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With this study we investigated strategies to support rural-based schools in teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted in 6 secondary schools in the Maune circuit, Capricorn North district of the Limpopo province, South Africa. A qualitative research approach using a case study research design was followed in the study. The population consisted of 42 school management teams (SMTs) and school governing bodies (SGBs) in the Maune circuit. Purposive sampling was used to select 18 participants. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data. The social realist theory was adopted as theoretical framework using the concepts of structure, culture and agency as theoretical lenses. We found that the Department of Basic Education did not train SMTs and SGBs, which affected teaching and learning. We concluded that due to the unavailability of ICT infrastructure within the Maune circuit, teaching and learning during strict lockdown (coronavirus disease [COVID-19]) were impossible and difficult when learners were rotating attendance. We recommend a shift from a blanket approach to school support to conducting an intensive needs analysis for each school in order to provide appropriate and relevant support. A social realist approach to school support is also recommended, where structure and culture are considered critical attributes for school development. It will be good for policy makers, role players and stakeholders to work together towards a common goal and carry out their agential role in ensuring that the needs of marginalised learners are met in schools.

Compulsory attendance in communication skills courses offered at colleges of engineering seems to be a problematic issue for many students because it prevents them from performing well in such courses. Many students believe that time spent on these courses comes at the expense of focusing on core courses and worsens their overall performance in these courses. As such, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between attendance and students' overall performance in communication skills courses for the sake of providing suggestions that would enhance students' performance as well as allowing them to allocate more time to the core courses they are enrolled in. Making students' life easier would not only improve their status at the educational level but would also create a feeling of comfort and satisfaction in their surroundings, particularly among family members and friends. Participants in the study are university students enrolled in the college of engineering at a Middle Eastern university. The study yields significant results showing that compulsory attendance has no significant relationship with students' overall performance in communication skills courses. Relaxing attendance regulations might provide some margin of freedom for students to focus more on the engineering core courses without compromising their success in communication skills courses. The study provides significant recommendations that stakeholders can utilize to motivate students to perform well in communication skills courses while addressing any concerns they might have regarding the core courses they are enrolled in.

Policy implementation has presented the Nigerian educational system with countless obstacles cum problems. This research explored the principles and problems of policy implementation reconsiderations for effective secondary school administration. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study population was 286 principals. The study sample was 229 principals drawn through a simple random sampling, representing 80% of the population. An instrument, principles and problems of policy implementation for effective secondary school administration was utilized for data collection. Cronbach alpha established a reliability coefficient of 0.89. Mean and standard deviation were used for data collection, while a t-test was utilized to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The researchers found that the principles of policy implementation for effective secondary school administration are founded on ensuring a positive and clear policy statement, flexibility in the policy statement, fact-based policy statement, effectiveness in policy statement communication, openness to review, and properly documented in writing. It was recommended that school principals provide copies of the school policy to all the teachers. The principals should not be subjective in implementing policy for effective school administration. The implication of the study is that principals should adopt effective principles for policy implementation.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to elucidate the current challenges to inclusive education (IE) at the university level in Japan, thereby addressing the gap between policy and the provision of inclusion. Method: This qualitative case study of a private university supporting inclusive policies in Japan included content analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews to ascertain themes. Results: The four identified themes were: inclusion practices as a conceptual challenge, conflicting practice of reasonable accommodations, inclusion management gaps, and barriers to and opportunities for inclusive education. Conclusions: There is a significant disconnect between legal obligation and actual implementation of accommodations. Results demonstrate the difficulties in accommodating students due to rigid procedural requirements for accommodation, such as self-reporting documentation by students. Implications: Contradiction between inclusion policy and practice related to students with disabilities hinders the provision of accommodation services to university students in Japan.

This paper aims to further explore the impact of need and culture as they relate to orientation, training, development, and administrative policies on regional university adjunct faculty. The use of adjunct faculty has risen considerably over recent years making their university experience more relevant in today's higher education climate. Adjunct faculty express the desire for orientation, training, and professional development. In addition, adjunct faculty find administrative policies extremely isolating in nature as they struggle to develop more meaningful relationships with other faculty, administrators, and students. While adjunct faculty have vast industry experience, they often lack extensive experience in higher education. Considering that adjunct faculty have such a tremendous impact on college students, how they feel about their higher education experience is of great concern. Adjunct faculty effectiveness suffers when they do not receive adequate orientation, training, and development. When adjunct faculty are isolated from the university due to the structure of administrative policy, they become less committed to the overarching goals of the organization and thus less committed to students.

