Over the past few years, it has become clear that the path of transformation in schools since 1994 has not led South Africa’s education system to where we had hoped it could be. Through tweets, posts and recent protests in schools, it has become apparent that in former Model-C and private schools, children of colour and those who are ‘different’ don’t feel they belong.

Following the astonishing success of How To Fix South Africa’s Schools, the authors sat down with young people who attended former Model-C and private schools, as well as principals and teachers, to reflect on transformation and belonging in South African schools. These filmed reflections, included on DVD in this book, are honest and insightful.

Drawing on the authors’ experiences in supporting schools over the last twenty years, and the insight of those interviewed, A School Where I Belong outlines six areas where true transformation in South African classrooms and schools can begin.

Over 60 million children of primary-school age, mostly in Africa and Asia, are not in school. More then 250 million are in school but are not experiencing meaningful learning.

In South Africa, school is compulsory for children aged seven to 15, where they are expected to learn core skills – reading, writing and arithmetic – and improve their chances of future employment. But for some, schools are places of persistent failure, of humiliation, of boredom and lack of progress.

Finding Place and Keeping Pace: Exploring meaningful and equitable learning in South African schools is about getting access to and completing a full cycle of good-quality basic education. The contributors span a range of methodologies that include policy analysis, classroom observation and learner assessment, bringing together a rich set of studies that explore a pattern of exclusion from meaningful learning by South African schoolchildren. In particular, they look at schoolchildren who attend school regularly, but are not learning due to inadequate facilities, indifferent teachers and socio-economic factors. They are at risk of either dropping out or leaving school with limited resources.

Within the country, access to schooling remains uneven across and within provinces, and between different communities, with poverty, race and location being major factors. Physical access is just the first hurdle – once through the school gates it is expected that children will be provided with knowledge and values that will allow them to function in the economic and social life of the country. However, this is not the general case – children may be at school but without accessing education.

The authors identify several patterns of exclusion, including different forms of marginalisation, age-inappropriate enrolments, and the fact that school choice, voice and quality remain restricted. They also make policy recommendations, which include improving the quality of teachers and teaching, enhancing parental and community involvement, and clarifying the Language-in-Education policy.

Inviting multiple ways of critically engaging with literature, this text offers a fresh perspective on how to integrate children’s literature into and across the curriculum in effective, purposeful ways. Structured around three “mantras” that build on each other—Enjoy; Dig deeply; Take action—the book is rich with real examples of teachers implementing critical pedagogy. The materials and practical strategies focus on issues that impact children’s lives, building from students’ personal experiences and cultural knowledge to using language to question the everyday world, analyze popular culture and media, understand how power relationships are socially constructed, and consider actions that can be taken to promote social justice.

Written for teachers and teacher educators, each chapter opens with three elements that are closely linked: classroom vignettes showcasing the use of literature and inviting conversation; three key principles elaborating the main theme of the chapter and connecting theory with practice; and related research on the topics and their importance for curriculum.

Partnerships in Action explores, at multiple levels, a university-school-community partnership in action. The chapters provide rich and dynamic accounts of the activities that make up this partnership, within a context of extreme social inequality. The contributors share an enduring commitment to whole-school improvement. They describe how, through interdisciplinary collaboration, they negotiate the multiple political, social and structural complexities which arise in the coming together of the partners. The book's uniqueness lies in its combination of practical implementation and sound theoretical scholarship from a range of disciplines. Not only does the partnership strengthen the university's commitment to community-engagement, but it offers new insights to all students, stakeholders, academic staff, and social researchers - in universities, education departments and NGOs - with an interest in improving schooling, and building social justice.

