scholarly journals School Development Approaches Over Time: Strengths, Limitations, and the Need for a New Approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-21
Author(s):  
Rose M. Ylimaki ◽  
Lynnette A. Brunderman

AbstractAcross the globe, we observe policy trends towards evidence-based school development, “scientific” research, and increasingly centralized curriculum, all occurring amidst growing digitalization and demographic changes resulting in increasingly pluralistic schools and communities. As a result of these policy pressures, many universities and other educational organizations have proposed various evidence-based school development models or projects aimed at continuous improvement. In this chapter, we contest evidence produced from quasi-experimental research designs with other empirically tested evidence. We critique several established school development programs across the U.S. Finally, we propose that in order to have school capacity for continuous development, we need a school development process that is contextually-based and able to consider, reflect upon and use data from evidence-based programs and other sources as appropriate for school-identified problems, and that schools must be able to evaluate their own programs and processes in their particular contexts, with particular populations. For this, we need school development grounded in understandings of education and leadership as well as evidence. For our purposes, we define school development as a continuous growth process for school teams supporting education amidst tensions between policy expectations for use of research-driven evidence and the needs of students in increasingly diverse contexts.

2021 ◽  
pp. 000494412110034
Author(s):  
Lucy Corbett ◽  
Philayrath Phongsavan ◽  
Louisa R Peralta ◽  
Adrian Bauman

Professional development (PD) provides an opportunity to promote the psychological, social, and physical health tools teachers require to maintain teacher wellbeing. Despite their potential, little is known about PD programs targeting the health and wellbeing of Australian teachers. This study aimed to summarize the characteristics of Australian PD programs targeted at teacher wellbeing, identify gaps in existing PD and make recommendations for future research and practice. Three search strategies, (1) search engine results, (2) a manual search of known Australian education websites, and (3) requests for information from Australian education organizations, were combined to ensure a comprehensive inventory of PD programs was compiled. This study found 63 PD programs promoting health and wellbeing that currently exist for Australian teachers. Of these, only three provided evidence of their evaluation indicating programs are advertised and implemented without evidence of their effectiveness. Future PD should be evaluated with findings of the evaluations reported publicly so evidence-based programs promoting teacher’s health and wellbeing can be recommended and implemented.


Author(s):  
John C. Norcross ◽  
Thomas P. Hogan ◽  
Gerald P. Koocher ◽  
Lauren A. Maggio

Evidence-based practice depends on research as its key source, and that research follows one of several designs. This chapter identifies commonly used research designs, terms used in their application, and the special strengths and weaknesses of each design. Designs include randomized clinical trials, quasi-experimental designs, surveys, and case study methods. Discussion of multivariate methods covers the important role of partial correlation and its applications in multiple regression, structural equation modeling, factor analysis (both exploratory and confirmatory), and mediator analysis. The chapter further details the role of the hypothesis in the designs, types of errors (I and II) affecting conclusions, and the role of power in statistical tests. Critical factors in drawing causal conclusions from the various designs receive special attention throughout.


2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly D. Becker ◽  
Dana Darney ◽  
Celene Domitrovich ◽  
Catherine Bradshaw ◽  
Nicholas S. Ialongo

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 599-600
Author(s):  
Tracy Mitzner ◽  
Elena Remillard ◽  
Kara Cohen ◽  
Jordan Chen

Abstract Tele-technologies may be able to increase access to evidence-based exercise interventions for adults aging with long-term mobility disabilities. This population experiences substantial barriers in attending such programs in person, including lack of transportation to classes, inaccessible buildings where classes are held, and lack of appropriate modifications offered for this population of older adults. It is critical to overcome such barriers to ensure this population has an opportunity to receive the benefits of evidence-based programs. In this study we are translating an in-person evidence-based tai chi intervention, Tai Chi for Arthritis, to an online platform using videoconferencing software for those aging with long-term mobility disabilities. We will describe our approach of including users from the target population and industry representatives (videoconferencing software developer, Tai Chi for Arthritis program developer as well as local master trainer) in the adaptation of the intervention and present the key findings from doing so.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Zamboni ◽  
Samiksha Singh ◽  
Mukta Tyagi ◽  
Zelee Hill ◽  
Claudia Hanson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Improving quality of care is a key priority to reduce neonatal mortality and stillbirths. The Safe Care, Saving Lives programme aimed to improve care in newborn care units and labour wards of 60 public and private hospitals in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India, using a collaborative quality improvement approach. Our external evaluation of this programme aimed to evaluate programme effects on implementation of maternal and newborn care practices, and impact on stillbirths, 7- and 28-day neonatal mortality rate in labour wards and neonatal care units. We also aimed to evaluate programme implementation and mechanisms of change. Methods We used a quasi-experimental plausibility design with a nested process evaluation. We evaluated effects on stillbirths, mortality and secondary outcomes relating to adherence to 20 evidence-based intrapartum and newborn care practices, comparing survey data from 29 hospitals receiving the intervention to 31 hospitals expected to receive the intervention later, using a difference-in-difference analysis. We analysed programme implementation data and conducted 42 semi-structured interviews in four case studies to describe implementation and address four theory-driven questions to explain the quantitative results. Results Only 7 of the 29 intervention hospitals were engaged in the intervention for its entire duration. There was no evidence of an effect of the intervention on stillbirths [DiD − 1.3 percentage points, 95% CI − 2.6–0.1], on neonatal mortality at age 7 days [DiD − 1.6, 95% CI − 9–6.2] or 28 days [DiD − 3.0, 95% CI − 12.9—6.9] or on adherence to target evidence-based intrapartum and newborn care practices. The process evaluation identified challenges in engaging leaders; challenges in developing capacity for quality improvement; and challenges in activating mechanisms of change at the unit level, rather than for a few individuals, and in sustaining these through the creation of new social norms. Conclusion Despite careful planning and substantial resources, the intervention was not feasible for implementation on a large scale. Greater focus is required on strategies to engage leadership. Quality improvement may need to be accompanied by clinical training. Further research is also needed on quality improvement using a health systems perspective.


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