School Leadership Challenges in Canada

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Xiao ◽  
Paul Newton
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Leadership Challenges ◽  
Changing Roles ◽  
Immigrant And Refugee ◽  
Changing Demographics

Educational leadership as a concept refers to leadership across multiple levels and forms of educational institutions. The challenges facing school leaders in Canada center on the changing demographics of communities and school populations, shifts in Canadian society, and workload intensification related to factors such as increasing accountability regimes and changing expectations of schools. Although education in Canada is largely a matter of provincial jurisdiction, there are some similarities with respect to the challenges facing institutions across Canada. While regional differences occur, general trends in challenges can be observed throughout Canada. There are challenges related to the changing demographics and social context that include increases in immigrant and refugee populations, the growing numbers of Indigenous students and the implications of truth and reconciliation for settler and indigenous communities, the increased awareness of gender and sexual identity, and linguistic and religious diversity. There are also challenges related to the shifting policy context and public discourse with respect to the expectations of public schooling. These challenges include the necessity for schools to respond to the mental health and well-being of students and staff, the increasing pressures with respect to accountability and large-scale assessments, and the demands of parents and community members of schools and school leaders. The changing roles and responsibilities of school leaders have resulted in workload intensification and implications for leader recruitment and retention.

School leadership during a pandemic: navigating tensions

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 391-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah M. Netolicky
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Crisis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual

PurposeThis paper explores, from the perspective of an Australian pracademic, how school leaders are leading during the global COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis essay explores the tensions navigated by school leaders leading during this time of global crisis, by looking to research as well as the author's lived experience.FindingsThe author finds that school leaders are navigating the following: accountability and autonomy; equity and excellence; the individual and the collective and well-being and workload.Originality/valueThis paper offers insights into school leadership, at all times but especially during times of crisis and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Retrieving Intangibility, Stemming Biodiversity Loss: The Case of Sacred Places in Venda, Northern South Africa

Heritage ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 4524-4541
Author(s):  
Innocent Pikirayi ◽  
Munyadziwa Magoma
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Sacred Sites ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Goals

Sacred sites and landscapes mirror indigenous peoples’ identity, well-being and sense of place. In Venda, northern South Africa, such places are preserved through myths and legends. Following a scoping study, which also involved engagement with indigenous communities, we reveal how human-driven destruction of biodiversity contributes towards significant losses of such heritage. Large-scale agriculture, mining and commercial plantations around Thathe forest, Lake Fundudzi and Phiphidi waterfalls are not only destroying these places, but also impoverishing indigenous peoples. This is not sustainable from the perspective of heritage conservation, survival and well-being of indigenous communities. Recognising intangible values expressed through myths and legends is necessary in heritage conservation and in addressing some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

How school districts influence student achievement

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 519-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Leithwood ◽  
Jingping Sun ◽  
Catherine McCullough
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
School Districts ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
District Improvement ◽  
The Status ◽  
Family Variables

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of nine district characteristics on student achievement, explored the conditions that mediated the effects of such characteristics and contributed to understandings about the role school-level leaders play in district efforts to improve achievement. Design/methodology/approach Data for the study were provided by the responses of 2,324 school and district leaders in 45 school districts to two surveys. Student achievement evidence was provided by multi-grade provincial measures of math and language achievement. The analysis of these data included calculation of descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and regression mediation analysis. Findings Seven of nine district characteristics contributed significantly to student achievement and three conditions served as especially powerful mediators of such district effects. The same three conditions, as well as others, acted as significant mediators of school-level leader effects on achievement, as well. Practical implications District characteristics tested in the study provide a powerful framework for guiding the district improvement work of senior educational leaders. The organizational improvement efforts of both district and school leaders would be substantially enhanced by a better understanding of how to diagnose and improve the status of those conditions acting as significant mediators of the effects of both district and school leadership on student achievement. Originality/value This is one of a very few large-scale quantitative studies examining the extent to which characteristics frequently identified by district effectiveness research explain variation in student learning. It is also one of the very few studies identifying classroom, school and family variables that mediate district effects on such learning. The study also adds to a growing body of evidence about variables which mediate school leaders’ effects on such learning.

