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This case study examines emerging forms of schooling organised as mixtures of ordinary classrooms and special classes/special schools. In these arrangements, pupils considered to have special educational needs (SEN) can participate in ordinary classrooms together with pupils not considered to have special needs, while at the same time receiving support tailored to meet their needs. The study investigates the administrative rationales and arguments that school and municipal leaders have for creating special educational support between ordinary classes and segregated settings. Furthermore, the study investigates educational potentials, as well as challenges, that school leaders, municipal leaders, teachers, and pupils identify in relation to such intermediary support forms. Data come from Denmark, where such forms of innovative support currently seem to be increasing. This organisation of support offers educational opportunities and potentials and seems to be a way of enhancing the capacity of the ordinary school system to include a more diverse group of pupils. However, intermediary forms face a number of dilemmas and challenges as well. Based on qualitative data, this case study analyses and discusses the educational and organisational aspects of the new ways of organising teaching for pupils with SEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to highlight a paradox between inclusion/exclusion at the level of the organisation and classroom practices, as well as between general and disability/special educational needs (SEN)-specific approaches to diversity in the classroom. The authors recommend better alignment between school policies and teaching practices to offer all students an equal chance to benefit from inclusive pedagogies. Design/methodology/approach: This study analyses a school that has gained public reputation as an innovative, inclusive school in Austria. Applying a case study with an ethnographic methodological approach, the authors explore what strategies are implemented to become more inclusive at the level of school organisation and classroom practices? What are the pedagogical beliefs and actions relating to diversity that drive inclusive efforts? How is this school's general approach to diversity enacted with students with SEN? Findings: The findings show that context-specific circumstances shape inclusive school development, which comes with a set of affordances and challenges. The authors argue that in this case, striving for inclusion indicated two ways of "doing difference differently". First, the school has built on many cornerstones of inclusion when relating and responding to student diversity, that was remarkably different than in other mainstream schools in Austria. On the contrary, while creating new educational and pedagogical norms, it also recycled conventional segregating tendencies, and as such, reproduced hierarchised difference, but in other ways than schools typically do in mainstream schooling. Originality/value: This school and its pedagogical mission have never been analysed through the rich data that two researchers were able to gather and work through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The study of variables related to the use of ICT in the classroom is a topic of interest that has been frequently researched. In this paper, after examining the importance of teacher training in explaining the use of ICT in the classroom, we focused on analysing the weight of variables related to teaching practices and the organisational context of schools, which are variables that are less frequently addressed in the literature. To do so, a secondary analysis was carried out using data provided by the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2018). Specifically, we worked with a sample of 3,918 principals and 64,899 teachers from a total of 3921 schools in 21 countries. A multilevel binary regression model with random intercept, fixed coefficients and a two-level structure with teachers at level 1 and schools at level 2 was used. The results indicate that the presence of ICT in the classroom is associated with self-efficacy in teaching and the cognitive activation of students and with the organisational aspects of the school, which are scarcely addressed by the existing literature on this topic of interest, such as school climate, educational innovation and cooperation among teachers. Based on these results, we reflect on possible ways to promote the use of ICT in the classroom.

