The date, the gown, the tux, the theme, the corsage. For many teenagers the prom is the highlight of their high school career, seen as the rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood.
In Prom Night, Amy Best interview countless teens about their prom experiences, and looks at popular media to understand today's teens. She finds that with the rising purchasing power of youth culture, the prom is now an industry unto itself with its own magazines, films, clothing, accessories and services.

School effectiveness and school improvement have different origins: School effectiveness is more directed to finding out "what works" in education and "why"; school improvement is practice and policy oriented and intended to change education in the desired direction. However, in their orientation to outcomes, input, processes, and context in education, they also have much in common. In the theoretical part, different orientations have been analysed and combined in a model for effective school improvement. Based on this analysis, an evaluation framework was developed for the analysis of the case studies of school improvement projects in the participating countries. The theoretical model and the results of the analyses of the case studies were combined in a framework of effective school improvement.

Teachers and administrators who understand the "politics" in schools can operate more successfully to facilitate change. This text teaches educators to identify and influence common social patterns that affect their work in school organizations. It combines literature from educational leadership and foundations of education to provide a comprehensive introduction to organizational theories related to schooling. A particularly notable feature is that in addition to traditional bureaucratic and political approaches, there is a substantial focus on recent critical and feminist theories. Extensive use of narrative vignettes makes the theories accessible for prospective and practicing teachers. Practice cases and exercises assist students in applying the theories to their own organization settings.
Assuming little prior knowledge of theories about school organizations, this volume is intended as a text for introductory graduate courses, as well as for advanced undergraduate courses, and groups such as site-based management teams and district professional development committees.

Principals and district administrators will learn ways to develop, sustain, monitor, and lead schools and districts striving for growth mindset learning environments. This book includes guidance in the areas of growth mindset hiring, feedback, systemic professional learning, and ways to evaluate present processes and protocols through a growth mindset lens. A mindset reflection tool allows education leaders to consider their own mindset thinking. Guidance and suggestions for embedding growth mindset learning through curriculum, instruction, and grading are also included in this valuable resource. Attributes of growth mindset leaders are presented in this guidebook for leading in a growth mindset district!

Originally published in 1990. The rapid decline in the birth rate in the 1970s and the resulting fall in school rolls had a dramatic effect on the curriculum, staffing, organization and management of schools. This book focuses on the national and local politics surrounding school closures, amalgamations and the replacement of sixth forms with tertiary colleges. The author illuminates the changing politics of education through an analysis based on research in LEAs including Birmingham and Manchester. He explores the roles of central government, local education authorities and the politics of increased parental choice. The book shows how spare capacity in schools captures the political struggle between those concerned to protect the post-war tradition of educational opportunity for all and the New Right who want to seize the chance to place schools in the market place, expanding consumer choice and public accountability.

The Future of Publicly Funded Faith Schools addresses and critically examines the arguments both for and against the continued maintenance of faith-based schools within a publicly funded state system. Addressing the issue systemically, first grounding the discussion in the practical world of education before raising the central philosophical issues stemming from faith-based education, it provides a balanced synthesis of the different arguments surrounding faith schools. The book expounds upon the different threats facing faith-based schools, including their perceived potential to undermine social cohesion within a multi-cultural society, and the questioning of their right to receive public funding, and examines what these mean for their future. Examining these threats, it questions: What it means for a school to be 'faith-based'. The nature of religious education both within and without a faith-based school environment. The ethical, epistemological, and political issues arising from faith-based education. The concepts of the common good and social cohesion. Whether there is possible reconciliation between opposing parties. The Future of Publicly Funded Faith Schools makes a unique contribution to the literature in this area and is crucial reading for anyone interested in what the future holds for publicly funded faith schools including academics, researchers, and postgraduate students in the fields of education, religious studies, policy, and politics of education, sociology, and philosophy.

As economies across the world continue to struggle, there is growing evidence that the vulnerable in society, especially children, are paying the greatest cost in terms of reduced opportunities for access to equitable life chances, the most vital of these being education. Juxtaposing the ongoing failure of education systems to address disadvantage with the widespread belief in the vital importance of the training of teachers raises another issue, namely that remarkably little is known about the effective preparation of pre-service teachers to ameliorate educational disadvantage and, additionally, that little attention appears to be given to this in most teacher preparation programmes. This book attempts to redress this balance and is structured by three themes that focus on national policy, pre-service teacher preparation programmes and individual pre-service teachers. The book reveals a disheartening picture of complex patterns of inequality across and within individual countries, together with an incomplete understanding of the intersectional mechanisms - political, ideological, social and cultural - that link poverty and educational disadvantage. Contributions from five different countries, however, provide evidence of positive signs that interesting, innovative and intellectually sound developments are happening at a local level and offer a valuable contribution to the debate about how teacher education can create levers for change. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Journal of Education for Teaching.

