Do school context,student composition and school leadership affect school practice and outcomes in secondary education?

This study examined effects of school context, student composition and school leadership on school practice and outcomes in secondary education in Flanders. The study reveals that relations between school characteristics do exist and that it is possible to explain an important part of the differences in mean effort and mathematics achievement of schools by means of these school characteristics. Furthermore, it was found that school size positively affects school outcomes and that its effect is mediated by school practice characteristics like the amount of cooperation between teachers, which affects school climate and outcomes. School leadership did not affect the school practice much, perhaps because of a lack of a strong educational leadership in most of the Flemish secondary schools. However, the student composition of schools seemed to be very important for school practice, as well as for school outcomes. Nevertheless, the study revealed that schools can affect the outcomes of their students independently of their student composition and context by means of school practice.     

Education for Sustainability in Scottish Secondary Schools: boundary maintenance or professional reorientation?

This article reports on a study of education for sustainability in Scottish secondary schools. The study was based at the Institute of Education, University of Stirling, and was sponsored (between November 1997 and March 1998) by the Sustainable Schools Partnership, with funding from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Worldwide Fund for Nature Scotland and (between April 1998 and July 1998) by the University of Stirling. It comprised three research strands: a trawl of documentary evidence relating to policy and practice within the field of education for sustainability; interviews with key personnel in secondary schools identified as developing good practice in the field of education for sustainability; and a series of discussions with policy makers having a national and/or international perspective on education for sustainability and its development in schools. Although the prime focus was on Scottish schools, each of these strands also covered as a secondary concern relevant work in the other national regions of the UK. Having briefly clarified some issues of definition, the article offers an analysis of the central problem faced by schools (secondary schools in particular) involved in cross‐curriculum developments of this kind. That analysis focuses upon the aspiration of these schools to bring about whole‐school change within an institutional context characterised by strong boundary maintenance. The article then outlines the first of two findings: where education for sustainability is being developed within a secondary school setting, whole‐school change is likely to be conceived as modest modifications to existing structures. The article goes on, however, to outline some of the changing practices within these schools and, in doing so, introduces the second finding: where education for sustainability is being developed within a secondary school setting, whole‐school change is likely to be conceived in terms of a reorientation of professional interest and practice towards the local community and wider community concerns. These two findings, we argue, should be seen neither as complementary nor as existing in creative tension. They point to a school system seriously at odds with itself: pulled by one set of professional and managerial priorities towards piecemeal change within fixed parameters and by a very different set of professional and educational responses towards the reconceptualisa‐tion of teaching and learning and the closer involvement of schools in the local communities. This increased interest in the outward‐looking school community extends to issues of global concern. The article concludes with some thoughts on how this tension might be resolved through a radical reordering of educational priorities in favour of boundary realignment and community participation.     

浅析村中、小学校的独立法人地位

村中、小学校是我国农村实施九年制义务教育的重要力量。村中、小学校的数量已达70多万所。依照我国相关政策、法律规定,每一所村中、小学校都属于独立的事业法人单位。然而,笔者通过调查了解到,村中、小学校普遍不具备独立法人应当具备的法定条件,没有独立承担民事责任的能力。本文运用民法学的相关理论,联系实际,对存在的问题进行分析后,阐明了个人的观点,并就如何改善村中、小学校的独立法人地位提出了建议。     

中职学校校内生产实训基地建设研究

中职学校校内生产实训基地是基于产教融合教学模式中职学校培养学生实践能力的主要场所。中职学校要想培养出适应社会发展需求的人才,就必须要大力加强校内生产实训基地的建设。文章以龙里县中等职业学校为例,立足于校内生产实训基地建设背景,提出中职学校校内生产实训基地在建设中存在的问题,探讨中职学校校内生产实训基地建设的策略,旨在进一步完善现有校内生产实训基地的运行及发展,提高学生升学与就业能力。     

县域中等职业教育实践教学能力建设途径探析

实践教学是中等职业学校教学过程中的一个重要环节,是培养学生的实践能力和创新意识的关键。文章分析了当前农村职业学校实践教学能力建设中存在的主要问题,从农村内外两个方面,提出加强实践教学能力建设的基本思路。     

高等代数观点下的中学数学问题研究

运用高等代数的理论、方法、思想与观点剖析中学数学相关内容的若干问题,加强课程教学中理论联系中学数学实际,探索高等数学观点对中学数学教学的指导作用,深化理解中学数学的相关内容,促进高中数学新课程的改革与实践。     