The study of variables related to the use of ICT in the classroom is a topic of interest that has been frequently researched. In this paper, after examining the importance of teacher training in explaining the use of ICT in the classroom, we focused on analysing the weight of variables related to teaching practices and the organisational context of schools, which are variables that are less frequently addressed in the literature. To do so, a secondary analysis was carried out using data provided by the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2018). Specifically, we worked with a sample of 3,918 principals and 64,899 teachers from a total of 3921 schools in 21 countries. A multilevel binary regression model with random intercept, fixed coefficients and a two-level structure with teachers at level 1 and schools at level 2 was used. The results indicate that the presence of ICT in the classroom is associated with self-efficacy in teaching and the cognitive activation of students and with the organisational aspects of the school, which are scarcely addressed by the existing literature on this topic of interest, such as school climate, educational innovation and cooperation among teachers. Based on these results, we reflect on possible ways to promote the use of ICT in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In educational systems around the world, there is a long tradition of using psychiatric diagnoses when providing support in the special educational field. For instance, many countries have special schools and special classes for students with psychiatric diagnoses such as Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism spectrum disorder and general learning disabilities. This case study draws on data from Denmark and investigates how this organising principle is currently being challenged. The study shows that a main challenge to the widespread use of diagnoses is a shift in how the psychiatric system diagnoses students. Factors affecting the current situation are that a) an increasing proportion of students receive more than one diagnosis, and b) children with social problems are more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric condition as well. The outcome is that the institutional tradition of distinguishing between support to be provided for different diagnoses comes under pressure, and a paradoxical situation occurs where the growing complexity of children's psychiatric diagnoses leads to practices where more differentiated special needs are taught within the same classrooms. The situation has led the Danish school system to search for alternative ways of organising support for students. The study investigates these new emerging methods of providing support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pedagogical renewal is a concept loaded with a historical-pedagogical trajectory linked to reflection, social justice, educational improvement, teacher commitment and the questioning of the educational model, with personalised education being a key aspect. The aim of this paper is to analyse how learning is personalised in primary education centres that promote processes of pedagogical renewal. A qualitative methodology is used, based on a case study. Two schools with a high intensity of pedagogical renewal were selected and in-depth interviews were conducted with the management team and teachers, focus groups with families and students, and participant observation. The information derived is analysed with the ATLAS.Ti 22 programme, after coding and categorisation. The results reveal a number of common elements and processes of personalisation of learning which are structured in three dimensions. In the first dimension, school characteristics, the following stand out: student autonomy, individualisation of learning and freedom of choice of learning pathways. As for the second dimension, educational project, the following elements stand out: flexible curricular organisation, active methodology where group work is a key element, organisation of timetables without previously established patterns, the role of accompanying teachers, student focus and active participation of families in daily school life. Finally, from the third dimension, inclusion, the following can be extracted: daily educational work where diversity is not a limitation, but a source of learning of great didactic value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to method development in educational leadership research. The focus is on a visual method and the inclusion of visual material in data collection and analysis. Core concepts in this paper are educational leadership, power and authority. The method was used in face-to-face interviews in a research project that studied the steering and governing in, and of, Swedish schools. The method enhances verbal narratives when informants reason and motivate their understandings of positions, relations and hierarchies within the organisations. We found that using visual material encouraged informants to reason and problematise formalised leader positions, their relations and the hierarchies that appear. The method helps to visualise the informants' understandings of the power distribution within the organisation depending on whether positions are described as distant or close, horizontal or vertical. The method made the informants take a stand on complex matters, reflect, and gain insights about their organisations. It provided us, as researchers, with rich data material. By making subjective understandings visual, implicit assumptions were made explicit. This could challenge the knowledge on existing leadership and power norms within educational organisations, and most likely in other forms of organisations as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School psychologists’ relevance has been broadly affirmed. However, there is no shared definition of their professional role, and more efforts are needed to promote an organisational and whole-school approach. The present study aims to investigate practices and representations of Italian school psychologists, advance knowledge of the status and development of school psychology, and learn more about the approaches currently adopted in schools. A qualitative method was used and 11 focus groups with a total of 86 participants were carried out. Ad hoc instruments were defined. The results highlighted that school psychologists are more focused on building one-on-one relationships, whereas relationships with the organisation as a whole appear to be more difficult. However, participants reported a wide range of activities, targeted to both the individual and the organisation. Moreover, efforts to strengthen the relationships with school principals and the entire school community were described. Specific needs emerged and the necessity to better define the school psychologists’ role was reported by the participants. More efforts are needed to promote an organisational approach among Italian school psychologists and specific training should be offered.