The increasing lack of discipline in South African schools and the impact thereof is well known. In most instances, existing punitive measures do not yield the required results. Yet, schools continue to scramble to find alternative punishments that will result in a disciplined environment conducive to teaching and learning. Albert Einstein rightly said: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”

Restorative School Discipline: The Law and Practice seeks to provide an alternative approach to discipline. However, to implement this approach, a complete mind-shift is required. This mind set requires an understanding that to discipline learners is to teach socially acceptable behaviour. The restorative approach entails moving away from an approach that merely focuses on the ill-disciplined learner to an approach that focuses on preventing disciplinary problems, changing the culture of the school and restoring the harm done to those affected by the misconduct. The restorative approach involves focusing on finding solutions to address the needs and interests of all the role-players in the school community, rather than finding suitable punishments. Thus, focusing on the best interests of every learner as well as those of educators. Restorative discipline is a value-driven approach that respects the human rights of every stakeholder and also protects, promotes and fulfils everyone’s human rights.

This book explains the restorative approach to discipline in detail. The role of every stakeholder in the implementation of this approach also receives attention. Furthermore, it highlights the social justice implications as well as the impact of discipline on the neurological functioning and development of the child.

Restorative School Discipline: The Law and Practice provides practical advice for SGB’s, educators, school social workers and other role-players, such as the Department of Basic Education, on how to implement the restorative approach to discipline. It also examines the Constitutional imperatives and the legal framework related to school discipline. This ground-breaking book will provide guidance for school administrators, practitioners and academics on this innovative school discipline practice.

Developing effective schools which provide relevant, meaning-filled, quality education in South Africa today is a daunting task. Since apartheid was dismantled, the educational environment of many schools is still rife with the structural inequalities and challenges that form part of apartheid's legacy. And in the current South African educational system, enabling policy frameworks only go so far in creating a meaningful school environment. This updated edition of The Learning School offers educators insights, guidelines and a holistic perspective on how to engage with the development of a school, using a psycho-social approach. It emphasises the importance of teachers having a sense of purpose and belonging in education; that teaching and learning can make a difference; and the crucial role teaching and learning can play as a healing force in society. It stresses that real and lasting change in schools can only happen through the passion and commitment of educators over a sustained period of time.

The perfect guide for parents teaching young children how to read, this directs parents to research-based ideas for at-home instruction in beginning reading concepts and supports parents in implementing key reading strategies with their children.

Available in pads of 200 on double-sided sheets, these literacy lesson plan sheets help practitioners to structure learning and ensure development in reading.

Tackle underlying issues to get to the root of bullying By reframing bullying prevention, you can make significant progress in addressing the underlying issues causing bullying and aggression in your school. In this resource, James Dillon digs into the work that busy educators often have little time for: translating rich and insightful research on the dynamics of change into practical terms. He probes deeply into the issues and why they persist in our schools to promote meaningful conversation among school staff and parents. Inside you'll find Vignettes, analogies, and real-life examples along with tools that illustrate the benefits of using alternative methods to prevent bullying Discussion on transforming the role of discipline to reframe bullying among teachers, administrators, and students Key ideas and concepts summarized in easy-to-understand bullet points and charts Guidance on how to establish a school climate that promotes empathy and compassion instead of fear Reframing bullying prevention will allow competent and caring educators, students, and parents to not just stop bullying, but to improve the learning environment for all students.

Wellbeing, Education and Contemporary Schooling examines the role of wellbeing in schools and argues that it should be integral to core policy objectives in health and education. The whole school focus chosen is conducive to the review of wellbeing in schools, and assists in better understanding the complex relationships between learners and teachers in policy contexts, where every teacher has a responsibility for learners' wellbeing. By exploring a range of debates about the nature of wellbeing, the book shows how a child's wellbeing is inseparable from their overall capacity to learn and achieve, and to become confident, self-assured and active citizens. Drawing on international curriculum developments, it considers the ways in which wellbeing could reshape educational aims in areas such as outdoor learning and aesthetic imagination, helping to inform programmes of professional learning for teachers. Separated into six parts, the book covers: philosophical perspectives on wellbeing policy perspectives on wellbeing professional perspectives on wellbeing practice perspectives on wellbeing future prospects for wellbeing a personal perspective on wellbeing. Examining ways in which wellbeing can become a central component of the ethos, culture and environment of contemporary schools, Wellbeing, Education and Contemporary Schooling is an invaluable guide for all students, teachers, researchers and policy makers with an interest in learning, teaching and children's wellbeing.

