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This study raises a critical question: 'what does it mean to be smart teachers in the era of technology?'. To provide a concrete and comprehensive answer, the authors analyse multiple discourses revolving around SMART education, an education technology reform initiative in South Korea. This article critically examines the significance of SMART education as dominant discourse to shed light on the formation of smart teachers. The results show that SMART education is conceptualised as 'panacea' that can practically solve all kinds of educational problems, which leaves no choice for teachers but to accept it. The authors also analyse teachers' perceptions and practices by drawing on interviews conducted in a Korean smart city, where the SMART education was first enacted. It is argued that smart teachers are supposed to be 'adaptive' to survive by proving themselves as 'compatible'. This article concludes that it is necessary to imagine more diverse versions of smart teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advocates often predict that school choice policies will expand access to high-quality schools, particularly for marginalized communities. To interrogate this assumption, we employed a sequential mixed-methods analysis examining the state of charter reform in the District of Columbia. We observed that stakeholders consistently defined equity as uniform processes, evident in data distribution and enrollment practices. We also uncovered persistent disparities in where students live versus learn. We conclude that race-neutral conceptions of equity may hinder attempts to improve school access by ignoring structural inequalities tied to race, place, and income and by overlooking privileged households' efforts to remain separate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Academic Plans in Sociocultural Context as a framework, this study examined university personnel's perspectives of the Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. Through quantitative techniques, the findings from this study show university faculty and administrators associated with liberal arts education view Bachelor of Applied Science degrees differently than those associated with specialisation majors. It was also found that workforce demand was a strong predictor of university personnel's support in the offering of a Bachelor of Applied Science. In addition, results suggest university personnel background characteristics, such as academic position and the type of courses taught, were associated with their support of the offering of a Bachelor of Applied Science. The findings of this study are informative to academic leaders, faculty, administrations, and policymakers who are interested in the development or revision of Bachelor of Applied science degrees at 4-year institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian education system is culpable in perpetuating, rather than alleviating, inequitable outcomes for First Nations peoples. To address this, the Culturally nourishing schooling project (2020-2024) involves eight high schools committed to whole-of-school change in four intertwined domains: learning from Country, culture/language programs, epistemic mentoring, and sustained professional learning. In this paper we envision how and why the theory of practice architectures (TPA) may provide a framework for understanding what happens as schools pursue this transformation. We critically examine whether TPA can provide an epistemologically and ontologically appropriate methodology to support change in schools with significant cohorts of First Nations students. A key premise of TPA is to uncover the meanings and impacts of the practices of the people entangled in school sites, and reveal the usually unseen structural arrangements that allow these practices to unfold. We contend that by making these arrangements visible, those involved in schooling are enabled to contribute to the transformative change that will foster culturally nourishing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to conceptualize "Pyramid-hierarchy" model of the educational policy discourse system in China. Education discourse system is the external education expression form of ideological and theoretical system and knowledge system. Constructing the discourse system of educational policy with Chinese characteristics is a system consisting of a series of internal logical relations, including seven levels of discourse foundation, discourse core, discourse mode, discourse attitude, discourse transmission and discourse innovation. The educational policy discourse system with Chinese characteristics draws lessons from several important elements in the meaning of community, namely mutual emotion, mutual dependence, and common action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ensuring culture wars, the American school choice coalition has almost completely unraveled, but many school choice advocates assert that the coalition can be rebuilt. In this essay, I argue that the school choice coalition dissolved not because of politics or circumstance, but because the coalition’s libertarians, progressives, and conservatives have fundamentally different first principles in politics and education – first principles that are present in the works of theorists like Thomas Paine and John Stuart Mill. By studying Paine and Mill, we can understand that any education-reform coalition will be a temporary aberration rather than an enduring alliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Finding Consensus on Well-Being in Education' is an ambitious and inspiring work in favor of establishing flourishing as the aim of education in classrooms and schools worldwide. The authors offer theories of action to explain how education for flourishing would be virtuously self-sustaining in its ideal state, how we could transition from current educational policies and practices to those that foster flourishing, and why schools currently impede student, teacher, and social flourishing. This commentary critically examines each theory of action, raising questions about the reasons that schools currently fail to promote flourishing and why and how they might do in the future. I argue that David Cohen's classic essay 'Plus Ça Change...' provides important insight into why education for flourishing may take as long to develop and take to scale in the twenty-first century as Deweyan progressive education took (and is continuing to take) in the twentieth century. The kind of education that the authors of 'Finding Consensus' are calling for is hard and ambitious work that may take a very long time to get right – even as it is also well worth trying to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spreading like wildfire, school autonomy with accountability (SAWA) policies have transformed education worldwide. Rooted in new public management, SAWA is a ‘policy bundle’ that links greater decision-making at the school level with standardization and monitoring practices like large-scale assessments and performance indicators. As with every traveling reform, SAWA varies among countries influenced by prior policies, the government’s ideology, and stakeholders’ interests. However, studies often focus on individual elements of the SAWA bundle rather than the complete package. Thus, this paper addresses this gap by analyzing SAWA in Colombia, examining how policy paradigms and institutional legacies have shaped its trajectory – from its adoption to the present. Data combines policy document analysis and interviews with key informants (n = 48). The study shows the 1991–1994 reform period as a critical juncture in Colombia, consolidating a decentralized governance system dominated by a democratic educational paradigm. However, a counter-reform in 2001 produced significant effects under an opposing sign. Eager to recentralize educational political and administrative control, Colombia’s national elites incrementally deployed large-scale assessments, learning standards, and system-wide performance monitoring policies configuring a ‘quality assurance’ SAWA model. While market-like policies incentivizing competition and high-stakes were rapidly abandoned, SAWA policies represent a managerial turn in Colombia’s education.

