Creating Communities of Support Within Alternative Settings: Perspectives of Practicing Alternative School Administrators

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-41
Author(s):  
Richard T. (RT) Duke ◽  
Penny L. Tenuto
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Alternative School ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Traditional Public Schools ◽  
High Standards ◽  
Alternative Settings

Much can be learned from practicing school leaders, including how they describe their roles navigating between policy and practice with a focus on meeting students’ needs. This article considers how alternative school administrators work with school personnel to create communities for supporting students once considered at risk in traditional public schools. Findings include (1) creating a culture of high standards, (2) adopting a personalized or caring approach to leadership, (3) exploring and implementing innovative practices for teaching and learning, and (4) managing students as a collaborative and individualized process. For further understanding, authors apply emergent themes to a model for advancing democratic professional practice in education.

scholarly journals Sustainability and public health nutrition at school: assessing the integration of healthy and environmentally sustainable food initiatives in Vancouver schools

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 2379-2391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L Black ◽  
Cayley E Velazquez ◽  
Naseam Ahmadi ◽  
Gwen E Chapman ◽  
Sarah Carten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Food Preparation ◽  
School Food ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable

AbstractObjectiveTo describe the development and application of the School Food Environment Assessment Tools and a novel scoring system to assess the integration of healthy and environmentally sustainable food initiatives in elementary and secondary schools.DesignThe cross-sectional study included direct observations of physical food environments and interviews with key school personnel regarding food-related programmes and policies. A five-point scoring system was then developed to assess actions across six domains: (i) food gardens; (ii) composting systems; (iii) food preparation activities; (iv) food-related teaching and learning activities; and availability of (v) healthy food; and (vi) environmentally sustainable food.SettingVancouver, Canada.SubjectsA purposive sample of public schools (n33) from all six sectors of the Vancouver Board of Education.ResultsSchools scored highest in the areas of food garden and compost system development and use. Regular integration of food-related teaching and learning activities and hands-on food preparation experiences were also commonly reported. Most schools demonstrated rudimentary efforts to make healthy and environmentally sustainable food choices available, but in general scored lowest on these two domains. Moreover, no schools reported widespread initiatives fully supporting availability or integration of healthy or environmentally sustainable foods across campus.ConclusionsMore work is needed in all areas to fully integrate programmes and policies that support healthy, environmentally sustainable food systems in Vancouver schools. The assessment tools and proposed indicators offer a practical approach for researchers, policy makers and school stakeholders to assess school food system environments, identify priority areas for intervention and track relevant changes over time.

Teachers Left Behind

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 16-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Baytiyeh
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
High Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Public High Schools ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Adoption Of Technology ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
12Th Grade ◽  
Teaching Tasks ◽  
Teachers Attitudes

Nowadays, the use of computers in education is increasing worldwide. Information technology is deemed essential for the digital generation's classrooms. However, the adoption of technology in teaching and learning largely depends on the culture and social context. The aim of this research study is to evaluate the acceptance and use of technology of 12th grade teachers in public high schools in Lebanon. The theoretical framework is drawn from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to investigate teachers' intentions regarding the use and acceptance of technology in their daily teaching tasks. The participants were 161 teachers in Lebanese public high schools who completed a questionnaire that reflects the UTAUT. Social influence, experience and voluntariness of use appeared to have the strongest effect on teachers' attitudes regarding the use of technology, while effort expectancy and facilitating conditions had the lowest effect. These findings suggest that public schools should implement training in technology for teachers to support their teaching tasks in the context of this current digital generation of students. The study offers a discussion of the results and recommendations for policy and practice.

scholarly journals Like Father, Like Son? A Story of Vietnamese Education System Over 30 Years of Transition.RCISS-0221-03

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiep-Hung Pham ◽  
Ha Bui
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Education System ◽  
International Schools ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
School Bus ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Traditional Public Schools ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Short Essay ◽  
Full Day

From a heart-warming story of a father taking his six-year-old son to the school bus station every day, this article identifies some changes within Vietnamese K-12 education policies in the last three decades (1990–2020) and suggests some implications for primary stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and school administrators. Thirty years, more school models, more sets of national standardized textbooks, more full-day class sessions, more high-quality facilities and services, yet more inequalities and skepticism—all of these changes will be discussed in detail below. Through this short essay, the authors want to introduce a new book project—in which this essay serves as a prelude—focusing on the emerging trend towards the decentralization process of Vietnamese K-12 education. The book will comprise narratives and analyses of socializing processes in our education system, such as the transition from traditional public schools to modern private and international schools. With this project, the authors hope to humbly contribute some significant insights into Vietnamese local educational research archives.

IMPACT OF DISCIPLINE ISSUES ON SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS: THE VIEWS OF SOME GHANAIAN PRINCIPALS

2016 ◽  
pp. 50-65
Author(s):  
Inusah Salifu ◽  
Joseph S Agbenyega
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
High School Principals ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Senior High School ◽  
High School Administrators ◽  
Counselling Services ◽  
Effective Teaching And Learning

This research focuses on discipline issues as one of the major concerns of educators in public schools in Ghana. Qualitative and quantitative enquiries were undertaken into discipline issues and their implications on student learning as perceived by senior high school principals in Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. The study reveals that senior high school administrators perceived indiscipline as an issue affecting their administration, and prevented the provision of congenial atmosphere for effective teaching and learning. In addition, it tarnished the image of the schools before the outside world, thus discouraging donors, parents and other interest groups from having interest in the schools. Recommendations for involvement of students in decision making and the provision of guidance and counselling services are explored.