This study investigates the perceptions of multicultural awareness and inclusivity among teachers across various urban middle schools, aiming to understand the impact of school leadership on promoting an educational environment that values diversity. Employing a quantitative analysis of survey data collected from 217 teachers in 16 schools, the research focuses on key areas: the encouragement from school leaders to teach about diverse cultures, teachers' experiences with colleagues of different races and ethnicities, comfort in discussing race, engagement with race-related topics, and the perceived support for speaking out against racism. The findings reveal significant variability in teacher perceptions across schools, with overall scores ranging from a high level of proactive engagement and support to a low level of challenges and reluctance to address race-related topics. Notably, schools with higher scores generally exhibited strong leadership commitment to diversity, suggesting a correlation between leadership practices and promoting an inclusive school culture. The study underscores the critical role of targeted professional development and the need for school policies that support open dialogue about race. It concludes that enhancing teacher comfort and engagement with multicultural topics is essential to fostering inclusive educational environments. This research contributes to the discourse on educational leadership's impact on multicultural awareness in schools, highlighting areas for further investigation and intervention.

Studying towards a postgraduate qualification is viewed as a booster that may usher employees towards management positions. We have found common mistakes in research proposals for master's degree students in a department at the University of Namibia. Our presentation shows the shortcomings in the research proposals of postgraduate students and proposes interventions to address the challenges. We collected qualitative data through the observations of nine (9) Master of Education research proposals, which were conveniently selected. Our analysis showed shortcomings in research proposals submitted to the Department of Education at the University of Namibia. Moreover, there is a need for the introduction of a writing unit at the university to supply writing services such as academic writing, proof reading and editing. We recommend that regular practical training is offered on effective academic writing to postgraduate students. We also show the need for postgraduate students to be oriented towards the plagiarism policy and referencing style of the university. This calls for the re-thinking of ways that enable effective postgraduate student supervision, which may address the quality of student research output.

Evaluation of child-friendly school (CFS) policies is essential to determine the achievements of school efforts in reducing violence cases. This research aims to proving the reliability and validity of CFS policy evaluation instruments in elementary schools with different locations. This investigation uses the Context Input Process Product (CIPP) evaluation model to confirm the factor structure or dimensions of several observed variables (items) to evaluate the reliability and validity of the CFS policy evaluation tool in elementary schools. The validity and reliability of previously created instruments are evaluated quantitatively, but this study utilises different subjects and study sites. There were 320 respondents, with 145 school principals and 175 teachers taken randomly. Confirmatory factors analysis (CFA) results show goodness of fit (GOF), and the model is acceptable. The CFS evaluation instrument can be accepted after eliminating several question items and modifying them. All items of the teal instrument meet the goodness of fit criteria in terms of chi-square and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The instrument for evaluating CFS policies in primary schools using the CIPP model has met a valid and reliable psychometric property test so that it can be applied.

In 2023, China leads the world in the number of Open Online Courses (OOC, over 64500) and learners (over 1.88 billion). In this article, we provide a brief review of the development of OOCs in China and outline the current situation of Chinese OOC focusing on learning platforms, course size and structure, and micro-credential courses. We also summarize the development and application of OOC in China focusing on national policy guidance, the organizational structure of OOCs, different modes of OOC development, and the establishment of a standardized quality assurance system. We also discuss the OOC credit recognition, blended learning, and multi-school collaborative teaching. Finally, we consider the future development trend of OOCs in China from the perspective of improving digital teaching literacy of instructors and expanding international exchange and cooperation.

It is important to prioritize intersectoral action at schools to prevent the use of alcohol and other drugs. This strategic act should be organized with multidisciplinary learning characteristics and with the involvement of different stakeholders. The aim of a recent scoping review was to identify the factors that benefit and hinder intersectoral actions at school resulting from the elaboration of policies to prevent drug use. It seems like the research study was a scoping review that used the P-population, C-context, and C-concept structure. The study searched for information in various databases like Embase, Proquest, Lilacs, Medline via Pubmed, PsycInfo, WHO-Iris, and PAHO-Iris on April 17, 2023. According to the results, there were 5 studies that were eligible to answer the research question. One of the advantages of intersectoral actions is the role of schools in creating a support network with different social actors, particularly with family involvement. On the other hand, one of the challenges is inconsistencies in legal regulations, which do not provide enough guidance to schools on how to prevent alcohol and drug use. While public and private schools may be affected differently by social and economic factors, it is essential to invest in developing policies that focus on drug prevention for children and adolescents who are learning in schools.

