Modernising School Governance examines the impact of recent market-based reforms on the role of governors in the English state education system. A focus of the book concerns how government and non-government demands for 'strong governance' have been translated to mean improved performance management of senior school leaders and greater monitoring and disciplining of governors. This book addresses fundamental questions about the neoliberal logic underpinning these reforms and how governors are being trained and responsibilised in new ways to enhance the integrity of these developments. Drawing on large-scale research conducted over three years, the book examines the impact of these reforms on the day to day practices of governors and the diminished role of democracy in these contexts. Wilkins also captures the economic and political rationalities shaping the conduct of governors at this time and traces these expressions to wider structural developments linked to depoliticisation, decentralisation and disintermediation. This book addresses timely and original issues concerning the role of corporate planning and expert handling to state education at a time of increased school autonomy, shrinking local government support/oversight, and tight, centralised accountability. It will appeal to researchers and postgraduate students in disciplines of education, sociology, political science, public policy and management. It will also be of interest to researchers and policy makers from countries with similar or emerging quasi-market education systems.

This text covers the range of equality issues in school level education from the perspective and needs of educators, trainee teachers and students of education. It uses a blend of issues, concepts, facts and research to open up key issues and consider policy developments in the field. Each contributor addresses a different equality issue.

This book extends our understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of teachers who improve their schools consistently and considerably. It sets out to critically analyze and examine organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) in schools from a contextual perspective and to display the uniqueness of the concept in the context of school, its dimensions, boundaries, antecedents and consequences from a multi-level perspective. Chapters consider: understandings of teachers' OCB, its nature, components, and salience in schools personal, organizational, and cultural factors which might facilitate or inhibit teachers' OCB contributions and the drawbacks of OCB for the improvement of educational systems, schools, and educators a new conceptualization of teachers' OCB based on the unique characteristics of school and the teaching profession, and consequences for theory and practice practical tools for guiding educational policy-makers, principals, and teacher educators on how to assimilate and enhance teachers' OCB. Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Schools will appeal to scholars and researchers in educational administration, educational policy, school leadership and teacher education. It will also be of interest to supervisors, policy makers and postgraduate students in the field of education.

This volume examines the lives of young adolescents in Japanese middle schools, focusing on the dynamics of school, family, and social life, and explores the change from child to adolescent that takes place in the middle school years.
The book discusses several themes which play a major role in how Japanese adolescents deal with school, academic pressure, social maturation, social hierarchy, personality development, and the development of gender identity.
Students of varying economic, family, and social backgrounds tell their stories. In describing and analyzing the lives of middle school students, Drs LeTendre and Fukuzawa offer the reader a new perspective on Japanese education and society that demonstrates the successes and problems faced by Japanese students, parents, and teachers.

Tried-and-tested by specialist educational consultants Hay Management Consultants, this volume will help head teachers and subject leaders make the most out of performance management in their schools.

The government's insistence that each school in England (whether primary or secondary) implements a performance management system has lead schools to see this imposition as yet another bureaucratic chore.

This volume shows how performance management can be turned to a school's advantage to improve teaching and school performance. Highly practical in tone, the book shows how schools can turn a government imposition into an opportunity for realistic and tangible improvement.

Education is becoming more competitive - choice in education is now a key issue. This book will help parents, schools, colleges, universities and policy makers understand how education and training markets work. Choosing Futures offers a wide ranging perspective on how young people, and their parents, make choices as they travel through a lifetime of education and training. The authors challenge traditional views of how choices are made of primary school, secondary school, college, university and career, which assume that choices are rational and objective. Instead this book reveals how choices depend upon a range of factors:
*young people's personal experiences
*individual and family histories
*perceptions of education and careers.
The book compares choice for 5 to 11 year olds, and for 16 and 18 year olds; drawing out models of the decision making process, and at the same time the consequences on schools, colleges and individuals of 'enhanced choice'.

