Culture,Literacy, and Power In Family–Community–School–Relationships

For too long, educators have held diminishing beliefs about Latino students' home life. Such beliefs are irrelevant except for the fact that students do not leave their culture at home; rather, home life is closely intertwined with their learning. Language and culture play a major role in students' learning and parents figure prominently in their children's academic success. In Latino communities, parents often feel disempowered because of their limited English language skills and their limited knowledge of the educational system. This inequality prevents Latino parents from advocating for their children in schools. However, balanced power relations between schools and Latino families are possible. The Carpintería research study reveals the transformation that is possible for parents and students when the family's language, culture, and literacy are acknowledged, appreciated, and utilized to empower students, families, schools, and communities.     

School–Family–Community Partnership in Hong Kong – Perspectives and Challenges

This paper reviews the school–family partnership in Hong Kong in the past decade. The typology of Epsteins six types of partnership is adopted as the analytical framework. The results show that there has been an increase in shared experience in school education among various stakeholders. Schools have become more convinced that they have a role to play in various types of partnership. Home–school contacts have become more informal and two-way. Teachers have been changing their views of how capable are parents in supporting the school. However, the increase in communication does not seem to focus on childrens learning. The relationship of the school-sponsoring bodies and the Government was hampered in the exercise of widening the governance structure. Hong Kong parents mainly serve as supporters of their children at home in the past. They have now also become customers, and to some extent learners, volunteers and managers in school education.     

Partnerships in Teacher Education: a response to The Business Partnership in School‐based/‐centred Initial Teacher Training

Abstract

This paper is a response to a Joint publication from Enterprising Approaches to Teacher Education (EATE), the Teacher Placement Service (TPS) and the Banking Information Service (BiS) (June 1994) which examined the validity of business‐education partnerships in initial teacher training. While supporting the essential points made by EATE et al, this paper stresses the need for permeation and flexible learning strategies in introducing and addressing these aspects of the curriculum and cites experiences from the school‐based Post‐Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at the University of Bath.     

Teacher–Artist Partnership Framework Within School Makerspaces to Foster Students’ Creativity

Creativity is a fundamental skill to prepare individuals to work and live in a changing world. Educators have recognised its value and advocate that schools can provide an environment for fostering the creative thinking skills of students. Makerspaces are emerging in school contexts, and they carry great opportunities for engaging students in creative thinking processes. The school makerspace also offers a professional learning space for teachers and artists to collaborate to support students’ creative potential through making activities linked to the curriculum. This paper proposes a teacher–artist partnership framework within the makerspace to support mutual professional growth and opportunities to foster a learning environment conducive to creative expressions. The framework consists of three non-linear and iterative processes, namely (a) developing craft knowledge, (b) co-constructing knowledge, and (c) reflection and researching, supported by a community of practice and internal and external communities. Expected outcomes from the partnership for students, teachers and artists, and recommendations are discussed.     

A University–School Partnership to Examine the Adoption and Implementation of the Ohio Community Collaboration Model in One Urban School District: A Mixed-Method Case Study

School improvement models are expanding to incorporate priorities around positive youth development, safe and supportive school climates, school mental health, and school–family community partnerships. A partnership was formed between researchers and district/school leaders to examine the 3-year adoption and implementation of 1 such exemplary model, the Ohio Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement, in a Midwest urban district serving a large number of students at-risk. Researchers and district/school leaders examined what types of system-level capacities developed, and explored student- and school-level outcomes that occurred over the course of implementation. Multiple innovations resulted, such as strengthened policies, improved partnerships and collaborations, and enhanced funding streams. Students' perceptions of academic press, school climate, and academic motivation improved over the 3 years. Academic report cards show progress toward districtwide improvement. Implications are drawn for researchers and school leaders, especially in relation to the design, implementation, and evaluation of collaborative models of school improvement.     

