Improving Schools recent issues

Editorial

Byrom, T., Regan, E. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

A view from the other side: interpretations of widening participation by a post-1992 university

Lightfoot, N. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

The role of the academic in interpreting the complex and confused concept of widening participation is central to the practice of widening participation within higher education. These interpretations are bound up within the context of what it means to be an academic, and external constraints on that role. Government policy has insufficiently challenged perceptions of that role to bring about a transformation to academic practice. This research, through the use of semi-structured interviews, illuminates the perspectives of academics, in a range of roles, to the widening participation agenda and outlines the alternative priorities of those academics. Ultimately, the impetus for transformation is not one which will occur internally to the university and it is argued that stakeholders, in the absence of realistic government pressure, must play a part in bringing about a university culture which places teaching and learning and not subject disciplines at the centre of its practice.

'I don't want to go to a crummy little university': social class, higher education choice and the paradox of widening participation

Byrom, T. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

Whilst there has been growing attention paid to the imbalance of Higher Education (HE) applications according to social class, insufficient attention has been paid to the successful minority of working-class young people who do secure places in some of the UK’s leading HE institutions. In particular, the influence and nature of pre-university interventions on such students’ choice of institution has been under-explored. Data from an ESRC-funded PhD study of 16 young people who participated in a Sutton Trust Summer School are used to illustrate how the effects of a school-based institutional habitus and directed intervention programmes can be instrumental in guiding student choices and decisions relating to participation in Higher Education.

Responding to schoolgirl pregnancy: the recognition and non-recognition of difference

Vincent, K. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

Teenage mothers in the UK have been found to be at risk of early school leaving, low levels of educational achievement and low levels of post-compulsory educational participation. Current policy in the UK emphasizes the importance of education as a way of improving the life chances of those who become pregnant while young and, as part of that, schools are encouraged to support the educational inclusion of those who become pregnant while still of statutory school age. Drawing on repeat qualitative interviews conducted over a 15-month period, this article examines the educational experiences of a group of students in one local authority in England who became pregnant while still at school. Particular attention is paid to how different schools addressed the ‘dilemma of difference’ posed by teenage pregnancy and how school attitudes and practices enhanced or inhibited educational participation.

Young people, imagination and re-engagement in the middle years

Bland, D., Carrington, S., Brady, K. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

This article reports on the first stage of a study that uses Young People as Researchers methodology to investigate the phenomenon of middle-year student disengagement. The study obtains student perspectives on the meanings of engagement and disengagement using a variety of innovative research methods. The first stage of the study focused on a two-day workshop giving students and teachers an overview of the project and providing training and experience in conducting research in their schools. The process employed by the study provides spaces and resources for critical thinking and encourages imaginative responses to the real life problems confronting the students and their peers and affecting their educational engagement. This article describes ways in which engagement is viewed both theoretically and through the empirical work of the student researchers, and how various applications of ‘disciplined imagination’ connect with methods of investigating and understanding engagement.

'Listen to me when I have something to say': students' participation in research for sustainable school improvement

Bergmark, U., Kostenius, C. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

This article focuses on student participation in the research process as a contribution to school improvement. The specific aim of this article was to explore students’ participation in different phases of a research process and discuss how their participation can contribute to school improvement. Based on a life-world phenomenological ontology, we used two research and development projects — Full of Value and Arctic Children — to shed light on participation in research. When doing research together with students, we have been inspired by Participatory Appreciative Action Research (PAAR). The methods used in the projects were open writing, group reflection, drawings, and exhibition discussions. This research showed that students were able to explore and express their lived experiences of behaviour and well-being in school, and how this was linked to positive change. We found students trustworthy, capable, and competent, enriching the process of school improvement.

'I liked the experiment because there aren't too many people who come into school to burn money': promoting participation in the sciences with chemical magic

Regan, E. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

This article reports on students’ perspectives of an in-school promotional intervention aimed at challenging traditional methods of teaching science in schools in an effort to inspire interest in school science and increase enrolments. First, the context for the research is discussed before briefly describing the intervention strategy employed and finally, exploring the potential of this innovative pedagogy as a vehicle for addressing participation in science at the classroom level. It is argued that participation depends on engagement with a subject, and the author posits that providing innovative, motivating and fun approaches to learning within the classroom that interest and engage pupils will lead to better connections with school science and to science in society. This article gives some insights into the use of a chemical magic show through the qualitatively different views and attitudes towards the chemical magic show of a sample of Irish students (n = 328). Implications for participation and inclusive and motivational classroom pedagogy are discussed.