In this study, we investigate the relation between the school organization and outcomes of education for sustainable development, namely students' action competence in sustainable development. Data were collected among 629 students. At the organizational level, we collected data among 207 school staff concerning organizational characteristics including school resources, sustainable leadership, pluralistic communication, supportive relations, collective efficacy, adaptability, democratic decision-making, and shared vision. Results indicate that the school organization is primarily connected to students' knowledge and willingness. They also show that organizational characteristics such as sustainable leadership, pluralistic communication, adaptability, and democratic decision-making have a significant correlation with student level outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, and influenced by various stakeholders, a global trend has emerged regarding learning environments, pedagogies and learning skills for the 21st century. This article describes the transition of a secondary school building’s physical learning environments through two snapshots; one from when the school was built and the other 9 years later. When new schools are built, a contemporary design theme is for the learning spaces to be pedagogically and physically flexible enough to facilitate multimodal pedagogies that meet individual learners’ needs. Compared to traditional forms of education and school buildings, an innovative learning environment design is considered to correspond more closely to these aspects. The results show a mismatch between the architecture and the pedagogical practices, and how the architecture was adapted to the pedagogical practice. The planning, designing, implementing and consolidating of new schools based on unconventional ideas about teaching, such as open-plan design, interdisciplinary co-teaching, flexible use of the learning environment and the creation of dynamic organisations is a complex enterprise.

This paper addresses enchantment among teachers, differentiating similar concepts and exploring the organisational conditions and critical aspects of teacher enchantment in an attempt to help schools manage them. The results, derived from a Delphi method, show that training, school facilities, school organisation and the changes and challenges stemming from COVID-19 are important factors in re-enchanting teachers in Spanish secondary and vocational training schools. Management teams, educational authorities and teacher educators can improve teacher enchantment by leveraging these factors. Some recommendations are proposed to re-enchant teachers, such as promoting training (mainly in leadership), investment, professional collaboration and cultural values. • Employee enchantment implies active participation and meaningful experience that reinforce employees' work and leisure links. • Training, schools facilities, school organization and COVID-19 challenges are factors that influence teachers' enchantment. • Leadership, information and communication management and school culture of change are also important enchantment factors. • Items to measure each re-enchantment factor are provided following a Delphi method. • Teacher re-enchantment can be achieved through training, investment and fostering expert collaboration and cultural values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School psychologists' relevance has been broadly affirmed. However, there is no shared definition of their professional role, and more efforts are needed to promote an organisational and whole-school approach. The present study aims to investigate practices and representations of Italian school psychologists, advance knowledge of the status and development of school psychology, and learn more about the approaches currently adopted in schools. A qualitative method was used and 11 focus groups with a total of 86 participants were carried out. Ad hoc instruments were defined. The results highlighted that school psychologists are more focused on building one-on-one relationships, whereas relationships with the organisation as a whole appear to be more difficult. However, participants reported a wide range of activities, targeted to both the individual and the organisation. Moreover, efforts to strengthen the relationships with school principals and the entire school community were described. Specific needs emerged and the necessity to better define the school psychologists' role was reported by the participants. More efforts are needed to promote an organisational approach among Italian school psychologists and specific training should be offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over time, and influenced by various stakeholders, a global trend has emerged regarding learning environments, pedagogies and learning skills for the 21st century. This article describes the transition of a secondary school building's physical learning environments through two snapshots; one from when the school was built and the other 9 years later. When new schools are built, a contemporary design theme is for the learning spaces to be pedagogically and physically flexible enough to facilitate multimodal pedagogies that meet individual learners' needs. Compared to traditional forms of education and school buildings, an innovative learning environment design is considered to correspond more closely to these aspects. The results show a mismatch between the architecture and the pedagogical practices, and how the architecture was adapted to the pedagogical practice. The planning, designing, implementing and consolidating of new schools based on unconventional ideas about teaching, such as open-plan design, interdisciplinary co-teaching, flexible use of the learning environment and the creation of dynamic organisations is a complex enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines characteristics, practices and conditions within schools that enable vulnerable students to succeed in school. Research suggests that factors related to structure, educational organisation or the climate within schools may play a part in either pushing out or holding on to students whose personal characteristics may put them at risk of dropping out. The study is based on 25 qualitative interviews with students in the second year of vocational education and training. All the students had a low grade point average from lower secondary school, and the majority had an immigrant background from Africa or Asia. The analysis shows that practice-oriented learning from authentic work tasks provided meaningful connections between schoolwork and students’ career choices and opportunities to experience success and mastery. Furthermore, positive expectations and the active support of teachers as well as mutual motivation and support among classmates contributed to students’ sense of belonging at school. The study discusses the importance of schools supporting less school-oriented young people in connecting and identifying with school, both with the social environment and with the educational content and learning methods.

