviews are the cornerstone of good papers, and this paper offers some guidance on how to write good reviews for empirical papers, and, as a consequence, to produce better quality texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the content and efficacy of instructional leaders’ expectations and feedback (press) in relation to the improvement of middle school mathematics teachers’ instruction in the context of coherent systems of supports. Research Method/Approach: This mixed methods study is a part of a larger, 8-year longitudinal study in four large urban school districts across the United States. We used transcripts of interview data, surveys, and video recordings of instruction of 271 cases, over 4 years, to determine the content of administrator press, as reported by teachers, and the relationship between the content and change (if any) in instruction. To do so we used qualitative coding of interview transcripts, and ran a series of statistical models to examine the nature of the variance in and impact of administrative press. Findings: Most of the administrators’ press, as reported by teachers, was not targeted toward specific teachers’ mathematics instruction in ways that would likely lead toward improvement in those practices. Rather, the press focused on content-neutral instructional practices or classroom management and organization. Implications for Research and Practice: The instructional leadership practice of administrator observation and feedback is widespread, yet understudied as it relates to changes in teacher practice. Our findings indicate that current policies that mandate principals to spend substantial time in classrooms are unlikely to result in significant improvements in the quality of instruction unless meaningful resources are invested to support administrator learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Supporting teachers’ use of data has become a large part of educational leaders’ instructional leadership. Drawing on sensemaking theory, we explore how features of data and teachers’ perceptions of them may matter when teachers consider student learning data. Design: The article draws on a 1-year, comparative case study of five low-income, high needs middle schools in three districts. Data sources include interviews with district leaders (n = 13); school administrators, coaches, and case study teachers (n = 73); focus groups (n = 6) with non–case study teachers (n = 24); observations (n = 20); web-based activity logs; and document review. Findings: Different forms of data lead to a wide range of instructional responses. State assessments, used largely at the beginning of the school year, aided teachers in grouping their students but did little to promote change in instructional delivery. District benchmark data, which teachers did not generally find useful, were associated with reteaching and retesting content, creating small groups, and having students reflect on their data, usually without a shift in pedagogy. Data from common grade assessments—valued for their closeness to instruction as well as their predictive information for future success on state assessments—were most often tied to regrouping or reteaching standards not yet mastered by students, but there was some promise of change in pedagogy. Classroom assessment results and student work, identified by teachers as very useful, were proportionately most often linked to changes in instructional delivery. Implications: We offer implications for leadership preparation and practice, education policy, and future research on data use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article examines factors that affect school board policy making about student diversity within two southern urban-suburban school districts experiencing changing demographics: Jefferson County Public Schools and the Wake County Public School System. Both districts have a history of voluntary integration efforts, and research shows that racially diverse countywide districts can make integration more feasible. However, as courts constrain mechanisms used in policies to establish/maintain racial integration, it is crucial to examine how school boards make policy decisions while navigating the politics of their communities and competing conceptions surrounding racial diversity. Research Method/Approach: This study employed qualitative case study methods to understand under what circumstances school boards are creating policy, paying particular attention to the local sociopolitical and geographic contexts. Data collected consisted of 37 interviews with school district officials and community stakeholders. Mainstream and specialty media articles, legal documents, and policy documents from the districts or other governmental bodies also helped frame the local contexts. Findings and Lessons Learned: The two districts in our study illustrate political and legal factors that create complex environments to pursue school-level diversity even in districts with a long history of diversity policies. Our study also illustrates the difficult role of the superintendent and school boards in leading diverse communities with different histories and experiences as they navigate the local politics of diversity amid a variety of competing policy goals. We conclude with implications including the importance of remaining vigilant about student diversity efforts and perfecting technical details to minimize politicization about diversity policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined how labor–management relations between school districts and teacher associations seem to affect teacher contract provisions regarding the role of seniority in teacher assignment and how contract provisions and teacher assignment policies seem to affect beginning teachers’ perceptions about their work environments. Research Method/Approach: The study took place in five urban districts in a Midwestern state. In each district, we interviewed the human resource director and teacher association president, surveyed novice teachers in Grades 1 to 8, and examined the district’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). We used district case reports to identify linkages between labor–management relations and contract provisions regarding teacher assignment. We drew on survey data to examine how these factors affected beginning teachers’ perceptions of their work environments. Findings: In four districts, the CBAs featured flexible language regarding the role of seniority in teacher transfer decisions. Principals had significant autonomy over teacher assignment, and assignment practices in these districts seemed fairly effective. In contrast, the CBA in the fifth district had rigid language pertaining to the role of seniority in transfer decisions and principals felt extremely constrained in making hiring decisions. Furthermore, analyses of the survey data suggested that beginning teachers in District D were less satisfied with their working conditions than novices in the other districts. Implications for Research and Practice: When districts and teacher associations engage in collaborative bargaining and adopt CBAs that provide principals with flexibility with regard to teacher assignment decisions, effective teacher assignment practices are likely to result. