scholarly journals Organizational Learning in Schools under Sanction

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara S. Finnigan ◽  
Alan J. Daly ◽  
Tricia J. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Turnaround ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Low Performing Schools ◽  
Reform Strategies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Low Performance ◽  
Culture And Climate

The focus on “school turnaround” has become central to policy and practice in the United States as a result of school accountability, yet little remains known about school improvement under sanction. This study uses theories of organizational learning to understand the processes through which educators search for and adopt reform strategies, as well as the extent to which these schools’ organizational culture and climate are conducive to this type of learning. Our mixed methods study involves document analysis, intensive case studies, and a survey of teachers in schools under sanction in a large urban school district in the USA. We found limited evidence of organizational learning, and instead evidence suggested superficial use of restructuring planning, rare diagnoses of root causes of low performance, and limited engagement in learning processes of school staff. In addition, schools relied on exploitation resulting in the recycling of previous practices. In part, the limited organizational learning in evidence was the result of structures and climates within these low-performing schools that inhibited a more learning-oriented approach to reform. Our study has implications for school improvement under accountability policies as it uncovers important challenges that limit organizational learning and, as a result, school improvement under sanction.

The ‘Sexting’ Quagmire: Criminal Justice Responses to Adolescents’ Electronic Transmission of Indecent Images in the UK and the USA

Youth Justice ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Stone
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Justice System ◽  
Electronic Communication ◽  
Child Pornography ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Adolescent embrace of electronic communication with peers often involves sharing indecent images of each other, sometimes with abusive consequences. How should the criminal justice system respond? Use of conventional child pornography legislation can be inappropriately heavy-handed and draconian. This article considers recent developments in the United States and considers how this mode of juvenile indiscretion fits with law, policy and practice in England and Wales.

Short-Cycle School Improvement Planning as a Lever to Launch School Turnaround: A Descriptive Analysis of Plans

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Vangronigen ◽  
Coby V. Meyers
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Turnaround ◽  
Plan Quality ◽  
Short Cycle ◽  
Low Performing Schools ◽  
School Improvement Planning ◽  
Improvement Planning ◽  
State Education ◽  
Over Time

Background School improvement planning is a common school leadership practice built on assumptions that schools increase organizational performance if rational yearly plans are developed and then enacted with fidelity. A quality school improvement plan (SIP) should position subsequent critical leadership and instructional moves in a more holistic change initiative. Although multiple studies suggest that positive relationships exist between SIP quality and student achievement outcomes, all studies of SIPs have focused on the traditional, yearlong approach to school improvement planning. An alternative approach operates on shorter cycles of approximately one semester, a model that could be beneficial for low-performing schools engaged in turnaround efforts in which altering goals and strategies might need to occur more frequently to be situationally responsive. Purpose In this study, we analyze short-cycle SIPs from three cohorts of low-performing schools participating in a university-based program focused on improving systems leadership to rapidly increase school performance and student achievement. We determine overall SIP quality and whether it changes over time. Furthermore, we analyze plan quality by planning domain (e.g., vision, action steps) over time. To our knowledge, this is the first study that analyzes short-cycle SIPs specifically. Research Design We employ a conventional content analysis approach to examine 389 short-cycle SIPs submitted by 136 schools across three cohorts of school principals attempting to lead school turnaround. To analyze the short-cycle SIPs, we developed a rubric that includes 12 planning domains and is based on previous analyses of SIPs since 2001. Our descriptive analyses of short-cycle SIPs show easily identifiable patterns. Conclusions Overall plan quality is weak. Although most planning domains and overall plan quality scores improve over time, their increases are mostly nominal. Results suggest that principals attempting to lead turnaround efforts do not often set compelling turnaround visions or engage in deep root cause analysis to identify meaningful focus areas. Although we believe there is great potential in short-cycle SIPs, results further suggest that principals must be strategic in what they prioritize, especially in low-performing schools facing myriad challenges. Last, service providers, school districts, and state education agencies would be wise to recognize that principals will typically develop SIPs that are directly responsive to templates and/or policies.

Children for sale? The blurred boundary between intercountry adoption and sale of children in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Shura ◽  
Elle Rochford ◽  
Brian K Gran
Keyword(s):  
Social Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Adoptive Families ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa

Purpose – Intercountry adoptions (hereafter ICAs) in the USA are a form of sale of children. According to international policy, sale of children is an illicit social practice that involves improper financial gains by at least one party. Sale of children is a threat to legitimate ICA. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the policy and practice of ICAs in the USA, including pricing arrangements, demonstrate that US ICAs, which can have humanitarian aims and be legitimate forms of family development, comprise sale of children. Design/methodology/approach – Internet searches and e-mail inquiries were used to obtain ICA cost data for a randomised sample of 10 per cent of the agencies in the USA that facilitate ICAs. Findings – Cost information was obtained from only 25 per cent of the sample, suggesting lack of transparency in and available information about monetary costs of US ICAs. A range of US$12,000 to $40,000 suggests that US ICAs are expensive and costs vary. Large, undisclosed fees in the form of “required donations”, agency fees, and extensive foreign travel requirements imply third party economic gains are made through US ICA transactions. Practical implications – US ICA agencies should disclose costs and employ transparent practices. US policies regulating ICAs should be clarified and strengthened. The US Government should ratify, implement, and enforce major children’s rights international policy standards. Social implications – International demand for adopted children may encourage child trafficking, child laundering, and kidnapping for profit (see Smolin, 2005), putting children, adoptive families, and birth communities at risk of breaches of basic human rights. Originality/value – No study has offered systematic analysis of monetary costs of US ICAs and linked this analysis to policy and legitimacy of social practices.

scholarly journals Staff Development Policy

1996 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert T. Stout
Keyword(s):  
Staff Development ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Consumer Market ◽  
Current Form ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
The Public

It is argued here that staff development in the public elementary and secondary schools of the United States is misguided in both policy and practice. In its current form it represents an imperfect consumer market in which "proof of purchase" substitutes for investment in either school improvement or individual development. A policy model based on investment in school improvement is shown, in which different assumptions about how to improve schools are linked to different alternatives for the design and implementation of staff development. These are argued to be based on an investment rather than consumption model.

