Learning through participation. The potential of school-based teacher education for developing a professional identity

This article deals with the potential of school-based teacher education for creating a professional community of learners. Learning to participate in the social and cultural practices with regard to education is assumed to be crucial for developing a professional identity as a teacher. From the perspective of socio-cultural theory, we have made a retrospective analysis of a project for collaborative school-based teacher education. The main research question was whether there was a stimulating context for student teachers to develop their own professional identity. To what extent were students able to function as ‘legitimate peripheral participants’ in the school, and to what extent has a ‘professional community of learners’ been realized? Finally, we reflect on the conditions in which teacher education can be centred on a specific school innovation project.     

School based management effects: Resources or governance change? Evidence from Mexico

In their struggle to improve student learning, many developing countries are introducing school-based management (SBM) reforms that provide cash-grants to school councils. School councils are expected to work collaboratively and decide on the best use of the funds. In this paper, we study the effects of one such program in Mexico on student outcomes. We complement the differences-in-differences analysis by qualitatively exploring program implementation. Results suggest the program had substantial positive effects on third grade Spanish test scores, with most benefits accruing to schools receiving SBM cash grants for the first time. These results are robust to alternative model specifications. The implementation analysis suggests school councils did monitor grant use, but parental participation did not significantly improve in other areas. Our findings suggest that the observed positive program effects are likely to be the result of providing schools with financial resources to meet pressing equipment, material, and infrastructure needs.     

The power of role design: Balancing the principals financial responsibility with the implications of stress

The Anglo-Saxon countries have implemented Management by Objectives (MBO) complemented with school-based management (SBM) fairly rapidly. Although these countries are considered something of a benchmark of stability, research on principals reveals that they experience high levels of stress and that this is associated with poorer job performance. These findings raise the question of whether increased stress and poorer performance are the result of the new SBM role. In this article, empirical research on Sweden is used to address this question. While Sweden has not come as far as England in the implementation of SBM, it is farther along than other European countries. Paying specific attention to the SBM role, the article uses a qualitative method to describe the implementation of MBO in two cases with different characteristics, one centralized and one decentralized. A quantitative method is also used to conduct a large scale study of stress levels among all principals in upper secondary schools in Sweden. The results indicate that the choice of whether to retain the traditional principal role, developed at a time of centralized management by rules, or to replace it with a new SBM role influences the level of stress that principals experience, although in different ways. The practical implications of these findings are discussed in the final section of the paper.     

Empowering school-based management through decentralised financial control

Abstract

This article focuses on decentralisation of financial control as a strategy used to develop school-based management (SBM) and improve performance. SBM is a management mechanism aimed at improving schools by shifting decision-making powers regarding the budget from the central level to the schools (Raywind 1990, 142). The article examines the role of the state in decentralisation by exploring the current South African education policy on this aspect of educational reform as expressed through the Norms and standards for school funding (RSA 1998). The policy was designed in response to the demands for educational reform and restructuring initiatives.

A common feature in the implementation of this policy is the devolution of decisionmaking authority over the management of resources to schools. This includes devolution of state-allocated budgets and delegation of financial management responsibilities to school-based financial management structures through the district as a primary education service delivery system for the state. To assist both the district and the school in carrying out their responsibilities, a model for school-based financial management is presented in this article.     

School-based management developments and partnership: Evidence from Indonesia

School-based management (SBM) with devolution of authority and responsibility to school level decision-makers has become the most prominent feature of public school management systems in most countries around the world. This article provides the global trends and current developments in SBM in Indonesia with an emphasis on how SBM has created partnership and participatory decision-making processes in school level. The data reported here are on the basis of an empirical survey involving 504 school council members from Ngada Flores followed by 42 interviews with all relevant stakeholders.     

