scholarly journals School Governance and the Mediation of Engagement

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart Ranson
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Support Staff ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Strategic Direction ◽  
Underlying Principle ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Industry And Commerce ◽  
School Governing Bodies

The 1988 Education Reform Act radically transformed the local governance of education, according school governing bodies new delegated powers for budgets and staff as well as responsibility for the strategic direction of the school in a quasi market place of parental choice. To take up these new responsibilities the earlier Education Act 1986 had created over 350,000 volunteer citizens in England and Wales to occupy reformed governing bodies: it was the largest democratic experiment in voluntary public participation. The governing bodies were constituted on the principle of partnership between all the groups with a ‘stakeholder’ interest in the school: parents, teachers and support staff would be elected, while other governors would be appointed by the local authority, and drawn from the local community (including local industry and commerce). All the interests would be regarded as equal, one no more important than another. The underlying principle had been that schools would only work well when the different constituencies were provided with a space to express their voice and reach agreement about the purpose and development of the school. The governing body was to have regard for the overall strategic direction of the school, evaluating its progress, and acting as the trustee of the community, publicly accountable for national and local policies (DfEE, 1998).

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities of Micro and Small Enterprises Strategy in Ethiopia Urban development, the case of Ambo Town, Oromia, Ethiopia#

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Yared Teshome Geneti
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
National Development ◽  
Small Enterprise ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Small Enterprises ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Micro And Small Enterprises

In Ethiopia, Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) is prioritised as important means of economic diversification, job creation, income generation and equity distribution as indispensable poverty reduction sector since 2006. Despite the great attention given to micro and small enterprises, little research exists that examines challenges and opportunities of the Sector in the implementation trajectory. With the new initiative of National Development Programme to Accelerate Sustainable Development to Eradicate Poverty (PASDEP) in 2006-2010, the government has been commencing a new Micro and Small Enterprises Development Strategy. However, the blue prints strategy would be able to prove in the process to achieve the goals and target through timely evaluation of its implementations. It has been long time and common to listen and observe complains of MSEs on the overall sectoral performance and strategic incompatibility both among the unemployed societies and existing MSEs. Based on this rationale, the study was intended to assess the challenges and opportunities of the existing MSE strategy in Ambo town. In this descriptive research primary data were collected from 135 MSEs in Ambo using stratified and purposive sampling design.<br />MSEs in Ambo town are facing different challenges. These challenges are identified as marketing, financial, good governance, i.e., lack of market place; inadequacy credit facilities and inefficient service delivery. The study shows that the long and delayed procedure to establish MSEs is the most common challenges observed in both the old (2006) and new (2011) strategies. These are mainly as a result of inefficient human resource capacities of the sector and cumbersome procedures of credit and saving institution in the town. Moreover, a little understanding of unemployed society on the strategy is the main gap creating misunderstandings. Findings indicated that, the above challenges are a bottle-neck to the goal set by the strategy to create jobs for unemployment and being urban base of local economic and social development. In prospect wise, the study asserted that, the 2011 strategy has been improving MSEs to have a clear definition, typical set ups and structure arrangements as enterprise. Therefore, the strategy has identified as the means to change the societal structure by creating broad local economic and social development to the extent of medium investors. Finally, promoting awareness to active unemployed citizens by giving continues capacity building for both office staff and members of enterprises, local governance reforms and the rechecking of MSE establishment procedures are important in alleviating the problems at implementation stage.

scholarly journals Three Local Organizing Strategies to Implement Place-Based School Integration Initiatives in a Mixed-Income Community

Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
April Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
School Integration ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Integration Planning ◽  
Mixed Income

This paper explores two policy efforts to revitalize public housing communities: education reform and HOPE VI. Chicago underwent transformation of housing and schools from 2000 to 2014. I examine school integration planning efforts of three local actors in a Chicago neighborhood and ask how do actors make integration strategies work? This research investigates how efforts to remedy existing segregation in a Chicago neighborhood combined housing and school integration efforts through a single case study approach comprised of 20 in-depth interviews. Findings show that two approaches encouraged fairness in the residential mix, but did not promote an integrated educational experience. The third approach shows how a purposeful integration strategy works as part of a place-based effort. This study provides a lens to understand ongoing local community organizing efforts supporting education reform in a Chicago neighborhood and offers lessons learned by local actors about effective approaches to address the barriers to building mixed income communities.

