scholarly journals CHALLENGES OF DISTANCE EDUCATION DURING THE SCHOOL LOCKDOWN: THE LITHUANIAN SCHOOL LEADERS’ PERSPECTIVE

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 127-134
Author(s):  
Lina Kaminskienė ◽  
Yi Chu Ling
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Staff Training ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Technological Preparation ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Start Distance

The COVID19 pandemic has caused massive disruption in education practices worldwide and Lithuania was no exception. This article investigates how this period of uncertainties has been perceived by Lithuanian schools during school lockdown. The study aimed to explore the challenges that Lithuanian schools faced and how distance education practices has been reconsidered during school lockdown. The research was based on a survey of 406 sampled school leaders of public education institutions in Lithuania conducted two months into the first nationwide lockdown in spring 2020. This paper aims to discuss the challenges of distance education from the perspective of school leaders, and to link the findings of the study to recent studies related to schools’ responses to the pandemic situation. The survey responses indicated that schools initially focused on the organisation of staff training and technological preparation to start distance education during the first two weeks of lockdown. Their focus two months into the process shifted towards tackling challenges on students' responsiveness and assessment of students' achievements during distance education. Challenges are perceived as opportunities for reflection and growth, re-examine current institution strengths and weaknesses, and reconsolidate with the school communities in prioritising what the utter function in education is.  

Work environment characteristics that satisfy principals in China, Germany and the USA

2021 ◽  
pp. 174549992110185
Author(s):  
Chuang Wang ◽  
Dawson R Hancock ◽  
Ulrich Müller
Keyword(s):  
School Leadership ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Work Environments ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Effective School ◽  
Formidable Challenge ◽  
Effective School Leadership ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Survey Responses

Effective school leadership is crucial to a school’s success. Yet throughout the world, attracting and retaining qualified school leaders is often a formidable challenge. To discern ways in which we may recruit and retain competent school leaders, this study compares the extent to which principals in three industrialized countries, China, Germany and the USA, value the characteristics of their positions as principals. Survey responses of principals in these three countries reveal many factors that gratify and some factors that disappoint principals about their work environments. Comparing the similarities and differences of the principals’ responses in these countries provides insights into ways in which we may learn from each other about the factors that influence the recruitment and retention of qualified principals.

scholarly journals The reality of Educational accountability and its mechanisms among school leaders in public education schools in Sharourah governorate/ Najran

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Qasim Almqablah
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
School Level ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
General Average ◽  
And Performance ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Academic Year

The study aimed to identify the reality of practicing accountability among school leaders in public education schools in Sharourah Governorate / Najran and the degree of accountability in the administrative and technical domains. To achieve this goal, the researcher used the analytical survey approach. The study was applied to a sample of )177 ( teachers, including (101) male teachers and (76) female teachers, in the first semester of the academic year 2018- 2019. The results of the study found that, the practice of accountability among the leaders of public education schools in Sharourah governorate / Najran from teachers point of view has got a general average (4.02), high rating, and according to the domains level, practicing accountability in administrative domain has got an average; (3.93), with a high rating, also, practicing accountability in the technical domain has got an average of (3.90) with a high degree. There were no statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05 = α) between the arithmetical averages of the total score for the degree of accountability in administrative and technical domains due to the differences in the variables of the study (years of experience and the scientific qualification). There were statistically significant differences in the degree of accountability in administrative and technical domains due to gender in favor of males; and in the variable of a school level in favor of high school. The study recommended the need to spread the culture of accountability, And to clarify the nature, methods, objectives and mechanisms for teachers, and the need to provide standards and performance indicators used in accountability process.

Offensive behaviours against school leaders: Prevalence, perpetrators and mediators in Australian government schools

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110573
Author(s):  
Ben Arnold ◽  
Mark Rahimi ◽  
Phil Riley
Keyword(s):  
Physical Violence ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
School Employees ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Government School ◽  
School Based ◽  
Pooled Prevalence ◽  
Socio Demographic Factors ◽  
Survey Responses

Offensive behaviour towards school employees is widespread and involves a number of potentially harmful acts. There is evidence that school employees’ experiences of offensive behaviour are shaped by demographic, role and school-based factors that mediate the likelihood of victimisation. However, very few studies have investigated the prevalence and correlates of offensive behaviour against school leaders. This study analysed 13,028 survey responses from the Australia Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey that were completed between the years 2011 and 2019. The analysis determined the prevalence of bullying, threats of violence and physical violence against government school leaders, the main perpetrators of these offenses and the moderating effects of key socio-demographic factors. Results from the study demonstrated that considerable proportions of Australian government school leaders were subjected to offensive behaviour with an average (pooled) prevalence of 36.2% for bullying, 48.6% for threats of violence and 38.7% for physical violence. School leaders report that students and parents are responsible for most offensive behaviours, but that colleagues also contribute considerably to incidents of bullying. Our findings illustrate that offensive behaviours against Australian school leaders are very high and that particular groups of school leaders are at elevated risk of victimization, especially female school leaders and to a lesser extent assistant principals and those inner or outer regional areas.

Measuring Student Satisfaction Level Regarding Instructional Design and Technical Dimension in Web-Based Distance Education Programs

2021 ◽  
pp. 202-219
Author(s):  
Serhat Koca ◽  
Birol Gulnar ◽  
Murat Aytas
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Spiritual Guidance ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Guidance Program ◽  
Private And Public

Web-based distance education method (WBDE) is used by many private and public education institutions today. Through this educational application, instructors can deliver training content to students or participants from all over the world, synchronously and asynchronously. Within the scope of WBDE applications, trainings are carried out through websites with many different structures and interfaces. In this direction, in the process of conveying the said training method to the recipients, the way the education is provided in terms of instructional design and technical dimension becomes very important for the satisfaction of the recipients. In this context, the measurement of student satisfaction level regarding instructional design and technical dimension in web-based distance education programs has been studied on the example of Spiritual Guidance program. In this direction, it is thought that the study of distance education programs in terms of instructional design and technical dimension will contribute to the researches to be put forward in this direction.