This study aimed to develop a maker spirit problem – based learning (PBL) innovation and entrepreneurship course and explore its impact on students' learning effectiveness. A mixed research method was adopted for this study, in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected for inductive analysis. The research subjects comprised 49 students who took the 'Innovation and Entrepreneurship Course' at a university of science and technology. Further, an 18-week experimental teaching activity was implemented, in which the 'Maker Spirit – PBL Innovation and Entrepreneurship Course' was innovatively developed. Results revealed that most students showed significant positive learning effectiveness in two levels, namely 'innovation and entrepreneurship', and 'maker practice', after the experimental teaching. Therefore, five major implementation points of the 'Maker Spirit – PBL Innovation and Entrepreneurship Course' were proposed to provide references for future implementations and applications in the teaching field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bylye Gody is the property of Cherkas Global University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bylye Gody is the property of Cherkas Global University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This research interprets the destabilization in U.S. higher education using Layton's theory of marketing systems to detail disruptions to academia's system settings. It highlights three impacted areas: governance, sentiment, and transformation. The authors examine the interplay between societal, technological, competitive, and political power shifts as major disruptors reshaping higher education. It critically examines these shifts by intertwining history with the demands of today's evolving landscape, emphasizing the need for transformative change. Layton's theory is utilized in this study to provide stakeholders a starting point to make informed, situationally aware strategic decisions during the choice and value-added phases of the framework based on Layton's Marketing Systems Theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the conflict between Russia and Ukraine where the overall aim is to comprehend the impact of the armed conflict on the education sector and education from a securitization perspective. The development of the crisis from a securitization perspective in eastern Ukraine is shown to directly influence the educational conditions for children. In several areas near the conflict zone, military installations close to schools are a cause for security concern. The military installations are possible targets meaning that children are exposed to danger during school hours. The study also focused on how children and young people play a significant role in conflicts. In their vulnerable position, they become subjected to various types of socialization processes aimed at preserving the defense interests of the Ukrainian State, while regional and global actors are trying to reduce conflicts in the region through efforts advocating democracy and peace education. The study also highlights nationalistic tendencies on both sides of the conflict and the role that patriotic training as well as patriotic education take in fostering an active citizen through identity construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the implementation and effectiveness of an instructional coaching program for kindergarten teachers in the State of New Hampshire that was implemented in response to the State's play-based kindergarten mandate. Coaching was provided to 20 teachers from across the State. It focused on guided play, principles of how children learn, and the breadth of skills needed to achieve in the classroom and beyond. A novel adaptation of a classroom observation protocol measured classroom-, teacher-, and student-level behaviors predicted to change with coaching. Classroom-level results revealed a significant decrease in teacher-led direct instruction with a significant shift towards playful instruction, a possible precursor to guided play. Teachers did not change how students were organized in the classroom to promote this instruction, nor did they individually provide more inferential instruction or change their affect with this pedagogical shift. Yet, changes in student behaviors aligned with the coaching program. Students became more engaged with their learning, more active in their use of learning tools, and more communicative. These results offer valuable insights on the initial impacts of an instructional coaching program focused on guided play, how children learn, and what children learn. This study presents a feasible and effective model for professional development on play-based learning that is rooted in the science of learning and measurable in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of REMIE - Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational Research is the property of Hipatia Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Scientific and technological advancements over the last three decades have failed to reduce the widespread prevalence of academic dishonesty in higher education, in large part because institutional barriers prevent faculty from adopting existing tools to curb cheating. We conducted a systematic literature review of research on cheating and found that the majority of studies propose new tools without advancing theory or even utilizing existing theory. Although some studies note the systemic nature of academic misconduct, the academic integrity literature requires a robust theoretical framework to model its systemic nature and derive practical strategies. Building on theory from several domains, we propose a systemic model of academic (mis)conduct which predicts group-level effects on students and offers practical guidance for faculty overcoming institutional barriers to curb cheating. We leverage game theory for useful models of systemic, group-level phenomena in this context, and we leverage education reform literature for insights on how to support instructors' adoption of new tools. Our model, the spectrum of academic conduct, identifies trust as a single dimension governing both cheating behaviors and productive learning behaviors. Integrating insights from pedagogy, conflict management, and organizational psychology, we discuss multiple practical strategies to lower students' opportunity, motivation, and rationalization to cheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a team of teacher educators collectively think through the many possibilities of how concepts such as decolonization, abolition, and fugitivity intersect with and are taken up by teacher education programs. To do so, we undertook a critical interpretive synthesis of scholarly literature spanning 2000 to 2020 to locate, examine, and organize existing examples of teacher education programs that work to transgress hegemonic colonial models of education. We revisit de Oliveira