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Purpose: This study aims to analyze the experiences of a closed cohort of aspiring leaders and connects the university and school district partnership relationship to building the leadership capacity of the cohort. This study builds on previous literature in district-university partnerships and leadership preparation. Powerful learning experiences (PLEs) and interpersonal-intrapersonal leadership development models serve as frames to examine how aspects of successful leadership preparation programs were present. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study was conducted with a team of researchers from the university and school district and relies on data from semi-structured interviews with students from the closed cohort. Findings: Researchers identified three major themes of aspiring leaders' preparation experience: confidence building, reflection and mindset change. Originality/value: This study contributes to the emerging literature on PLEs by illustrating how this type of partnership creates opportunities for powerful learning experiences for aspiring school leaders.

Rurality is perceived by many to be a deficit or challenge when it comes to teacher recruitment and retention. However, recently, some have argued that moving away from a deficit model and treating rurality as an asset may hold promise for teacher staffing. Drawing on Person-Organization (P-O) fit theory, we extend this argument in our study by investigating the perceptions of teachers from the rural Lowcountry of South Carolina, a region with documented severe teacher shortages, concerning rural teaching advantages and challenges. These reflections provide the data necessary to develop realistic job previews (RJP) that can be highlighted in the teacher staffing process at their schools. To obtain the data, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 11 rural teachers and one principal (n=12). Several common themes emerged, which we used to develop a sample web-based RJP content for demonstration purposes.

While evidence confirms that children with disabilities face significant obstacles to schooling, especially in low-income countries like Kenya, there is limited empirical research on which to develop policy. The government of Kenya has long neglected the plight of people with disabilities. Despite numerous policy recommendations from the various education commissions, few, if any, have been fully implemented. Despite the rich information that may inform policy, household surveys are an overlooked source of data on children with disabilities. Therefore, using two sources of household survey data, this paper examines school enrolment and attendance patterns for children with disabilities in Kenya. The evidence suggests lower school participation for children with disabilities. This may be due to the limited availability of educational services. Despite the need for educational services, the analysis also shows that the majority of children with disabilities were not aware of any of the services offered by the government.

Educational policies and research funding sources in many nations, including the United States, promote the use of evidence-based practice for school development, with evidence most often defined by standardized tests. Scholars and educators have engaged in debates regarding the use of evidence defined by tests and the underlying assumptions about universal knowledge and education values, particularly in increasingly culturally diverse nations like the U.S. This paper presents a school development project aimed at building leadership capacity for continuous school development that attempts to use "evidence-based" ideas from the standpoint of education values in persistently underperforming Arizona and South Carolina schools.

In this article, we report findings from two cases of rural, high-needs elementary schools in the Southeastern United States that successfully improved learning outcomes for their students. As illustrated by our findings, a combination of effective teacher professional development, focused student learning initiatives, and enhanced community and family involvement contributed to the removal of the schools from priority and below average designations. In addition to illustrating the leadership practices that positively influenced improvement efforts in these two schools, and expanding the nascent body of scholarship on context-responsive leadership, our findings serve as a starting point for a larger project centered on the nexus of school leader agency in increasingly diverse cultural contexts.

Since 1990 many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have witnessed extraordinary progress in school enrollment; however, the progress has slowed in recent years. UNESCO warns that unless new measures are taken, the number of out-of-school children in 2015 will increase from current levels. Inequalities in most developing countries have been found to be a major barrier to universal education. Priority has been given to gender and income inequality; however, to achieve universal education we must focus on all marginalized groups. The disabled are among the least visible of the marginalized children. As the Ugandan government develops a policy on special needs children, it is essential to understand the current schooling status of disabled children in Uganda. Therefore, using 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data this study examines schooling patterns of disabled children in Uganda. The study finds that disabled children are significantly less likely to enroll, attend and complete Grade 5. The study also finds that the disadvantage disabled children face depend on the nature and extent of the impairment.

In Kenya, policies to increase access to quality education have largely focused on reducing rural/urban, gender, and income inequality. Yet, many children do not attend or fully participate in school because they have physical and mental disabilities. The goal of this paper is to examine school enrollment, attendance, and primary school completion patterns for children with disabilities in Kenya. The study used the 2007 Kenya National Survey for Persons with Disabilities. The aim of the survey, the first of its kind in Kenya, was to estimate the number of people with disabilities, their regional distribution, and their demographic and socio-economic characteristics. The study finds that children with disabilities face significant obstacles to schooling. Schools are unable to offer services to children with disabilities, hence making it difficult for them to attend school. These children are significantly less likely to enroll in school, attend school, and complete primary school.

