Schools of Promise: A School District—University Partnership Centered on Inclusive School Reform

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Causton-Theoharis ◽  
George Theoharis ◽  
Thomas Bull ◽  
Meghan Cosier ◽  
Kathy Dempf-Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
University Partnership ◽  
Schools Of Promise

Inclusive Reform as a Response to High-Stakes Pressure? Leading toward Inclusion in the Age of Accountability

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (14) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
George Theoharis ◽  
Julie Causton ◽  
Chelsea P. Tracy-Bronson
Keyword(s):  
School Reform ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
High Stakes Testing ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
Age Of Accountability ◽  
General Education Classrooms

Students identified with disabilities are increasingly being educated with the assistance of support services within heterogeneous (i.e., general education) classrooms. Yet, in this era of high-stakes accountability, students are labeled, sorted, and differentially treated according to their academic achievement as reflected on standardized tests. We engaged in a project to better understand how educators grapple with these externally imposed pressures as they work to change the organizational structure of their schools to be able to implement greater inclusion of their students served by special education. We spent four years in two elementary schools engaged in inclusive school reform (shifting from exclusionary model to an inclusive one) specifically as a response to the pressures of test-based accountability mandates. Our work was guided by the following questions. In this era of high-stakes testing accountability: • What does school-wide inclusive reform for students with disabilities involve? • What kinds of changes can result from inclusive reform? • What role does leadership play in inclusive reform? The article focuses on what inclusive reform involved, the resulting changes, and the role distributed leadership played in moving toward more inclusive service in the age of high-stakes accountability.

scholarly journals Overrepresentation of Indigenous students in school suspension, exclusion, and enrolment cancellation in Queensland: is there a case for systemic inclusive school reform?

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J. Graham ◽  
Callula Killingly ◽  
Kristin R. Laurens ◽  
Naomi Sweller
Keyword(s):  
School Reform ◽  
The United States ◽  
Systemic Reform ◽  
Exclusionary Discipline ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
In School Suspension ◽  
Incident Rate

AbstractWell-established evidence of the ill-effects of exclusionary school discipline, its disproportionate use on students of colour, and association with the “school-to-prison pipeline” has, in the last decade, led to systemic reforms in the United States, which are successfully reducing exclusion and improving outcomes. Few studies, however, have similarly investigated overrepresentation in Australia, with little attention to systemic reform as a result. In this study, we analysed suspension, exclusion, and enrolment cancellation rates in Queensland (QLD) government schools between 2013 and 2019 and found Indigenous students were consistently overrepresented. Suspension incidents proportionate to enrolments increased for all students, but this increase was faster for Indigenous than non-Indigenous students and driven primarily by steep rises in short suspensions during primary school (Preparatory-6). Exclusions increased—again disproportionately—for Indigenous students, chiefly in secondary school (7–12). During 2019, Physical Misconduct had the highest incident rate for both groups; however, Indigenous students were most overrepresented in suspensions for Disruptive/Disengaged behaviours. Further, while Indigenous students were overrepresented in all QLD regions, one region’s Indigenous suspension rate was higher than all others despite no difference in the distribution of Indigenous/non-Indigenous enrolments across regions. The scale and nature of Indigenous overrepresentation in exclusionary discipline incidents in QLD indicate clear need for further research to secure political commitment to systemic inclusive school reform, as well as to produce high-quality evidence capable of guiding that reform.

scholarly journals Preparing First-Time Leaders for an Urban Public School District: An Action Research Study of a Collaborative District–University Partnership

2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 540-569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanita Cleaver Simmons ◽  
Margaret Grogan ◽  
Stacey Jones Preis ◽  
Kristin Matthews ◽  
Sheila Smith-Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
School District ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Traditional Preparation ◽  
Action Research Study ◽  
University Partnership ◽  
Principal Preparation Program ◽  
Urban Public School ◽  
First Time

