Evolution or Revolution: dilemmas in the post ERA management of special educational needs by local authorities

Abstract

The management by local education authorities (LEAs) of provision for special educational needs has long proved problematical, especially in mainstream schools. In the period following the 1981 Education Act, many LEAs sought to develop a ‘continuum of provision’ by the central direction of resources into the mainstream, but with limited success. In the wake of the 1988 Education Act, LEAs will need to pursue a more collaborative approach to the development of special needs policy. Examples of such approaches are studied and a model of an interactive relationship between schools and LEAs is proposed. Finally, the implications for LEA support services are discussed together with suggestions of a distinctive role for institutions of higher education.     

Beyond Education: Meursault and being ordinary

Abstract

The infamous story of a young office clerk called Meursault has long entertained literary critics, scholars, musicians, artists and school teachers for the light and shadow that it reveals around and on the human condition. His character has been lauded as existential hero and rebuked as lacking agency. In this article, his story, in Camus’ The outsider, is explored as an educational challenge to a society to reflect on the territory it occupies, and the ways in which the sociopolitical machinery deals with perceived anomalies (like the character Meursault). The article explores notions of normalcy and ordinariness in relation to Meursault’s thinking and experience in order to consider the idea of what lies outside, or beyond, thinking about education. The argument here is that Meursault’s failure to intervene in his own life challenges both the ways in which we are ordinarily educated and the ways in which we ordinarily resist our education.     

A time of destiny for Norwegian mission schools in Zululand and Natal under the policy of Bantu Education (1948–1955)

ABSTRACT

When the purified National Party (NP) came to power in South Africa in 1948, they introduced educational policies based on the ideology of apartheid. At that time 7,183 pupils attended primary education in 110 Lutheran Norwegian mission schools in Zululand and Natal. When the State took over these schools after the passing of the Bantu Education Act of 1953, the number had increased to 10,415. Together with other Lutheran missions, the Norwegians participated in running a teacher training college and a High School. For over a century before this, educational work had been a fundamental instrument in assisting mission work. Against this background, the paper attempts to answer two questions: How did the Norwegian missionaries relate to the policy of Bantu Education? Was the experience of the Norwegians attempting to carry out their educational work under this racial segregation legislation similar to that of other mission organisations at the time?     

Guiding Professional Students to Literacy in Physical Activity Education

There was a field called physical education. With so many names it writhed in frustration. Still it dithered and blathered while peregrinating, and finally died silently while still ruminating.

The author argues that physical education has gradually declined in the second half of the twentieth century. Can the field ever hope to become vital to the provision of healthful, developmental physical activity for all of the country's population (whether they be students or members of the general public)? The question is answered affirmatively IF AND ONLY IF the present field moves to make truly significant changes in its present mode of operation. Such change involves bold action to produce true specialists in physical activity education based the knowledge available to the profession from an undergirding discipline titled (e.g.) developmental physical activity. For optimum development of the profession, the coaching of competitive sport should be transferred out of the department.     

The failure of the public schools and the free market remedy

A Summary The replacement of the existing system of publicly operated schools by a market of private ones-supported by government vouchers—would probably yield mixed results. On the one hand, some parents would have greater choices among schools and some schools would have to be productive in order to survive in the competitive framework. The increase in consumer choice and the resultant competition among schools would be likely to lead to greater educational benefits for many students and their families (private benefits) than those which they receive under the present monopolistic system.On the other hand, the schools are also expected to fulfill certain social functions. It is in these that a market approach to schooling is likely to yield poor results. For example, basic schooling represents the primary device for equalizing opportunities among racial and social groups. Yet, advantaged children would probably receive far better schooling under the market proposal than would disadvantaged ones, and it is likely that this disparity would lead to larger future inequalities in opportunity between the children of the middle class and those of the poor. Further, it is not clear that a set of largely autonomous schools could provide the common set of values and knowledge necessary for the functioning of a democratic society. Finally, it is likely that the market proposal would increase racial and social stratification of students among schools. Whatever the success of the market in meeting consumer preferences, it would be offset by the market's failure to satisfy the social goals of basic schooling.Fortunately, we are not limited to choosing between the traditional educational bureaucracy on the one hand or an unmitigated free market for educational services on the other. There are several ways to create competition within a public school system. Jencks, Sizer, and Coleman have suggested particular plans based upon the competitive framework, and the proposal for community schools represents a more general framework in which the competition of the market place might be used to advantage. The time is ripe to experiment with at least one of these plans for the children of the ghetto. Do we have any buyers? Henry M. Levin is a research associate with the Economic Studies Division of the Brookings Institute. He has written on economic and educational matters in the Saturday Review, the Journal of Human Resources,and other publications. He is currently organizing a Brookings conference on the community school.     