Andreotti et al.'s social cartography as a framework for comparing the theoretical foundations and social implications of each teacher education program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Around the world, nations are grappling with the longstanding inequalities in education and society that were made more visible during the pandemic—along with the increasing educational demands of our fast-changing, knowledge-based world. This article outlines the anatomy of educational inequality and the demands for students to develop "learning ability." It argues that to address these issues, we must reinvent education systems—often designed around a now antiquated factory model—so that schools can become more student-centered and supportive of whole child development; focused on deeper learning that meets the demands of today's society; culturally and linguistically connected and sustaining; grounded in collaboration among students, staff, families, and communities; and equitable in the opportunities provided and outcomes achieved. It describes policy strategies to accomplish these aims, with a strong emphasis on the changes in educator preparation and in-school supports needed for developing powerful teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Continue Education Research is the property of Harbin Normal University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines the purposeful introduction of the pedagogy of student-centred education (SCE) in one educational institution in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to consider its cultural compatibility. The study was undertaken in the largest higher education (HE) institution in the country where a key element of the institution's two strategic plans over a nine-year period was to blend traditional and innovative teaching methods, including student centred approaches, into programmes of study. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to analyse the perspectives of seven non-citizen, Western teachers, as they recontextualise their practice. Drawing on Heidegger, the study explores the philosophical nature and significance of place as a way of thinking about the world. Findings revealed aspects of the teachers' student-centred practice are challenging; the universal value of SCE is understood in relative rather than absolute terms with an overall need to diversify universal imaginings of pedagogy. Centralised curricula, high stakes final assessments and individualised performance management models ultimately determined learning experiences, leaving little room for any sustained inquiry into the recontextualisation of SCE. The study concludes that pedagogy is inescapably situated: practiced in terms of place orientated thinking. Transformation necessitates an epistemic institution where change is a public endeavour and teachers are positioned inside participatory processes with possibilities to renegotiate, rearticulate and resignify pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Education Research (1680-6360) is the property of Angle Publishing Co., Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese higher education (HE) began the process of full digitalization in the academic year 2020. Considering that Japanese HE was previously dominated by face-toface learning, the efforts of the stakeholders to implement digitalization deserve praise. However, digitalization has shown varying degrees of progress, both in terms of the type of education as well as between and within organizations. This study investigates the status of HE digitalization in Japan focusing on central government policy measures, the teaching and learning by faculties and students who are the traditional bearers of education, and the concept of lifelong learning and continuing education, which is exponentially attracting attention as a new area of study. This research also examines how those involved can use digitalization to improve HE and the goals and challenges of the transformation. Although the measures against the impact of the pandemic on the education sector greatly improved the digitalization of education in universities, other essential issues for educational reform became apparent. To take full advantage of the benefits of digitalization, it is necessary to reexamine the factors that hinder it, such as the changes in awareness among stakeholders, and take immediate measures to address them. In this context, dialogue is extremely important. The stakeholders should discuss how digitalization can enhance the value of university education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan dan Ilmu Sosial (JMPIS) is the property of Dinasti Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ensaio: Avaliação e Políticas Públicas em Educação is the property of Ensaio: Avaliacao e Politicas Publicas em Educacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article discusses the gap between policy and practice in teacher professional learning in Scotland. The author argues that despite the emphasis on transformative conceptions of teacher professionalism and professional learning in national policy, transmissive professional learning and managerial conceptions of professionalism dominate practice. The author's research shows that teachers value and desire more subject-specific professional learning focused on improving the instructional core in their classrooms. The article emphasizes the need for collaborative, subject-specific professional learning to improve the instructional core and achieve better outcomes for students. [Extracted from the article]

In response to the current situation in which an imbalance in educational redistribution has led to an inefficient and slow educational environment in the long-term, difficulty in satisfying the interests of subjects, and a lack of effective targeting of school policy measures, an SD evolutionary game model targeting educational reform, with schools, administrative institutions, and professors as the three parties, was established. Based on expected utility theory and Lyapunov’s first law, a feedback regulation simulation study was conducted on subjects’ decision making behavior. The research results show that: the evolutionary trajectory of the subjects in the game is affected by the redistribution of education funding benefits, but the evolution of the final system is in a state of stable equilibrium (push, reform, reform); the decision-making behavior of the pushing party plays a decisive role in the stability of the system, and if the education subsidies of university professors and the income from the value of research results are greater than the education subsidies before the education reform, evolution over time is conducive to prompting the professor group to prefer the education reform strategy, while the effect of school push on the stability of the educational reform system is significant in schools with lower returns on the value of research funding.