Building as We Go: Secondary Schools,Community Colleges,and Universities in Partnership – The Early College High School Initiative

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of key informants about the processes of institutional change and collaboration involved in the development of three early college high schools (ECHS)s over a 4-year period. The 15 study participants were members of early college high school councils and included high school principals, counselors, community college administrators, and school district administrators. Participants were located at two early college high schools located on community college campuses, and one was located on a school district site. This mixed methods study used a survey and structured interviews, both based loosely on case studies from Not so easy going: The policy environments of small urban schools and schools-within-schools (Raywid & Schmerler, 2003) and factors identified by the Wilder Collaboration Inventory (Mattessich & Monsey, 1992) as critical to successful collaboration. The findings of the study showed that the ECHS partnership, according to the majority of its members, exhibited (a) indicators of institutional change in policy and attitude toward collaboration; and (b) the success factors of history of collaboration, favorable political climate, appropriate cross section of members, collaboration seen in self interest, sharing a stake in process and outcome, shared decision making, concrete attainable goals and objectives, and shared vision. Success factors not showing a majority response were adequate resources, mutual respect, open and frequent communication, clear roles and policy guidelines, and sufficient funds.     

Education Through School and Community Coöperation

To a surprising degree, how you communicate determines your effectiveness as a teacher. Relationships are built on communication and easily destroyed by it. (Charles 2000, 48–49)     

University–School Partnerships in English Pre-service Teacher Education: A Dialogic Inquiry into a Co-teaching Initiative

Evidence has been accumulating for some time about the impact of standards-based education reforms on schools and schooling, but there has been little research investigating the influence of these reforms on university-based initial teacher education (ITE). This article critically inquiries into the effects of these reforms on an ITE co-teaching project where a secondary English teacher in a school was seconded to work for a year as a teacher educator in an Australian university in a praxis-based partnership. Using Cavarero’s framing of ‘who’ and ‘what’ narratives, and Bakhtinian discourse theory, the authors present three autobiographical narratives exploring different perspectives on their experiences in the co-teaching partnership. The article affirms the value of school–university praxis partnerships for speaking back to standards-based reforms, but acknowledges that this speaking back involves complex relational and dialogic work in grappling with institutional and system-wide policies and practices.     

School–University Partnerships: Reflections and Opportunities

Universities and schools have a long history of partnering with one another to achieve a range of educational goals in America's schools. For many years, the needs of the universities were the primary impetus for partnership. Universities needed practicum sites for student teachers and other educational professionals, as well as participants for the research of university social science faculty. In more recent years, the balance has begun to shift dramatically so that the needs of schools are increasingly driving the formation of school–university partnerships. This article briefly describes the recent history, development, and major foci of school–university partnerships. After identifying a relatively neglected area of school–university partnerships, the article describes an existing partnership that addresses this area in order to illustrate the potential and opportunities for partnership. Finally, this article closes with a discussion of the challenges and potential benefits of school–university partnerships.     

Students’ Learning Performance and Transitions in Different Learning Pathways to Higher Vocational Education

To improve students’ transitions between successive educational levels, continuing learning pathways are being designed and implemented in many countries. This study was carried out to examine the effects of the Green Lycea (GL) as critical cases of continuing learning pathways in vocational education in The Netherlands. The GL were compared with a traditional pathway (pre-vocational secondary education and secondary vocational education offered as separate programmes) in terms of students’ learning performance and transitions. GL students and comparable students following the regular pathway yielded the same mean final exam scores for four core subjects in the first phase of their educational programmes, despite the fact that GL students took this exam one year earlier than regular students because of the acceleration of the learning trajectory in the GL programme. Regarding the students’ transitions, the GL and the traditional pathway yielded comparable percentages of students who either did or did not obtain a pre-vocational secondary education diploma; For the GL, however, the percentage of students who proceeded in secondary vocational education was higher. To conclude, it seems to be possible to improve students’ transitions between successive educational levels (with their learning performance being an important precondition) through continuing learning pathways such as the GL. In this regard, GL design characteristics as described and examined in this study can be valuable ingredients for continuing learning pathways internationally as well.     

