How Conceptions of Equity Inform Principal Data Use: A Purposeful Examination of Principals From Four School Districts

2021 ◽  
pp. 0013161X2110560
Author(s):  
Rachel Roegman ◽  
Ruqayyah Perkins-Williams ◽  
Matt Budzyn ◽  
Olivia Killian-Tarr ◽  
David Allen
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Data Use ◽  
District Level ◽  
Unique Definition ◽  
Definition Of

In this study, we examine principals’ data use within four districts are engaged in district-level professional learning around equity. Drawing on Gutierrez's framework for dimensions of equity, we consider how principals engage in data use in light of the dimensions of access, achievement, identity, and power. Findings suggest each district had its own definition of equity and engaged in work at advancing equity based on this unique definition. We conclude with implications for policy, preparation, and practice related to these different understandings of equity.

Developing New Literacies through Blended Learning

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-49
Author(s):  
Deborah Kitchener ◽  
Janet Murphy ◽  
Robert Lebans
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

This article reports on the implementation and impact of two blended models of teacher professional learning that promote innovative classroom practice and improved literacy and numeracy in six school districts in Ontario, Canada. The Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program (ABEL), situated at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, transforms how teachers learn and teach through a strategic blend of face-to-face interaction, technological tools and resources, online interaction and support. Learning Connections (LC), its sister project, uses the same model to improve literacy and numeracy in school districts. Research into the impact of both programs reveals increased student engagement and achievement, enhanced teacher efficacy, and improved results in literacy and numeracy. This report presents the findings from two participant surveys conducted in one large suburban board just north of Toronto, and one large rural board in Northern Ontario, and demonstrates how the working definition of literacy that teachers use in the classroom is being transformed by their use of technology in the classroom.

Developing New Literacies through Blended Learning

2012 ◽  
pp. 237-253
Author(s):  
Deborah Kitchener ◽  
Janet Murphy ◽  
Robert Lebans
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Learning Program ◽  
Technology In The Classroom ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Definition Of

This article reports on the implementation and impact of two blended models of teacher professional learning that promote innovative classroom practice and improved literacy and numeracy in six school districts in Ontario, Canada. The Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program (ABEL), situated at York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, transforms how teachers learn and teach through a strategic blend of face-to-face interaction, technological tools and resources, online interaction and support. Learning Connections (LC), its sister project, uses the same model to improve literacy and numeracy in school districts. Research into the impact of both programs reveals increased student engagement and achievement, enhanced teacher efficacy, and improved results in literacy and numeracy. This report presents the findings from two participant surveys conducted in one large suburban board just north of Toronto, and one large rural board in Northern Ontario, and demonstrates how the working definition of literacy that teachers use in the classroom is being transformed by their use of technology in the classroom.

Light touch, heavy hand: principals and data-use PLCs

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Huguet ◽  
Caitlin C. Farrell ◽  
Julie A. Marsh
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Equal Opportunity ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
School Level ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Principal's Role

Purpose The use of data for instructional improvement is prevalent in today’s educational landscape, yet policies calling for data use may result in significant variation at the school level. The purpose of this paper is to focus on tools and routines as mechanisms of principal influence on data-use professional learning communities (PLCs). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a comparative case study of two low-income, low-performing schools in one district. The data set included interview and focus group transcripts, observation field notes and documents, and was iteratively coded. Findings The two principals in the study employed tools and routines differently to influence ways that teachers interacted with data in their PLCs. Teachers who were given leeway to co-construct data-use tools found them to be more beneficial to their work. Findings also suggest that teachers’ data use may benefit from more flexibility in their day-to-day PLC routines. Research limitations/implications Closer examination of how tools are designed and time is spent in data-use PLCs may help the authors further understand the influence of the principal’s role. Originality/value Previous research has demonstrated that data use can improve teacher instruction, yet the varied implementation of data-use PLCs in this district illustrates that not all students have an equal opportunity to learn from teachers who meaningfully engage with data.