This article reports the results for the first cycle of an action research study about a district–university partnership. Two district facilitators and two university facilitators co-constructed a principal preparation program for an inner-city school district to help prepare the next generation of building leaders. Twenty-two students participated in the 15-month nontraditional program. The study found that in preparing first-time school leaders, the most helpful experiences were those that developed self-understanding and readiness for the role change. New instructional techniques and the full-time residency facilitated this earning. It also found that the partnership, though providing new and exciting opportunities to deviate from the traditional preparation model, needed further development.

scholarly journals Parent Perspectives on Inclusive Education in Rural Alberta, Canada

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Loreman ◽  
Donna McGhie-Richmond ◽  
Jennifer Barber ◽  
Judy Lupart
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Parent Perspectives ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
Future Work

This paper is one of a series of papers examining inclusive education in the con-text of a rural Canadian school district that has adopted a philosophy of inclusion. The results of a survey of 438 parents on their views about aspects of inclusive education at their youngest child’s school are reported. The results indi-cate that the majority of parents were generally positive in their views about and experiences with the inclusive school environment and links to the local communi-ty; however, parents were by no means unanimous in their level of comfort with inclusive education. Tensions were found to exist, and differences in the expe-rience of parents of children who had identified exceptionalities were evident. This study points to the paucity of research on parents and inclusive education and provides some direction for future work in the area.

scholarly journals "I'm Not a Bystander"

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Eargle
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Leaders ◽  
Rural School ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Structural Hierarchy ◽  
School Norms ◽  
University Partnership

Rural teachers need ongoing, flexible professional development designed to encourage collaboration and curriculum development. Furthermore, rural school reform requires successful collaborations between schools and colleges to create leaders within schools. Therefore, this case study is a program review that investigates how social studies teachers at Timberwood High School, a rural high school in the American southeast, are emerging as teacher leaders through a school-university partnership to improve their practice, mentor pre-service teachers, and generate reform. Interviews were conducted with members of the social studies department, all of whom were involved in the project. The findings indicate that the school-university partnership encouraged experimentation with new strategies, stimulated reflective practices and teacher growth, and created a more cohesive social studies department. However, while it was evident that teacher leadership did develop through the process, traditional school norms of egalitarianism and structural hierarchy prevented teachers from fully embracing their roles as teacher leaders. Study findings suggest that rural administrators and rural school-university partnerships must focus on developing teacher leaders to initiate school reform and grow professionally.  

Zoned for Change: A Historical Case Study of the Belmont Zone of Choice

2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (10) ◽  
pp. 1-40
Author(s):  
Ramón A. Martínez ◽  
Karen H. Quartz
Keyword(s):  
School District ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Community Based Organizations

Background/Context Over the past two decades, scholars have increasingly called for educational leaders to collaborate with community-based organizations in their efforts to bring about school reform. Observing that school reform efforts often fail to include those most impacted by failing policies and practices, these scholars have turned their attention to the role of community organizations that advocate on behalf of parents and students in under-served communities. These scholars have explored the potential of community organizing strategies for transforming public schools, documenting the crucial role of strategic alliances between community-based organizations and school district officials in bringing about greater equity and improved student outcomes. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The purpose of this study is to explore how educational leaders and community-based organizations collaborated to bring about unprecedented education reform in the nation's second largest school district. Research Design This historical case study is based on in-depth interviews with 11 high-profile school district, union, community, and other educational leaders across seven key partner institutions and organizations that were involved in the development of the Belmont Zone of Choice from 2001 to 2009. Conclusions/Recommendations This study reveals the kinds of obstacles facing reformers in large urban school districts, and it illustrates how concerned educators, community-based organizations, and educational reformers can form strategic alliances to fight for meaningful change in underserved communities. Rather than provide a simplistic or idealistic depiction of collaboration, however, this case study illustrates the tensions and struggles that emerged as diverse—and sometimes antagonistic—social actors collaborated to bring about education reform at the local level. It also illustrates that strategic alliances are not necessarily sufficient to ensure successful reform implementation within contexts of political and economic asymmetry. As such, the history of the Belmont Zone of Choice highlights both the promise and challenge of community organizing for school reform.

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