"Written with warmth, humor, and extraordinary insight, Teach Me! is a book that will change the way teachers think."
"--Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of No Ordinary Time and Wait Till Next Year"

"Murray Levin starts with a brilliant idea-to probe the political and social thought of African-American and Latino teenagers who are not supposed to have such thoughts-and fulfills it. The result is totally compelling, an education for the reader. Teach Me! is an original."
"--Howard Zinn, Author of A People's History of the United States"

Teach Me! is an account of a seasoned educator's experience in an urban high school. A book that confronts "social decay, . . . the malignancy of our time," Teach Me! also describes a remarkable collaboration between a teacher and his students, who came to recognize together that the world needs to change.

This book addresses one of the most urgent questions in American society today, one that is currently in the spotlight and hotly debated on all sides: Who shall rule the schools--parents or educators?
"School Choice or Best Systems: What Improves Education?" presents an overview of research and practical applications of innovative--even radical--school reforms being implemented across the United States. These fall along a continuum ranging from parental choice to best systems. At the one extreme are schools of choice, which allow parents to choose and even govern schools for their children. These include charter schools, traditional private and parochial schools, schools that are privately governed but publicly funded through vouchers, and those that are funded by private scholarships provided by both corporations and wealthy individuals. At the other extreme are centralized state or district systems, based on reform initiatives and new systems of education that have been developed in response to views of citizens and legislators that schools can do much better. These schools, which specify uniform goals, policies, and programs for each school, are highly innovative systems based on research or representing advanced thinking about what works, and have attracted wide interest.
Important questions related to schools of choice and best systems are addressed: How can we choose among schools of choice and best systems? Among the various approaches within each of these alternatives? How can we understand their guiding principles and operational practices? What results do they produce? How can we evaluate their claims? In choosing among the alternatives, how should issues of student achievement, accountability, costs, feasibility, and equity be factored in?
This volume brings together leading researchers and education leaders who have carried out the latest studies and advances in the field, providing a forum for them to set forth the arguments and evidence that will be most helpful in making choices for tomorrow's schools. It does not provide a single right answer--values and preferences differ across parents, schools, districts, and states. However, there are benefits for all from seeing the rigorous research, challenging thinking, and alternate points of view this volume presents.

Education is becoming more competitive - choice in education is now a key issue. This book will help parents, schools, colleges, universities and policy makers understand how education and training markets work. Choosing Futures offers a wide ranging perspective on how young people, and their parents, make choices as they travel through a lifetime of education and training. The authors challenge traditional views of how choices are made of primary school, secondary school, college, university and career, which assume that choices are rational and objective. Instead this book reveals how choices depend upon a range of factors:
*young people's personal experiences
*individual and family histories
*perceptions of education and careers.
The book compares choice for 5 to 11 year olds, and for 16 and 18 year olds; drawing out models of the decision making process, and at the same time the consequences on schools, colleges and individuals of 'enhanced choice'.

Conceptually rich and grounded in cutting-edge research, this book addresses the often-overlooked roles and implications of diversity and indigeneity in curriculum. Taking a multidisciplinary approach to the development of teacher education in Guatemala, Lopez provides a historical and transnational understanding of how "indigenous" has been negotiated as a subject/object of scientific inquiry in education. Moving beyond the generally accepted "common sense" markers of diversity such as race, gender, and ethnicity, Lopez focuses on the often-ignored histories behind the development of these markers, and the crucial implications these histories have in education - in Guatemala and beyond - today.

The Toxic Schoolhouse is a collection of articles on chemical hazards endangering students, teachers, and staff in the education system of the United States and Canada. Some of the articles were originally published in a special issue of New Solutions: A Journal of Occupational and Environmental Policy, but all have been updated and several new articles have been added. The book is organized in three sections. The first describes problems ranging from the failures of coordination, monitoring, and siting of school buildings to the hazards of exposure to toxic substances, including lead and PCBs. The second section captures the voices of activists seeking change and describes community and union organizing efforts to improve school conditions. The third section covers policy "solutions." The authors include academics, union staff and rank-and-file activists, parent organization leaders, and public health professionals.