This qualitative case study investigates the rationales, dilemmas, and shortcomings of the so-called “inclusion-promoting steering models” in which Danish schools have to pay a price for every student they cannot include in their school. For more than 10 years, the government has promoted such financial steering models and a rising number of municipalities have adopted the system, so that more than one-half of the existing Danish municipalities work with them. According to its advocates, this model supports the inclusion of students in schools in several direct ways. This case study shows that this model is based on some strong rationales, as it offers opportunities to promote the development of inclusive schools. However, the study also reveals that this comes at a price, as the model sometimes poses difficult dilemmas on school leaders and hinders the inclusion of all students.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted and posed great challenges for kindergarten-grade12 education systems. Initial studies on education and COVID-19 often focus on technology use, student learning, and school reopening plans. However, debates on the form of instruction become futile when stakeholders are unclear about what the competing values, issues, and priorities are. Using exploratory data analysis of a representative sample of US teachers and school leaders, this paper highlights key organisational issues and priorities in terms of addressing academic achievement gaps, students' online engagement, and teachers' and students' health. More fundamentally, deeper issues are uncovered like equity for those doubly disadvantaged by the pandemic, student engagement in the face of more pressing concerns, and health both physical and mental. More theoretically, the research contributes to understanding schools' responses to societal crises and the need to clarify competing values during decision-making in the face of such crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Leadership' has now become one of the most over-used terms in school organisation, so much so that it is now difficult to find mentions of 'management' and 'administration' in school organisation literature. Papers published in Educational Management, Administration and Leadership and Management in Education over the last few years confirm this view. This article argues that although there is a significant overlap between them, leadership, management and administration are different from each other and this should be recognised when talking and writing about school organisation and development, with not all three being subsumed under the banner of 'leadership'. In particular, the article argues for the re-establishment of management as a major element in the development and training of heads and prospective heads of schools and colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on the organisation of inclusive educational provision for pupils with disabilities and special educational needs in mainstream schools. In relation to theoretical context, it outlines the challenges of defining inclusive education, it explores the ideological tensions that characterise the area, including those evident between the Psychology and Sociology paradigms, often reflected in tensions between special education and inclusive education. The paper proposes Organisational Psychology as the obvious meeting point between these conflicting, but also possibly complementary, paradigms. It thus reports the core findings of a study that was informed by the Organisational Psychology paradigm. A combined action research, case study methodology was employed, involving four second-level schools in the Republic of Ireland. The aim of the study was to explore, with school personnel, the issues, opportunities and challenges involved in developing more inclusive policies and practices in schools. A conceptual model of inclusion was developed which was informed by systems thinking, which is at the core of Organisational Psychology, and which emphasises core processes that are essential for the development of inclusive schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last two decades, researchers and practitioners have shown great interest in research concerning how to implement change in local schools. The research repeatedly stresses the importance of trust among colleagues, yet few studies have examined intra-organisational trust, or the absence of such, during a change process within a decentralised school system that includes local education authorities (LEAs) and local schools. This qualitative study of a municipality reveals principals' and LEA officials' views of intra-organisational trust, while managing a situation of a lack of quality within their school organisation. The article presents empirical data from interviews using the analytical perspective from intra-organisational trust to explore trust, or lack thereof. To analyse the statements, a framework of attributes of trust belief (views of co-workers' benevolence, ability, integrity and predictability) is used. The results describe increasing trust belief among principals and LEA officials comprised in a collectivistic approach of building a new structure for quality and improvement work. The article contributes to the understanding of what creates trust as well as how the relationship between intra-organisational trust and school development can be understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper investigates economies of scale in primary and secondary Spanish schools, distinguishing between ownership (private/charter school) and management (nonreligious/religious). We have used the Survey of Private Education Funding and considered both the number of students per school unit (class) and the total number of students enrolled at the school. The overall results show that unit cost per student in smaller centres is around 45% higher than the average and nearly 20% lower than the average in schools with between 1,000 and 1,400 students enrolled. These larger schools had the lowest overal cost per student. As far as ownership is concerned, private schools show an average cost per pupil around 20% higher than charter schools, due to their higher average cost per teacher and lower student unit/teacher ratio. In both private and charter schools, size also influences a school’s economic performance, private schools being more greatly affected. The possible influence of school size and class size on Spanish student performance in PISA 2009 is also studied.