Participation in mathematics: what is the problem?

Noyes, A. — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:22:06 PST

This article considers participation in post-compulsory mathematics education (Advanced or A-level) which is currently exercising education policy-makers in England and elsewhere. I argue that the central problem is neither that of devising an economically motivated strategy for increasing student numbers nor simply raising the level of mathematical capability attained. Rather, the central problem is about what mathematics to teach, how and why? I will present emerging findings from two current studies of 14—19 mathematics education, highlighting socially differentiated patterns of participation. Then I will consider the values/philosophical influences on current policy and practice. This leads me to argue that the curriculum needs reframing so that all students are enabled to use their mathematics to read, understand, critique and act in the mathematically formatted worlds in which they live.

Change processes: digging below the surface

Wrigley, T. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

Teachers' assessment knowledge and their perceptions of the impact of classroom assessment professional development

Mertler, C. A. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

Assessing student performance is one of the most critical aspects of the job of a classroom teacher; however, many teachers in the United States do not feel adequately prepared to assess their students' performance. These feelings of inadequacy are exemplified when placed against the context of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, especially with its increased focus on accountability and assessment. This study examined the effectiveness of a two-week classroom assessment workshop for inservice teachers. The workshop was based on the Standards for Teacher Competence in the Educational Assessment of Students and focused on discussion, practice, and practical application through performance assessment tasks. The study utilized a parallel mixed-methods design. Teachers were pre-tested and post-tested using the Assessment Literacy Inventory. Additionally, teachers kept daily reflective journals in order to document their experiences. The training was shown to be highly effective for the teachers, as evidenced through the dramatic increase in post-test scores over pre-test scores, and perhaps even more so through critical examination of their reflective journals.

A different type of success: teaching important life skills through project based learning

Wurdinger, S., Rudolph, J. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

US high schools appear to measure success according to the number of students admitted into four-year institutions each year. Although this is one measure, there are some schools that focus on developing important life skills needed to become productive members of society. Online surveys were sent out to alumni, students, teachers, and parents to a student-centered charter school in Minnesota to explore definitions of success and determine if this school teaches life skills. One hundred and forty-seven surveys were collected from these four groups. Life skills such as creativity (94%) and ability to find information (92%) were ranked much higher than academic skills such as test taking (33%) and note taking (39%). Academic skills ranked low, yet 50 percent of the alumni polled graduated from college, which is considerably higher than the national average (39%). To further enhance the learning at project based learning schools, educators should provide opportunities for students to practice academic skills such as note taking and test taking so that students who plan to attend college will be better prepared. The research in this study showed that this school is excellent at teaching important life skills that help students succeed in college, and in life in general.

Systems, stakeholders, and students: including students in school reform

Zion, S. D. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

The education system in the United States is under pressure from a variety of sources to reform and improve the delivery of educational services to students. Change across a system as complex and dynamic as the educational system requires a systemic approach and requires the participation or buy-in of all participants and stakeholders. This article examines the importance of including students as stakeholders in systemic change efforts. The analysis of this research, framed in the context of including stakeholders in change efforts, will create an opportunity for conversation of ways in which to bring students' voices into school reform.

Pedagogy, values and career fulfilment: evaluation of a science CPD programme

Doyle, S. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

This article explores the potential of a residential Continuing Professional Development (CPD) model to promote sustained constructive dialogue between science educators, both on knowledge and pedagogy, and impact on teaching practice in a wide geographical area. It is based on a science education initiative shared by the local authorities in Scotland. These wider outcomes tend not to be planned for or evaluated (Guskey, 2000; Muijs et al., 2004; Wilson and Berne, 1999) in many CPD projects. This article examines these impacts and the model designed to deliver them through `training the trainer' approaches and enhanced career progression. Although the residential training of trainers model may seem relatively expensive, this article argues that it may be more cost-effective due to its greater impact on teaching than other CPD models. It encourages collaboration, dialogue and ongoing evaluation, and creates opportunities for teachers and researchers to build longer term collaborative networks in an attempt to explore actual, and not merely predicted, impacts of training on pedagogy and professional development (Wilson and Berne, 1999).