Community Psychology Consultation and the Transition to Institutional Ownership and Operation of Intervention

We begin this article with a discussion of how a set of community psychology principles can be of assistance to the process of developing school-based programs and to consulting regarding the implementation of such programs. These principles are discussed, with examples brought from our experiences in consulting for the implementation of a school-based social problem-solving intervention in a school for students with special education (SE) classifications. Particular focus is given to the issue of the consultant's role in promoting ownership and oversight for the implementation of the intervention on the part of school personnel. The paradox between the consultant serving both an empowering and an expert role is discussed, with suggestions for resolving the paradox given. Throughout the article, the application of Community psychology principles are emphasized.     

关于高职校本课程开发的几个问题

本文从高等职业教育的培养目标和办学特色出发,论述了高职校本课程开发的必要性和原则,提出了高职校本课程的开发方案及应注意的相关问题。     

Teaching transformation under centralized curriculum and teacher learning community: Two Chinese chemistry teachers' experiences in developing inquiry-based instruction

The establishment of centralized curriculum standards and school-based teacher learning communities are presumably necessary to reform science teaching towards inquiry-based instruction in many countries. Drawing on interview, document, and unit plan data from two high school chemistry teachers in China, this study examines these assumptions. Findings indicated that both teachers developed different kinds of science teaching practices despite working under the centralized science curriculum and school-based teacher learning communities. Different teaching experiences of the two teachers and their school cultures of teaching interacted with the centralized curriculum and teacher teaching community to consequently shape their teaching practices in different ways.     

The state of evidence for social and emotional learning: A contemporary meta-analysis of universal school-based SEL interventions

This article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the current evidence for universal school-based (USB) social and emotional learning (SEL) interventions for students in kindergarten through 12th grade available from 2008 through 2020. The sample includes 424 studies from 53 countries, reflecting 252 discrete USB SEL interventions, involving 575,361 students. Results endorsed that, compared to control conditions, students who participate in USB SEL interventions experienced significantly improved skills, attitudes, behaviors, school climate and safety, peer relationships, school functioning, and academic achievement. Significant heterogeneity in USB SEL content, intervention features, context, and implementation quality moderated student experiences and outcomes. Strengths and limitations of this evidence and implications for future USB SEL research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

How Communities Can Use Research to Hold School Systems Accountable

This article examines how community organizations can use research to identify community education interests and influence school systems to serve those interests. A case study of the Southeast Education Task Force in Baltimore, Maryland, analyzes the organization's efforts to develop a school facility plan and persuade the school system to adopt and implement it. The organization combined formal research on school facilities, political research on allies and decision-makers, and informal collection of local knowledge. It used this research to develop short-term and long-range facility and capital improvement plans. With the research, the organization persuaded the school system to repair school facilities and assisted the system in persuading State decision-makers to approve a new neighborhood school. The article identifies conditions under which community organizations are likely to conduct and use research, as well as conditions under which they may use research influentially with a school system. The case illustrates ways community organizations can use research to hold school systems accountable for responding to community agendas.     

Teacher research as professional development for P–12 educators in the USA[1]

This article reviews selected research related to the professional development impact of school-based teacher research programs for P-12 educators in the USA. Following the presentation of a framework that describes the dimensions of variation in P-12 teacher research in the USA, the article examines the results of several studies of school-based teacher research programs and identifies several conditions under which school-based teacher research becomes a transformative professional development activity for teachers.     

From positivism to critical theory: school-community relations toward community equity literacy

In recent years, research on urban school–community relations has emerged with renewed vigor and a myriad of suggestions for how to best approach the topic. While most of these suggestions are anchored in positivist and interpretive epistemologies, a growing number of scholars are applying more critical approaches to school–community relations that center issues of equity and unequal power relations. However, these approaches are often perceived as being too impractical for educational leaders to implement. This article thus situates approaches to school–community relations across three epistemologies: positivism, interpretivism, and critical theory to make these ideas more accessible for educational leaders. With a focus on developing educational leaders to work equitably across school and community contexts, this article provides an operating framework for each approach that delineates assumptions, goals, views of families, strategies, and types of leadership. Finally, this article provides an epistemological grounding to propose that educational leaders develop what I call community equity literacy, and concludes with implications for future research.     

