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Taking the 'breakdown' in regular schooling as a result of the COVID pandemic as a catalyst to reimagine education, this article formulates a theoretical framework, using design research, that enables a fundamental reconceptualization and introduction of new actors into the space of schooling, which is a learning environment that traditionally has maintained rigid boundaries. Recommendations are proposed for bridging formal and nonformal education for practitioners and policymakers, bringing together teachers and youth workers to co-construct a learning environment. In creating a prototype for learning that involves a more joined-up and connected paradigm in education, as well as bridging the gap between learning in formal and non-formal contexts, we create a shift towards reimagining and recognising the importance of a holistic view of education by re-evaluating and supporting a broader range of actors who can participate in the education of children and young people.

This is a time of great change, vulnerability and possibility for the Irish language and for Irish-medium education. Research shows the language in serious decline in the Gaeltacht; areas of Ireland designated as being predominantly Irish speaking. There are also inconsistent approaches at the policy level in addition to an ambiguous attitude to the language amongst the general public. This article examines the research, policies and recent initiatives relating to Irish-medium education and to the language itself. A core imperative underpinning this article is to explicate a strong case for the connection between Irish-medium education and international research on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a field that encompasses the cognate area of immersion education best practice and draws on the theory and practice of language acquisition, teaching and learning. The authors contend that if the language learning outcomes of students in Irish-medium education, particularly at the post-primary level, are to be maximised, now is an opportune time, if not the last chance, to truly actualise CLIL.

The impact of State policy to combat educational disadvantage with two iterations of DEIS supports has had a positive influence the patterns of achievement among all social groups with some notable improvements across a range of indicators for students in DEIS schools. Notwithstanding these improvements, research and evaluations continue to identify a persistent achievement gap for large numbers of working-class students compared to their more middle-class peers. Research evidences the inextricable links between class, economic circumstances, and student outcomes. In producing these more system-oriented data, the dynamism of underlying processes that produces these outcomes can be often masked. Student-teacher characteristics and classroom interactions become variables or aggregated performance datasets, rather than signifiers to unpack the mechanisms of how students and teachers construct their classroom world. Pedagogic communication, so central to classroom teaching and learning, is largely unexplored from the perspective of its construction, transmission, acquisition, context and how these are framed by structures of social relationships. This paper intends to explicate a core component of the student/school relational domain by examining specifically the patterns of pedagogic communication that frame teaching and learning in one case study school located in a very marginalised and challenging community in Ireland. The findings are stark. Different linguistic strategies for engaging in pedagogic communication are detailed in the data but in all cases, they fail to lead to rich learning experiences and positive student outcomes.

This article argues that engagement with religion is a key challenge for all leaders of schools in twenty-first-century multifaith societies. It outlines the historic and current context of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and national and European policies that prioritise community cohesion in education. The functional and substantive roles of religion are considered as reflected in education, where they adjudicate power and shape values and behaviours. The article analyses data from nine schools in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland to provide a snapshot of a range of leaders' philosophies, policies and practice in relation to religion. The preferential attention and resources given to the dominant community are evident in some cases. It is argued that, irrespective of whether a school is affiliated to a specific religion or not, school leaders have some freedom in positioning religion. Their influence significantly shapes how religion and/or secular values are understood and enacted. The article concludes by suggesting that policy at national and European level that emphasises shared identities and community cohesion masks the differential power and struggles between communities that cannot be resolved by anodyne exhortation. Rather, leaders need to be selected, trained and supported to recognise the centrality of belief in the lives of many of their learners and their families and to engage with the inevitability of ongoing disagreement and struggle.

Educational disruption due to COVID-19 ushered in dramatically different learning realities in Ireland. Our research explored the experiences of children, young people and parents during the first period of 'schooling at home' (SAH) at the end of that academic year. An anonymous online survey, guided by social constructivist emphases, yielded responses from 2733 parents and 1189 students from primary and second-level schools. Substantial evidence emerged of parent-perceived and student-perceived negative psychosocial impacts of SAH on students. Further, our research clarified the exceptional stress experienced by parents in attempting to support SAH. A novel finding was student perceptions of having learned less during SAH, most likely due to significant declines in academic engagement. Recommendations for potential future periods of SAH include the need for innovative means of simulating socio-collaborative contexts, more flexible school supports based on unique home learning contexts, and enhanced psychological support for parents and at-risk children/young people. In addition, we recommend that further research in the Irish context should specifically investigate the perspectives and experiences of those from minority ethnic and lower socio-economic groups.