Is subject knowledge the be all and end all? Investigating professional development for science teachers

Woolhouse, C., Cochrane, M. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

This article reports on the initial findings of research carried out with a cohort of science teachers engaged in a professional development course at a northwest England university. The aim was to investigate how professional development was perceived by participants and explore the experiences of those who undertook the course. Results suggest that initially a utilitarian discourse which framed professional development as needing to fulfil identified needs, and an alignment of the benefits of undertaking professional development with training for quantifiable career advancement, took precedence over personal growth. However, as the course developed, the teachers began to recognize their integration into a professional learning community, and also saw the course as an opportunity for self-development. We suggest that a utilitarian paradigm can sit alongside a purpose which seeks to develop teachers' self-reflection and personal growth as a route to enrichment of pupil experience rather than focused on producing quantifiable progress in examination results.

Enabling students to participate in school improvement through a Students as Researchers programme

Roberts, A., Nash, J. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

This article explores students' potential to make a difference to their school through a Students as Researchers programme. It begins by discussing the impetus for the current increase in student voice initiatives in schools. It continues the debate around issues of student empowerment and students' identity as change agents through an analysis of the development of a Students as Researchers (SAR) programme designed to support school improvement. The article investigates the possibilities for impact offered by a stepped approach to the student research process, early planning for impact and a strong student/teacher partnership. Issues are illuminated though reference to the authors' work with Students as Researchers groups in several UK schools. The article concludes with an exploration of ways of enhancing the impact of students' work on the development of their schools.

Book Review: Will Coleman (2007) Developing Literacy through Storytelling Network Continuum ISBN 978 1 85539 225 0 {pound}27.99 152 pages

McNeil, J. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

Book Review: J. Shapiro and S. Gross (2007) Ethical Educational Leadership in Turbulent Times: (Re)Solving Moral Dilemmas Lawrence Erlbaum Associates ISBN 978-0805856002 {pound}21.84 212 pages

Murphy, D. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

Book Review: Tony Swainston (2008) Effective Teachers in Primary Schools: A Reflective Resource for Performance Management: 2nd edn (DVD support book) Network Continuum ISBN 978 1 85539 462 9 {pound}38.77 175 pages

McDonald, C. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

Book Review: David Hudson (2009) Good Teachers, Good Schools -- How to Create a Successful School Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 47132 9 {pound}16.99 152 pages

Petrie, J. — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:35:14 PDT

The state of England's schools: critical voices

Wrigley, T. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

Sustainability and improvement: a problem `of' education and `for' education

Clarke, P. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

In this short discussion article I develop some earlier writing on the theme of education, improvement and sustainability (see references). It builds upon my primary criticism of the school improvement movement that it is accustomed to thinking of education as good in and of itself. As David Orr suggests candidly in his essay in the early 1990s, `It is not education that will save us, but education of a certain kind (Orr, 1994/2004). My assertion is that the type of education that is being advanced through the school improvement movement is simply not the kind that we need to tackle some of the most pressing challenges we now face in the form of environmental change and the looming post-oil economy (Stern Review, 2006).

Schools of little thought: why change management hasn't worked

Grant, N. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

The management of change in English and Welsh schools has been an authoritarian affair seeking to impose rather than win consent for new ways of working. While no practitioner should challenge the fact of constant change in natural and social life, school staff have had little choice in the nature and direction of changes that have significantly re-shaped their professional practice and conditions of service. This is symptomatic of a wider democratic deficit in recent public service management models, which, ironically, are usually far more doctrinaire than processes adopted and implemented in the private sector. There is no shortage of evidence for the long-term damage being wrought on students and their communities by such top-down methods. Equally, there is no shortage of evidence that alternative, inclusive practices can and do deliver quality learning experiences.

Can there be an alternative to the centralized curriculum in England?

Berry, J. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

Schools and teachers in England have found themselves coerced into a situation where high-stakes testing, scrutiny of `performance' and the generation of data for competitive league tables have dominated the educational experience of young people. There is a growing recognition from all quarters that this model is failing and that alternative — and more creative — approaches are needed. The article examines whether there is sufficient professional confidence and autonomy to challenge the current hegemonic position.

Changing schools: more than a lick of paint and a well-orchestrated performance?

Thomson, P., McGregor, J., Sanders, E., Alexiadou, N. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

Creative Partnerships aims to change the ways in which children learn and teachers teach, and to support whole school change. Our research examines how schools take up the `cultural offer' made by Creative Partnerships. In this article, drawing on data from snapshot visits to 40 English schools, we suggest that it has made a difference to school culture and to its meaning-making practices. In many of the schools it has also spread beyond one-off projects to help teachers change their pedagogical approach more generally. We found a consistent trend across the schools towards cross-curricular and integrated approaches which in some cases had also produced structural shifts in the use of space, time, budgets and promotion positions. We raise some concerns about the ways in which performative regimes inhibit what some schools are able to achieve, but also point to challenges for Creative Partnerships relating to assessment, knowledge, and understandings about social justice.