scholarly journals Baltic Social Justice School Leaders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny S. Tripses ◽  
◽  
Ilze Ivanova ◽  
Jūratė Valuckienė ◽  
Milda Damkuvienė ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Solution Processes ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Development Network

Social justice school leadership as a concept, while familiar in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States school leadership literature, is not widely recognized in other parts of the world. Social justice school leadership appropriately differs from one culture to another and is always context-specific to a particular school setting, great organization structure or country. However, social justice is a necessary and fundamental assumption for all educators committed to combating ignorance and the promotion of student global citizenship as a central theme of school practices. The purpose of this study was to provide understandings of ways that selected social justice school leaders from three countries; Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia conceive of and practice social justice in leading their schools. The manuscript describes how six Baltic directors, identified by local educators on the basis of research conducted by the International School Leaders Development Network (ISLDN) as social justice school leaders, responded to interview questions related to their practice. Four directors were Latvian and one each from Lithuania and Estonia. Limitations to the study include basing conclusions upon a single (or in one case, several) interview(s) per subject and limitations on generalizability of qualitative exploratory case study. By definition, every case study is unique, limiting generalizability. Interviews were thematically analyzed using the following definition: A social justice school leader is one who sees injustice in ways that others do not, and has the moral purpose, skills, and necessary relationships to combat injustice for the benefit of all students. Findings reveal strong application of values to identify problems based on well-being of all students and their families and to work collaboratively with other educators to find solution processes to complex issues related to social justice inequities. As social justice pioneers in their countries, these principals personify social justice school leadership in countries where the term social justice is not part of scholarly discourse.

Immigrant Youth in Germany

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 158-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Frankenberg ◽  
Katharina Kupper ◽  
Ruth Wagner ◽  
Stephan Bongard
Keyword(s):  
School System ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
Emotional And Behavioral Problems ◽  
Sociocultural Adaptation ◽  
Age Related ◽  
German School ◽  
Transcultural Adaptation

This paper reviews research on young migrants in Germany. Particular attention is given to the question of how Germany’s history of migration, immigration policies, and public attitude toward migrants influence the transcultural adaptation of children and adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds. We combine past research with the results of new empirical studies in order to shed light on migrants’ psychological and sociocultural adaptation. Studies comparing young migrants and their German peers in terms of psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and mental health outcome suggest higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems among migrants of most age groups. With regard to adolescent populations between the ages of 14 and 17 years, however, the existence of differences between migrants and natives appears to be less clear. Research has also yielded inconsistent findings regarding the time trajectory of transcultural adaptation among adolescents. The coincidence of acculturation and age-related change is discussed as a possible source of these inconsistencies. Further, we provide an overview of risk and protective factors such as conflicting role expectations and ethnic discrimination, which may cause heightened vulnerability to adverse adaptation outcomes in some groups. Large-scale studies have repeatedly shown migrants of all age groups to be less successful within the German school system, indicating poor sociocultural adaptation. Possible explanations, such as the idiosyncrasies of the German school system, are presented. Our own studies contribute to the understanding of young migrants’ adaptation process by showing that it is their orientation to German culture, rather than the acculturation strategy of integration, that leads to the most positive psychological and sociocultural outcomes. The paper concludes by discussing implications for future cross-cultural research on young migrants and by suggesting recommendations for multicultural policies.

Psychosocial Consequences of Body Weight and Obesity

2018 ◽  
pp. 274-286
Author(s):  
Deborah Carr ◽  
Vera K. Tsenkova
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Integrative Health ◽  
Psychosocial Consequences ◽  
Adults And Children

The body weight of U.S. adults and children has risen markedly over the past three decades. The physical health consequences of obesity are widely documented, and emerging research from the Midlife in the United States study and other large-scale surveys reveals the harmful impact of obesity on adults’ psychosocial and interpersonal well-being. This chapter synthesizes recent research on the psychosocial implications of body weight, with attention to explanatory mechanisms and subgroup differences in these patterns. A brief statistical portrait of body weight is provided, documenting rates and correlates of obesity, with a focus on race, gender, and socioeconomic status disparities. The consequences of body weight for three main outcomes are described: institutional and everyday discrimination, interpersonal relationships, and psychological well-being. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ways that recent integrative health research on the psychosocial consequences of overweight and obesity inform our understanding of population health.

