Transforming the Frog into a Prince: Effective Schools Research, Policy, and Practice at the District Level

1984 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry Cuban
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Effective Schools ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
District Level ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Effective Schools Research

Drawing upon his experiences as a former school superintendent and an academic, Larry Cuban examines the implications of the effective schools research for policy and practice at the district level. He focuses on the critical role played by the superintendent and by district-level policies in creating preconditions for local school improvement. Examining the issues that both separate and connect the worlds of theory and practice, Cuban describes the dilemma of school leaders who, armed with only an incomplete theory of school improvement,must make important policy decisions in the face of time pressures and political demands. He warns of some of the unintended consequences of effective schools practices that employ top-down strategies to achieve the narrow goal of raising test scores. Administrators, he argues,need a variety of policy tools and top-down and bottom-up strategies to generate significant improvement at the local level.

scholarly journals Multiple perspectives on attachment theory: Investigating educators’ knowledge and understanding

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 215-229
Author(s):  
Nadia Wilson-Ali ◽  
Caroline Barratt-Pugh ◽  
Marianne Knaus
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Attachment Theory ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Relationship Development ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Attachment Relationships

This paper presents findings from a study investigating the multiple perspectives of attachment theory and practice through the voices of early childhood educators. Attachment theory has influenced research, policy and practice over the last six decades, offering a framework for understanding risk and protective factors in early childhood. Despite the increasing literature highlighting the importance of attachment relationships, attachment theory has been primarily considered from a medical health or psychological perspective and little is known about educators’ perspectives of attachment theory. In total, 488 Australian educators responded to the online survey, demonstrating a wide interest in the topic of attachment. One early childhood service was selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and observations. Findings indicate diverse perspectives in how educators support attachment relationship development, which varied according to their knowledge, understanding and experience of attachment relationships.

scholarly journals Networking in Spanish schools: Lights and shadows

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-546
Author(s):  
Cecilia María Azorín Abellán
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Education System ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Effective School ◽  
Autonomous Communities ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Collaborative Networking ◽  
Spanish Education

Networking is an effective school improvement method that can raise collective efficacy, student outcomes, and provide more collaborative scenarios. The forms collaboration and networking take in the Spanish education system are reviewed in this article, as well as how policy and practice are providing a framework for the development of networks. Spain is presented as an example of country that is exploring the possibilities offered by networks in education. There is an updated corpus of studies that support collaborative networking in Spanish education system. The article summaries evidence of networking in seven autonomous communities (Galicia, País Vasco, Cataluña, Madrid, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucía) where there are alliances formed to implement collaboration actions among the participants, as part of research supported by projects, regulations, programs and initiatives of diverse natures. These proposals are changing the paradigm from isolation to collaboration, an alternative way of seeing education that is growing not just in policy, but also in theory and practice, so enabling illustrative examples and advances in this field of knowledge, and allowing the reader to get closer to the polyhedral dimension that networking is adopting in this particular country. There is no doubt that the arrival of collaboration networks in Spain has sparked intense debates about its “lights and shadows”. Among the lights are the increase of school-community link; the growth of the extended education approach; the effective use of resources as well as the exchange of knowledge and experiences; and greater inclusion. On the other hand, some shadows are related to the different networks’ structures; isolation, not only by teachers as individuals, but also between schools and institutions or agents, and the pressure to increase standards in a collaborative versus competitive environment.  

scholarly journals Interdisciplinary Open Science: What are the implications for educational technology research?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakinah Alhadad ◽  
Rachel A Searston ◽  
Jason M Lodge
Keyword(s):  
Educational Technology ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Educational Technology Research ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Technology Research ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Science Movement

Evidence-based educational practice and policy relies on educational research to be accessible and reliable. For educators, creating the next generation of critical thinkers, collaborators, and effective communicators, is a complex educational problem, requiring a delicate marriage of methods and approaches for understanding the mind, behaviour, and social context of the learner in the digital age. As such, educational technology research plays an important role for informing practice and policy. However, reaching across the boundaries of research, policy, and practice, is inherently challenging, and can invoke unintended consequences. Miscommunications, and mistakes, are inevitable in interdisciplinary and applied science, but advances in technology now make it possible to openly share and translate educational technology research for policy and practice. Our aim in this paper is to describe how the emerging set of practices and philosophies within the Open Science movement can make educational technology research more transparent and aid translating it into practice.

scholarly journals First Nations Men Experiencing Fatherhood

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e92-e102
Author(s):  
Lyndon Reilly
Keyword(s):  
First Nations ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Raising Children

BackgroundEvidence suggests that positive parenting can impact men’s mental wellbeing and child development, and male parents have a unique and critically important role as parents. Unfortunately, limited literature is available regarding the First Nations male parenting and the challenges they encounter raising children. Furthermore, the qualitative studies examining First Nations male parents do not appear effective for translating policy and practice. In effect, important knowledge from these qualitative studies is not informing or shaping First Nations male parenting programs. A systematic collation and meta-synthesis of existing qualitative studies may strengthen the evidence base and assist with the integrative knowledge into policy and practice. MethodsA meta-synthesis of qualitative studies were performed to explore the experiences, barriers and facilitators to parenting among First Nations males. A systematic search in Social Sciences Citation Index, CINAHL, ProQuest, Informit Databases, Expanded Academic, Scopus and Google scholar for e-journals was conducted to identify studies that explored First Nations male parenting, barriers and facilitators. Thematic synthesis was performed to identify the key elements influencing (challenging or facilitating) them. ResultsNine qualitative studies were identified in the review, including eight peer-reviewed articles and one dissertation. Four themes emerged: (1) the complexity of roles and relationships; (2) poverty and exclusion; (3) sharing and receiving knowledge and (4) keeping strong. Elements across studies were identified as a barrier, facilitator or both to male parenting. Conclusions There is compelling evidence demonstrating the critical role of male parents to their own and their children’s development and wellbeing. This meta-synthesis generates a much-needed empirical foundation to guide further research, policy and practice for First Nations male parents. The meta-synthesis and the resulting explanatory theory can be used by communities, practitioners and policymakers to identify the barriers and facilitators that support and promote First Nations male parenting from an indigenous understanding of history and contemporary society.

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