中小学教师职前职后一体化协同培养实践--以河南师范大学“国培计划”中西部乡村中小学教师为例

河南师范大学通过承办"国培计划"中西部乡村中小学教师专业能力建设培训项目,对中小学教师职前职后一体化协同培养实践进行了有效的探索。依托河南师范大学的师范专业优势,充分发挥学校"政、产、学、研、用、金"相结合的产学研特色,结合中小学教师的特点,优化培训方案和培训内容,加强职前职后一体化协同培养实践。加强校企合作,提升中小学教师职业技能,通过职前职后一体化协同培养实践策略,推动中小学教育教学事业的深度发展。     

基于职业发展的中职校园文化体系构建

随着我国社会人才需求的转变,我国教育体系也随之发生改变。越来越多的中职院校成为了为社会输送高素质劳动者的摇篮。文章立足于中职院校的职业发展,浅谈中职校园文化体系建设的内涵和对学生职业发展的影响,分析目前中职校园文化建设中存在的问题,进一步探究基于职业发展下中职校园文化体系的构建策略。     

Rules,Sanctions and Rewards in Primary Schools

Twenty‐four primary schools were randomly selected from all those listed in a local education authority in the West Midlands of England. Heads or deputy headteachers of 21 of these schools were interviewed using a structured interview schedule very similar to the one used for a recent survey of secondary schools. Data were obtained about the general rule structures of the schools and the system of sanctions and rewards used to maintain them. The findings were then compared with those from the secondary survey. Primary schools were less likely than secondary schools to have written rule structures but most were in the process of producing them in response to new pressures. It was more common for all the teachers in the primary school to be considered responsible for seeing that rules were kept. Generally, primary school headteachers identified fewer sanctions being used to uphold their rules than in secondary schools. The number of rewards used in both types of school was about equal. Comment is made on the difference between sanctions and rewards identified as being used in schools and some observed classroom practice.     

Teachers' knowledge work in collective practice development: Approaches to introducing assessment for learning at the school level

Collective approaches to practice development are increasingly common in the teaching profession. Such initiatives frequently involve groups of teachers taking responsibility for introducing, sharing and developing new pedagogical resources and for aiding their integration into existing practices. This article explores teachers’ knowledge work as a component of collective practice development, and investigates how engagement with knowledge is constructed in different school environments. Drawing on research that followed an Assessment for Learning (AfL) project in a Norwegian city, the article examines how two groups of lower secondary teachers worked to support the introduction and development of AfL resources at their respective schools. The analysis reveals how their knowledge work was framed in different ways through available organisational roles and resources, and discusses the implications for initiatives aimed at collective practice development at the school level.     

Continuous improvement in schools: Understanding the practice

This article investigates conceptually and practically what it means for schools to engage in the practice of continuous improvement. The analysis draws upon prior research and discussion to predict core elements of the practice of continuous improvement in schools. The predictions are then applied to a case study of continuous improvement efforts in a Pakistani secondary school that was involved in a 10-year school–university school improvement partnership. The article concludes with a set of eight empirically based propositions about the practice of continuous improvement schools.     

中职学校布局调整与专业结构优化探索与实践——以柳州市为例

为实现区域经济调整升级、产业结构优化进步,柳州市在充分调研分析的基础上,整合中职学校办学资源。针对中职学校存在的一校多牌、县级职校水平低、散小学校发展动力不足、学校办学吸引力不强等问题,采取"助、创、托、并、撤、规"策略,即助推优势学校、创建特色学校、托管有潜力学校、合并散小学校、撤销不达标学校、规范办学行为;针对中职学校专业结构存在的与产业结构匹配度不高、专业集群化建设不足、专业品牌意识不强、专业设置同质化严重等问题,从统筹优化全市专业结构、做强做优主干专业集群、补充产业链上缺失专业等方面加以解决。     

西部地区义务教育阶段校际均衡发展的制度建设--以贵阳市为例

当前,我国基础教育不仅存在区域差别和城乡差别,还存在同一区域内校际之间硬件条件和生源状况的差距以及教师待遇差距。义务教育学校之间办学水平的差距,直接导致学生所接受教育质量的差距和学生发展机会上的不平等。实现西部义务教育校际均衡发展,关键在于制度建设。贵阳市在这方面进行了一些尝试,主要措施包括:改造初中薄弱校;推进中小学标准化制度建设;推进小学升初中、初中升高中的招生方式改革;加强农村中小学和农民工子女学校建设;完善校长职级制度和教师聘用制度。     

Research News

In secondary schools, subjects dominate teaching and also the organizational structures. Typically, subject department heads perform a middle-management role in secondary schools and often this role is taken-for-granted and unquestioned. In this article, we examine the impact on secondary school culture and the resulting changes to practice when the department middle-management structure and roles are open to revision. We investigate the experiences of two schools that are part of a longitudinal study on reculturing and restructuring in all secondary schools in one school district in Ontario, Canada. Our research indicates that structural change initiated by school level participants is a prerequisite to real change and that structural changes preceded cultural changes. However, it is the process of creating the new structures that is the key consideration as mandating an alternative might not be facilitative of cultural change. The primary research question guiding this article is: what impact does involvement in restructuring a middle-management organizational model have on the culture of a school and the change process experienced by staff members?     