This paper focuses on the Education Systems Improvement EdD program (EDSI) at the University of South Carolina and how the program faculty utilize the signature methodology of the program, improvement science, towards its improvement efforts towards enhancing its equity focus, especially post-pandemic. We utilize the framework of improvement science including tools such as gap analysis, program evaluations, empathy interviews, and focus groups to better understand the problem and best design the appropriate improvement efforts. Broadly, three program improvement foci were identified for the improvement arc: program purpose, curricular design, and continuous improvement processes. Findings from this study provide details about program improvement efforts in improving an EdD program's equity focus post-pandemic, in a particular setting. In the spirit of continuous improvement, this work is never done. It will be forwarded by follow-up improvement endeavors and activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on findings from a secondary analysis of selected U.S. case studies of successful school principals in the United States. All original ISSPP cases were selected with a common sampling strategy whereby we purposely selected schools with improved student outcomes and nominations by school district leaders and organizations. Data sources include semi-structured qualitative interviews with the district leaders, principal, teachers, parents, and students to provide a more elaborated understanding of the phenomena, i.e., school success and the principal's leadership contribution. The study selected twenty published articles describing complete ISSPP case studies from different U.S. geographic areas for secondary analysis of the principal's core leadership practices. These practices include setting directions, developing people, redesigning the organization, and managing the instructional program. The U.S. cases since 2002 reflect the dynamics of multiple layers of influence and increasing complexities from student diversity, policy pressures, and the impact of the principals' background and professional identity. These cases provide qualitative, contextualized understandings of school success and principal contributions to that success at particular points in time over the past 20 years and point toward knowledge gaps that we seek to fill in future steps of ISSPP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, governments pledged to achieve education for all by 2015. However, if current enrollment trends continue, the number of out-of-school children could increase from current levels. Greater focus is needed on lower secondary school age (13-16 years) children. These children are not included estimates of the number of out-of-school children. It will be difficult to reduce the number of out-of-school children if we continue to overlook children of lower secondary school age. Therefore, using 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data this study examined school attendance and Grade 5 completion of lower secondary school age children in Uganda. The study found that poverty, low education among heads of households, and disability continue to limit continued access to and progress through school.

Sierra Leone was ravaged by a civil war between 1991 and 2002. Since the end of the war, it has witnessed an unprecedented increase in school enrollments. Although school enrollment has increased, the number of school age children who are out of school remains high. The focus of international agencies is on children of primary school age, yet a large proportion of secondary school age adolescents are out of school. The problem is most serious in sub-Saharan Africa where about 38% of the lower secondary school age adolescents are out of school. This article examines the changing patterns of educational attendance and primary school completion of secondary school age adolescents in Sierra Leone. The study used data from three nationally representative household surveys: the 2000 Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, the 2005 Sierra Leone Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and the 2008 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey. The results indicate that school attendance has increased. However, large gender, region of residence, rural/urban residence, and wealth differences in educational outcomes exist in Sierra Leone.

A civil war has raged in Somalia since 1991. The civil war was the final blow to an already collapsed education system. Somalia has received little research and policy attention yet children, especially girls, are very vulnerable during times of conflict. The different gender roles, activities, and status in society create gender differentiated risk and vulnerability during conflict; therefore, girls experience conflict differently from boys. This paper has two aims to (1) push Somalia back into the international development agenda and (2) highlight the state of girl's education in Somalia. The study examines 5969 households and presents the patterns of educational enrollment and attendance of girls in Somalia, and identifies the major challenges of expanding education access in Somalia. (Contains 10 tables.)

Somalia gained its independence in 1960; however, civil conflict broke out in 1991. The outbreak of civil conflict was the final blow for already collapsed education in Somalia. The civil conflict completely destroyed the remaining educational structure. Despite the protracted nature of the conflict Somalia has slowly been pushed out of the active international agenda. This paper aims to highlight the state of education in Somalia. The study examines 5969 households and presents the patterns of educational enrollment and attendance in Somalia, and identifies the major challenges of expanding education access in Somalia. (Contains 10 tables.)

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest incidence of child labor in the world and estimates show that it continues to grow. This paper examines the causes and magnitude of child labor in Kenya. Unlike previous studies that examined child labor as only an economic activity, this paper includes household chores. Including household chores is important because majority of child labor takes place within the household. The paper finds that socioeconomic status and structure of the household have a strong effect on child labor. Also, a large proportion of working children attend school. If the consequence of working is to hinder educational attainment, then policymakers need to focus to this dimension of educational inequality: Between students who combine work and school and those who do not. (Contains 9 tables.)

Since 1997 Uganda has seen a large increase in school enrolment. Despite this increased enrolment, universal education has remained elusive. Many children enrol in school, but not at the recommended age, and they drop out before completing school. This article focuses on one of these problems--delayed school entry. What household factors are associated with delayed school entry? Delaying school entry is likely to hinder the achievement of universal education and the development of the cognitive competencies of Ugandan children. Using 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data, this study examines the household factors associated with school entry. The results show that the survivorship of the mother, female headship, and the head's level of education are all associated with a lower probability of delayed enrolment. (Contains 1 note and 5 tables.)

Malawi was the first country after the Jomtien conference to offer free primary education. Despite this policy, universal education has remained elusive. Many children do enroll in school, but not at the official/recommended age and drop out before completing school. Understanding these transition points--entry and completion--is critical to the achievement of universal education. This paper focuses on one of these transition points--entry. Since households determine the timing and duration of schooling, this study examines 3290 households to explore the characteristics associated with delayed school enrollment. The study finds that the survival of the mother, female headship, and the head's level of education, are associated with a lower probability of delayed enrollment. (Contains 5 tables.)

The first COVID-19 case was reported in Kenya on March 13th 2020 and the cases have risen steadily and spread throughout the country. Like most countries, Kenya went into a lockdown; closing all schools and colleges. The abrupt closure of schools separated over 15 million primary and secondary school students from their teachers; this is the first time in Kenya that learning has been disrupted countrywide with schools closed until the beginning of 2021. To ensure minimal interruption to learning, the government developed and is in the process of implementing the Kenya Basic Education COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan. The aim of the plan is to (i) ensure continued learning for all students by expanding distance learning opportunities; (ii) produce online teaching materials; (iii) provide professional development opportunities for teachers; and (iv) provide psychosocial support to students and teachers. The government has been bullish about the success of the plan while education stakeholders have been sceptical of the plan and its efficacy. Teacher unions and the head teachers’ associations are calling for wider consultation before the plan can be fully implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]