Beresford Hope, the Church of England, and the Elementary Education Act of 1870

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Education ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
Victorian Britain ◽  
Significant Extension ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Government Involvement ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Extension Of State ◽  
The Church

AbstractHistorians have used a number of political, social, and other factors to explain the controversy surrounding elementary education in Victorian Britain. This article underscores the importance of religious motivations. The Act of 1870 – a significant extension of state responsibility – did not end debates about the purpose of education and the pros and cons of government involvement and religious instruction. Prominent among voluntaryists and anti-secularists was A. J. Beresford Hope, whose position offers useful insights into the educational agencies of the Church and the manner in which churchmen responded to new circumstances. This article explains Hope’s attitude and uses it to explore some of the causes and consequences of the Act of 1870. What type of schooling best suited the British people? Should it have a basis in something other than religion? How could the Church and its supporters meet the challenges posed by education reform?

scholarly journals Contrasting views on co-management of indigenous natural and cultural heritage – Case of Laponia World Heritage site, Sweden

Polar Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olof Stjernström ◽  
Albina Pashkevich ◽  
Dag Avango
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Indigenous Population ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Management Organisation

Abstract This article discusses the evaluation of the management of the Laponia World Heritage site (Laponia WHS) in northern Sweden. After inscription on the World Heritage list in 1996, difficulties emerged in establishing a common understanding about the involvement of various stakeholders into the site’s management model, the key point of contention being the influence of the representatives from indigenous Sami people and how that should be organised. In 2011, the management organisation led by Laponiatjuottjudus (the Sami name for the Laponia WHS management organisation) was established and implemented. This organisation gave Sami representatives a majority in the Laponia steering board and the position as chairperson in the board. This marked a remarkable shift in the Swedish national management system of land in not only handing over a state decision-making power to the local level but also to representatives of the indigenous population. The evaluation of the management model presented by Laponiatjuottjudus resulted in a number of responses from several stakeholders participating in a consultation process. These responses, from stakeholders with conflicting positions in relation to the issue described above, are the subject of this study. The analysis of these data collected reveals the existence of four major approaches or narratives to the Laponia WHS, with narratives connected to nature, the indigenous population and local governance, the economic effects of the existing system, and lastly the local community narrative. The study concludes that present management of Laponia WHS, the Laponiatjuottjudus, is a unique attempt to widen the management and planning process that partly interferes with the existing national planning model. At the same time, the analysis reveals that the Sami demands for influence over land management in the north still faces major challenges connected to its colonial legacy.

scholarly journals Public battles and private takeovers: Academies and the politics of educational governance

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
White Paper ◽  
Educational Governance ◽  
School Based ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Under Performing ◽  
Liberal Approach ◽  
Set Up ◽  
British Education

Public battles and private takeovers: Academies and the politics of educational governance Introduced to the British education system under the Education Act 2002 and later enshrined in the New Labour government White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All (DfES, 2005), the Academies policy was set up to enable designated under-performing schools to ‘opt out’ from the financial and managerial remit of Local Authorities (LAs) and enter into partnerships with outside sponsors. A radical piece of policy legislation, it captured New Labour's commitment to (further) private sector involvement in public sector organisation - what might be termed a neoliberal or advanced liberal approach to education reform. A consequence of this has been the expansion of school-based definitions of ‘public accountability’ to encompass political, business, and other interest groups, together with the enlargement of the language of accountability itself. In this paper I address the importance of rethinking conventional public/private, political/commercial divides in light of these developments and foreground the changing nature of state power in the generation and assembly of different publics.

scholarly journals Continuing Wetland Degradation Dissociates Socio-Ecological Systems and Affects Interconnected Goals of Environmental Health, Equity and Wellbeing: A case Study from the Lower Gangetic Floodplains

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIASA ADHYA ◽  
SAYAN BANERJEE
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Fast Tracking

Unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation have severely degraded natural ecosystems, particularly wetlands. The Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin support 630 million inhabitants; yet continue to be altered rapidly, jeopardizing the region&rsquo;s social and ecological integrity. By conducting qualitative interviews and participant observation in a wetland dependent village located in the Lower Gangetic Floodplains we investigated how degrading wetlands in sub-urban landscapes were affecting socio-ecological systems. Not only did the wetlands provide livelihood options, mainly fishing and farming, but also provided prestige and autonomy. Vulnerable sections of the society across class, age and gender were solely dependent on the wetland. In absence of political will to safeguard wetland health, industries emerged by altering wetlands, which hampered local community&rsquo;s livelihood and lifestyle. Further, our study demonstrated that local ecological knowledge could provide qualitative baseline information for fast-tracking identification of important wetlands and creating inventories to initiate wetland conservation and management. Finally, we recommend local governance structures should be strongly tied to international or national wetland policies so that wetland functions along with human health and well-being could be sustained. We strongly advocate that contradictions in policies be resolved to strengthen efforts to conserve wetlands which provide resilience to marginal communities in the face of calamities.

