A study of sustainable assessment theory in higher education tutorials

A study of sustainable assessment theory in nine tutorial courses at four colleges demonstrated that three long-term learning outcomes improved: Independence, Intellectual Maturity and Creativity. Eight of 10 traits associated with these outcomes were validated through internal reliability, faculty and student rubrics, and faculty case studies reporting pedagogic innovations and improvements of student abilities in self-assessment. The findings suggest that sustainable assessment theory should be applied using methods encompassing a strong commitment to equity, including shared criteria for long-term learning outcomes and faculty and student monitoring of student progress towards outcomes through periodic rubrics and reflective sessions.     

Insights into Educational Administration: The Need for a Cross-Cultural Comparative Perspective

This article summarizes the case for adopting a cross-cultural comparative approach to the study of educational administration and leadership. In the first section, we state the main arguments for strengthening a societal cultural approach to educational administration and leadership. The second and third sections outline why culture is a useful concept for analysis and comparison in educational administration, and briefly review the concept of culture itself. The fourth section outlines an influential approach for investigating the influence of culture, that of Hofstede, and suggests that his framework provides a worthwhile starting point for educational researchers. The final section notes a number of important issues which researchers need to consider when exploring the influence of societal culture on educational administration. In summary, we suggest that a cross-cultural comparative approach to educational administration and leadership can expose the value of theory and practice from different cultural perspectives which may then, in turn, inform and influence existing dominant paradigms.     

Democracy, development and education: Working with The Gambian inspectorate

This paper begins by discussing the relationship between democracy and development in Africa and The Gambia in particular. It then examines the potential role of the school inspectorate in the Gambia in helping to put education for democracy on a sustainable footing. The inspectorate not only evaluate and advise teachers but also provide ongoing support and monitoring. This paper describes a project which explored whether democratic practice could be integrated into the work of inspectors and discusses evidence on both its possible impact and general issues concerning democracy and education in The Gambia.     

Relationship between the WRAT and WRAT-R

Level II of the Wide Range Achievement Test and the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised were administered to 45 subjects. The results indicated that the WRAT-R standard scores were significantly lower (8–11 points) than the WRAT Standard scores for Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic. Correlations between the standard scores of the two tests were .98, .97, and .79 for Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic, respectively. Reasons for the lower arithmetic correlation are discussed. Vocational and guidance counselors, school psychologists, and other users should consider these findings when using WRAT and WRAT-R scores in making academic/vocational or other placement decisions. The WRAT-R should be used as a screening, not diagnostic, instrument for academic problems.     

Introduction−justifying a cross-cultural comparative approach to school leadership and management

England's Education Action Zones are a flagship New Labour policy geared towards raising standards and reducing social exclusion in areas of educational under-performance. This introduction outlines key features of the policy, considers its broader significance in relation to new models of educational governance and pulls out some of the key issues that arise from the contributions to this special feature.     

Advocacy for gender minority students: recommendations for school counsellors

Abstract

Research shows that teachers’ and educators’ responses to gender diversity issues in schools either improves or limits the experiences of students. The school counsellor has an important role to play in this process by working closely with other stakeholders to advocate for transgender, intersex and genderqueer (TIG) students. Following a review of recent developments in the USA, recommendations are made and resources identified to assist school counsellors in validating TIG students, and improving school systems in pursuit of their academic, social and emotional success.     

Change in Family Income-to-Needs Matters More for Children with Less

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to model the dynamics of family income-to-needs for participants of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care (N = 1,364) from the time that children were 1 through 36 months of age. Associations between change in income-to-needs and 36-month child outcomes (i.e., school readiness, receptive language, expressive language, positive social behavior, and behavior problems) were examined. Although change in income-to-needs proved to be of little importance for children from nonpoor families, it proved to be of great importance for children from poor families. For children in poverty, decreases in income-to-needs were associated with worse outcomes and increases were associated with better outcomes. In fact, when children from poor families experienced increases in income-to-needs that were at least 1 SD above the mean change for poor families, they displayed outcomes similar to their nonpoor peers. The practical importance and policy implications of these findings are discussed.