Global Education Review (Mercy College, New York)
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Clinical Experiences and Mediational Activities in Urban Teacher Preparation: Learning and Critical Consciousness
Get PDFIn a longitudinal design experiment conducted within an urban teacher preparation program, we employed ethnographic and auto-ethnographic methods to investigate the following research questions: 1) In what ways do clinical experiences (CEs) support prospective teachersΓÇÖ (PTs) development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for urban teaching? 2) How is it determined that adjustments need to be made to the design and facilitation of CEs, and what did these adjustments yield in terms of student learning outcomes? The program centers and leverages CEs in order for PTs to connect theory and practice, particularly an awareness of, and skills associated with, equitable teaching practices. In our two-year field-based program, CEs include community explorations, one-on-one and small group work with children, two student teaching practicums, and various school-community events. We describe the iterative design process undertaken to maximize the benefits yielded from CEs. After working with three cohorts of PTs for their entire professional training, we found that: 1) focusing attention on the intentional design and assessment of the mediational activities coupled with CEs leads to more nuanced understandings and enactments of culturally relevant teaching among PTs; and 2) CEs afford PTs abundant opportunities to shape complex identities as urban teachers. Specifically, we found that clinical experiences and corresponding mediational activities support PTsΓÇÖ understanding of families of color, allow them to recognize and address problematic schooling practices, and strengthen PTsΓÇÖ otherwise fragile critical consciousness. We conclude that strategic interventions can provide clarity for PTs around what has, indeed, been learned at particular intervals in the program, and what is left to be developed in the final practicum and beyond
"Out of My Comfort Zone": Understanding the Impact of a Service-Learning Experience in Rural El Salvador
Get PDFThis qualitative case study was designed to explore the impact of a two-week service-learning experience in rural El Salvador on students\u27 perceptions of its impact on them personally, professionally and  their global awareness.  Students stayed in an economically impoverished village in rural El Salvador and worked on projects that promoted education for children in the village.  Participants included 15 graduate and undergraduate students; 13 from the College of Education of a large university in the northeastern part of the United States. Multiple data sources were used to understand these impacts including: open-ended interviews conducted two to four months after the trip; field notes from participant observations in large and small group activities, group reflections; and informal incidents and conversations; review of documents related to the class (student journals; student final papers), and daily activity and health logs.
   While the initial process of adjustment was difficult for some students, all students felt that their participation in this experience had an important, positive impact on them.  Data indicated that this impact occurred in all three major areas addressed in this study, including: personal (e.g. sense of appreciation, gaining perspective, rethinking consumption, clarifying values, and learning they “could do it”/self-efficacy, professional (affirming career choices, ability to work with Latino children and families; improving professional skills) and global awareness (e.g. perspectives on poverty and social justice, views of immigration, understanding of the world).  Findings will be discussed in terms of exant literature related to the impact of short-term service experiences
Leadership for Primary Schools: An Examination of Innovation Within an Austrian Educational Context
Get PDFThis study examined relationships between the work of innovative school principals and innovative primary schools┬á determined by defining eight areas of school leadership: Instructional Development, Classroom Management, School Organization, Social Interaction, Personnel Development, Cooperation, Infrastructure and School Marketing. A questionnaire was sent out to 658 primary school principals in Lower Austria. Data were analyzed using Lime Survey, SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), and PASW (Predictive Analysis Soft Ware). To determine to what extent the self-assessment of principals supported the existence of respective areas of innovation, their self-assessment (independent variable) was correlated with the outcomes from the item grouping (i.e., innovation themes). In addition, a correlation calculation with correlation parameters by Pearson and Spearman was executed. In summary, it must be pointed out that between the self-assessment of the principals and the subsequent self-assessment of school innovation themes no statistically significant correlations were verifiable. The study supports the need for further education and training that can support principals in their role as designers of their schools.┬
Core Competencies and Strategies for Effective Leadership
Get PDFBook Review of: ΓÇ£The Teacher LeaderΓÇ¥ by Daniel R. Tomal, Craig A. Schilling, and Robert K. Wilhit
A Comparative Look at Citizenship Education in the Western World
Get PDFBook review ofCitizenship, Democracy and Higher Education in Europe, Canada, and the USA.  Edited by Jason Laker, Concepción Naval and Kornelija Mrnjaus. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-137-28747-
An Educator\u27s Guide to Bits, Bytes, and Teaching
Get PDFBook review of: "Technology for Classroom and Online Learning: An Educator’s Guide to Bits, Bytes, and Teaching." By Samuel M. Kwon, Daniel R. Tomal, and Aram S. Agajanian. Lanham, MD:  Rowman and Littlefield, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4758-1544-
The Politics Of Educational Reform: The Alberta Charter School Experiment 20 Years Later
Get PDFIn this paper we examine the charter school movement in Alberta over the past 20 years to assess those factors that have affected its impact on public education. Through a content analysis of policy documents, charter school research, and interviews with various stakeholder groups we elucidate how the charter school policy and regulations limit and control the impact of competition and innovation and contravene market theory.  Specifically we focus on the extent to which charter schools in Alberta are fulfilling the expectations of policy reformers—as sites of research and innovation, vehicles to create competition and expanded choice options for parents, and improve student achievement.   We conclude the impact of charter schools is more the result of innovative policy design than free market competition
The U.S. Charter School Landscape: Extant Literature, Gaps in Research, and Implications for the U.S. Educational System
Get PDFMore than 20 years into public charter school implementation, the U.S. experience offers many lessons to help inform policymakers and others about how to achieve the best possible results with charter school policies. In the last 15 years or so, a number of rigorous studies have examined the effects of these schools. This paper places this research within the framework of the charter school concept and what proponents saw as the goals for the reform. It then moves on to discuss the outcomes and what the research suggests makes some charter schools effective including student achievement. Finally, the paper concludes with discussion points and thoughts for policymakers and researchers
From Rights to Realities: Confronting the Challenge of Educating Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries
Get PDFThe Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has been the catalyst for countless national policies around the world which focus on increased participation of individuals with disabilities in educational and community settings. Despite these national and international policies, most children with disabilities in developing countries are out-of-school. This manuscript examines local factors which make it difficult to address the needs of individuals with disabilities in developing nations.┬á We begin by describing the link between global poverty and disability and a summary of relevant international agreements. ┬áWe then describe common barriers to the realization of these agreements that have been reported in a number of studies.┬á In addition to relevant literature on this topic, we highlight examples that have emerged from studies conducted in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Liberia to illustrate salient issues about the topic.┬á The studies revealed some common barriers to educational access that are consistent with the relatively limited literature conducted in local contexts.┬á Recommendations for addressing these challenges include focusing on public acceptance and awareness, seeking community voice, connection, and support, providing training that is practical, functional, and widely available, investing in systems for transportation, and improving the overall quality of programming.┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