Contents:
1.From Here to Integrity ron Best, Chris Watkins and Caroline Lodge 2.Integrity and Uncertainty - Why Young People Need Doubtful Teachers Guy Claxton 3.The Child Tricia David 4.Curriculum for the Future Ian Barr and Margaret McGhie 5.'Now just compose yourselves' - Personal Development and Integrity in Changing Times Chris Watkins 6.Stand and Deliver - The Teacher's Integrity? John Sullivan 7.Schools as Places of Learning and Integrity Caroline Lodge 8.Family Relationships, Learning and Teachers - Keeping the Connections Neil Dawson and Brenda McHugh 9.Prospective Institutional Inequities, Interculturalism and Education in Britain Jagdish Gundara 10.Schools for Communities John MacBeath 11.Policy and Governance John Tomlinson 12.And How Will We Get There From Here? Chris Watkins, Ron Best and Caroline Lodge

A discussion of the schooling of ethnic minority children and youth. The issues covered include: identity and school adjustment - revisiting the acting white assumption; a triarchic model of minority children's school achievement; analyzing cultural models and settings; and more.

Inclusive education refers to the incorporation of special needs classes and pupils into mainstream education. It is a key movement in school level education across the world. This volume provides overviews and approaches to inclusive education from around the world. It defines the philosophical, political, educational and social implications of inclusion, and maps out the dilemmas facing its successful implementation.

This book explores images of schoolteachers in America from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, using a wide range of approaches to scholarship and writing. It is intended for both experienced and aspiring teachers to use as a springboard for discussion and reflection about the teaching profession and for contemplating these questions:
What does it mean to be a teacher?
What has influenced and sustained our beliefs about teachers?

New in the second edition
* The focus is shifted to the teaching profession as the 21st century unfolds.
* The volume continues to explore teacher images through various genres--oral history, narrative, literature, and popular culture. In the second edition, the authors place more emphasis on the social-political context that has shaped teachers' daily experiences and the teaching profession itself. In the study of teacher images and schooling, the essays draw from feminist research methods and the critical tradition in educational inquiry to probe issues of power and authority, race, social class, and gender.
* The emphasis is on the multidimensionality of teacher images rather than normative characterizations.
* Six totally new chapters have been written for this new edition: an "invented interview" spanning 100 years of school teaching; portraits of progressive activist teachers; an exploration of teachers in fiction for young adults; a retrospective of the satirical cartoon show, "The Simpsons"; a study of crusading and caring teachers in films; and an overview of progressive classroom practices in "the new millennium." Seven chapters have been thoroughly revised to reflect current scholarship and the authors' evolving knowledge and interests.

Published to coincide with the launch of the National College for School Leadership (NCSL), this work challenges the notion that there is "one right way" to approach school leadership. Presenting the key policies and approaches to organization and management of 14 successful school leaders from the UK and internationally, the book seeks to reflect the diversity of approaches that are possible in given situations, and to act as a guide for anyone facing the challenges of leadership in education today. It has a focus on generic and transferable factors.

Developed in response to the growing interest in examining individual schools as they undergo change, this book features eight case studies of urban elementary and high schools as they face problems and attempt to find solutions in their quest to reform themselves. The cases, with all their pitfalls and problems, provide examples of the very bumpy road of change and of the individual school cultures that sometimes support and often impede reform. Told in the individual voices of various school leaders, the narratives reflect the inevitable biases of people immersed in their work. Their richness derives from the passion with which these stories are told. Textured and complex, these chronicles invite readers to think deeply about the many layers involved in the process of changing schools.
"School Leadership in Times of Urban Reform" is a powerful text for courses in educational leadership, school reform, and the politics of education. Engaging pedagogical features at the end of each case facilitate its use:
*Each case ends with an "Analysis of Leadership" section and "Extended Thinking" questions and activities.
*Sections 2-5 conclude with "Reflections" to help the reader uncover the major themes and issues.
Section 1 is an introductory analysis of reform and school leadership; it provides a frame of reference for examining the case studies that follow. Sections 2-5 are organized around eight case studies (two per section) that address questions of how the leadership roles of school principals and teachers have been shaped by the reform initiative; how parents and local communities have contributed to school reform; and how the culture of the school, and teaching and learning, have been shaped by reform. The final section synthesizes and analyzes what the authors have learned through these cases concerning the leadership roles of principals, parents, community members, and teachers during the period of reform; how the cultures of schools changed as reform progressed; and how reform impacted the instructional practices of teachers and the learning of students.