The authors participated in a bold, statewide school improvement initiative that re-examined the role of a critical variable in twentieth century educationutime. Progressive educational policy changes in New Hampshire have put into motion the most dynamic approach to the delivery of education of any state in America. This statewide effort to create a system of personalizedstomized learning cannot properly function in the 20th century model of teaching and learning where time is the constant and achievement is the variable. The steps that New Hampshire has taken will provide the foundation for a new delivery model where time is the variable and achievement is the constant.The New Hampshire vision is built on the assumption that students can learn through a variety of experiencesutraditional classroom instruction being but one mode of delivery. Out-of-classroom Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO's) provide alternatives to classroom instruction. These can include internships, private instruction, on-line learning and other forms of independent study. But, at the core of this vision, is the idea that student achievement (and, by extension, teacher effectiveness) should be measured in terms of mastering competencies, rather than the traditional measure of 'seat time.' Although competency-based models have been attempted, the New Hampshire story is unique in that it offers a unique case of large-scale implementation. Bramante and Colby offer the reader the ability to understand a new context for the reinvention of education and how these challenges affect all levels and aspects of our system of public education. Education professionalsufrom classroom teachers to policy makersuhave much to learn from the lesson of New Hampshire.

Many blended learning initiatives start from the top down and are designed for specific populations or make drastic changes to a school's learning structure. But any K-12 classroom teacher can find ways to leverage blended learning within the four walls of their classroom, regardless of the constructs of their learning environment. All they need is a willingness to rethink their role in the classroom - moving from content deliverer to architect of learning. In The Perfect Blend, you'll learn how to create a "homemade recipe" for effective blended learning within your classroom. Rather than focusing on finding and implementing a specific established model, author Michele Eaton shows teachers how to embrace the flexibility of blended learning to take an active role as a designer of learning in the classroom and, in the process, helping students find their voices as advocates for their education. This book will: provide an accessible resource for teachers beginning to use technology in the classroom as well as master blended teachers looking for new ideas or strategies; include templates and planning tools that can be used as is or modified to fit the needs of your students; and focus on three key aspects of blended learning: understanding and reflecting on your role as a designer of learning experiences, using digital content in the classroom and creating active and intentional learning spaces.

As public schools in low income areas fell into disrepair and failed to meet the needs of disadvantaged and minority students, charter schools offered an alternative. These schools were born out of the idea that low income families should be allowed to choose where their children went to school, just the same as high income families. If the public school in the community was unsatisfactory, shouldn't they be allowed to seek out an alternative? The alternatives are surprisingly effective. Charter schools located in low income black and Latinx communities achieve results surpassing both traditional public schools in their areas, and also, in many cases, public schools in more affluent neighbourhoods. In Charter Schools and Their Enemies, celebrated conservative intellectual Thomas Sowell explores the surprising success of this model and the surprising backlash that threatens to dismantle it. Instead of being celebrated for their successes, charter schools are caught in political crosscurrents. In addition to uncovering the success of the charter school movement, Sowell pays careful attention to its adversaries to understand how these schools became such a contentious issue and why the controversy rages on. Teachers' unions, fearful of their hold over government-funded education, fund political candidates to oppose the charter school movement. Liberal educators also oppose charter schools, Sowell argues, because they believe that the school system should indoctrinate the young in progressive politics. Deeply researched and amply documented, Charter Schools and Their Enemies is essential reading for anyone concerned with debates over education in America.