Internationally, governments and education authorities initiate reforms to improve schooling. However, little is known about how these reforms influence pre-service teachers’ (PST) teacher self-efficacy (TSE). This study investigates PSTs’ TSE in the context of significant curriculum and assessment reform in Queensland, Australia. Data were collected from final year secondary preservice teachers who responded to a four-dimensional Teacher Self-Efficacy in Reform Scale (TSERS) survey (N = 114) and semi-structured interviews (N = 20). The results indicate that PSTs’ TSE in a context of education reform is high but varied, the variation being influenced both positively and negatively by the four sources of TSE, mastery and vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and emotional arousal. To better explore PSTs’ TSE in a context of education reform the quantitative and qualitative data were brought together to reveal three PST cohorts characterised by similar experiences. These cohorts consisted of, 1) PSTs whose higher TSE is related to mastery and vicarious experiences in schools; 2) PSTs whose TSE is lowered by limited opportunities in schools; and 3) PSTs whose negative emotional arousal lowered TSE. Notably, the findings highlight a dearth of opportunities for PSTs to actively participate in the implementation of educational reforms within school environments. Moreover, the findings underscore the pivotal role of enacted mastery and vicarious experiences in fostering high teacher self-efficacy, juxtaposed against the impact of negative emotional arousal during periods of change. This study contributes valuable insights for shaping the professional journey of PSTs, emphasising the need for targeted support and opportunities for PSTs to engage meaningfully in the change processes unfolding in educational settings. The implications of these findings extend to informing policies and practices that nurture the TSE of future educators navigating the complex terrain of educational reform.

The aim of the study was to analyze the learning growth of students who previously underwent maker education training and to investigate the factors that influenced their decisions to choose engineering majors. The research focused on tracing the learning trajectory of each student from the completion of the maker program to college admission. Ten college students majoring in engineering disciplines were interviewed. A phenomenographic and qualitative research method was adopted. The research findings confirmed that computational thinking and engineering design skills, emphasized in maker education. had a positive influence on the learning performance of students in subsequent technology-related courses. Furthermore, experiences in maker learning reinforced the determination of students to choose engineering majors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop an innovative refrigeration and air conditioning curriculum for technical high schools using the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development. implementation, and Evaluation) instructional design model. Through instructional experiments, the appropriateness of the innovative curriculum developed with the ADDIE model is validated. The researcher initially constructs competency indicators suitable for the innovative refrigeration and air conditioning curriculum in technical high schools. Subsequently, competency-oriented modules and teaching materials are developed. encompassing "Basic Industrial Wiring Course," "PLC Programmable Logic Controller Operation and Design Course," and "System Integration and Comprehensive Application." The etTectiveness of the developed curriculum is assessed and validated through the evaluation of learning outcomes involving 67 second-year students from technical high schools. The results indicate that students exhibit high levels of learning effectiveness and satisfaction. Furthermore, the developed competency indicators, instructional content, and teaching materials align well with the demands of practical skills required by the industry. The proposed curriculum development model can be extended to interdisciplinary or vocational training program development, contributing to the cultivation of skilled professionals equipped with practical expertise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop capability indices, practical thematic course content, assessment tools, teaching materials and aids. for the Starlink DBL Program at the Science and technology university. Fuzzy Delphi Method was used as a research method. Thirteen experts and scholars in relevant fields of satellite communication technology, spectrum management, satellite applications, satellite launch, and system integration were invited to conduct significance assessments of capability indices of the Starlink DBL Program. This serves as the basis for the development of practical courses, assessment tools, and teaching materials and aids for the Starlink DBL Program. The research results show that the capability indices of the Starlink DBL Program include 5 major capability indices: the Starlink system, satellite communication technology, spectrum management, satellite network applications, and sustainable development of satellite technology, with a total of 21 detailed indicators. Most experts believed that the Starlink system capability index weighed most followed by satellite communication technology, satellite network applications, sustainable development of satellite technology, and spectrum management. Through experimental teaching, it was found that the student-centered 6.5-step implementation special activities of the Starlink DBL Innovation Course can help students transfer knowledge. Analysis from the