Does greater community involvement mean more parent-teacher interaction? Evidence from seven developing countries

Advocates for school autonomy and decentralisation argue that community involvement in school decisions would bring positive educational outcomes by increasing parent-teacher interaction. In this study, I investigate to what extent community involvement associates with parents-teacher personalised meetings in seven developing countries using Programme for International Student Assessment for Development (PISA-D) 2015 data. Employing ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models, I find that the correlation between community engagement in various school activities and parent-teacher interaction is largely insignificant. Findings rather suggest that private ownership and, in some cases, higher instructional resources of schools are associated with increasing parent-teacher communication. These findings remain similar in several specifications suggesting that community involvement as part of decentralising the education sector should not be seen as a panacea for overcoming challenges in schools in developing countries.     

The emerging landscape of school-based professional learning communities in South Korean schools

Abstract

Over the last decade, school-based professional learning communities (PLCs) have emerged as a key feature of the education system in South Korea. To understand this relatively new phenomenon in the context of South Korea, we provide a review of research on school-based PLCs in South Korea and an empirical analysis of the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2008 with a focus on school-based PLCs. Based on our findings from the literature review and analysis of the TALIS, we aim to provide a fuller picture of the emerging landscape of school-based PLCs in South Korean schools. In so doing, we focus on what constitutes school-based PLCs in South Korean schools and how they are similar to and/or different from their counterparts in other countries. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.     

论农村学校区域校本研修共同体的价值与建设策略——基于服务型师训的视角

农村学校区域校本研修共同体是基于"学习共同体"的理论,对单所学校校本研修所存在问题的分析基础上提出,它具有提升校本研修的品质、共享校本研修资源的、深化对校本研修规律的探究和推进校际优质均衡发展的价值。教师培训机构要以服务型培训理念为指导,采取积极有效的建设策略,构建起科学、高效的区域校本研修共同体。     

Capacity building for school development: current problems and future challenges

This article offers a theoretical discussion on the current problems and future challenges of school capacity building in early childhood education (ECE), aiming to highlight some key areas for future research. In recent years, there has been a notable policy shift from monitoring quality through inspection to improving quality through school capacity building in early childhood institutions in the global discourse for quality. Reflecting this policy shift and its implications on school development, ECE in Hong Kong is used as an illustrative example to deliberate the issues of school capacity building in Chinese educational contexts. We identify three challenging contexts: (1) low professional qualification and minimal teacher education resulting in a deficit approach to processional development, (2) absence of school-based professional learning culture for empowering teachers as internal agents of change, and (3) hierarchical culture within a school and between university and school hindering the process of school capacity building. Corresponding to these challenges, we aim to propose two suggestions, including (1) empowering teachers in ECE through school-based professional learning community and (2) promoting authentic external support in the process of university–school collaboration. Finally, we further propose specific directions for future research on school capacity building in ECE in Hong Kong. In doing so, it will contribute to knowledge-based development in school capacity building in Chinese educational contexts.     

Reforms in Philippine Basic Education Viewed from Key Elements of Successful School-Based Management (SBM) Schools

While it is true that SBM shapes and charts the direction of school operations, it is interesting to discuss how a developing country like the Philippines is influenced by this reform strategy as a structural and procedural framework in managing its system of education, particularly, its basic education sector which through the years has been criticized for its alarming state as shown by its performance indicators rates. This paper purports to provide a panorama on how school-based management as a restructuring framework is viewed and interpreted by the basic education sector which constitutes the largest portion of the country’s educational system. Specifically, the eight key elements of successful SBM schools, namely: (1) an active vision; (2) meaningful decision-making authority; (3) distribution of power; (4) development and use of knowledge and skills; (5) collecting and communicating information; (6) rewards for progress; (7) shared leadership; and (8) cultivating resources, were used to serve the purpose of this discourse.     

论校本课程开发与学校特色的创建

课程与教学是学校工作的核心,因而创建学校特色的关键在于课程与教学.校本课程开发为学校特色的创建提供了契机,以校本课程开发为立足点创建学校特色有以下策略:提倡校本管理;开展教育行动研究;实施探究性学习.