Schools are often portrayed as being resistant to change, unwilling to teach new material and incapable of organizing themselves in different ways. Hedley Beare argues that there have been changes in the patterns of schooling in recent years but increasingly radical changes are expected due to advances in information technology. These changes are coming, he says, whether schools are "ready or not". This book is based on the changes a five year-old, Angelica will see in her lifetime. It is divided into two parts: the first describes how schools are viewed by society; the second considers practical responses that schools can make to keep up with change. It predicts that the career of teaching will change and the work of the professional educator will differ significantly from what has been the traditional teaching role in schools of the 20th century. The book addresses principals, senior members of school staff, teachers, governors and policy makers and aims to open up the reader's awareness to the profound shift in society and how society views its schools.

International schools are widespread throughout the world. This work tackles the issues that staff and management of these schools need to address in order to ensure that their teaching and organization is of a high standard and quality. Based on the editors' work and experience at the Bath University Centre for the Study of Education in an International Context, the book contains a wide range of contributions from international school experts around the world, who examine the issues affecting all international schools, regardless of country.

This fascinating book is based on the changes to schooling that a five year-old, Angelica will see in her lifetime. It is divided into two parts: the first describes how schools are viewed by society; the second considers practical responses that schools can make to keep up with change. Creating the Future School predicts that the career of teaching will change and the work of the professional educator will differ significantly from what has been the traditional teaching role in schools of the twentieth century. The book addresses principals, senior members of school staff, teachers, governors and policy makers and aims to open up the reader's awareness to the profound shift in society and how society views its schools.

This book helps readers to improve the development of ICT capability through understanding the factors at work in whole school contexts. Based on research that examined schools' approaches to the development of pupils' ICT capability and identified the factors which lead to success, it provides practical advice, but with clear justifications in terms of well-researched principles and illustrations. It covers issues specific to both primary and secondary phases of education together with a range of common concerns and will be of use to practitioners and school staff involved in planning and delivering ICT training. This title will therefore provide readers with: Greater understanding or personal ICT capability Knowledge of effective management, teaching methods and co-ordination strategies for ICT Understanding of the importance of a whole school approach

eBook available with sample pages: 020313222X

School exclusion is becoming increasingly viewed as being out-dated and misguided and almost all practitioners and leaders are committed in inclusion. However, many schools aiming for full inclusion can find it difficult "not" to "exclude" some students. This book shows teachers and managers how five schools have successfully implemented policy and practice to avoid excluding any students. Based around five in-depth case studies (four secondary and one primary), the book describes positive strategies for preventing children from being excluded. The book begins with a look at different definitions and levels of school exclusion, identifies the different reasons for exclusion and the individuals and groups who tend to suffer most from being excluded. The editors go on to specify positive alternatives to the issue of school exclusion. The book is based upon a major research project undertaken at the School of Education, University of Cambridge. It includes detailed case studies from both the primary and secondary sector.

As we approach the end of the millenium, "citizenship" has become a lens through which commentators have viewed the whole range of social, political and ethical issues. This book looks at how schools prepare pupils to become citizens, what kind of citizens they intend to develop, and how successful schools are in their aims. While it focuses on the lack of opportunities for 14-16 year olds to develop the attributes of contemporary citizenship within the present UK state education system, the argument applies to any educational system that has a statutory, content-based rather than skill-based curriculum.

As computers become more widely used in schools, it is clear that they have the potential not just to support the achievement of conventional goals, but also to redefine what we mean by reading, writing and discussion. The contributors to Language, Classroom and Computers - all with experience of teaching about language and computers for The Open University - use teachers' accounts together with their own research to examine how the use of computers in school can affect the ways in which children learn and teachers teach. The first section looks at some generic aspects of computer use, focusing particularly on class management: individual and group learning, the role of the teacher as facilitator and co-learner and the problems of limited access. The second section examines the contribution of specific sorts of software package: word processing, e-mail, hypertext and so on to lanugage learning. This is a book for everyone who wants IT to add a new dimension to their teaching.