scholarly journals Making sense of international variations in lesson study and lesson study-like practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brahm Norwich
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Lesson Study ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Problem Solving ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Learning Development ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine variations within lesson study (LS) practices and their connections with related traditions: teacher research/enquiry approaches, professional development models, professional learning communities and group problem-solving approaches. Questions are addressed about the relationships between different professional learning approaches in terms of definitions and frameworks. Design/methodology/approach Academic databases and website sources were searched in a purposive way to identify 20 practices associated with these traditions for comparative analysis. Findings A conceptual framework consisting of eight dimensions was constructed to account for the variations within and between these professional learning traditions: for instance, about the settings in which the practices take place, the purposes of the practices and the specific procedures involved. By illustrating how specific practices fitted within this framework it is concluded that the variations within the LS tradition are wide enough to make it difficult to identify a set of necessary and sufficient features of LS to distinguish LS practices from the other non-LS professional learning practices. Reasons are also given for considering whether a polythetic type of definition of professional learning/development practices might be constructed. Research limitations/implications The possibility for a more systematic review of professional learning approaches for the construction of a conceptual framework is discussed. Practical implications Ways in which this kind of conceptualisation can be useful in promoting clarity about professional learning practices and in developing these practices are discussed. Originality/value The originality of this paper lies in the construction of a conceptual framework to analyse similarities and differences within and between various professional learning traditions.

scholarly journals Data Use Among Principals and Teachers: Divergent Paths or Common Ground?

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-76
Author(s):  
Waheeb Albiladi ◽  
Kara Lasater ◽  
Ed Bengtson
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Central State ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
South Central ◽  
Multiple Cycles ◽  
The Common ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study examines teachers’ and administrators’ use of data to inform their practice in one south-central state. Using a qualitative research approach, the study involved 76 educators representing eight school districts. Data were collected using focus groups with teachers and in-depth interviews with school principals. Data were inductively and deductively analyzed using multiple cycles of coding. Analysis of data revealed three themes that exposed differences in the use of data by teachers and administrators: the challenges of data use, the “levels” at which data are viewed (micro and macro lenses), and the value placed on formal and informal data. Findings suggest that by understanding the differences between teachers’ and administrators’ perspectives on data use and recognizing the common ground that unites their perspectives, schools can create data cultures that foster shared expectations, collaboration, and trust between teachers and administrators.

scholarly journals The Principle of Continuous Biological Information Flow as the Fundamental Foundation for the Biological Sciences. Implications for Ageing Research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavi Marsellach
Keyword(s):  
Biological Sciences ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Biological Knowledge ◽  
Phenotypic Characteristics ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Face ◽  
Unique Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Flow Of Information

The current state of biological knowledge contains an unresolved paradox: life as a continuity in the face of the phenomena of ageing. In this manuscript I propose a theoretical framework that offers a solution for this apparent contradiction. The framework proposed is based on a rethinking of what ageing is at a molecular level, as well as on a rethinking of the mechanisms in charge of the flow of information from one generation to the following ones. I propose an information-based conception of ageing instead of the widely accepted damage-based conception of ageing and propose a full recovery of the chromosome theory of inheritance to describe the intergenerational flow of information. Altogether the proposed framework allows a precise and unique definition of what life is: a continuous flow of biological information. The proposed framework also implies that ageing is merely a consequence of the way in which epigenetically-coded phenotypic characteristics are passed from one generation to the next ones.

Data Use Practices for Improved Mathematics Teaching and Learning: The Importance of Productive Dissonance and Recurring Feedback Cycles

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolley Bruce Christman ◽  
Caroline B. Ebby ◽  
Kimberly A. Edmunds
Keyword(s):  
Professional Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Mathematics Instruction ◽  
Instructional Improvement ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Teacher Sensemaking

Background A growing number of studies argue that data use practices in schools have not sufficiently attended to teachers’ learning about students, subject matter, and instruction. The result has been changes in instructional management (e.g., student grouping, assignment of students to tutoring) rather than instructional improvement. Further, there is a paucity of research on how teachers make sense of data and their ensuing instructional actions. Purpose We report findings from qualitative research on an intervention designed to put teacher learning about mathematics instruction center stage in data use practices. The research sought to understand what happened as teachers made sense of data in their professional learning communities (PLCs), what changes they made in their mathematics instruction, and why they made the changes. Research Design The theoretical foundation for the research is situative theory, which conceptualizes teacher growth as “a process of increasing participation in the practice of teaching, and through this participation a process of becoming knowledgeable in and about teaching.” A case study approach was chosen to illuminate the complex interrelationships among intervention components and their influence on teachers: (1) between individual teacher sensemaking about data and collective sensemaking in PLCs and (2) between sensemaking and instructional changes. Additionally, case study methodology facilitates theory building grounded directly in data by providing nuanced accounts of the phenomena under study that uncover concepts and coherently relate them to one another. Teacher interpretation of data is ripe for theory building. Findings The case study of Ms. Walker illustrates in rich detail the developmental nature of her growth and the important roles of dissonance, collegial discussion, and productive dissonance in that process. Due to considerable progress in both her questioning strategies and her ability to build on student thinking to focus on important mathematical ideas, Ms. Walker was able to move beyond surface instructional adjustments to demonstrate substantial instructional improvement. Conclusion/Recommendations We argue that a fuller understanding of how teachers experience dissonance, and the supports necessary to make that dissonance productive, can enrich the design and implementation of data use practices. The research also offers an example of the contribution that microprocess studies can make to research on data use practices. We encourage researchers to attend carefully to teacher sensemaking and interrogate the concepts of dissonance and productive dissonance in future theory building about data use practices.