The centrality of emotions in the personal and professional practice of school leaders is by now well established in scholarship. Much of the investigation that has been carried out over the years provides a strong basis and rationale for the data presented in this paper. This study sought to explore the extent to which the socio-economic context of the school impacts the emotional timbre of the interactions of school principals and to seek to establish how this group of leaders manage the emotional drivers of their different socio-economic contexts. This paper specifically focuses on principals' perspectives on the impact children's social worlds and their associated lives have on how leadership practice is shaped, from the point of view of the playing out of emotions in school. Qualitative research using multiple, in-depth interviews and shadowing as research tools, was utilised to focus on the emotional experiences of the principals in the study. This approach enabled the research to come as close as possible to understanding the meaning principals make of their lived experiences from their subjective point of view. Most of the data presented here will explore the perspectives of leaders working in schools in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Ireland.

The language learning outcomes of students in CLIL settings outstrip those of their peers who study the language in stand-alone classes. Research also indicates that in some cases the language development of CLIL students lacks grammatical accuracy, appropriate syntax, and lexical specificity. To combat this, CLIL teachers need to interweave the teaching of content and language. This can be a complex task as the vast majority of CLIL teachers do not have specific CLIL training. The issue is particularly complex at secondary level where teachers are content specialists. This article presents the research and theoretical underpinnings of SIOF, a pedagogical tool that focuses on scaffolding, input, output and feedback practices in the classroom. This tool has been developed to guide teachers in their efforts to place a more explicit focus on language. The authors discuss how SIOF can lead to what they term a Language Sensitive Learning Environment and the development of both language proficiency and subject knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the preferences of primary school children in relation to the types of activities that typically take place in music classrooms. For the purposes of this study, these classroom-based music activities have been categorised into five areas: singing, playing instruments, listening, reading and writing music and movement/dance. The sample consisted of 4700 students and 20 music teachers from different public and private primary schools from the Region of Murcia (Spain). For the purposes of data collection two questionnaires, one for students and one for teachers, were administered. The data were analysed using quantitative techniques. The results reveal significant differences between the preferred activities of boys and girls. The study also identified differences between the expressed preferences of students in the lower and higher grades for particular types of musical activities and what teachers consider as important in the implemented music curriculum.

The exploration of the emotional practice of school leadership is a recent focus of enquiry with respect to scholarship on school leadership and management. This development provides a much needed addition to the recent proliferation of technical-rational, managerial discourses on leadership. Three dimensions of this complex field of enquiry are examined in the literature presented in this paper: (a) the role that emotions play in the lives of individuals, (b) the emotional context of the task of school leadership and (c) the management of the emotional dimension of leadership and the impact of particular patterns of practice on the culture and fabric of school life. This provides a framework for the analysis of this in-depth qualitative enquiry into the emotional fabric of school leadership in a sample of primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. The findings of the research identify a number of aspects of the complexity of the emotional landscape of leadership and provide an in-depth insight into the patterns of practice that prevail in the sample with respect to the management of leaders' own emotions and the management of the emotional landscape of staff relations and school activity. The paper calls on school leadership development programmes to facilitate school leaders (principals) to reflect on the emotions of self and others, to engage in emotional learning and to understand the strengths and limitations of the emotional climate within their schools while cultivating a professional and supportive ethos committed to authentic relationships. (Contains 1 table and 1 note.)

In August 2008, the OECD published "Improving School Leadership Volume 1: Policy and Practice" and "Improving School Leadership Volume 2: Case Studies on System Leadership". The main objectives of these reports were to compare school leadership policy between participating countries and to identify innovative practices and options for policy development. As part of the preparation for the final report, a background report on school leadership in the Republic of Ireland was prepared by the Department of Education and Science in 2007. This report will be analysed in this paper in order to identify the degree to which the background report achieved the objective of capturing the current and emerging issues facing school leaders in Ireland. A critique of the "one size fits all" approach to policy in the area of school leadership detailed in Volume 1 of the OECD report follows. This critique contests that some of the policy recommendations contained in the report are based on a narrow and selective range of supporting evidence. A number of these are a cause of some concern particularly when considered in the context of specific features of the schools in the Republic of Ireland. (Contains 114 footnotes.)

