Turning around low-performing schools is hard. Strategies financed by federal dollars have shown disappointing results, and states have avoided fundamental reforms even as they hired specialists and retrained school staff. State leaders can adopt or adapt three approaches already in use if they want to go beyond cosmetic remedies for troubled…

The research reports how a particular school reform initiative--'Project 600'--constituted students in one school region Queensland, Australia. Drawing upon topological understandings of power and recent work on the visualisation of data in education, as well as the insights of key staff involved in the project, we reveal the complex and…

This chapter describes essential components of an all-in-one assessment system used for learning outcomes assessment. The recent review, revision, and implementation of a new general education program led to important illustrations of how this assessment system contributes to course, program, and institutional alignment, access, action, and…

This article explores whether presenting conservation issues in a manner that makes connections with intertwined issues of violence, economics, social issues, and politics elicits more engagement than does presenting the conservation issues in isolation. Survey data were collected concerning African elephant poaching for ivory and the effect of…

The purpose of this article is to describe the successes and challenges of an innovative community engagement initiative in Bermuda, Education for All, in order to enlarge our understanding of how a community uses storytelling as a catalyst for transformative learning. Sponsored by the Coalition for Community Activism, community members and…

Non-governmental development organizations working with local government and community partners are often challenged by conflicting understandings of education practice and learning due to social, cultural, and political factors. Building trust so that education programs are implemented in equal partnership with communities is vital for addressing…

First year undergraduate design students have found difficulties in realising the standards expected for academic writing at university level. An assessment initiative was used to engage students with criteria and standards for a core interdisciplinary design subject notable for its demanding assessment of academic writing. The same graduate…

Now the Russian healthcare system is rapidly changing. In this period training of future doctors is essential. In the modern conditions when highly qualified medical specialists mastering modern high-tech diagnosis and treatment methods are in demand, the improvement of the quality of training future doctors is one of the important goals of…

A growing body of correlational research finds a relationship between self-efficacy--beliefs in one's capabilities--and academic success. But few studies have investigated whether self-efficacy is causally related to academic success. We hypothesized that an experience of success would promote self-efficacy in junior high school students and would…

A real-time, multidimensional, professional-development program that is connected to both practice and school culture was delivered to a group of Montessori teachers with the goal of improving teaching practices and increasing student success by exploring the potential benefits of mindfulness, structured reflective practice, and teacher-centered…

This qualitative study focuses on school administrators' understandings and actions as leaders of the Common Core reform. In interviews with eight school and district leaders from five diverse districts in Pennsylvania, several aspects of Common Core, or PA Core, implementation were consistent across regardless of student population demographics…

Education research has established a significant relationship between school leadership and students' achievement. This study considers the leadership self-efficacy and practice of assistant principals (AP) in public schools in the domains of facilitating a supportive and collaborative learning environment, instructional leadership, school…

The decision-making processes used by superintendents in times of economic crises are well documented. Little is known about how they respond/plan in times of economic gains. The purpose of this study is to explore how superintendents respond and plan for the future amidst the changes brought about by oil and gas development of the Eagle Ford…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the data conversation moves enacted by leaders and to bridge organizational leadership for equity and data-informed decision making to practice. I argue that data discussion moves with the purpose of improving equity and learning must reflect core tenets of organizational leadership for…

This article gives an account of a project aimed at improving the teaching practice and self-reflection of English as a foreign language teachers in Manizales (Colombia) by means of a professional development program. At the initial stage, surveys, class observations, and documentary analysis allowed the researchers to identify teachers'…