Contemporary Terrorist Challenges and Threats in Europe

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (38) ◽  
pp. 122-137
Author(s):  
Darko Trifunovic ◽  
Juliusz Piwowarski
Keyword(s):  
Significant Role ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Security Threats ◽  
Unique Definition ◽  
Use Of The Internet ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Security Science

This article generally contains two parts. One is a theoretical approach to dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism as well as international terrorism. Within the first part, a unique definition of the concept of security science is given, without which it is not possible to properly perceive or investigate security threats and risks within which terrorism is one of the significant threats. The second part deals with models of terrorist activities with special attention to the webspace and the significant role that terrorists attach to the increasing use of the Internet for their purposes. The theoretical part leads to the conclusion that there are five essential elements whose presence, if detected in one territory or state, indicates the existence of a mechanism that produces or creates new jihad warriors. The paper also gives a unique forecast of the degree of endangerment on the example of a territory, which gives scientists who investigate these threats a new direction of research.

Making Research Methods Instruction Relevant for Prospective Principals

2018 ◽  
pp. 260-283
Author(s):  
Mindy Crain-Dorough ◽  
Adam C. Elder
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Data Use ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Research On Teaching ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Taking Action ◽  
Prospective Principals ◽  
Effective Data Use

In this chapter, the authors describe the specific research skills to be developed for prospective principals in preparation for effective data use for school improvement. Relevant background information is provided regarding effective data use leadership, definition of data literacy, standards for principal preparation in data use, research on teaching research methods, and a comparison of the research process and the data-informed decision-making (DIDM) process. These skills are organized and reported in the chapter by steps in the DIDM research process. These steps include goal setting/problem formation, using previous research, planning for data collection, obtaining or collecting data, analyzing data (transforming data into information), and interpreting/taking action/making decisions.

Misbehavior and behavior

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peggy D. Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Student Behavior ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Educational Psychologist ◽  
Peace Of Mind ◽  
Simple Idea ◽  
Student Misbehavior ◽  
Unique Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Behavior

Student misbehavior has the power to make our lives miser­able, derail our lessons, and convince us that we should not be teachers. Whether we are early- , mid- , or late- career educa­tors, few experiences in life rob us of our peace of mind to the extent that student misbehaviors do. Sometimes our attempts to manage student behavior prob­lems cause us to become so hypervigilant that we turn into pouncers. We jump on any potential behavioral infraction we see, and that becomes our habit. Always watchful in order to stave off unruly behavior, we can become harsh, unyielding, and strident in our attempts to keep students “under control.” Yet what if we’re wrong about misbehavior? What if it’s not what we think it is? One of the most profound changes we can make in our teach­ing comes from a very simple idea, a unique definition of misbe­havior. Educational psychologist C. M. Charles tells us that only when behavior is knowingly and willingly obstructing is it misbe­havior (Charles, 1985, p. 4). Could it be true that most of what we see in schools is simply behavior? Reinterpreting behaviors initially takes some effort, but it is well spent. Soon such reinterpretation becomes automatic. The habit of seeing behavior first as simply behavior gives us pause. And that pause allows us to craft our verbal and emotional responses. • We more often retain a calm internal and external counte­nance. This calm allows us to address the behavior and the consequence matter- of- factly and without accusation. • We respond with the appropriate level of assertiveness and direction. • We give a moment of grace to neutrally identify what we see and hear. • We explain calmly and assertively why the behavior needs to change. Consider this. Sometimes we adults are rude, annoying, unfair, rough, or vulgar. Are we misbehaving? Is our misbehavior worthy of punishment? When we give up assuming intent, it changes us. We may choose not to ignore the behavior, but we also do not presume malicious or disrespectful intent.

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