Improving the English urban primary school: questions of policy

Maguire, M., Pratt-Adams, S. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

This article argues that the focus within much normative education policy is with in-school effects which has sidelined the impact of structural and material factors in respect of the urban primary school. Educational reforms intended to improve schools are less likely to make much impact unless these contextualizing matters are directly addressed. First, the article briefly outlines its approach towards policy in general terms; then it looks at what is meant by urbanization and the urban primary school. Some of the historical continuities that still influence the urban primary school are identified. The article then turns to two forms of contemporary public policy that address the urban primary school indirectly and directly; these are housing mix and the Intensifying Support and Improving Schools Programmes (ISP). One objective is to demonstrate the persistence of inequalities in schooling. The second objective is to highlight the complexities and contradictions that characterize attempts to improve the urban primary school.

Schools in trouble again: a critique of the National Challenge (2008)

Riddell, R. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

The National Challenge, whereby all secondary schools had to attain 5 A*—Cs by 2011, was launched in June 2008. In this article, Richard Riddell outlines the main provisions of the National Challenge, which he characterizes as shallow, mechanistic and playing an old `performativity' tune. Although the new benchmark will be achieved by many more schools, this will often be at the expense of the more fundamental, longer term changes necessary for social justice, particularly in urban or socially disadvantaged communities. And schools not likely to achieve the benchmark will be forced to take on a new organizational form which, unless the schools' intakes are changed, will still have to address the same issues.

Border crossings

MacBeath, J. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

This article comments on international consequences of performativity cultures and curriculum standardization, focusing particularly on the situation in England. It highlights the divide between youth culture and school learning, and the particular damage for poorer students. It argues the impact of the English performativity regime on teacher morale and learner engagement, the negative effects of `workforce remodelling' and the problems arising from incoherent inclusion policies. Despite the problems caused by the policy regime, the article ends by highlighting innovative schools which have been courageous enough to swim against the tide.

Call for Papers Improving Schools November 2009 Special Issue Theme: Participation

Regan, E., Byrom, T. — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 03:46:51 PDT

The diversity of change

Wrigley, T. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:22 PDT

Structural prerequisites for principals' and teachers' communication about teaching and learning issues

Arlestig, H. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:22 PDT

The common view of a successful school includes a visible principal who communicates frequently about the school's pedagogical tasks, teaching and learning. In this article, a study about principals' communication with their teachers is presented. Twenty-four Swedish secondary schools are divided into four groups depending on how they meet academic and social objectives. Questionnaires about teachers' and principals' views on the structural aspects of the communication process and regarding teaching and learning issues were analysed. Principals in the successful schools used communication in a more multidimensional way and communicated more often about issues related to pedagogical tasks. However, principals in all schools conducted few classroom visits and rarely gave teachers feedback. Even though all principals attended many meetings, the organizational structures did not support communication about teaching and learning issues and student outcomes, which indicates a widespread weakness in pedagogical leadership.

Bending the school rules to re-engage students: implications for improving teaching practice

Deed, C. G. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:22 PDT

What scope is there for teachers to purposefully deviate from their routine classroom practice in order to respond to disengaging students? A case study of a small provincial school in Australia shows an example of alternative pedagogy used in response to a disengaged group of young adolescents. The students temporarily engaged with a different version of school although they continued to resist and even sabotage established school routines. The main implication drawn from the case study is that school staff members need to consider the purpose of alternative pedagogy in terms of school engagement.

Understanding friendship between critical friends

Gibbs, P., Angelides, P. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:22 PDT

This conceptual article discusses the issue of friendship implied by the term `critical friends'. Our argument relates to the generalized use of the term `friendship' and the assumptions that it may carry compared with the actuality of the roles played by critical friends. We attempt to build a more precise definition of friendship which we believe can clarify what critical friends might be which is different from the utilitarian notion between critical friends. The article draws on Aristotle's work to develop a contemporary taxonomy of forms of friendly relationships and discusses this in the context of school improvement.