Although Black and Latinx students disproportionately face exclusionary school discipline, prior research finds that the likelihood of suspension for Black students decreases when they are taught by greater proportions of Black teachers. Little prior work, however, has examined whether these effects generalize to large, diverse, urban school districts or to Asian American or Latinx students and teachers. Using student fixed-effects models and 10 years of data from New York City, we find that assignment to greater proportions of ethnoracially matched teachers decreases the likelihood of suspension for Black and Latinx students. The magnitudes of these effects are small but suggest that diversifying the teacher workforce could lead to significant decreases in exclusionary discipline in urban districts.

School discipline is a significant educational policy and equity issue in K-12 education due to well-documented racial inequality in exclusionary discipline and the deleterious effects of exclusionary discipline on academic and adult outcomes. Drawing on interviews with district and school administrators and teachers in an "urban-emergent" district, this exploratory qualitative case study identifies and explicates the key factors that shape disciplinary practices within schools. Two major factors emerge as critical to school discipline practices in K-12 schools: (a) teacher preparation and (b) modeling of effective school discipline practices (how school leaders support teachers and how mentors support school leaders in the disciplinary process). Four key themes regarding teacher preparation emerge (a) relationship building, (b) classroom management, (c) cultural responsiveness and proficiency, and (d) experiential learning. The race and gender of educators permeate these factors. Implications for education policy and practice are discussed.

This case study aims to explore the role of pupils in educational design and what it means to have a say in primary school. Although many educational offers use the slogan 'pupil-centred' approach, examples are scarce in which children are seen as partners, let alone co-designers. It is therefore important to investigate to what extent pupils are involved in the design process and decision-making in a primary school context. Concepts such as co-determination, participation, room for choice and competence were discussed. This small-scale study shows that the school policy regarding participation and co-design mainly concerns parents but not pupils as much. Teachers have different perspectives about the importance of children's participation. In general, they would like to involve the pupils more in the design process. The lack of time and educational inspection's demand for standardised outcomes are limiting factors. The pupils believe that they sometimes influence how lessons are conducted at school and are allowed to choose how they work on the subject. In general, they feel positive about their competence.

The purpose of this study was to describe music teacher professional development (PD) in the United States and to chart potential differences between the experiences of music teachers, other arts teachers (visual art, theater, dance), and teachers in low-stakes (natural and social sciences) and high-stakes (math, English language arts) academic disciplines. Using data from the 2017-2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey, I evaluated PD practices, perceptions, and policies against six consensus criteria for effective PD: content specificity, social interaction, sustained duration, relevance, agency, and policy support. Findings showed music teacher participation in content-specific and socially interactive PD was robust and that the vast majority of music teachers described their PD as relevant. Cross-comparisons revealed discipline associations as to some criteria (social interaction, relevance, agency) but not others (content specificity, sustained duration, policy support). Although music teachers achieved parity or were advantaged in some areas (e.g., access to content-specific PD), they consistently reported less access to socially interactive PD, spent less overall time in PD, and were considerably less likely to exercise agency in support of their PD endeavors. Music teachers--along with their art, theater, and dance colleagues--generally, although not overwhelmingly, operated on less favorable PD terrain in 2017-2018.

Background: Return to school supports are recommended to facilitate adolescents' re-entry to school following a concussion. However, little is known as to what school stakeholders prefer for a return-to-school process. This study sought to describe the preferences of high school students, parents, and educators for a Return-to-School Framework for adolescents following a concussion. Methods: We conducted qualitative semi-structured, 1-on-1 or group interviews with high school students (n = 6), parents (n = 5), and educators (n = 15) from Calgary, Canada. Interviews aimed to describe participants' preferences for a Return-to-School Framework for students following a concussion. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: We organized the data into 4 main themes: (1) purpose of the Return-to-School Framework; (2) format and operation of the Return-to-School Framework; (3) communication about a student's concussion; and (4) necessity of concussion education for students and educators. Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity: A Return-to-School Framework following concussion should be developed in consultation with families, educators, and students and supports should be tailored to each student. Conclusions: Participants preferred a standardized and consistent Return-to-School Framework including ongoing communication between stakeholders as well as feasible and individualized school supports.