Justice in the Higher Education Classroom: Students’ Perceptions of Unfairness and Responses to Instructors

We investigated college students’ perceptions of instructor unfairness and their emotional and behavioral reactions to perceived injustice. Results obtained from 397 undergraduates from three universities in the United States indicate that anger and dissent were the strongest emotional and behavioral responses to injustice. Furthermore, disgust mediated the influence of injustice on student behaviors most damaging to professors—taking action, expressing verbal aggression, and dissenting to authority. Stress mediated the effect of injustice on the most constructive student behaviors—changing their approach and engaging in the class. We discuss the implications of the results of our study for the student-instructor relationship and learning in the contemporary higher education environment.     

Compulsory Higher Education Teacher Training: Joined‐up policies,institutional architectures and enhancement cultures

A number of countries, including Sweden and the UK, are considering the introduction of compulsory teacher training for higher education (HE) lecturers. This paper assesses whether such a policy is likely to achieve its aims, and the issues that may arise as the policy is implemented. The paper draws on experience with this policy in Norway, empirical research from relevant studies, and on social practice theory to illuminate the processes involved and identify prospects and pitfalls. The paper concludes that while compulsory higher education teacher training may achieve some of its goals, as a standalone policy it is unlikely to achieve them all. Higher education institutions and their staff are involved in multiple games, with competing goals and different rules. Meanwhile higher education policy‐making often lacks coherence, with contradictory outcomes in different areas of policy. If policy‐makers at all levels are serious about the enhancements to teaching and learning that compulsory training is designed to achieve the policy must be prioritized, properly resourced, and measures taken to develop a hospitable environment for it both structurally and culturally. The paper concludes with some specific proposals to aid educational developers in implementing such policies.

Bon nombre de pays, desquels la Suède et le Royaume‐Uni, songent à introduire une formation obligatoire pour les enseignant‐es de l’ordre supérieur. Cet article évalue dans quelle mesure une telle politique est susceptible d’atteindre ses objectifs, de même que les questions soulevées lors de la mise en oeuvre d’une telle politique. Cet article s’inspire de l’expérience norvégienne de la formulation et de la mise en oeuvre d’une telle politique; de résultats empiriques provenant d’études sur le sujet; de même que de la théorie de la pratique sociale (social practice theory) pour faire la lumière sur les processus impliqués et identifier les perspectives d’avenir et les embûches. L’article conclut que, bien que la formation obligatoire des enseignant‐es de l’ordre supérieur puisse atteindre certains de ces buts, celle‐ci est peu susceptible de les atteindre tous en tant que politique autonome et isolée. Les institutions d’enseignement supérieur et leur personnel sont impliqués dans divers jeux, reposant chacun sur des objectifs et des règles tous différents les uns des autres. Pendant ce temps, la formulation des politiques d’enseignement supérieur manque souvent de cohérence, produisant des résultats contradictoires dans différents domaines de politiques. Si les décideurs politiques de tous les niveaux sont sérieux relativement à l’amélioration de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage visé par la formation obligatoire des enseignant‐es, une telle politique doit devenir une priorité, elle doit bénéficier de ressources appropriées, et des mesures doivent être prises en vue de développer un environnement qui lui soit accueillant, tant aux plans structurel que culturel. L’article se termine sur quelques recommandations spécifiques visant à aider les conseillers pédagogiques lors de la mise en oeuvre de telles politiques.     

Evaluation of Teacher Perceptions and Potential of OpenOffice in a K–12 School District

Through this mixed-method evaluation study the authors investigated a pilot implementation of an open-source productivity suite for teachers in a K–12 public school district. The authors evaluated OpenOffice version 3.0 using measures identified by the technology acceptance model as predictors of acceptance and use of technology systems. During a four-week trial period, teachers rated the usefulness and usability of OpenOffice 3.0 and Microsoft Office. Results from quantitative measures and participant interviews revealed common perceptions of the software applications as well as common problems encountered by users. Based on these findings, implications and recommendations for larger scale implementations within a K–12 educational institution are discussed.