questionnaire survey shows that most students expressed positive satisfaction with this Starlink DBL Innovation Course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has emerged as a valid and reliable benchmark for assessing students' performance and for gaining significant influence over educational policy and decision-making. Since 2001, Qatar has engaged in massive educational reform, with high expectations for improving students' achievement. Although significant growth has occurred in Qatar's education system, students' performance in PISA is still lagging. The purpose of this article is to examine PISA against the backdrop of Qatar's education system. It addresses PISA's objectives and limitations and identifies two common factors in high-achieving countries, teachers, and assessment. These factors are analyzed to determine how Qatar is developing in these areas, compared with other nations, raising issues that should be considered when using PISA to create policy. Finally, several recommendations are offered for policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that power promised to England's teachers by the 2010 'Importance of Teaching' white paper has rather played out as a reformulation of methods of policymaking to more indirect modes of government control. I trace the growth of government control in English schools, promised front-line power in 2010 and a rise in non-statutory guidance after this point. Taking an actor–network theory approach to ethnographic data I then describe how a school takes up one such non-statutory educational initiative – 'Maths Mastery'. Focusing on early stages of the school's adoption of the initiative, I trace associations of actors which problematize existing practices for the teaching of maths and how the initiative is imbued with authority in relation to these. I argue that the ways in which certain actors – statutory education policy and government funding – associate with the 'optional' initiative reveals a 'back door' control of teacher agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the importance of logistics management has been increasingly realized in industry and society. However, current educational approaches in logistics management seem unable to effectively equip students with the necessary skills to cope with practical issues after graduation. Recently, contest-based education has attracted logistics management educators' attention, but how it can be effectively utilized in this discipline is largely unclear. To fill this gap, this study followed a system approach and analyzed the factors influencing student performance in logistics management contests in China using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and Matrice d' Impacts Croisés-Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (MICMAC). The results suggest that the driving forces for improving student performance in contests are the instructors' encouragement and their previous experience in instructing contests. Also, the contestants' previous experience in academic contests, team leadership, and effectiveness of communication between instructors and contestants are critical influencing factors. Based on the results, the educational strategies for effective utilization of contest-based education in logistics management are discussed. This study contributes to the existing literature by using a system modeling approach to clarify the mechanisms of contest-based education adoption in logistics management as well as informing university teachers and higher education institutes about strategies to improve their education quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictiveness of community and family demographic variables related to the development of student academic background knowledge on the percentage of students who pass a state-mandated, commercially prepared, standardized Algebra 1 test in the state of New Jersey, USA. This explanatory, cross-sectional study utilized quantitative methods through hierarchical regression analysis. The results suggest that family demographic variables found in the United States Census data related to the development of student academic background knowledge predicted 75 percent of schools in which students achieved a passing score on a state standardized high school assessment of Algebra 1. We can conclude that construct-irrelevant variance, influenced in part by student background knowledge, can be used to predict standardized test results. The results call into question the use of standardized tests as tools for policy makers and educational leaders to accurately judge student learning or school quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the social mobilizations of October/2019 broke out, the Chilean secondary education curriculum was modified. The reform implied transformations in the subject of History. The literature argues that curricular changes impact pedagogical practices, teachers and teacher identities. This research explores the identity positioning assumed by four history teachers in the face of the curricular transformations of their subject. The results of the qualitative research show the teaching identity declared during the initial application of the curricular reform; it outlines a positioning discourse that rejects the ideological assumptions of the curricular change and reveals an identity positioning that (re)locates the most relevant dimensions of the teaching identity constructed by the teachers. In passing, it evidences the critical position in the face of a curricular reform that imposes a new order to the professional status of teachers, expressed in the weakening of the exercise of the autonomy of history teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]