Language plays a crucial role in education; yet, while issues of language are undoubtedly relevant to all teachers, school-level language policies, which aim to provide explicit guidance underpinned by a clear set of principles, are too often conspicuous by their absence. In a range of educational contexts around the world it has been found that where such policies do exist, they are frequently fragmented and underpinned by monolingual ideologies that do not reflect the linguistic diversity of schools today. The aim of this study, therefore, is to map the provision of school-level policies from a representative sample of secondary schools in England (n = 998) and explore the extent to which they address (either implicitly or explicitly) the following dimensions of language: (a) English, both as the language of instruction and in relation to support for English as an additional language (EAL) learners; (b) modern languages in the curriculum; and (c) other home or community languages. Drawing on an ecologically informed approach, where these three dimensions of language are conceptualised as systems, analysis was conducted to identify areas of divergence and (potential for) intersection. Findings suggest that policies relating to languages, where they exist, are largely compartmentalised and tensions emerged between the various systems. However, we also note several promising points of intersection which indicate that there is scope for developing cohesive and holistic languages policies at a whole-school level.

The legal landscape has significantly impeded LGBTQ+ youth's rights at home and in schools. Learn about introduced and passed laws, the impact experienced by LGBTQ+ students, and how school psychologists can preserve LGBTQ+ mental health in these challenging times.

This qualitative study collected recommendations provided by Black doctoral students in engineering to explicitly inform the institutional efforts necessary to enhance their academic experiences. This process has informed what needs to be done to support Black students through their direct accounts that provided in-depth understanding of the impactful yet missing components in their engineering pursuits, and especially, at the Ph.D. level. Situated in the theories of racialized organizations, this community-based participatory action research project conducted semi-structured interviews with n = 24 Black doctoral students enrolled in engineering programs across the United States (and one abroad). Four recommendations themes emerged from our analysis: (1) a vital need for greater representation of Black scholars across roles in engineering communities; (2) capacity for awareness, acknowledgment, and accountability of/for the lived experience of Black scholars in engineering; (3) more intentional institutional efforts to support Black scholar communities and connection; and (4) a need for re-envisioning institutional policies and practices impacting Black scholars. This paper will address that which Black students identify as missing in engineering academic environments that, if addressed, could stand to drastically improve the lived experience of Black engineering students. Institutions must be proactive in their accountability for the wellness and success for all students and can start by taking heed to the recommendations of Black doctoral students, specifically.

This exploratory mixed methods study investigates the school psychology workforce shortage phenomenon and underlying contributing factors. The development of an Education Specialist school psychology program in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the authors to explore variables impacting awareness of the school psychology profession. State policies were reviewed to identify how many states have adopted the nationally recommended 1:500 ratio for school psychologists. Additionally, undergraduate and postbaccalaureate student knowledge of the work of school-based mental health professionals, specifically school psychologists, was surveyed. Finally, the authors explore the need for new action frameworks to achieve this awareness and to promote workforce policy development. Based on findings, three key points for practitioners are the need to promote the adoption of policies that align with the 1:500 recommended ratio for school psychologists, increase awareness of the profession with preservice and in-service educators, and create coordinated training pathways and career opportunities for individuals to become school psychologists.

In recent years, university research in Cambodia has seen new developments and potential transformations although many challenges remain. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with 22 Cambodian academics, this study shows that the development of university research in Cambodia is constrained by various challenges and barriers to research, preventing Cambodia from promoting higher education internationalization and transforming itself into a knowledge-based society. The study highlights key challenges that limit possibilities for further positive developments of higher education research and suggests the need for policy reforms to make a difference to the university research landscape in Cambodia. The study also points to the broader issues of North-South knowledge divide and calls for national and institutional initiatives to support Cambodian academics and empower them to enhance their research engagement. Finally, the study discusses implications for future research.

School resources officers (SROs) have increasingly become a staple in United States K-12 schools, and research on their roles and efficacy is prevalent. However, policy recommendations, when left unexamined, may perpetuate majoritarian narratives that harm marginalized students. This project investigates the majoritarian and counternarratives surrounding policy recommendations for SRO programs. Analyzing policy recommendations in 100 peer-reviewed articles, we find that most articles recommend reform or retention of SROs regardless of study findings - recommendations rooted in majoritarian narratives about the necessity and benevolence of SROs. Counternarratives, which view harm done to students as a potential reason to remove SROs entirely or reduce their use in schools, are much less common in the literature.

Prior research has established principal leadership as a key factor in enhancing professional learning communities. However, researchers are only beginning to make progress in identifying the means and 'paths' through which school leaders contribute to professional learning communities. This study tested a multilevel, moderated mediation model of the processes linking instructional leadership and professional learning communities in China where professional learning communities have long been embedded in the culture of schools. In this study, 'teacher responsibility' was proposed as a mediator and procedural justice climate as a moderator of the relationship between principal leadership and teacher professional learning communities. The results based on the analysis of responses from 3374 teachers revealed significant direct and indirect effects of instructional leadership on the professional learning communities via teacher responsibility. Procedural justice climate significantly moderated the effects of instructional leadership on both teacher responsibility and professional learning communities. The positive effects of instructional leadership were strengthened when the procedural justice climate was higher.

