Experiences of violence in schools are encountered much more frequently than they used to be. The shocking repercussions of these acts are felt nation-wide and particularly impact school populations, families and communities. This book undertakes to illuminate factors pertaining to the phenomenon of school violence. It is intended for professionals

This volume grew out of a symposium on discourse, tools, and instructional design at Vanderbilt University in 1995 that brought together a small international group to grapple with issues of communicating, symbolizing, modeling, and mathematizing, particularly as these issues relate to learning in the classroom. The participants invited to develop chapters for this book--all internationally recognized scholars in their respective fields--were selected to represent a wide range of theoretical perspectives including mathematics education, cognitive science, sociocultural theory, and discourse theory. The work is distinguished by the caliber of the contributors, the significance of the topics addressed in the current era of reform in mathematics education, and the diversity of perspectives taken to a common set of themes and issues.
The book is intended for those who are seeking to expand their understanding of the complexity of learning in order to enhance the learning experiences students have in schools, primarily researchers, instructional designers, and graduate students in mathematics education, as well as those in other fields including science education, instructional design in general, discourse theory, and semiotics.

This volume presents the view that what matters most are learning processes in organizations and ways of enhancing the sophistication and power of these processes. Each contributor, therefore, explicitly addresses the meaning(s) of organizational learning which they have adopted themselves.

This volume grew out of a symposium on discourse, tools, and instructional design at Vanderbilt University in 1995 that brought together a small international group to grapple with issues of communicating, symbolizing, modeling, and mathematizing, particularly as these issues relate to learning in the classroom. The participants invited to develop chapters for this book--all internationally recognized scholars in their respective fields--were selected to represent a wide range of theoretical perspectives including mathematics education, cognitive science, sociocultural theory, and discourse theory. The work is distinguished by the caliber of the contributors, the significance of the topics addressed in the current era of reform in mathematics education, and the diversity of perspectives taken to a common set of themes and issues.
The book is intended for those who are seeking to expand their understanding of the complexity of learning in order to enhance the learning experiences students have in schools, primarily researchers, instructional designers, and graduate students in mathematics education, as well as those in other fields including science education, instructional design in general, discourse theory, and semiotics.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0750708425

Schools are now seen as being one of the key agents which can help redress society's most fundamental problems, create more cohesive communities and promote citizenship and a sense of social conscience in the young. Promoting Mental, Emotional and Social Health: A Whole School Approach provides a clear and practical overview of ways in which mainstream schools can promote the health of all those who work and learn in them.
Supported by the latest new evidence from the UK and Europe as well as findings from the USA, it outlines and examines:
* evidence that social and emotional learning and academic achievement can go hand in hand and that the same key factors underlie both happy and effective schools
* the areas of school life that are the key to promoting social and affective health, including relationships with families and the community, management and the curriculum
* the competencies that we all need to become more emotionally literate and relate to more effectively.

This book examines reform in American education over the past fifty years and against this backdrop presents a compelling analysis of why contemporary voucher plans and charter schools have yet to fulfill the expectations of their advocates. It is the only book to date to attempt a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of the emerging research base on vouchers and charter schools. Suitable for courses in school policy, school reform, school leadership, or educational issues, it will also be of interest to anyone (parents, teachers, policymakers) directly involved with the charter school movement.
Key features of this timely new book include the following:
* A Historical Perspective--The early chapters look at American educational reform over the past fifty years and analyze why these efforts have fallen short of their goals.
* Student Achievement--Chapter 3 provides an insightful assessment of American students' school achievement from 1970 to the present and, in the process, counters the widely held myth that, overall, student achievement has deteriorated.
* Voucher Plans and Charter Schools--Chapter 4 looks specifically at choice and vouchers in American education while chapters 5-7 provide a comprehensive and balanced examination of the charter school movement.
* Policy Recommendations--The book concludes with explicit policy suggestions that attempt to balance the educational needs of children and youth against the rights of schools to experiment. Suggestions for developing broader coalitions to support public education, particularly in the inner cities, are also offered.

This text provides user friendly advice and support for school teachers and lecturers in further and higher education who need to know what information technology and computers can do for their work.