Could your kids be learning a fourth ""R"" at school: reading, writing, rithmatic, and race? Race in the Schoolyard takes us to a place most of us seldom get to see in action-our children's classrooms-and reveals the lessons about race that are communicated there, both implicitly and explicitly. The book examines how ideas about race and racial inequality take shape and are passed along from teacher to student and from student to student in the classroom and schoolyard. Amanda E. Lewis spent a year observing classes at three elementary schools-two multiracial urban and one white suburban-where she spent time with school personnel, teachers, parents, and students. While race of course, is not officially taught like multiplication and punctuation, she finds that it nonetheless insinuates itself into everyday life in schools. Lewis explains how the curriculum, both expressed and hidden, conveys many racial lessons, and the ways schools and school personnel serve as a location and means for interracial interaction, as well as a means of both affirming and challenging previous racial attitudes and understanding. While teachers and other school community members verbally deny the salience of race, she illustrates how it does influence the way they understand the world, interact with each other, and teach children.

"Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas" teaches the essential skills and techniques needed to organize, understand, and apply information in four general categories: the humanities, social studies, science, and mathematics.

Curriculum Exposed follows on from Samuel Strickland's first book, Education Exposed. It is a pacy, punchy and forthright critique of how to drive the curriculum within a school and how the curriculum should be used as a vehicle for change and social justice. The book is simply and neatly laid out, with each chapter identifying common curricular misconceptions, posing lots of key questions to consider and offering multiple practical ideas that you can take away. Every chapter ends with five key highlights for you to carefully consider. It offers a neat interplay of theory, research, Samuel's expertise and experience coupled with a practical and real-world approach. The first section of the book champions the importance of knowledge, the issue with skills, why the teacher should be the expert, underpinning theories with practical suggestions regarding how to plan the curriculum as a whole. The second section of the book will take you through a series of curriculum tools and teaching approaches that will assist you to think about how you implement the curriculum. The final section of the book champions the notion that the teacher is the expert, focusing on the importance of subject knowledge and coaching and explains how to monitor the curriculum carefully. Curriculum Exposed is relevant for anyone working in a school, irrespective of their position or role. It is designed to be an accessible, versatile and quick read. Equally, it can be used as a 'dip-in and dip-out guide' to the curriculum. Multiple practical approaches and strategies are offered as key take-away points.

The ultimate guide to understanding how a school can be led, managed and run, written by an author with extensive experience, and drawing heavily on research around knowledge-based curricula.Cleary and honestly stating the challenges of leading a school, Samuel Strickland focuses on approaches to the curriculum, teaching and learning, teacher workload, behavior, staff morale, leadership and Ofsted.

This title develops the concept of a learning organisation in a South African schooling context. The term "learning organisation" is used to illuminate ways of organising teaching and learning practices that could transform South African schools into successful and effective institutions. The author discusses the five learning disciplines proposed by Senge (1990) against the background of her own successful practical experience (as a school principal for ten years).

This guide helps teachers to observe and understand the changes in young children's language. It helps practitioners and literacy leaders to create powerful language programmes and to improve techniques for recording and assessing change in children's oral language development.

A jargon-free view of Waldorf education and its philosophy of a three-dimensional education. Since their inception over 80 years ago, Steiner-Waldorf schools have offered a much-needed model for educational reform. The author provides a compelling, clearly written picture of the key components of a Waldorf education, focusing especially on child learning experiences that develop thought, feeling, and intentional, purposeful activity. Ideal for parents and teachers, this book gives a common sense understanding of an education which answers modern needs in over one thousand schools across the world.

In this titles attention is given to the education system as an organisation. Different views of scholars regarding organisational theory in education are put forward. A personal perspective is also provided in order to prove that the school as an organisation is not merely an object with essential characteristics, but that it has ontological status and is a unique grouping of people. This title is essential not only for postgraduate students in the field of education management and organisational theory in education, but also for all managers in the education system.

This valuable guidebook is for deducing a child's concepts about print and for understanding the theory behind the method. Coming with accompanying task sheets, it provides all the information teachers need on administering the test materials in Follow Me, Moon and No Shoes as well as Sand and Stones.