This is a time of great change, vulnerability and possibility for the Irish language and for Irish-medium education. Research shows the language in serious decline in the Gaeltacht; areas of Ireland designated as being predominantly Irish speaking. There are also inconsistent approaches at the policy level in addition to an ambiguous attitude to the language amongst the general public. This article examines the research, policies and recent initiatives relating to Irish-medium education and to the language itself. A core imperative underpinning this article is to explicate a strong case for the connection between Irish-medium education and international research on Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), a field that encompasses the cognate area of immersion education best practice and draws on the theory and practice of language acquisition, teaching and learning. The authors contend that if the language learning outcomes of students in Irish-medium education, particularly at the post-primary level, are to be maximised, now is an opportune time, if not the last chance, to truly actualise CLIL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that engagement with religion is a key challenge for all leaders of schools in twenty‐first‐century multifaith societies. It outlines the historic and current context of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and national and European policies that prioritise community cohesion in education. The functional and substantive roles of religion are considered as reflected in education, where they adjudicate power and shape values and behaviours. The article analyses data from nine schools in England, Wales and the Republic of Ireland to provide a snapshot of a range of leaders' philosophies, policies and practice in relation to religion. The preferential attention and resources given to the dominant community are evident in some cases. It is argued that, irrespective of whether a school is affiliated to a specific religion or not, school leaders have some freedom in positioning religion. Their influence significantly shapes how religion and/or secular values are understood and enacted. The article concludes by suggesting that policy at national and European level that emphasises shared identities and community cohesion masks the differential power and struggles between communities that cannot be resolved by anodyne exhortation. Rather, leaders need to be selected, trained and supported to recognise the centrality of belief in the lives of many of their learners and their families and to engage with the inevitability of ongoing disagreement and struggle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The centrality of emotions in the personal and professional practice of school leaders is by now well established in scholarship. Much of the investigation that has been carried out over the years provides a strong basis and rationale for the data presented in this paper. This study sought to explore the extent to which the socio-economic context of the school impacts the emotional timbre of the interactions of school principals and to seek to establish how this group of leaders manage the emotional drivers of their different socio-economic contexts. This paper specifically focuses on principals' perspectives on the impact children's social worlds and their associated lives have on how leadership practice is shaped, from the point of view of the playing out of emotions in school. Qualitative research using multiple, in-depth interviews and shadowing as research tools, was utilised to focus on the emotional experiences of the principals in the study. This approach enabled the research to come as close as possible to understanding the meaning principals make of their lived experiences from their subjective point of view. Most of the data presented here will explore the perspectives of leaders working in schools in some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing evidence of the influence of neoliberal and New Public Management (NPM) agendas in education systems around the world. Research shows the associated restricted drive for efficiency and effectiveness has induced negative effects on students, teachers and school leaders. Distributed leadership features prominently in policy frameworks in such countries. Despite this, research shows it manifests in limited forms of delegation. Taking Ireland as an example, this study extends this via interrogation of discourses of educational leadership advanced by the Department of Education there. This allows for an understanding of not just what is occurring but illuminates why, thereby opening up opportunities for alternative practices. Specifically, having explicated the contested term ‘distributed leadership’, this research reports on a thematic and discourse analysis of the Department's Whole School Evaluation (WSE) reports on a sample of 12 post-primary schools. Key findings reveal the Department's espoused ‘enhanced’ model of ‘distributed leadership’ belies its advancement of delegated leadership and ‘discursive twists’ that enable ‘unleaderful’ activities of teachers and routine educational experiences of students to masquerade as leadership. Leadership implications for the Department that would enable, rather than constrain, enhanced educational leadership practice in schools are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploration of the emotional practice of school leadership is a recent focus of enquiry with respect to scholarship on school leadership and management. This development provides a much needed addition to the recent proliferation of technical-rational, managerial discourses on leadership. Three dimensions of this complex field of enquiry are examined in the literature presented in this paper: (a) the role that emotions play in the lives of individuals, (b) the emotional context of the task of school leadership and (c) the management of the emotional dimension of leadership and the impact of particular patterns of practice on the culture and fabric of school life. This provides a framework for the analysis of this in-depth qualitative enquiry into the emotional fabric of school leadership in a sample of primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. The findings of the research identify a number of aspects of the complexity of the emotional landscape of leadership and provide an in-depth insight into the patterns of practice that prevail in the sample with respect to the management of leaders' own emotions and the management of the emotional landscape of staff relations and school activity. The paper calls on school leadership development programmes to facilitate school leaders (principals) to reflect on the emotions of self and others, to engage in emotional learning and to understand the strengths and limitations of the emotional climate within their schools while cultivating a professional and supportive ethos committed to authentic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]