This collection of essays on the philosophy of religion and its future brings together accomplished thinkers across several related fields, from comparative philosophy to analytic and continental philosophy of religion and beyond. Contributing authors address pressing questions including: Where does philosophy stand in relation to religion and the study of religion in the 21st century? How ought the philosophy of religion to interact with religious studies and theology to make for fruitful interdisciplinary engagement? And what does philosophy uniquely have to offer to the broad discourse on religion in the modern world? Through exploring these questions and more, the authors' goal is not that of meeting the philosophical future, but of forging it. Readers will enter a vivid conversation through engaging essays which demonstrate the importance of disciplinary openness and show that we do not need to sacrifice depth in order to achieve breadth. Modernity and postmodernity come together in a constantly evolving discussion that moves the philosophy of religion forward, while keeping an eye toward the experience accumulated in past centuries. This book will interest students of philosophy, theology, religious studies, and other fields that wonder about the place of philosophy and religion in today's world. It also has much to offer advanced scholars in these fields, through its breadth and forward thinking.

Research has shown that there is a correlation between academic achievement and the strength of community life and awareness within a school. The aim of this book is to introduce communitarian thought to classroom teachers and to those working in education. The book contextualizes the current debates within education around the many topical ideas being developed by communitarian thinkers, including: character-building; the role of parents; the community and the individual; values education and citizenship; community education; standards and ethos in schools. Throughout, the book makes specific reference to the practical implications for both primary and secondary schools as well as for further education colleges.

Series Information:
RoutledgeFalmer Studies in International and Comparative Education

Communitarianism, as a movement, is clearly a dominant theme within New Labour's educational policy. How does this affect education and the life and work of schools? Research has shown that there is a correlation between academic achievement and the strength of community life and awareness within a school. The aim of this book, therefore, is to introduce communitarian thought to classroom teachers and to those working in education. The book contextualizes the current debates within education around the many topical ideas being developed by communitarian thinkers, including: character building; the role of parents; the community and the individual; values education and citizenship; community education; and standards and ethos in schools. Throughout, the book makes specific reference to the practical implications for both primary and secondary schools as well as for further education colleges. This is a timely book that should be of interest to all those working in schools and with children and young people. It aims to be a guide to this important and highly influential movement that is shaping our educational future.

Contents:
1 The Consequences of Truancy 2.Types of Truants and Incidence 3.Types of Truancy 4.The Causes of Truancy: Social Perspectives 5.The Causes of Truancy: Psychological Indices 6.Educational Causes of Truancy 7.Government Initiatives 8.School Based Initiatives 9.Whole-School Approaches to Reducing Truancy 10. Improving School Attendance 11.Teachers, Teaching and Truancy 12.Tackling Truancy: Records of Achievement and Work Placement Schemes 13.OFSTED: Guidelines on Attendance and Truancy 14. Parents and Truancy 15.Education Welfare Service

Among the abundance of material available about death and dying, there is a very limited amount that deals directly with the needs of a school community when one of its members dies. In addition, a great need exists for schools to develop an organized plan for responding to the death of a student or staff member. "A Student Dies, A School Mourns" aims to fill this gap. The book not only examines and explains the grief reactions of students and school staff members and the factors that affect these reactions, it also provides a systematic guide for developing a death-related crisis response plan.
This timely book is designed to be a systematic guide that incorporates a thorough analysis of grief in school, including normal and abnormal grief reactions, factors affecting these grief responses, and the differences in death beliefs and responses of students at different ages and developmental stages. It also acts as a map or step-by-step guide for establishing a death-related response plan. The liberal use of flow charts, time tables, and action plans, turns the often daunting task of creating a response plan into a relatively painless activity, stating what must be done, who should do it, and when. Extensive coverage is given to two issues in particular: youth suicide and violence/murder in the school.
" A Student Dies, A School Mourns" will be a vital resource for school counselors, social workers, rehab psychologists, school administrators, teachers, clergy and anyone with an interest in death as it pertains to the school community. It will also be of use as a textbook for courses in death and dying, educational psychology, education, and educational administration.

This INSET-based book provides teachers and managers in schools with a practical guide to developing and maintaining high standards of behavior. Using their extensive experience, the authors emphasize planning policies which take account of the individual needs of the staff and pupils as well as whole-school administration. They encourage an experimental approach supported by many activities to guide the development process, and consider both the 'soft', human side of the development process, as well as the more predictable 'hard' side involving audit, planning, implementation and review.

Contents:
1. Concepts of Special Educational Needs 2. The Legislative Framework 3. The Range of Special Educational Need and Provision 4. A Curriculum for All? 5. Teaching Approaches and Organisational Strategies 6. The Social and Emotional Context for Learning 7. Frameworks of Support

The use of psychology in the classroom is a valuable tool for understanding and improving pupils' learning processes. This readable and informative book considers a range of contemporary issues including improving pupil motivation and understanding social dynamics in the classroom, and encourages teachers to conduct small-scale classroom investigations and to assess learning environments. It also provides a brief overview of the underlying psychological theory in each chapter and discusses the issues which are relevant to classroom practice, and provides practical examples and activities to support the text.