Alternative education caters and cares for students whose regular schools have failed and excluded them. Fifty years of international research reports that alternative settings are characterised by close and powerful staff-student relationships, a curriculum which is relevant, engaging and meaningful, and the strong sense of agency afforded young people by the opportunity to make decisions. Together, these three practices produce increased life chances for alternative education participants. However, despite these apparent successes, alternative education seems to have had little impact on mainstream schools. This collection of papers addresses the important question - what might regular schools and teachers learn about socially just pedagogies from alternative education practices? In providing answers to this question, authors interrogate the taken-for-granted wisdom about alternative education while also taking account of ongoing policy shifts, differing locations and populations, and persistent and intersecting patterns of raced, classed and gendered inequalities. They draw on a range of theoretical and methodological approaches to interrogate the ways in which alternative schools and alternative education both challenge and legitimate the kinds of schooling most of us expect for our own and other people's children. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Critical Studies in Education.

Over the past two decades, efforts to improve schools have significantly modified role expectations for principals. Today, school-level administrators are expected to be both visionary leaders and competent managers. Based on the conviction that administration is an amalgam of leadership and management, The School Principal emphasizes the need for practitioners to apply conceptual skills to make "what to do" decisions, to apply technical skills to make "how to do" decisions, and to apply relational skills to engage in democratic decision making. Kowalski frames the book with a discussion of the nature of schools, the roles of principals, and their need to improve schools. The book then provides a balanced treatment of leadership and management, covering issues of personal behavior, instructional leadership, relationship building issues, finances, facilities, personnel management, pupil services, and maintaining safe schools. The text closes with discussion of the vital aspects of practice for contemporary principals, addressing problem solving, collaborative change strategies, and personal commitment to being a principal. Special Features: Vignettes introduce the subject matter in the context of common challenges faced by practitioners. Knowledge-Based Questions and Skill-Based Activities prompt readers to engage with and reflect on the chapter content. The School Principal aligns with the Educational Leadership Consortium Council (ELCC) Standards. Treating principals as concurrently visionary leaders and competent managers, this excellent text addresses the needs of aspiring and practicing principals, providing the tools to build effective and efficient schools.

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) reinforced the requirement that all teachers must meet the needs of all learners. This topical book provides practical, tried and tested strategies and resources that will support teachers in making RE lessons accessible and interesting for all pupils, including those with special needs. The author draws on a wealth of experience to share his understanding of special educational needs and disabilities and show how the RE teacher can reduce or remove any barriers to learning. Offering strategies that are specific to the context of RE teaching, this book will enable teachers to: create a supportive environment which maximises learning opportunities; plan the classroom layout and display to enhance learning; help students of all levels to gain confidence in their reading and writing ability; stimulate discussion and develop thinking skills through using stimuli such as religious art, music, artefacts and films; successfully train and fully use the support of their teaching assistants. An invaluable tool for continuing professional development, this text will be essential for teachers (and their teaching assistants) seeking guidance specific to teaching RE to all pupils, regardless of their individual needs. This book will also be of interest to SENCOs, senior management teams and ITT providers. In addition to free online resources, a range of appendices provide RE teachers with a variety of writing frames and activity sheets to support effective teaching. This is an essential tool for RE teachers and teaching assistants, and will help to deliver successful, inclusive lessons for all pupils.

With 30+ years' experience developing and using EdTech products, distilled down into an easy-to-read format, My Secret EdTech Diary aims to get you thinking about the past, present and future role of educational technology and how it influences and shapes our education system. My Secret EdTech Diary reflects on the history of EdTech, lessons learned pre and post-Covid, best practice suggestions, how to select the right solutions and the questions you need to consider before pursuing your digital ambitions. With unique insights from an Educators' and Vendors' perspective, advice for budding EduPreneurs, guidance for schools considering how to co-produce technology solutions with vendors and how to make the right choices, Al aims to shine a light on Educational Technology through the widest possible lens. With links to research, insights from trusted peers, quick ready-reckoner checklists, questions you need to be asking, alongside voices aligned from the sector, this book aims to get you up to speed and thinking big picture EdTech.