Open Access in the USA: A Ridiculously Brief and Hopelessly Incomplete Overview

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Engsberg
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Federal Republic ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
The United States ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Usa ◽  
State And Local ◽  
The Many

Open access (OA) in the United States is similar to a crazy quilt. There is a patchwork of OA policy and practice among the many federal, state, and local jurisdictions in the United States, as well as individual policies and practices in individual institutions, whether those are academic, business, or governmental. By way of a reminder, the United States is a federal republic consisting of 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., five major territories, and various possessions. Most readers know that already, but what one should also understand is that each of the states and territories has its own policies with respect to OA, as does the Federal government.

Improving Low-Performing Schools: A Meta-Analysis of Impact Evaluation Studies

2021 ◽  
pp. 000283122110608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth E. Schueler ◽  
Catherine Armstrong Asher ◽  
Katherine E. Larned ◽  
Sarah Mehrotra ◽  
Cynthia Pollard
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
English Language ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Low Performing Schools ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
K 12

The public narrative surrounding efforts to improve low-performing K–12 schools in the United States has been notably gloomy. But what is known empirically about whether school improvement works, which policies are most effective, which contexts respond best to intervention, and how long it takes? We meta-analyze 141 estimates from 67 studies of post–No Child Left Behind Act turnaround policies. On average, policies had moderate positive effects on math and no effect on English Language Arts achievement on high-stakes exams. We find positive impacts on low-stakes exams and no evidence of harm on nontest outcomes. Extended learning time and teacher replacements predict greater effects. Contexts serving majority-Latina/o populations saw the largest improvements. We cannot rule out publication bias entirely but find no differences between peer-reviewed versus nonpeer-reviewed estimates.

Role strain: a duo-ethnography of fathers in online doctoral education in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. McAvoy Jr ◽  
Russell Thacker
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Role Strain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Online Students ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Graduate Degrees ◽  
The Usa

Purpose Within the USA, current trends in higher education show more women than men achieving graduate degrees. Among the potential reasons for this disparity is that fathers are reporting challenges in balancing their additional responsibilities while increasing their housework and childcare investment. Many fathers are turning to online graduate education to more effectively balance home and school responsibilities. However, limited portrayals of fathers' experiences in online education exist. Design/methodology/approach In this duoethnography of two online doctoral student fathers, the authors add to the limited literature on both fathers and online students in navigating home, school and work responsibilities. The authors use Goode’s role strain theory to examine the challenges to achieving a balance between each sphere of responsibility and explore strategies for managing these tensions. Findings The authors discuss the need for ongoing flexibility and change, the process of navigating feelings of guilt and self-doubt and the ability to engage in daily role bargains. They argue that online education is generally not a panacea for easing role conflict and find that integration is an effective strategy to aid online students' persistence in their programs. Practical implications The authors conclude with policy and practice recommendations for future online doctoral student fathers and doctoral program designers. Originality/value Little research has been conducted from the online doctoral student father lens. This research fills in this gap and lends a voice to fathers who are navigating the doctoral journey.

How State Education Agencies Are Administering School Turnaround Efforts: 15 Years After No Child Left Behind

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan A. VanGronigen ◽  
Coby V. Meyers
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Turnaround ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Low Performing Schools ◽  
State Education Agency ◽  
State Education ◽  
Education Agency ◽  
K 12

School turnaround—the rapid improvement of student achievement in low-performing schools—is increasingly a major topic of interest in K-12 public education. Federal legislation has left varying degrees of school improvement–related responsibilities up to states, and policy makers have divergent views about how to realize turnaround. We investigate and describe how each state education agency (SEA) is administering school turnaround efforts in federally designated priority schools. To accomplish this, we examined a variety of publicly available documents from SEA websites and summarized the data into three overarching categories. We discuss how this finding has significant implications for policy makers and SEAs, especially as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is implemented.

scholarly journals Implementation of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) (Differences Between Saudi Arabia and the USA)

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-122
Author(s):  
Jo Nell Wood ◽  
Abdulmajeed K. Alshammari
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning Community ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Implementation Level ◽  
Teachers Professional Development

Professional Learning Community (PLC) for teachers is one of the trending ways on improving students’ achievement. This article aims at investigating the implementation level of Professional Learning Community (PLC) in the schools of the United States of America and Saudi Arabia, as perceived by teachers. Also, the article evaluates whether there are significant differences on the implementation level based on country, gender, and years of experience. Participants of the study were public school teachers from both countries. To attain the purpose of the study, the descriptive approach was used. Using Means and Standard Deviation (SD), the findings reveal that the level of implementation of PLC in Saudi Arabia was higher compared to the USA. However, by using the T-test and ANOVA, it was revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the implementation level based on country, gender, and years of experience. Recommendations and suggestions were provided for implementation improvement and future studies. Keywords: Professional Learning Community (PLC), teachers’ professional development, school improvement

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