Restraint and seclusion are frequently misused in schools, leading to harmful outcomes for students. There is currently no federal law regulating these practices, which has led to inconsistencies in state and district policies. This policy paper aims to provide a brief background on current definitions, case law, and policies and provide teachers and administrators with ways to advocate for updated laws and policies. Preventive solutions to problem behavior must be embedded into policies and regulations to ensure every student has access to a safe and equitable educational experience.

The learning environment of students is a fundamental part of school life, both socially and academically. The ambition to create a school serving the best interests of all children is explored by analysing key concepts encompassing students' right to a healthy school environment, and examining how this discourse has unfolded over five decades in Norway. A conceptual analysis concerning the school environment, inspired by Deleuze and Guattari, is proposed and introduced as 'regulative vector concepts'. The article examines key changes regarding students' school environment, shifting from work environment to learning environment. As one consequence of the conceptual shifts, the individual rights of students have been ensured, such as through recent amendments in regulation. These concepts are understood as potential answers to already existing problems that policy and regulation attempt to encompass by producing new concepts, new policy and regulation.

Background or Context: Public school library book challenges have garnered ample media attention in recent years as many school districts and advocacy organizations have reported record numbers of book challenges. Book challenges are not a new phenomenon, historically speaking, but they have often illuminated values clashes in communities and raise questions about the rights and freedoms of public school students. Judicial rulings and school district policies that address book challenges could provide insights for many members of school communities (including, but not limited to, school board members, students, parents, and teachers) as they experience challenges, but these aspects of the legal record and their influence on responses to book challenges remains underexamined in scholarship. Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: The 1982 Supreme Court case "Island Trees School District v. Pico" remains the lasting judicial precedent for interpreting public school students' First Amendment rights as they interact with school library books. We examine the extent to which school district book challenge policies align with court precedent set in "Pico" (1982) and the implications for students' rights and democratic participation during book challenges. Research Design: Drawing on elements of the law and society framework as well as political analysis categories, this study uses qualitative methods to illuminate specific elements of district policies that govern book challenges. Specifically, we examine 29 policies in school districts that experienced a publicly reported book challenge between 2017 and 2021 to understand relationships between school district book challenge policies and the "Pico" (1982) precedent. Conclusions or Recommendations: Our findings reveal ample space between judicial rulings and school district policies we examine. In fact, we find a broader array of relevant actors in book challenge processes than conceived by the courts and raise implications for students' constitutional rights and protections related to who policies indicate may or must be involved in these processes, the settings in which book challenge decisions are made, and the limited roles for public involvement during school library book challenges.

Background or Context: There is increasing research focusing on dual language (DL) education program policies and practices regarding who has access to bilingualism and whose bilingualism is valued and represented. However, limited research is situated in the context of Chinese-English DL education and its service of emergent bilingual learners with disabilities (EBLWDs). Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study: The current study examines DL policy documents from one Chinese-English DL charter school to answer the following research question: How do a Chinese-English DL charter school's policies and practices address racial and disability injustice? Research Design: Textual analysis is conducted to examine publicly available educational policy documents from school, district, and parent-hosted websites; photos from school Facebook pages; and meeting minutes from the school principal, with permission. Conclusions or Recommendations: Drawing from a Disability Critical Race (DisCrit) stance, this study reveals textual silences on disability and race and the exclusion of EBLWDs through no-excuses accountability policies. Discourses of elite bilingualism and neoliberalism are perpetuated and reproduced by White, nondisabled, middle-class, English-speaking families who control the right to make policy decisions. These discourses shape the lived experiences of EBLWDs, who are deemed as deviant for their racial/ethnic identities and deficient for disability and linguistic status, and are thus denied access to bilingual DL education.

Bootleg innovation is a common phenomenon in Chinese universities. However, little is known about its influencing factors and mechanisms. Based on the trait activation theory, the current study proposes and tests a moderated mediation model by conducting an online survey of 1,038 university teachers at four undergraduate universities using convenient sampling. The findings suggest that the influence of individualistic orientation on bootleg innovation is greater than that of collectivism. Individualism has less influence on informal organizational norms than collectivism. Such norms play a partial mediating role between individualism/collectivism orientation and bootleg innovation behavior. Environmental uncertainty positively moderates the entire mediation model of individualistic orientation but not the first half of the path of the collectivist model. This study enriches the research on antecedent variables of bootleg innovation behavior and highlights the important role of situational factors in the entire mechanism.