Alternative Approaches to Education provides parents and teachers with information and guidance on different education options in the UK and further afield. This new and expanded edition, including additional chapters and up-to-date contact details, explains the values, philosophies and methods of a range of alternative approaches available outside and within the state system, as well as if you're 'doing it yourself'. Illustrated throughout with the first-hand experiences of children, teachers and parents, it provides lists of useful contacts, sources of further information and answers to common questions. Together with brand new chapters on recent research and contemporary debates, and on Free Schools, it covers: Small alternative schools Steiner Waldorf education Democratic schools Alternatives in the state system Parents as change agents Setting up a Small School or Learning Centre Home-based education Flexible schooling Exploring why alternative approaches to education are needed, this accessible and informative book challenges the dominant educational orthodoxies by putting children first. It will be of interest to teachers looking to build on their knowledge of different educational approaches in order to find new ways of working. It is also an ideal introduction for parents deciding how best to educate their children.

The SEND Code of Practice (2015) reinforced the requirement that all teachers must meet the needs of all learners. This topical book provides practical, tried and tested strategies and resources that will support teachers in making RE lessons accessible and interesting for all pupils, including those with special needs. The author draws on a wealth of experience to share his understanding of special educational needs and disabilities and show how the RE teacher can reduce or remove any barriers to learning. Offering strategies that are specific to the context of RE teaching, this book will enable teachers to: create a supportive environment which maximises learning opportunities; plan the classroom layout and display to enhance learning; help students of all levels to gain confidence in their reading and writing ability; stimulate discussion and develop thinking skills through using stimuli such as religious art, music, artefacts and films; successfully train and fully use the support of their teaching assistants. An invaluable tool for continuing professional development, this text will be essential for teachers (and their teaching assistants) seeking guidance specific to teaching RE to all pupils, regardless of their individual needs. This book will also be of interest to SENCOs, senior management teams and ITT providers. In addition to free online resources, a range of appendices provide RE teachers with a variety of writing frames and activity sheets to support effective teaching. This is an essential tool for RE teachers and teaching assistants, and will help to deliver successful, inclusive lessons for all pupils.

This book lays out an intuitive and practical approach to mental health and wellbeing that any school can adopt to transform their mental health support for students. With a focus on providing staff with practical tools on a limited budget, the book helps schools make a real difference to student mental health. It sets out a roadmap for staff to create robust mental health support for students without requiring qualifications in psychology or counselling. It covers key areas including staff training, creating safe spaces for wellbeing and how to harness the support of parents and the local community. It also includes practical advice for addressing concerns such as stress, self-harm and body image. From small, everyday improvements that foster a culture of mental wellbeing to whole school campaigns, this book shows how to embed mental health at the heart of a school's philosophy.

Critiquing the positioning of children from non-dominant groups as linguistically deficient, this book aims to bridge the gap between theorizing of language in critical sociolinguistics and approaches to language in education. Carolyn McKinney uses the lens of linguistic ideologies - teachers' and students' beliefs about language - to shed light on the continuing problem of reproduction of linguistic inequality.

Framed within global debates in sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, she examines the case of historically white schools in South Africa, a post-colonial context where political power has shifted but where the power of whiteness continues, to provide new insights into the complex relationships between language and power, and language and subjectivity. Implications for language curricula and policy in contexts of linguistic diversity are foregrounded.

Providing an accessible overview of the scholarly literature on language ideologies and language as social practice and resource in multilingual contexts, Language And Power In Post-Colonial Schooling uses the conceptual tools it presents to analyze classroom interaction and ethnographic observations from the day-to-day life in case study schools and explores implications of both the research literature and the analyses of students' and teachers' discourses and practices for language in education policy and curriculum.

Thinking Deeply about Primary Mathematics is a comprehensive exploration of the ideas, theories and practices of most value to beginning teachers, as well as any teacher with the desire to improve their practice. Immediately applicable in the classroom and supported by robust analysis of research into mathematics teaching, this book is designed to provide inspiration for specialised teaching assignments with the power to enhance both the rate and quality of your professional development journey. Through the use of expertly crafted explanations, examples and tasks, each chapter will guide you step by step through the otherwise intimidating world of primary mathematics teaching. This book is perfect for teachers driven to become highly effective practitioners. It also serves as a blueprint for school leaders looking to develop the abilities of their teachers and ensure the highest quality mathematics education for all children. Teacher proficiency is a vast uneven continuum but in taking time to think deeply about primary mathematics we allow ourselves with the opportunity to build a solid base from which a successful, fulfilling career can be constructed. The insight and expertise provided by Thinking Deeply About Primary Mathematics is essential for anyone involved in the teaching of mathematics.