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using survey data gathered from novice teachers at the elementary and middle school level across 11 districts, this study examined variation in perceptions of working conditions related to workload and access to resources and further identified the association between these perceptions and the quality of support the novices received from their formal mentors and other colleagues. The findings from this study indicate that the quality of mentor support is positively associated with novice teachers' ability to manage their assigned workload, while the quality of support from other colleagues is positively associated with novices' ability to meet the requirements of their administrative tasks. Novices' perceptions of the administrative climate varied little over the course of one school year, and there were only slight variations in novices' perceptions based on years of experience and level taught. Novices did vary significantly from their veteran colleagues in their perceptions of working conditions. The findings from this study have implications for understanding the role that formal and informal teacher support has in mediating the expectations and demands of novice teachers' work, which can then help guide improvements in novice teacher induction and working conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: At a time when school leadership takes on great import, we must ask how leadership can move beyond a focus on individual- and school-level changes to collective leadership that relies on the strength of relationships between schools and the communities in which they reside to foster and sustain change. Such leadership is termed responsible leadership. Using a conceptual framework for responsible business leadership and data from a large-scale multinational study on Performing Beyond Expectations, this article formulates a theory for responsible educational leadership. Research Design: Data come from the Performing Beyond Expectations project, a large-scale international study undertaken from 2007 to 2010. This study used qualitative interviews and analysis of documentary data to explore how organizations in business, education, and sport achieve exceptionally high performance, given their size, client base, and previous performance. The project included more than 220 interviews and 18 sites. Analysis in this article focuses on the responsible leadership found in three schools in one local authority and the ways in which each leader uses relationships to improve the school and student achievement. Findings: All three leaders see the purpose of leadership as developing relationships and attribute their performance beyond expectations to the strength of these relationships. As responsible leaders, they view their role as not only raising and sustaining pupil achievement but also weaving leadership throughout the web of stakeholders including students, parents, and community agencies. This collectivization of leadership is a hallmark of responsible leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Singapore has implemented two Masterplans for Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education over the last decade. This article examines Singapore teachers' perspectives of how leadership for ICT implementation in schools is distributed among leaders, by means of a survey conducted in 2007. The study found that transformational and instructional leadership are perceived to be distributed among multiple leaders including Principal, Heads of Technology, and Heads of Subject. Heads of Technology are viewed as performing both transformational and instructional leadership activities more frequently than the Principal or the Subject Heads. The transformational leadership and instructional leadership performed have a significant effect on the amount of extra effort teachers put into their use of ICT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines policies set in the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) negotiated between teachers’ unions and school boards and explores what kinds of districts have contract provisions that restrict district administrators, enhance administrative flexibility, and/or improve teachers’ professional work lives and that have contracts that are more restrictive overall. Method: The author analyzes a sample of 465 California CBAs and uses linear probability models to highlight the relationships between a set of 95 representative provisions and characteristics of districts that may make them “hard to staff.” A measure of overall contract restrictiveness is generated and used to assess the relationships between these district characteristics and contract strength. Findings: Some CBA provisions restrict district administrators, whereas others may provide administrators with greater flexibilities. In addition, many provisions serve to enhance teachers’ working conditions. Many of the most restrictive clauses are more frequently found in the contracts of urban districts and districts with higher proportions of minority and poor students. However, many of these same districts have contracts that include important flexibilities and provisions that may enhance teachers’ working conditions. Large and urban districts have more restrictive contracts overall, although districts with high proportions of poor and minority students do not. Implications: As policymakers consider renegotiating provisions within CBAs and diminishing the strength of CBAs themselves, it will be important to consider the specific regulations within CBAs and whether they truly constrain administrators or serve some other purpose and whether specific high-need districts are more or less harmed by the contents of CBAs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: This article examines the impact that a principal’s community-leadership has on school–community relations and student outcomes. Comparisons are drawn between leadership behaviors that emphasize school-centered approaches and community-centered approaches. Research Methodology: Ethnographic research methodology was conducted over a 2-year period, during which the researcher conducted participant observations, interviews, and descriptive and interpretive memoing. Findings: The principal’s role as community leader—including high principal visibility in the community and advocacy for community causes—led to trust and rapport between school and community. Consequently, parents who were previously hostile changed their relationship with school, and supported his or her handling of their children. This led to improved academic outcomes for students. Implications: This study has implications for how principals view their role, presence in, and relationship with the community. It also offers reflection on how and where the center of school– community relationships should be (i.e., school vs. community). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper evaluates the contribution of the energy industry (oil, gas and electricity) to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in three countries (Argentina, Colombia and Mexico). To build this international benchmark, a tool was built (the MDG-Scorecard), by drawing on theoretical frameworks and guides on how businesses can contribute to the MDGs. Results show that companies are making efforts to contribute to the environment, human rights, employment creation and labour rights. However, their effort is close to nil for the Goals with the weakest links with their core business. Findings also suggest that there is no coordinated and consistent strategy to achieve the MDGs either intra-company or inter-companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examines the outcomes of one regional intermediate school district's effort to promote literacy coach role implementation in its 20 constituent districts. The findings from this study provide information about the kinds of district-level contexts that influenced literacy coach role implementation and how those contexts were influential. Research Methods: Data were collected from 20 districts that participated in a literacy coach training program provided by the regional intermediate school district. Interviews were conducted in spring 2007 with assistant superintendents or their designees. Findings: Districts' implementation of literacy coach roles was influenced by four contextual factors: state and national reform, finances, student performance data, and existing roles and programs. Variations in these factors were associated with differences in districts' implementation of literacy coach roles. Implications: This study has implications for how districts understand their role in relation to schools and the implementation of reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The article reports on a study of school leader decision making that examined variation in the validity of teacher evaluation ratings in a school district that has implemented a standards-based teacher evaluation system. Research Methods: Applying mixed methods, the study used teacher evaluation ratings and value-added student achievement data to identify 23 school leaders with "more" and "less" valid results. These leaders were interviewed to learn about their attitudes on teacher evaluation, their decision-making strategies, and school contexts. Results from interviews with a subset of eight school leaders with 2 years of consistent validity scores (n = 4 more valid and n = 4 less valid) were analyzed. Findings: Substantial variation was found in the relationship of evaluators' ratings of teachers and value-added measures of the average achievement of the teachers' students. The results did not yield a simple explanation for the differences in validity of evaluators' ratings. Instead, evaluators' decisions were found to be a complex and idiosyncratic function of motivation, skill, and context. Conclusion: The results suggested why overall validity of ratings was lower than expected and highlighted challenges in research on school leader decision making and cautions for using such decisions for high stakes purposes. Recommendations are provided for improving evaluation accuracy and validity, with considerations for performance evaluation policy and future research on school leader decision making and teacher evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: School leaders argue that to make the improvements in both quality and equity that government mandates demand, they need more flexibility with regard to personnel management—specifically, teacher assignment. According to some, such flexibility is constrained by collective bargaining between teachers unions and school districts. Purpose: To examine how collective bargaining agreements govern the assignment of teachers to schools and classrooms and whether any observed variation among the agreements is due to district demographics and/or performance. Research Methods: Sixty-six collective bargaining agreements between teachers unions and Florida's school districts were collected and analyzed for provisions germane to teacher assignment. The authors looked for contrasts among the contracts by district size, district socioeconomic status, district race, and district Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test performance with data from the Florida Department of Education. Findings: Although staffing rules often favor seniority, contracts also grant administrators more discretion over transfers, reductions, and reassignnients than critics have suggested. In addition, contracts are no more likely to restrict administrators' decisions about assignment in large, poor minority, or low-performing districts than they are in other districts. Implications for Research and Practice: Future research should consider whether teacher assignment looks any different in districts where contracts grant administrators discretion over teacher assignment. If so, what norms have replaced seniority as the primary basis for transfers, reductions, and reassignments, and do these norms hold promise for school improvement and equity? The authors encourage the development and testing of new systems that use teachers' past performance with different types of students to make evidence-based assignments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]