Meanings of Reconciliation in the School Context

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 68-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Burridge
Keyword(s):  
Aboriginal People ◽  
School Context ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Great Level ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Community Attitudes ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Survey Responses

AbstractThis paper draws on findings from a major research project conducted between 1998 and 2000 on meanings of reconciliation in the school education sector. Using data collected from surveys and drawing from the community context in which schools exist, it explores and analyses meanings of reconciliation within school communities when the discourse of what constitutes reconciliation was at its peak. Survey responses were used to map the level of support for reconciliation and to identify what barriers existed to the teaching of reconciliation in schools. Responses were categorised into various themes which defined the type of meaning respondents had accrued to reconciliation. The overwhelming impression from this research is that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people aspire to a level of harmonious co-existence; what is less clear is the direction on how this can be achieved. There is a great level of support for reconciliation within the education community with almost no responses being overtly negative. Many of the comments can be seen as reflecting “soft” reconciliation perspectives. A prevailing theme of this research is that the harder issues of reconciliation are being ignored in favour of symbolic representations. What perhaps best distinguished the survey comments from the responses from the general community was the greater desire amongst the education sector for equitybased solutions and the need to redress past injustices through social justice action. There was a greater understanding of the link between past dispossession and current disadvantage and this required action through specific programmes, and education was seen as a major part of this. Given the current sociopolitical context, anecdotal indications suggest that reconciliation may reflect wider community attitudes and may be “off the agenda” in schools, except within the narrow parameters of Department of Education requirements for activities or celebrations during NAIDOC or Reconciliation weeks.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer K. Clayton ◽  
Bryce Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Short Term ◽  
School Communities ◽  
New School ◽  
Background Data ◽  
New Buildings

This case uncovers the balance between school culture and academic success that school leaders must consider while leading their schools. New school leaders as well as experienced leaders transitioning into new buildings find that each school has its own distinctive culture. The existing culture and ethos of a school must be considered as leaders gauge the need for short-term and long-term improvements. This must be balanced with the experiences and expectations brought by the leader that have the ability to create positive change. This transition process should not be taken lightly, and administrators should carefully observe what traditions their new school communities value when considering what change needs to be incorporated. This case uncovers the need for new building principals to reflect and analyze background data, both qualitative and quantitative, prior to mandating change in their building. In that sense, it gives aspiring leaders an opportunity to reflect on leadership style and whether there is an opportunity to contextualize that style.

scholarly journals School bonding, attachment, and engagement through remote learning: Fostering school connectedness

Teachers Work ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Jennifer Charteris ◽  
Angela Page
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
School Engagement ◽  
School Connectedness ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
School Bonding ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
School Communities ◽  
Learning School

Over 2020 and 2021 we have seen significant disruption to schooling across the world as COVID-19 forces school closures. Education sectors migrated to distance learning arrangements and teachers and students primarily communicated through digital means. Under challenging conditions, school leaders and teachers made rapid changes to pedagogy and curriculum to accommodate their students’ diverse range of learning needs. We present an interview drawn from a qualitative study undertaken in Australia to illustrate (from a teacher’s perspective) how a school response to COVID-19 integrates elements of school connectedness during the shift to distance learning. School connectedness is an umbrella term that has been theorised in many different ways. In this article, we illustrate school bonding, attachment, and engagement as three interrelated aspects of school connectedness that came to the fore during lockdown measures associated with COVID-19. Leaders, teachers, students, and school communities benefit from school connectedness. When adversity is experienced, school connectedness can be seen in the relationships between teachers, the commitment to students, and the all-important pastoral support from school leaders. Strong and supportive relationships develop through practices that support school bonding, school attachment, and school engagement.

Distance education as a space of possibility in pandemic-burdened societies

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Mullen
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Academic Progress ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Turbulent Times

Before COVID-19, universal demand for distance education was increasing. During the pandemic, the virtual delivery of public education surged. In turbulent times, citizenship, teaching and learning can present a creative opportunity for fostering online development, high-quality interaction and academic progress. The purpose of this conceptual article is to imagine online learning as a space of possibility for learners in pandemic-burdened societies. The well-known community of inquiry (CoI) framework is described along with its elements of presence – cognitive, social and teaching. In particular, the cognitive element is illustrated with curricular examples attuned to citizenship education. Robust online CoIs allow people to collaborate in a social learning context through dialogue and critical reflection on pivotal issues. The CoI framework offers meaningful learning supported by each of its ‘presences’, which deepen reflection and propel success. Anchored in the CoI model, this original treatment is applicable in theory to participants of all ages.

Collaboration: Getting All Hands on Deck Facilitates School Change

1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry A. Peel ◽  
Bradford L. Walker
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Public Education ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Change Process ◽  
School Change ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
State Agency ◽  
Reform Project ◽  
Hands On

Collaboration, a powerful tool for school reform, facilitates school improvement efforts and minimizes the overwhelming dimensions of change. A collaborative change process underway in North Carolina emphasizes using input from teachers, as well as supporting the notion of school leaders working collaboratively with many others who are interested in improving schools: higher education, the state agency for public education, colleagues from other schools, and consultants. Principals are encouraged to take an “all hands on deck” approach to problem-solving and change efforts. This article discusses the successes and frustrations of school leaders involved in this collaborative reform project.

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