The narrative around flexible working needs flipping. After being able to work flexibly for 14 of her 23 years in education across teaching, school leadership and MAT leadership roles, Emma Turner realised that sadly, she's actually in the minority and has just been kinda lucky. Across the education system, although there is a recent groundswell of support for developing more life friendly, innovative and flexi ways of working, there are still a great deal of misconceptions, biases and prejudices about flexible working and flexible workers. Through her 'playlist' of educational floor fillers, Emma explores some of the successful ways in which flexible working can be viewed by both employers and employees for staff at all levels, including senior and school leadership. Designed to open up the flexible working conversation, this book outlines what can work, what has worked and what could work. This new way of viewing the flexi narrative from an experienced flex-pert encourages all to revisit our views on flexible working.

This book focuses on the District of Columbia's public school system, which has had long-standing problems related to overall management, student academic performance, and the condition of school facilities. Between fiscal years 2004 and 2009, Congress appropriated approximately $190 million in federal payments directly to the D.C. public school system to improve education. In those years, $85 million in federal payments went to the state education office to expand quality public charter schools under its jurisdiction. Another $105 million was provided to D.C. Public Schools to improve education in the traditional public schools under its jurisdiction.

A well-edited collection of case studies showing different experiences from around the world that involve children in decisions regarding their own education. Since the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, there has been an increasing recognition globally that children need to have more say in their education. Children as Decision Makers in Education is concerned with how children can actively participate in decision-making. It builds upon previous research into student voice and decision-making, citizenship education in the school curriculum and work with children as researchers. This fascinating collection is forward-looking, bringing together cross-cultural experiences and supporting individuals or groups to work collaboratively in the future.

This book examines experiences and implications of 'against-the-grain' school choices, where white middle class families choose ordinary and 'low performing' secondary schools for their children. It offers a unique view of identity formation, taking in matters like family history, locality and whiteness.

For over 20 years, school interventions involving former right-wing extremists have been popular in Germany. In practice, they are advertised and conducted as both civic education and extremism prevention. This book uses an evidence-based and interdisciplinary approach to examine the potentials and challenges of this format. It provides a thematic embedding of German application, a comprehensive review of attributed impact assumptions and the state of related research. Furthermore, this research offers highly valuable, unique and comprehensive insights based on empirical evidence. It thus contributes to a better understanding of the format and its complexity. Overall, the findings give no clear indication that the involvement of former right-wing extremists in schools initiate civic education processes or prevent political extremism. Rather, the investigation found fundamental needs for additional research, modification, and sensitization. In this vein, this book makes a pioneer contribution to quality assurance and evaluation research in civic education and extremism prevention.

Worries about the quality of public schooling in America are not new. Present since the mid-nineteenth century, the issue became a perennial one after 1918, the year in which elementary school attendance became compulsory in every state. The Allure of Order traces the cyclical efforts to 'order' American schooling over the course of the twentieth century, from 1920s reform efforts up through No Child Left Behind and the current school accountability movement. The book explores why reformers from both the left and right have repeatedly placed such high hopes in these reforms and why teachers and schools have been unable to resist these external reformers. As he shows, the measurable has repeatedly crowded out the educationally meaningful, and reforms have never realized the hopes placed in them. In each reform effort, higher-status professionals have drawn from policies outside the educational arena and ridden roughshod over the teaching profession, which has remained, as he puts it, under-professionalized. Outside reformers looked to fix schools using Taylorist principles in the 1920s, Department of Defense metrics in the 1960s, and maxims from management gurus in our own era. In each case, a largely male administrative elite dictated to a largely feminized teaching profession that had little say over policy. In fact, the whole American educational sector was put together backwards: we draw less than our most able people to teaching, underprofessionalize the field, equip teachers with a weak knowledge base, put them in a highly challenging situation because of a comparatively weak welfare state, and then, when they don't achieve the results we seek, impose increasingly stringent regimes of external accountability. Mehta proposes that we do the reverse: draw more talented people into teaching, train them well, support their efforts through a more robust welfare state, and stimulate a cycle of increased trust and lessening control. This is the strategy of a number of the countries that outpace the United States on international assessments, and it is essentially the opposite of America's preferred strategy. Empirically rich and sweeping in scope, The Allure of Order will force anyone who cares about educational policy to re-examine his or her fundamental beliefs about the problems plaguing our schools.