What is the creative potential of the new technologies? How can computers create new possibilities for artistic and creative work in education?
Young People, Creativity and New Technologies describes ways in which ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) can produce new possibilities for creative work both within the formal curriculum and in complementary educational arenas. It provides a series of case studies which show how 'digital arts' are currently being used across school and community arts curricula and demonstrates how ICTs can be used in a genuinely inter-disciplinary way.
It is aimed at those who are interested in practical ways to develop the creative uses of new technologies at school and in community arts settings.

First published in 1997, this study examines the trend towards markets in UK schools, with a particular focus on fee-paying schools in South Wales, by outlining the varied economic and political arguments both for and against increased parental choice and exploring parents' real reasons for using fee-paying schools. Stephen Gorard destroys the cosy myth that fee-paying schools are large, successful, charitable institutions catering chiefly for a select group of privileged families. Instead, he reveals them as typically privately owned, coeducational and with fewer than a hundred pupils, based in a poorly-converted residential site with few facilities. It is the first book which allows children's voices to be heard fully in the context of debates on the choice of a new school. Gorard has gathered the voices of parents and children via observation, interview and survey, comparing them directly and revealing stark differences in the perception of each generation.

Moving beyond the traditional focus on curriculum and pedagogy, this volume explores hidden dimensions of sexuality education in schools and how sexual meanings are produced. Challenging the standard understandings of sexuality education, Allen discusses how students' knowledge of sexualities is often learnt outside the 'official' school curriculum in informal spaces such as the sports field, gym locker rooms and peer groups. By employing visual methods and analysing student photo-diaries, Allen's original book captures a sexual culture of schooling that allow readers to literally 'see through young people's eyes.' Introducing theoretical ideas in relation to queer theory and 'new' feminist new materialisms, this volume calls for a re-conceptualization of how sexuality comes into being at school, in order to take account of its material, spatial and embodied elements.

Contents:
Introduction 1. Leadership and management 2. Working with others 3. Teams and team building 4. Maintaining staff motivation 4. Managing the challenge of change 6. Communicating the vision 7. Selecting suitable staff 8. Effective interviewing for selection Appendix 9. Adding to the value of the workforce 10. Caring for customers 11. Managing conflict and stress

Although pupil disaffection has been a major concern to professionals, policy makers and researchers for quite some time, recent professional books in the area tend to focus on behaviour and exclusion from schools. Despite considerable government funding in both LEA's and schools- to promote new measures to improve school attendance, non-attendance at school is a relatively neglected topic as far as serious researched-based literature is concerned. This book will be the first in several years concerned with non-attendance.
Previously unpublished research material in the book will provide a multi-disciplinary evaluation of practice at LEA, whole school and individual levels.

This text aims to raise levels of writing achievement for all children - particularly those with special educational needs - by helping teachers to coordinate the process of inclusion with national requirements for SEN and the National Literacy Strategy. The practical advice and information will enable teachers to: analyse children's difficulties with writing and identify the small steps of progression in spelling, handwriting and the ability to work at sentence and text level; match writing tasks to identified levels of attainment; integrate IEP targets for writing into normal classroom activities; assess all pupils' writing more effectively; teach writing for different purposes and for a range of audiences; reinforce good writing in other subject areas throughout the curriculum; develop children's confidence and motivation to write independently; and encourage team approaches to writing development through the coordinated support of learning support staff and parents.

Using the accounts of mainstream pupils and pupils with SEN, the author explores the pupils' identities and experiences in relation to each other. In particular, mainstream pupils often function as "deciders" with regard to the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. The book also shows how the pupils with SEN actively challenge these decisions and seek to influence perceptions of themselves and their inclusion experiences through the "practices of self". Existing texts tend to focus upon the practices of integration and inclusion, without much attention being paid to what inclusion means to young people. This book will prove invaluable in helping teachers achieve inclusion in the classroom.

Using the accounts of mainstream pupils and pupils with SEN, the author explores the pupils' identities and experiences in relation to each other. In particular, mainstream pupils often function as "deciders" with regard to the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs. The research also shows how the pupils with SEN actively challenge these decisions and seek to influence perceptions of themselves and their inclusion experiences through the "practices of self". It argues that existing research has tended to focus upon the practices of integration and inclusion, without much attention being paid to what inclusion means to young people. Strategies for inclusion have to take into account both mainstream and SEN pupils, if they are to have a chance of succeeding. The research presented in this book should prove of value in helping teachers achieve inclusion in the classroom.