IEJLL: International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning
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A Tri-State Study: Administrator Attitudes Toward Online Teacher Preparation Programs: Are Principals Logging On—or Logging Off? 11(3)
No full textThis study investigated the attitudes of principals toward the legitimacy of pre-service teacher preparation programs conducted wholly or almost wholly online. Random cluster sampling was utilized to select participants in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. A total of 326 principals completed questionnaires. Principals expressed apprehension about teacher dispositions and the “social” aspects of teaching that may be compromised in an online program, as well as the general ethicality surrounding online courses. If principals are to ultimately acknowledge the legitimacy of online teacher preparation, the degree-granting institutions must address these concerns and actively seek the input of administrators in program design
Supporting elementary teachers at the ‘chalk face’: A model for in-school professional development, 11(10)
No full textThe voluminous literature on teacher professional development presents varied components of what constitutes meaningful professional development experiences for elementary teachers. The research reported here first identifies these components through an analysis of the literature, and then describes a research project in which those components were actualized to support elementary teachers who explored their literacy teaching in their school and classrooms. The elements of the professional development experience that contributed to success include a professional culture, investment of time, collaborative relationships, the location for professional development, the acknowledgement of external influences, and purposeful interactions
Engaging staff in change-Experiences in Schools in England, 11(16)
No full textWorkforce remodeling in England has been presented as a means to empower school staff through a restructuring process which has possibilities to dramatically shift the ways in which they operate. This initiative has also included a number of legislative requirements intended to help embed the more technocratic aspects of the remodeling process. Data collected from 14 schools and 2 Local Authorities in England provides an evidence base for this article. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 100 staff including Headteachers, Chairs of Governors, teachers, teaching assistants, and administrators. Further, 666 questionnaire returns were collected from a range of schools and staff across these Authorities. This article explores the extent to which the remodeling initiative has resulted in a change of understandings rather than simply adopting the legislative elements of change and examines whether remodeling has enabled or enhanced schools in their ability to engage in change that is self-directed and rooted in an agreed educational ethos
New Zealand\u27s Education Reforms: Engendering Changes in the Teacher Unions, 11(22)
No full textThe shifts in the New Zealand state formation have changed the environment within which teacher unions operate. The entire state has been reorganized into a market based model. From a position established in the 19th century as the voice of the profession in a relationship with the state, after 1989 the teacher associations were structurally shifted to a much more solidly industrial-only role as unions. Teaching itself was shaped to more outcomes based models, while teachers\u27 workloads have increased enormously. This paper considers these changes in the legal structures, the industrial environment, and wider educational policy and their effects on the unions. It argues that a merger of the teacher unions is a logical response to the new political environment in order to provide unity for the development of an enhanced and deepened professionalism. However the particular professional identities of the members of both unions and their own separate histories are actively stopping the investigation of these opportunities
Neo-liberalism in British Columbia Education and Teachers\u27 Union Resistance, 11(24)
No full textSince the election of the Campbell government in 2001, teachers have experienced heightened conflict with the provincial government. An analysis of the discourse and power relations between the BC Teachers\u27 Federation (BCTF) and government reveals a neo-liberal agenda on the part of government and anti-neo-liberalism on the part of the BCTF. However, this is more than an intense disagreement about political ideology; the conflict is about the vision and purpose of K-12 public education and the meaning of professionalism. Neo-liberalism is a political ideology grounded in an unshakeable belief in unbridled markets as the source of all benefits for a society and its citizens. Neo-liberals believe the application of market principles to the public sector will result in greater efficiency and contribute to overall economic prosperity
Exploring Principals’ Perceptions of Applications, Benefits, and Barriers of Alberta\u27s SuperNet, 11(4)
No full textThe Alberta SuperNet, a very high speed, broadband network, was built to bring high-speed connectivity to every school, library, and municipal office in Alberta. This CDN $294 million investment was made based on the perceived need for high-speed connectivity to stimulate economic and community development and to enhance government services, especially education and health. A survey of Alberta school principals was conducted in the spring of 2005. This survey investigated principals’ perceptions of 14 potential teaching and learning, administrative, and professional development applications of broadband networking. Results of this survey revealed that while school principals voiced some apprehension, they nonetheless perceive value in broadband applications for educational purposes. Results of the survey can be used to provide rationale for broadband expenditures and both ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ side interventions designed to increase effective and enthusiastic use by local schools
Workforce Remodeling and the Limits to \u27Permanent Revolution:\u27 Some Responses of English Headteachers, 11(18)
No full textIn line with other public sector provision, the English school system has been subject to modernization since the advent of the New Labour government in 1997. This article views the reform of education in the light of the movement towards new public management and traces the process of the reform of workforce remodeling that has seen the shedding by teachers of non-essential tasks and their take-up by support staff. The reasons for the re-division of labor are examined, as are the tensions within the change management process. As instigators of reform at school-level, these developments placed Headteachers in a critical position. The core of the article, based on in-depth interviews with a number of Headteachers from a cluster of schools in a Midlands local authority, details Headteachers\u27 reception and responses to both the substance of the reforms and the process. The article concludes that there was little enthusiasm for the changes that brought about unintended consequences and resentment about both the timescale for the required changes and what was felt to be non-recognition of the ability of Headteachers to manage change without detailed outside prescription
Social Constructivist e-Learning: A Case Study, 11(5)
No full textIn this article, the authors considered the use of the software Knowledge Forum to complete a curriculum-based project with students enrolled in asynchronous, Web-based Advanced Placement courses in Canada and the United States. Knowledge Forum is an online database that promotes written interaction in a social constructivist environment. The authors investigated how students utilized the system to enhance learning, more so than the in the project’s teachers’ experiences in traditional environments, at both lower-order and higher-order levels. They found that students effectively interacted as a community and were able to exhibit all of the necessary analytical skills required by the activity
Thematic Differences in Mission Statements Between Four-Year Public Institutions and Two-Year Colleges in Texas, 11(1)
No full textThe mission statements of 34 four-year and of 68 two-year colleges in the State of Texas were examined for themes to determine the extent to which their themes were similar or dissimilar in nature. Although previous researchers have attempted to analyze and demonstrate that these mission statements often have reoccurring themes, only limited information is available about the specific thematic differences in the mission statements of two-year community colleges and four-year institutions. In the qualitative analysis, 15 themes were determined to be present among the sample: Leadership, Citizenship, Cultural Diversity, Life-Long Learning, Excellence in Teaching and Research, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Academic Achievement, Collaboration and Partnership, Vocational and Technical Skills, Access to Higher Education, Academic Readiness and Skill Development, Student Services, Community Focus, and Technology. Quantitative analyses yielded statistically significant differences in the themes of Leadership, Citizenship, Cultural Diversity, Excellence in Teaching and Research, Creativity, Academic Achievement, Vocational and Technical Skills, Academic Readiness Skill Development, with more four-year institutions emphasizing Leadership, Citizenship, Cultural Diversity, Excellence in Teaching and Research, Creativity, and Academic Achievement, and with more two-year colleges emphasizing Vocational and Technical Skills and Academic Readiness Skill Development. The two levels of Texas higher education institutions distinguished themselves by fulfilling their traditional roles, with four-year institutions adhering to their excellence in teaching and research, and providing leadership, and with two-year colleges adhering to their role of open-access and vocational training. On the other hand, four-year institutions also expanded their role to shoulder responsibilities typically fulfilled by the two-year colleges