Facilitating student well-being: relationships do matter

Background: Alongside academic and vocational goals, schools are increasingly being called upon to address student well-being. Existing evidence suggests that strong relationships and a sense of connectedness in school communities are important for fostering subjective well-being. However, identifying the specific nature of such relational dynamics, and accommodating the ‘personal’ within school cultures increasingly dominated by ‘performance’ narratives, remains a problematic task.

Purpose: This paper draws on Honneth’s recognition theory to offer fresh insight into how relationships act to facilitate and limit the experience of well-being at school. We suggest that such an approach holds considerable potential for developing teachers’ understanding of the tacit and explicit ways they and their students experience being cared for, respected and valued and the ways in which such actions impact on well-being.

Design and methods: The paper reports the qualitative findings from a large mixed-method study, involving students and staff across primary and secondary schools in three regions of Australia. The qualitative phase involved focus groups with 606 primary and secondary students and individual interviews with 89 teachers and principals.

Results: Across the focus groups and interviews, students and teachers placed substantial emphasis on the importance of relationships, while reporting differences in their views about which relationships support well-being. Alongside this, there were differences in the importance teachers and students placed on each of the three strands of Honneth’s recognition theory (translated for this study as being cared for, respected and valued) for influencing student well-being.

Conclusions: The findings affirm the critical role that relationships play in promoting well-being in the context of schools. Using recognition theory to analyse students’ and teachers’ views and experiences of well-being provides much greater insight into how these relationships are enacted – this being through the mutual experience of being cared for, respected and valued – within the context of schools.     

Remote and invisible: the voices of female Indigenous educational leaders in Northern Territory remote community schools in Australia

While the literature on women and educational leadership has been addressed in substantive ways in recent years, the experiences that reflect female Australian educational leaders are rare. This article reports findings from a study of five female Indigenous principals in the Northern Territory utilising biographic narratives and foregrounds their experiences as female educational leaders in Indigenous communities. I share the views of Ribbins, P. and Gronn, P. (2013. Researching principals: context and culture in the study of leadership in schools. Asia Pacific journal of education, 20 (2), 34–45) and Dimmock, C. and Walker, A. (2005. Educational leadership: culture and diversity. London: Sage) that research and theory into educational leadership must move towards the inclusion of localised unique cultural contexts since the practice of leadership is a socially bounded process. The study reveals the daily complex roles and challenges of being a female Indigenous principal in communities that are grounded in broader Indigenous epistemologies, beliefs, and value systems yet to be fully embraced by mainstream educational leadership perspectives.     

EDUCATION AND INFORMATICS: REFLECTIONS ON THE UNESCO INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS (PARIS, 12‐21 APRIL, 1989)

This article reflects on the debates which took place in the Unesco Congress on “Education and Informatics: Strengthening International Co‐operation”, held in Paris, from 12 to 21 April 1989, and reproduces passages from several of its major documents. It dwells in a more lengthy fashion on the debates of one of the sessions which was devoted to informatics and the development of post‐secondary and university education. The conclusions and general recommendations of the conference are presented in a synthetic manner. The full text of the fifteen‐point Declaration of the Congress follows. It urges the continued but even development of informatics both as an educational tool and as the fruit of educational endeavour in such ways that the science will serve as a vehicle for not only improving the quality of life and work but also reducing the disparaties between rich and poor and the developed and the developing nations.     

‘I’m teaching,but I’m not really a teacher’. Teaching assistants and the construction of professional identities in Hong Kong schools

Background: In the past decade, educational settings worldwide have experienced a significant increase in the number of school-based teaching assistants (TAs). The deployment of these TAs has been accompanied by reports of confusion and uncertainty about their roles and responsibilities within schools. While the need to reframe the role and purpose of TAs is recognised, it remains unclear how this can be best achieved.

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explore the ways in which one group of TAs deployed in Hong Kong schools construct their professional identities, to understand the constraints and enablements to these processes, and to consider how different stakeholders might be able to best support this identity work.

Sample: The primary participants in this study are nine English language teacher assistants employed at different schools across Hong Kong. Other participants include full-time English language teachers who have experience of working with one of these TAs, as well as students who attend English language classes in which these TAs participate.

Design and methods: A qualitative multiple case study approach is adopted. In-depth interviews with TAs, teachers and students are used to gain a contextualised interpretation of the primary participants’ experiences of constructing professional identities within schools. A multilevel, multidimensional theoretical framework, which considers identity construction as both a discursive and experiential accomplishment, is then used to understand the constraints and enablements TAs experience in constructing these identities.

Findings: Results indicate that TAs face challenges in constructing their professional identities at institutional, interpersonal and intrapersonal levels within Hong Kong schools. In addition, the TAs believe that exercising agency to contest their positionings within schools is often insufficient to place them on a trajectory towards become a teacher. The results also suggest that the identity conflicts TAs experience can lead some to question their decision to pursue a teaching career.