Opting Out of the Education Reform Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne Au ◽  
Jesslyn Hollar
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Education Market ◽  
K 12

Big business has long been enamored of public education. Whether shaping systems of schooling along the lines of factory production, dictating what children should learn, or cultivating private-public partnerships to gain access to government monies, corporations and their owners have insisted on being key players in the formation of education policy and practice in the United States. Analysts estimate the value of the K-12 education market at more than $700 billion dollars. Beyond their calls for students and workers to adapt to the global capitalist economy through increased competition and "accountability" in public schools, business leaders crave access to a publicly funded, potentially lucrative market&mdash;one of the last strongholds of the commons to be penetrated by neoliberalism.&hellip; In an education industry dependent on market competition to increase profitability, there is no better tool to turn teaching and learning into products&mdash;ready to measure, compare, and sell&mdash;than the high-stakes standardized tests championed by the contemporary education reform movement.<p class="mrlink"><p class="mrpurchaselink"><a href="http://monthlyreview.org/index/volume-67-number-10" title="Vol. 67, No. 10: March 2016" target="_self">Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the <em>Monthly Review</em> website.</a></p>

Göçmen çocuklar ve okul kültürleri: Bir bütünleştirme çalışması

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halis Sakız
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Culture ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
School Cultures ◽  
Inclusive School

Bu makale, Türkiye’de yoğun göç almakta olan Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi’ndeki okullarda, göçmen çocukların okullara dâhil edilmesine yönelik olarak idarecilerin düşünce, inanç ve tutumlarını inceleyen nitel bir araştırmanın sonuçlarını bildirmektedir. Araştırma özelde, okul yöneticilerinin göçmen çocukların kendi okullarında eğitilmesine yönelik tutumlarını, bu eğitimin önünde duran ve okul ikliminden kaynaklanan engelleri ve göçmen çocukların kendini ait hissettikleri bütünleştirici okul iklimleri inşa edilebilmesi için eğitim sistemindeki mevcut fırsatları ortaya koymayı amaçlamıştır. Araştırmada, 18 okul yöneticisinden nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden olan yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler kullanılarak veri toplanmış ve bu veriler tematik analiz yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda (i) okul yöneticilerinin göçmen çocuklara ayrıştırılmış ortamlarda eğitim verilmesini desteklediği ve kendi okullarında eğitim görmelerine dair olumsuz tutumlar beslediği, (ii) yapısal yetersizliklerin ve düşük toplumsal kabul düzeyinin göçmen çocukların eğitimine yönelik olumsuz tutumları önemli ölçüde etkilediği ve (iii) bütünleşik okul kültürlerinin oluşması için paydaşların psiko-sosyal ve yapısal anlamda desteklenmesi gerektiği ortaya çıkmıştır. ENGLISH ABSTRACTMigrant children and school cultures: A suggestion for inclusionThis article reports on the findings of an empirical research investigating the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes towards the inclusion of migrant children in the South-eastern region of Turkey which is currently exposed to intensive migration waves. Specifically, the article explores the attitudes of school administrators towards the education of migrant children in their schools, the barriers to this education stemming from the school culture and the opportunities in the education system to build inclusive school cultures in which migrant children can feel belonging to. The research employed 18 school administrators, utilized semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data and analyzed them through thematic analysis. Findings showed that (a) school administrators supported education of migrant children in segregated environments and possessed negative attitudes towards their education in public schools; (b) structural limitations and low social acceptance levels affected the negative attitudes towards the education of migrant children and (c) stakeholders needed to be provided with psycho-social and structural support in order to establish inclusive school cultures.  Keywords: Migrant children; inclusive school culture; qualitative research; Turkey 

Students' perceptions regarding the use of ICT in learning

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Elisa Carreta de Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Vocational Courses

This study focuses on how students of vocational courses related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) perceive the use they make of technologies in their learning. A questionnaire survey was applied in classroom to 314 students from 4 private and public schools, with the aim of understanding if the students recognize benefits in the use of ICT in teaching and learning, by answering the 34 premises presented to them. Most students recognize benefits from the use of ICT in teaching considering it improves and facilitates learning. They recognize the need to improve the pedagogical use of ICT and that teachers from the scientific and sociocultural components still make little use of the technologies in the classroom. These students consider that the courses they take prepare them to integrate the labor market, indicating good practices in learning with and from technologies in the technical classes. The premises about the disadvantages and obstacles resulting from the use of ICT were the ones that gathered the lowest consensus among students. They consider that the use of ICT is essential in learning and preparing to work with ICT and in a broader sense to live in a society of information and knowledge.

A Look Back: Church, state, and Kappan

2021 ◽  
Vol 102 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-7
Author(s):  
Teresa Preston
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
School Policy ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Religious Instruction ◽  
Look Back ◽  
Diverse World ◽  
Supreme Court Rulings ◽  
Role Of Religion

In this monthly column, Kappan managing editor Teresa Preston looks back at how the magazine has covered questions related to the role of religion in public schools. Authors considered how Supreme Court rulings affected school policy and practice, whether religious instruction is necessary for promoting positive values, and how to encourage respect in a religiously diverse world.

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