scholarly journals School Libraries Archive Community Images

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng-Shun Peng ◽  
Jiann-Cherng Shieh
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
School Library ◽  
Digital Archives ◽  
Running Water ◽  
School Teaching ◽  
Community Residents ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Common Memory

As multiculturalism is becoming a world value, the creation, culture, and common memory of the community nowadays should be the running water source of “The National Digital Archives Program.” However, while we are making great efforts to improve the creation of the local cultural community and multicultural development, the connotations of the community culture, as well as the local anecdotes, which are closely related to our daily lives, are definitely worth recording and passing down. Thus, as a place of knowledge collecting and culture reservation, the school library should play a more positive role in the community changes which are related to the economic development, the urban style, the basic necessities of life, the languages, and the humanity characteristics. One of the important tendencies in the present education reform in Taiwan is the cooperation between the school and the community. With the school library open to the public, the number of people that the school serves will increase and the interaction between the school and the community residents will be more frequent. If the school library has a good interaction with the local community residents, it will become a wonderful place for the community residents to have access to gaining knowledge and receiving lifelong learning. Therefore, with the application of the digital technology in the library, the digital archives of the community cultural images can not only preserve related data effectively but also disseminate and introduce the local history and characteristics to the world through the Internet. In addition, they can be served as valuable digital cultural materials for people to learn, to educate and to study. The study attempts to archive the community images by promoting the creation of digital images. Through the conformity of school teaching activities, the promotion of the use of the library, and intervention the community cultural events, we encourage teachers, students and the residents to record the history, geography, customs and humanity of the community by means of the creation of digital images, documentaries for example. As a result, we hope that the digital image of the common memory of the community would be created gradually and the library would be more multi-functional and become a place to keep the local data, to improve the understanding of the community, to offer the teaching materials and to raise the local consciousness.

scholarly journals Participatory Budgeting as a Method for Improving Public Spaces in Major Polish Cities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Szczepańska ◽  
M. Zagroba ◽  
K. Pietrzyk
Keyword(s):  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Governance System

AbstractOne of the forms of public participation in the local governance system is civic budgeting which actively engages residents in developing projects and voting on the submitted proposals. Civic budgeting aims to involve local communities in deciding how a defined portion of public resources should be allocated by means of a democratic debate. Public spaces are the essence of urban life; therefore, the aim of the study was to analyze civic budget records relating to public spaces. The study was conducted in the largest Polish cities. The research involved quantitative and comparative analytical methods. The analysis focused on community involvement and local community needs, represented by a wide array of public space-related project categories. The analyzed cities were ranked according to their civic engagement, and the resulting classification was compared with voter turnout during polls on the proposals adopted as part of the CB process. The results revealed considerable diversity in both civic engagement and local needs, and they could be used to develop guidelines for designing public spaces in the urban planning process. The present findings are also a valuable source of information for local governments in their efforts to improve the functioning, attractiveness and development of user-friendly spaces in citizen-oriented cities.

Earl Marshal School: towards an inclusive education

Race & Class ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-103
Author(s):  
Ahmed Gurnah
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
White Students ◽  
Local Community ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Conservative Government ◽  
League Tables ◽  
The Government ◽  
Education Authority ◽  
Caribbean Families

For five years in the early 1990s, as the Conservative government attempted to drive through the new educational policies heralded by its Education Reform Act of 1988, a comprehensive school in Sheffield was the site of a bold experiment in progressive education. Located in a working-class, inner-city area, Earl Marshal School was ethnically highly diverse, with students from Pakistani, Somali, Yemeni and Caribbean families; white students made up less than 20 per cent of the student roll. With Chris Searle as headteacher from 1990 to 1995, these students, aged 11 to 16, were exposed to a very different kind of schooling from that envisaged by the government — with its newly introduced national curriculum, competitive league tables between schools and authoritarian system of inspections carried out through the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Instead, Searle refused to exclude students for misbehaviour; did not sheepishly follow the national curriculum; was not over-impressed by OFSTED; sought student democracy; and involved the local community in the affairs of the school. Inevitably, he drew fire from OFSTED, from other headteachers, from the local education authority (LEA) and even from David Blunkett, the Sheffield MP who from 1994 was Labour’s shadow secretary of state for education. In the end, they were able to unseat him, depriving Sheffield of the benefits of his ideas. The headteacher who opposed the permanent exclusion of students was himself, as he puts it, ‘permanently excluded’ from the job that he loved and lived for.

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