Nowadays, schools need to be flexible and adaptable to changes, functioning as learning organisations (LO), and typically in schools through professional learning communities (PLCs). Whilst there is substantial research about PLCs, in the Greek context there are few studies and this study explored principal and teacher perceptions of the extent of PLCs in primary schools in Greece. Hord's (1997a) five dimension view of PLCs was used and this was measured through a Greek adaptation of the Professional Learning Communities Assessment-Revised (PLCA-R) by Olivier, Hipp and Huffman (2010). A survey across all Greek primary schools resulted in 674 principals and teachers responding about the development of Greek elementary schools as PLCs. According to the results, principals and teachers do perceive that Greek primary schools function as PLCs, although this only at developing level. The most prevalent dimension was supportive and shared leadership, followed by shared values and vision, collective learning and application, supportive conditions and shared personal practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies a model of school organisation developed by one of the authors to investigate school improvement processes leading to a whole school approach in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) literature. The model is operationalized to a survey instrument and distributed to Swedish upper secondary teachers. The instrument provides empirical indications of teachers' perceptions of their schools in terms of four major dimensions of an ESD whole school approach, the importance assigned to a holistic vision, routines and structures, professional knowledge creation, and practical pedagogical work. The aims of the study are to compare the teachers' perception of their school organisation. We compare perceptions of teachers working in schools actively implementing ESD and teachers in comparable reference schools. Comparisons are also made between teachers from schools applying different strategies and quality approaches in implementing ESD. The results indicate that, relative to teachers in ordinary schools, those in ESD schools perceive their school organisations to have higher quality and coherence, with greater potential to support teaching and pedagogical work in practice. However, there is substantial variation in perceptions of teachers from different ESD schools. The model's robustness is validated by coherence of earlier results in the same schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ghanaian public schools promote inclusiveness better than the private schools. • Ghanian private schools promote accountability better than the public schools. • Ghanaian mission schools promote a deeper community participation. • The types of school organisation influence school cultures and educational outcomes. • Public-private and home-school collaborative cultures drive education outcomes. The demand for accountable school outcomes (improved learning outcomes, educational outcomes and the well-being of learners) continues to gain research attention. Yet, the evidence suggests that appreciating the interconnectedness of pertinent factors including contextual ones and educational outcomes is crucial. The understanding of the nexus of school type, school cultures and educational outcomes until this study seemed blurry in Ghana. Using an ethnographic case study with school district actors: municipal educators, teachers, and community participants we examined culturally responsive schooling. We leverage on multi-stage sampling approach. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select a District, two school communities' (rural and urban) actors on one hand and school-level (private–public) actors on the other hand as the units of analysis. Some 117 participants were involved in this study, including two municipal-level educators, four teachers, a Public-School Principal, a Private-School Proprietor (manager), nine adult household members and 100 community members (including community leaders and teachers). By means of community meetings, group discussions, interviews, field observations and document analysis the authors were able to thematically engage an analysis of the available evidence. The study found among other things that (1) Basic public schools in Ghana have advanced universal access priorities, inclusivity and affirmative action for learners' home cultural capital. (2) Private schools were found to be better promoters of higher accountability for and achievers of learning outcomes. (3) The mission schools are better advocates of community participation that drive school development, morale enhancement and behavioural development in children. Based on these findings, which were hitherto not known, we conclude that there are strong links between the type of school organisation, school cultures and educational outcomes. The study's findings and implications suggest that Ghanaian Basic school districts need to weigh contextual school cultures and types of schools with the goal of fostering