Can Schools Change? I. Outcomes at Six London Secondary Schools

Abstract

Much work on school effectiveness has been based on cross‐sectional comparisons between schools. Longitudinal studies of schools over time may complement this approach. Changes in both school practice and pupil outcomes were monitored in a five year study of change in six London secondary schools. This paper reports on changes in outcomes, illustrating marked improvements in some areas. A companion paper (Ouston, Maughan & Rutter, in press) explores associated changes in school practice.     

刍议社会实践对中小学思想政治教育的重要作用

中小学校应该意识到社会实践对思想政治教育的重要性,充分发挥社会实践的作用,让中小学思想政治教育的路子越走越宽。本文主要说明社会实践对中小学思想政治教育的重要性,浅析中小学思想政治教育现存的问题,为践行社会实践在中小学思想政治教育中发挥重要作用出谋划策。     

中小学法治教育存在的问题及对策刍探

虽然中小学法治教育取得了一些成果,但距离目标还较远,还需要积极探索,进一步提高中小学法治教育质量。针对当前中小学法治教育存在的问题,文章从构建合理的法治教育工作机制、逐步完善学校各项规章制度、设置合理的法治课堂教学内容和教学时间、注重优化网络空间法治环境等方面,探讨提高中小学法治教育质量的有效策略。     

推进手机移动学习：中小学教师态度与需求

能否在中小学校普及手机移动学习,这是当前国际教育组织、教育行政部门和产业界共同关注的焦点问题。来自北京市4城区11所学校450名教师和管理者的调查数据表明,绝大多数教师都具有积极的技术产品教育应用意向,但反对中小学生持有手机和利用手机进行移动学习。不同学段的教师对推进手机移动学习的需求差异非常显著,小学教师最为积极,初中教师最不积极。在中小学校推进手机移动学习,应引导学校管理者、教师转变理念,客观认识学生手机,逐步认同手机移动学习;应加强宣传,推进本土实践,吸引学校管理者、教师乐于尝试手机移动学习;应增强手机移动学习产品、资源、服务与教育者、学习者、教学过程、学习过程的融合;在政策推广方面,可以先从小学进行试点推广,中学生手机移动学习可以走社会化推进、产业推动的道路。     

韩国中小学道德教育理论与实践评析——兼谈对我国中小学道德教育的启示

韩国重视学校德育，尤其是中小学阶段的道德教育，把德育作为塑造民族灵魂的重要渠道。韩国的学校德育以弘扬民族精神为核心，深受中华儒家思想的影响，并在发展过程中形成了自身的特色。文章对韩国中小学的道德教育理论与实践进行了分析和评价，希望能够给我国中小学道德教育的发展带来些许启示。     

Exploring UK secondary teachers' professional values: an overview of the literature since 2000

Background:?Professional commitment from teachers requires more than contractual compliance as personal and professional values are integral to teaching practice. Secondary school teachers are expected to act as role models and demonstrate positive attributes and attitudes in an evolving educational context. Little is known about how they understand or interpret their own values, or realise the shared values that lie at the heart of a school community.

Purpose:?The purpose of this review is to summarise the literature relating to values that teachers hold. The review is concerned with theoretical and empirical studies in which such values are considered, and also any tensions identified between the personal values of teachers and organisational values of the schools reflected in professional practice. This scoping exercise is part of two-year funded empirical research carried out by the authors in five secondary schools in England, using data from individuals, groups and schools on the personal values of teachers and head teachers. This research explored whether these values are congruent with the organisational values schools seek to establish.

Design and methods:?An extensive literature review was undertaken relating to the values held by secondary school professionals. The search was restricted to more recent works (i.e. the year 2000 onwards), and was mainly UK and secondary education focused. The search was conducted using the educational database, Education Indexes on Dialog, and the Electronic Journal Service which is a database covering wider disciplines. To reach harder-to-find research reports, additional strategies were adopted including hand searching of key journals and reference to existing publication lists. The review generated over 1000 published references that were then screened to determine whether publications were based on empirical research conducted in schools, and/or helped a deeper theoretical understanding about the meaning of values.

Conclusion:?The review highlights the integral part values continue to play in education. This article presents a framework of understanding derived from the literary contexts in which values are discussed. There is little empirical data to support current understanding about the values that secondary teachers hold, and how these fit with the organisational values of the schools in which they work. Studies in the context of values and professionalism stress the need for dialogue and reflection so that ‘implicit’ values that teachers hold become explicit, and refined through practice.