scholarly journals Leisure Time Sports Activities and Life Satisfaction: Deeper Insights Based on a Representative Survey from Germany

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mutz ◽  
Anne K. Reimers ◽  
Yolanda Demetriou
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Leisure Satisfaction ◽  
General Life Satisfaction ◽  
Sports Activities

Abstract Observational and experimental studies show that leisure time sporting activity (LTSA) is associated with higher well-being. However, scholars often seem to assume that 1) LTSA fosters “general” life satisfaction, thereby ignoring effects on domain satisfaction; 2) the effect of LTSA on well-being is linear and independent of a person’s general activity level; 3) the amount of LTSA is more important than the repertoire of LTSA, i.e. the number of different activities; 4) all kinds of LTSA are equal in their effects, irrespective of spatial and organisational context conditions. Using data from the German SALLSA-Study (“Sport, Active Lifestyle and Life Satisfaction”), a large-scale CAWI-Survey (N = 1008) representing the population ≥ 14 years, the paper takes a closer look on these assumptions. Findings demonstrate that LTSA is associated with general life satisfaction and domain-specific satisfaction (concerning relationships, appearance, leisure, work and health), but that the relationship is most pronounced for leisure satisfaction. Associations of sport with life satisfaction, leisure satisfaction and subjective health are non-linear, approaching an injection point from which on additional LTSA is no longer beneficial. Moreover, findings lend support to the notion that diversity in LTSA matters, as individuals with higher variation in sports activities are more satisfied. Finally, results with regard to spatial and organizational context suggest that outdoor sports and club-organized sports have additional benefits.

scholarly journals Psychiatric disorders in China: strengths and challenges of contemporary research and clinical services

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Xiao Chang ◽  
Qiyong Gong ◽  
Chunbo Li ◽  
Weihua Yue ◽  
Xin Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Psychiatric Research ◽  
Clinical Services ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Neuroscience Research

Abstract China accounts for 17% of the global disease burden attributable to mental, neurological and substance use disorders. As a country undergoing profound societal change, China faces growing challenges to reduce the disease burden caused by psychiatric disorders. In this review, we aim to present an overview of progress in neuroscience research and clinical services for psychiatric disorders in China during the past three decades, analysing contributing factors and potential challenges to the field development. We first review studies in the epidemiological, genetic and neuroimaging fields as examples to illustrate a growing contribution of studies from China to the neuroscience research. Next, we introduce large-scale, open-access imaging genetic cohorts and recently initiated brain banks in China as platforms to study healthy brain functions and brain disorders. Then, we show progress in clinical services, including an integration of hospital and community-based healthcare systems and early intervention schemes. We finally discuss opportunities and existing challenges: achievements in research and clinical services are indispensable to the growing funding investment and continued engagement in international collaborations. The unique aspect of traditional Chinese medicine may provide insights to develop a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders. Yet obstacles still remain to promote research quality and to provide ubiquitous clinical services to vulnerable populations. Taken together, we expect to see a sustained advancement in psychiatric research and healthcare system in China. These achievements will contribute to the global efforts to realize good physical, mental and social well-being for all individuals.

scholarly journals Tourist Mental Health Drives Destination Choice, Marketing, and Matching

2021 ◽  
pp. 004728752110115
Author(s):  
Mary-Ann Cooper ◽  
Ralf Buckley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Destination Choice ◽  
Destination Marketing ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
Nature Tourism ◽  
Tourism Destinations ◽  
Tourism Enterprises ◽  
Health And Well Being

Leisure tourism, including destination choice, can be viewed as an investment in mental health maintenance. Destination marketing measures can thus be analyzed as mental health investment prospectuses, aiming to match tourist desires. A mental health framework is particularly relevant for parks and nature tourism destinations, since the benefits of nature for mental health are strongly established. We test it for one globally iconic destination, using a large-scale qualitative approach, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourists’ perceptions and choices contain strong mental health and well-being components, derived largely from autonomous information sources, and differing depending on origins. Parks agencies emphasize factual cognitive aspects, but tourism enterprises and destination marketing organizations use affective approaches appealing to tourists’ mental health.

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