collaborative schools that drive the advancement of educational outcomes whiles minimising social inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In school systems around the world, there is an increasing focus on students’ academic achievement. The challenge of how to improve schools is an important issue for all levels in the school system. However, a central question of both practical and theoretical relevance is how it is possible to understand why (or why not) school-development efforts are successful. The purpose of this article is to explore the ecology of local school development through the case of a medium-sized municipality in Sweden, based on empirical data from two follow-up research projects. The analytical framework draws from organisational theory and new institutional theory, where focus is directed towards how different sub-systems of the school organisation interact with and respond to aspects of development work and the implications for outcomes of school-development initiatives. Findings show that great investment of resources from the central level in the local school organisation necessarily does not lead to changes in teaching practice. School-development initiatives are unlikely to be successful unless they engage and re-couple the involved sub-systems. Finally, we discuss how the introduction of Expert Teachers as a new sub-system has the ability to work as a link between other sub-systems and to promote school development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has suggested that adopting a transformative school organisation perspective when implementing ESD may be more productive than the previously recommended transmissive perspectives, but it is not clear how transformative perspectives could be introduced. To address this issue, we conducted an empirical mixed methods study of existing practices in 10 highly ESD-active upper secondary schools in Sweden. The schools’ leaders, who were responsible for implementing ESD, were interviewed to obtain information on the quality criteria they used to guide their work. The arguments used by the leaders to justify their criteria were analysed and categorised based on their relationships with the transmissive and transformative quality strategies. Both school organisation perspectives were found to co-exist within the schools. A detailed analysis of schools where the transformative perspective was dominant revealed three distinct quality strategies, one of which was found to embody a strong focus on a transformative approach. This specific quality strategy is discussed and suggested as a way for interested schools to implement ESD in a more transformative way at the school organisation level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) implementation tends to focus primarily on student and teacher outcomes, and there have been few studies on leadership practices at the school organisation level that provide information on how quality in education contributes to ESD implementation. To address this issue, we conducted an empirical mixed methods study of existing practices in 10 highly ESD-active upper secondary schools in Sweden. The schools’ principals, who were responsible for implementing ESD, were interviewed to obtain information on the quality criteria they used to guide their work. Twenty-six criteria were identified and grouped into four main principal quality criteria on the basis of statistical analysis:Collaborative interaction and school development; Student centred education; Cooperation with local society; andProactive leadership and continuity. This categorization both supports existing research on ESD quality criteria and highlights new criteria that are important but were previously unrecognized. Trends in the identified quality criteria are discussed and related to prior research in order to identify potentially fruitful school leadership and management for implementing ESD at the school organisational level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper asks why spatially separated school departments might exhibit, in different ways, very similar practices. Data from an ethnographic study of three secondary school geography departments in England are discussed through a concept of ‘isomorphism’ (homogenising forces), drawn from neo-institutional theory. Similarities across these departments are analysed in terms of coercive isomorphism, including the strong regulatory role played by examination boards and Ofsted; mimetic isomorphism, in which similar approaches are adopted in response to situations of high uncertainty, based on spreading good practice; and normative isomorphism, including the implications of closely guarded educational routes, the professionalisation of teaching, and wider social trends including the increasing use of Google as a source of knowledge for lessons. It is argued that evidence of homogeneity across spatially separated departments raises interesting questions about teachers’ practice, with implications for departmental and school leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]