Community connection and change: a different conceptualization of school leadership

Lewis, M. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Many of our schools are situated in communities characterized by high levels of disadvantage, presenting a range of challenges. One possible response is to acknowledge this disadvantage and to try to address some of the problems it raises for students. Another is for the school to be proactive, recognizing the challenges faced by the community and taking a lead in bringing about change. Part of a larger research project, this article explores the extraordinary leadership role of Prospect Road State School (a pseudonym) in bringing change to a multiply disadvantaged community though collaborative action with other agencies and creative approaches to bringing people together. This school's experiences and achievement illustrate what may be possible when school leadership proactively sets out to improve a community described by the principal as being `in crisis'. The experiences explored indicate ways of rethinking the relationship between school and disadvantaged community — of working synergistically with others to make a significant difference.

Teaching assistants' perceptions of their professional role and their experiences of doing a Foundation Degree

Dunne, L., Goddard, G., Woolhouse, C. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

This article discusses the interim findings of a three-year ongoing research study that investigates the professional roles and personal experiences of teaching assistants who are also doing a Foundation Degree. We explore the perceptions of teaching assistants to question the official rhetoric and almost mandatory optimism surrounding Foundation Degrees and the skills culture promoted by the government in England. We show that Foundation Degrees are not necessarily regarded as `real degrees' by those who undertake them and they can be seen in an instrumental way that resonates with information, training and doing, rather than with knowledge or education. In making our analysis we also note that across groups of both primary and secondary teaching assistants there was a level of disillusionment regarding notions of professionality, status and views on becoming a teacher following a Foundation Degree. This rejection of teaching as a potential career was accompanied by a tangible resistance to the present emphasis on standards and standardized models of curriculum delivery.

External change agents in developed and developing countries

Mir Afzal Tajik, — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

During the last four decades, educational researchers and practitioners have intensively engaged in bringing about positive changes in schools. Therefore, the kinds of changes introduced to schools have become complex in nature and overwhelming in number — from improving teacher professional knowledge base and teaching repertoires to developing innovative curricula to changing the organizational structures and cultures in schools. The skills required by schools and teachers to implement these changes have also become more complex. Consequently, a large number of external agents — variously referred to as consultants, linking agents, education officers, or supervisors — have mobilized themselves for building schools' capacity and knowledge utilization at the local level. This article intends to analyse the existing stock of knowledge and understanding about external agents' roles and practices in school change, focusing on the significance, limitations, diversity and magnitude, and the challenges and tensions attached to this role in both developed and developing nations. The comparative analysis of the external change agents' roles and practices in the developed and developing country contexts provides useful insights into how context influences the change agents' roles and practices in school change.

Book Review: Les Bell (2007) Perspectives on Educational Management and Leadership: Continuum ISBN 978 0 8264 8831 2 {pound}70 (hbk) 214 pages

Torrance, D. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Humes, W. & Bryce, T. (2003) The distinctiveness of Scottish education. In W. Humes & T. Bryce (eds) Scottish Education: Second Edition Post-Devolution. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

Book Review: Ross Deuchar (2007) Citizenship, Enterprise and Learning: Harmonising Competing Educational Agendas: Trentham Books ISBN 978 185 856 3817 {pound}16.99 129 pages

Murphy, D. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Book Review: Gary Wilson (2006) Breaking through Barriers to Boys' Achievement: Developing a Caring Masculinity: Network Continuum ISBN 1855392119 {pound}21 152 pages

Hagney, S. P. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Book Review: Henry Maitles (2005) Values in Education - We're all Citizens Now Dunedin, Edinburgh ISBN 190 3765 242 {pound}13.50 85 pages

Brown, A. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Book Review: Network Continuum Pocket PAL series: London: Network Continuuum. Sample volumes: S. Stanley (2006) Creating Enquiring Minds ISBN 1 85539 107 4 B. Prashnig (2006) Learning Styles and Personalized Teaching ISBN: 1 85539 149-X M. Fleetham (2007) Multiple Intelligences ISBN 1 85539 192 9 T. Haward (2007) The Practical Guide to Independent Learning Skills ISBN 978 1 85539 187 1 S. Bowkett (2007) Emotional Intelligence ISBN 1 85539 165 1

Skinner, D. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Book Review: Brian Boyd (2005) CPD: Improving Professional Practice: Hodder Gibson ISBN 340 88991 8 {pound}9.99 112 pages

Skinner, D. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT

Book Review: Michael and Susan Klonsky (2008) Small Schools: Public School Reform Meets the Ownership Society Routledge ISBN 0 415 96123 8 {pound}14.99 208 pages. Mark Berends, Matthew Springer and Herbert Walberg, eds (2008) Charter School Outcomes Lawrence Erlbaum ISBN 0 8058 6222 6 {pound}21.99 300 pages

Wrigley, T. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 03:42:23 PDT