Despite post-1994 legislative and policy efforts aimed at the transformation of South African higher education, it remains entrenched in colonial and neoliberal frameworks that perpetuate exclusion, inequality and dehumanisation. This article argues that the failure to achieve meaningful institutional transformation stems from top-down,…

This systematic literature review analysed research related to education reform published between 2000 and 2020. Empirical evidence from 249 studies identified factors hindering or facilitating the long-term success of reform implementation. Eight overarching, actionable themes were found to influence success. Six themes describe requirements at…

Since the inception of the guided pathways model in 2015, most related research has focused on the interconnecting processes and practices that lead to student persistence and completion. While the processes and practices are the basis of the model, scholars acknowledge that the model's human capital and change management components are just as…

According to the "2014-2015 State of the States in Gifted Education", Colorado is the only state in the United States where a series of on-site, customized twice-exceptional professional development (2E PD) opportunities have been implemented. The purpose of this case study evaluation was to understand the implementation of 2E PD during…

What happens when teachers are given funding and time to identify and develop targeted and innovative professional learning? This article focuses on lessons learned from grants funded through the California Department of Education that were designed to do just this. As the state and the nation consider the best approaches to professional learning…

This article aims to illustrate a school self-evaluation project implemented in three Cyprus primary schools. The project adopted three theoretical assumptions, namely, an orientation towards school improvement, a participatory school-level approach allowing support from a critical friend and a focus on effective teaching. In line with a…

Implementing educational reform requires partnerships, and university-school collaborations in the form of investigative and experimental projects can aim to determine the practicalities of reform. However, there are funded projects that do not achieve intended outcomes. In the context of a new reform initiative in education, namely, science,…

Research on the nature of and support for systemic sustainable innovation with ICT is converging with research on policy implementation and studies of school change and improvement to highlight the complex interplay of personal and contextual factors that enable and constrain innovation. In each of these fields, leadership has been found to play a…

Over a three-year period educators at an urban elementary school were interviewed about a Response to Intervention model from development to implementation supported by professional development within a university-school partnership. While the model was initially viewed as an administrative directive, in Year 2 educators began to assume…

A year-long, intensive case study of a Los Angeles school involved in school-based management (SBM) showed that four commitments drove successful reform: a learning imperative, strong sense of community, staff and parent leadership, and a capacity-building imperative. SBM facilitated individuals' actions without influencing decision-making…

Examined effects of multicomponent, participatory school reform process by measuring teachers' perceptions, remedial and special education student achievement, teachers' ratings of student behavior in 12 experimental schools and 10 control schools. Found reform program resulted in positive teacher attitudes toward change process, in new approaches…

The Regional Math/Science Collaborative (RMSC) of Southwestern Pennsylvania is a grassroots approach to strengthening math and science education through regional planning and evaluation. The Collaborative consists of stakeholders representing educators, students, parents, university faculty, and business and community members. External evaluation…

The University of Nevada at Las Vegas College of Education has responded to numerous calls for educational reform with the establishment of the Committee to Review Teacher Education (CRTE). CRTE is composed of school district administrators, elementary and secondary school principals and master teachers, a State Department of Education…

A district-level change in staff development helped renew teachers' interest in professional learning--and improve student learning. The Rockwood School District in Eureka, Mo., found a districtwide plan, rather than personal goals, set the tone for change, but involved teachers in planning.

Flexibility and accountability are two levers for change that occupy an increasingly prominent place among federal strategies for educational improvement. In return for introducing higher academic standards and performance-based accountability systems, states and districts have been granted increasing flexibility over how they may use the funding…