Conclusions: These results imply that in order to attract and retain TAs, educational authorities need to, first, problematise identity positions such as ‘TA’ and ‘teacher’ and then reconceptualise these identities in ways that allow for a multiplication of the identity positions potentially available to all stakeholders involved in teaching within Hong Kong schools.     

Issues of inclusion

Abstract

This article represents a meta-analysis of three research KEYWORDS projects undertaken recently at the National Foundation for Educational children in Research. The projects were discrete but resultant data showed that they care; had a common focus: ways in which schools do or might accommo-disaffection; date more effectively the needs of a range of pupils who are at risk of inclusion; being denied the opportunity to experience the ‘normality’ of the cur-special riculum offered by schools in England and Wales. The pupils whose educational experiences were studied had special educational needs, and/or were needs ‘disaffected’, and/or were in the public care. While their circumstances were, thus, ostensibly various, analysis showed that they were underpinned by a common set of needs which, unaddressed by the education system, resulted in the exclusion of the pupils. Strategies that effectively nurtured pupils’ inclusion were found to be applicable across the client group.     

A comprehensive approach to managing school safety: case studies in Catalonia,Spain

Background: Schools should be safe spaces for students, teaching staff and non-teaching staff. For the concept of ‘safety’ to be meaningful, it must be interpreted broadly to encompass well-being in its widest sense. A common challenge for schools and educational authorities is, therefore, to manage school safety appropriately not only to prevent physical accidents and incidents, but also with the purpose of creating an environment that promotes physical, emotional and social well-being, both individually and collectively.

Purpose: The aim of this research paper is twofold: (a) to explore the concept of safety as it is interpreted by schools and analyse the extent to which schools are committed to the goal of creating safe and healthy school environments; and (b) to identify organisational and management practices that promote the safety of school staff and users.

Design, sample and methods: The research was carried out from a qualitative perspective, based on a study of multiple cases carried out in Catalonia, Spain. The case studies (N = 9 schools) were selected by means of a purposive sampling process in order to obtain a selection of schools covering different education stages and under different types of ownership. The data collection process involved carrying out semistructured interviews (N = 39) with school principals, health and safety officers, teaching staff and non-teaching staff; focus groups with families (N = 2) and a review of general documentation and specific safety documents (N = 58). The data collected were completed and verified by means of interviews with experts (N = 3). The interviews, focus groups and notes arising from the document review were transcribed literally and analysed thematically, following a cross-case analysis structure.

Results: The data analysis indicated that creating safe and healthy environments was not always an explicitly endorsed principle or goal for schools. However, all members of the educational community were involved in ensuring adequate levels of school safety; and diverse management and organisational actions and measures were implemented to ensure physical, emotional and social safety.

Conclusions: We conclude that according to a broad interpretation of safety, which encompasses well-being in its widest sense, a comprehensive school safety management approach had not been fully adopted by schools in the studied sample. Whilst involvement in safety practices was evident, many actions appeared to be carried out without full consideration of the wider promotion of school safety. The study suggests the importance of training and awareness activities for education professionals in order to build and promote safety culture and to facilitate the introduction of a comprehensive school safety approach in the day-to-day management of schools.     

Policy,practice, and reconversion in Spanish educational reform: teaching and teacher education in physical education

Abstract

Since the late 1980s, reform of the Spanish education system has been justified by reformists as a response to the social and economic changes that have occurred in Spanish society since the democratic transition in the 1970s. Consolidation of democracy, development of technology and economic convergence with the advanced nations of Europe have been seen as the major challenges for educational reform. Restructuring and legitimation processes derived from the requirements of the new reform have been conceptualized as a policy of reconversion, the main purpose of which is to maintain, or achieve, a strong competitive position in the international market. In this paper, conceptualizing educational reform as a reconversion process will allow us to link aspects of the new curriculum (content, pedagogy and assessment), school organization, teaching and teacher education in physical education with wider economic, social and cultural influences and explore the tensions and conflicts between policy and practice in PE in schools. The paper will argue that there is a widening gap between the interests of progressive educationalists and the direction of market‐driven education reform.     

Work‐experience and schools: factors influencing the participation of industry

The growth of work‐experience as part of the school curriculum in such schemes as TVEI, has led to a growing body of literature concerned with the educational, social and political consequences of this trend. However, one aspect of analysis has been neglected by those working in this area. There has been a marked lack of investigation into factors which affect the supply of work placements to schools. Behind this lies an assumption that the participation of industry with schools is a straightforward and easy to accomplish process.

By focusing on some of the approaches exhibited by firms towards the provison of work‐experience, this paper seeks to make problematic the supply of work placements by industry in a market economy. I shall suggest that eductionalists and policy makers may have cause to be concerned not only with the quantity of placements which might be available to them in the future, but with the educational quality of these placements.     

