The use of student learning objectives (SLOs) as part of teacher performance systems has gained traction quickly in the United States, yet little is known about how teachers select specific students' learning goals. When teachers are evaluated--and sometimes compensated--based on whether their students meet the very objectives the teachers set at…

Most state boards of education create or collaborate on strategic plans to crystallize a vision, goals, and strategies for public education. These plans often include long-run goals around postsecondary readiness, high-quality educators, and student academic achievement. Many of the newest plans, however, diverge from preceding ones by addressing…

The purpose of this essay is to identify and interrogate listening practices, which can restrict and facilitate educators' capacity to authentically care for neurodiverse students and their families. We reconceptualize listening as integral to consciousness formation by unveiling our own listening experiences as parents and collaborative…

Over the past few years, federal and state education policies have shifted to require teachers to set student growth goals. This was intended, in part, to focus more attention on and strengthen accountability for improving student outcomes. These goals are typically part of a teacher evaluation process that combines a teacher's attainment of…

This report focuses on systems thinking and its place in education transformation. It reflects on key published literature and on specific outputs from the Education Development Trust's own programme of research. The report offers an overview of the evolution of systems thinking and the relevance for policymakers and practitioners as they tackle…

This qualitative study, utilizing the case study method, sought to address the issues associated with the lack of institutionalization of service-learning practices on college campus by describing the institutionalization of service-learning practices at a Baptist-affiliated college. The study describes the development and institutionalization of…

In 2015 Education for All (EFA), concludes its 25-year cycle, and the Global Monitoring Report (GMR) publishes its final assessment of triumph and defeat in reaching the six EFA goals. Before the United Nations adopts new Sustainable Development Goals, it is essential to consider the underlying theories of monitoring. This essay addresses two…

For many years, the Catholic school system within the United States was considered the preeminent educational institution, particularly for poor and marginalized students that live in low income, inner city areas. Now, given the large number of school closures, the Catholic school system's long-standing goal of educating economically disadvantaged…

What are the qualities of classroom, school, and district processes and practices in rural high schools with higher-than average graduation rates? How do these processes and practices compare with rural schools with histories of average graduation rates? In this study, six schools were sampled for a multiple case study of rural high school…

Deriving from the authors' respective ethnographic fieldwork (around two decades in each context), this position paper considers experiences of education across two communities: Gypsy/Roma in the UK and Indigenous in Australia. The article brings together understandings across these traditionally nomadic communities, with no shared history or…

Oral narrative is a critical skill for school achievement, for personal relationships and for social participation. However, it is downgraded in current and proposed National Curriculum frameworks, which fail to recognise its significance in development. Schools have flexibility to address the issue, which is of particular importance to pupils…

Theory suggests that effective teachers should possess a vision for teaching, but the reality of teaching within the current educational policy climate raises questions about teachers' autonomy of their instructional decisions and ultimately their personal convictions for teaching. This exploratory study examines 11 teachers' visions of…

Blueprints for education reform have become trendy. Over the last few years, President Obama, governors, chief state school officers, local superintendents' associations, policy institutes, foundations, and business leaders have formulated such documents to guide school improvement. This brief highlights: (1) the focus of current blueprints; (2)…

Internationalization of colleges and universities historically has been fostered--and continues to be fostered--mostly by grassroots efforts by faculty and staff members, driven by bottom-up rather than top-down approaches. More recently, though, national governments have become drivers of the internationalization of higher education, particularly…

This exploratory study seeks for understanding the relationship between Turkish elementary school English teachers' espoused beliefs about the effective ways of teaching English and their self-reported practices. 6 teachers, who were working at different state schools in a town located in the Northwestern part of Turkey, were interviewed.…