Purpose: Most studies on the impact of school culture focus only on teachers' average perceptions and neglect the possibility that a meaningful increment to the prediction of school effectiveness might be provided by the variance in teachers' culture perceptions. The objectives of this article are to (a) better understand how teachers' collective…

There is an increasing emphasis on seeking and using the views of children and young people in research, evaluation and consultation. This question was at the centre of a day-long event of presentations and workshops organized by the National Foundation for Education Research in November 2007. Key objectives for the workshop included. (1) Review…

In civic youth work program staff focus on larger outcomes and do not often attend to the importance of seemingly mundane and simple tasks. Young people talk about how these simple tasks have powerful meaning for them and their work even as adult volunteers talked about the challenges of working democratically with young people. To integrate these…

This qualitative study examined the educational leadership program coordinator's role in selected research universities, through interviews of 10 coordinators. These individuals were responsible for quasi-administrative curriculum development and outreach duties. Coordinators were committed to leading their programs despite extensive time…

This article presents the authors' response to Harman and Sanderson (2008) who address the important question of how person-centred active support is. The authors' intention is not to disagree with Harman and Sanderson's general point that combining active support (AS) with person-centred planning (PCP) is better than either approach being…

At some point in their career, most teachers wonder whether administration might be right for them. Some quickly reject the idea; they like what they do and don't want to be too far removed from the children. Some teachers decide not to enter administration because they don't want what they perceive as the additional stress or responsibility that…

This paper explores the potential for democratic change in educational practice in Pakistan. Using focus group discussions in urban and rural areas of Sindh and Balochistan, it builds up a picture of educational practices from policy-making to implementation level and identifies the barriers to democratic approaches in education. It suggests that…

This module is the result of the author Michael Chirichello's visit to Luxembourg in 2008. He includes the contact information here for the Atert-Lycee Redange principal or director: Claude Boever, Directeur, email: directeur@alr.lu This publication aligns with the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISSLC) Standard 1: "An…

In this text, the authors are analyzing preschool care and education in local community. They are focusing on the problem of information transfer between the kindergarten, parents and local community, as well as the model of relationship participation. Cooperation between parents, kindergarten and local community is an important element in the…

This paper examines how the process of scaffolding students to solve their social issues developed mature participation for both the teacher and students. A sociocultural perspective framed the research as the underlying assumption is that students learn from each other, mediated by the teacher or more capable peers. The study provides evidence…

This paper considers a sequence of failures in the design of information. It focuses on the Safe and Sustainable Indoor Cleaning study (SASI Clean), a 2007 government-funded study into cleaning practices in Australian childcare centers. Empowerment through participation was integral to the study, childcare workers being seen as collaborators in…

One of the ongoing challenges all educators face, often on a daily basis, is problem behavior. Compounding this challenge is the need to significantly alter these behavioral patterns among at-risk students early in their development to prevent correlated poor life outcomes such as academic failure and school dropout, mental health issues, or…

This article explores governors' perceptions of the role played by school principals in the democratic governance of secondary schools in South Africa. The South African Schools Act No. 84 of 1996 has mandated that all public schools in South Africa must have democratically elected school governing bodies, comprised of the principal (in his or her…

In this multi-method case study, the authors explore the success of school reform in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), whose school reform combines a portfolio strategy and a managed instruction approach. Portfolio strategy is a term used to describe an approach that decentralizes resources and decision-making to school sites--increasingly in…

Imagine showing cops and robbers the blueprints to the campus. Then, letting them keep the detailed blueprints to review--over and over again--at their leisure. The robbers would memorize every nuance of the campus layout, and at some point, they'd likely plan a break-in. But on the flip side, the cops would identify security weaknesses--and help…