Social Justice,Sport, and Sociology: A Position Statement

ABSTRACT

Amidst widespread inequality, advocates of sport and physical activity have proposed ways in which sport might support those on the social, economic, and geographic margins. In this essay, we consider the place and role of sport in responding to various forms of inequality, and reflect upon its place in pursuing social justice. In so doing, we bring a perspective of critical sociology to the question(s) of whether and how sport can play a role in responding to inequality. Our main argument is that sport has had, and continues to have, a place and role in the pursuit of social justice, but only in so far as sport’s advocates are willing and able to differentiate between justice and charity. To build this case, we draw on the differentiation between the dominant and transformative models of sport for development.     

A History of the Big Ten Body-of-Knowledge Project in Physical Education

This paper examines the relationship between coaching and teaching. By examining the content of physical education and sports programs and the methods through which this content is engaged, the conception of coaching is expanded to include attributes that are typically viewed as having to do with the “educational enterprise.” Physical education must take seriously the teaching of sport as the competitive activity it is meant to be if physical education is to fulfill its role as an educative activity.     

Making learning support contextually responsive

Abstract

Research indicates that the success of inclusive education lies within the provision of adequate support for learners who experience barriers to learning in mainstream schools as well as in the changing roles of teachers and support services staff. The Western Cape Education Department (WCED) implemented a learning support model, designed to systemically deal with barriers to learning in some primary schools in the province. An evaluation of the WCED model established that this learning support model is not completely contextually responsive to the South African context with specific reference to resources, both human and physical. Although the WCED endeavours to distribute resources more even-handedly across schools in the Western Cape Province, there is still a general lack of resources and institutional capacity which hampers the successful implementation of inclusive education. This situation creates specific barriers that are responsible for the gap between current educational policies and the implementation thereof in schools.     

Making Sense out of Incentives: A Framework for Considering the Design,Use, and Implementation of Incentives to Improve Attendance

ABSTRACT

Accumulating evidence indicates that student attendance is closely tied to a range of educational outcomes, and yet millions of students are chronically absent each year. Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools are now held accountable for their students' attendance at a scale this country has never before seen. As such, this is a crucial time to understand what research and evaluations suggest about what schools can do to move the needle on student attendance. As researchers work toward understanding the impact of different interventions and practices, and how results vary by grade level, on-the-ground experiences in schools highlight the pervasive use of incentives from pre-K to grade 12. Schools have employed a wide range of incentives to improve attendance, with varied levels of success. Unfortunately, there is little guidance on what policymakers and practitioners ought to consider when deciding if incentives are an appropriate intervention, and then how to design incentives in ways that align with the nature of specific attendance barriers and problems. This article presents a framework to fill that gap. We outline the design considerations when creating attendance incentives and offer guidance to practitioners deciding what to implement in their school.     

A Market-research Approach to the Analysis of New Intake Student Support

This article explores the implications of the publication of the Green Paper on Every Child Matters, which proposes the most radical changes in services for children and their families since the Children's Act, 1988. The Green Paper focuses upon improving every level of professional support for children perceived to be vulnerable and in need. The legislation and subsequent changes will bring about a whole new agenda and philosophy that will directly or indirectly involve every school, teacher, paraprofessional and educational support service. It will also involve changes in supporting parents and carers, and lead to earlier intervention, more accountability and integration between services as well as enhancing workforce reform. In conjunction with the Anti-Social Behaviour Act, 2003, it will provide a new impetus for tackling truancy and disruptive conduct. It is also likely to lead to a rethink about the wider role of schools and aspects of pastoral care practice. Its implementation will require a reassessment of the continuing professional training needs of all teachers and senior professionals working in schools and in related activities such as education social work. The legislation will mean that schools are likely to become all-the-year-round community centres with amended opening hours in order to meet the needs of disadvantaged youngsters and their families.     

Social justice education with Chinese characteristics: An example from Shanghai

This article analyses a Chinese approach to social justice in education using the example of Shanghai. In addressing schooling inequalities, Shanghai illustrates social justice education with Chinese characteristics, which revolves around the ideal of ‘educational balance’ (jiaoyu junheng). The ‘balance’ in question is about achieving a values-centred and all-round education in and across all schools through the cultivation of a school’s ‘inner quality’ (neihan). This Chinese formulation of social justice education is manifested through two representative policy measures: creating and strengthening ‘new high-quality schools’ and helping weak schools to level up. The Chinese characteristics of these action plans are seen in two ways: a focus on social justice between schools rather than between students; and an emphasis on the moral cultivation of students. It is argued that a Chinese model of social justice education promotes educational equity to some extent through the politics of redistribution, recognition and representation. However, a major critique is its hegemonic and top-down nature, which overlooks alternative and competitive voices—especially those of migrant children—as part of a politics of representation.