In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were tempted to take a bite out of an apple that promised them the "knowledge of good and evil." Today, a shiny apple with a bite out of it is the symbol of Apple Computers. The age of the Internet has speeded up human knowledge, and it also provides even more temptation to know more than may be good for us. Americans have been right at the forefront of the digital revolution, and we have felt its unsettling effects in both our religions and our politics. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite argues that we long to return to the innocence of the Garden of Eden and not be faced with countless digital choices. But returning to the innocence of Eden is dangerous in this modern age and, instead, we can become wiser about the wired world.

Drawing on indigenous belief systems and recent work in critical "race" studies and multicultural-feminist theory, Keating provides detailed step-by-step suggestions, based on her own teaching experiences, designed to anticipate students' resistance to social-justice issues and encourage them to change. She offers a holistic approach to theory and practice.

Can we teach others how to lead a fulfilling life? The notion of personal well-being has recently shot up the political and educational agendas, placing the child's well-being at the heart of the school's task. With his renowned talent for distilling the most complex of philosophical arguments into accessible laymen's terms, John White addresses the maze of issues surrounding well-being, bringing clarity to this dissension and confusion. This accessible book expertly guides you through the conflicting perspectives on well-being found in the educational world by * Examining religious and secular views of human fulfilment and of a meaningful life. * Analysing the appeal of celebrity, wealth and consumerism to so many of our children. * Asking what role pleasure, success, autonomy, work, life-planning and worthwhile activities play in children's flourishing. * Showing how proposals to encourage children's well-being impact on schools' aims and learning arrangements. Whether you have little background in education and philosophy or are reading as a teacher, student or policy maker, this engaging book will take you right to the heart of these critical issues. It will leave you with a sharply-focused picture of a remodelled educational system fit for our new millennium, committed to helping every child to enjoy a fulfilling life.

In Thinking about Schools, Eleanor Hilty has put together a wonderful collection of classic and contemporary readings that speak loudly and clearly to the importance of equity and justice as goals for contemporary education. This is just the right collection of readings to inspire and inform prospective and practicing teachers alike. It is the perfect text for introducing students to the social forces affecting public schooling in America.-Barry M. Franklin, Utah State University

In light of the growing phenomenon of Islamic schools in the United States and Europe, this compelling study outlines whether these schools share similar traits with other religious schools, while posing new challenges to education policy. Merry elaborates an ideal type of Islamic philosophy of education in order to examine the specific challenges that Islamic schools face, comparing the different educational realities facing Muslim populations in the Netherlands, Belgium, and the United States.

Everybody knows that South Africa has an education crisis, despite the fact that the government spends the biggest slice of its budget on education, more than any other African country. And yet the crisis persists.

Jonathan Jansen and Molly Blank looked at South African schools that work, in spite of adverse conditions – schools in poor communities, schools with overcrowded classrooms, schools in both rural and urban environments – and have drawn out the practical strategies that make them successful.

19 short films (included on DVD) let you visit these schools and understand in the words of their principals, teachers and learners what makes them succeed. Then take look at the 10 key strategies identified and see how to implement them in other schools to effect transformation. As we have come to expect from Jansen, there are no complicated theories, no difficult to implement solutions – just lots of common sense!

In this innovative series Education Write Now, ten of education's most inspiring thought-leaders meet for a three-day retreat to think and write collaboratively, and then bring you the top takeaways you need right now to improve your school or classroom. This second volume, edited by Jeff Zoul and Sanee Bell, focuses on relationships-the heart of everything we do in education. Building strong relationships and a positive school culture takes intentional, consistent effort, and the authors provide strategies and examples to help you along the way. Throughout the book, you'll find insights and inspiration on these topics: Connecting the dots among students and staff (Jeffrey Zoul) Strengthening relationships in the learner-centered class (Randy Ziegenfuss) Building a culture of equity and access (Rosa Isiah) Cultivating student strengths and interests (Elisabeth Bostwick) Bridging the gap between schools and families (Laura Gilchrist) Deepening connections through productive conflict (Sanee Bell) Finding relationships beyond the four walls (Onica Mayers) Connecting through the power of generosity (Winston Sakurai) Bringing passion into the schoolhouse (Sean Gaillard) Tapping into dreams for a world-class culture (Danny Bauer) The royalties generated from this book will support the Will to Live Foundation, a nonprofit foundation working to prevent teen suicide.

School bullying is receiving increasing attention as a phenomenon which is present in all schools. Despite previous books on the topic, bullying continues to thrive, become more sophisticated and pose serious problems for school populations in both primary and post-primary sectors. This book will be the first definitive review of bullying in Irish education written by researchers and practitioners working in the field. The appeal of this book is twofold. Firstly it explores bullying from different perspectives within education namely pupils, teachers and principals. Secondly it is research based but the concerns, shortcomings and challenges which bullying presents in the educational environment are explored and realistic strategies and support strategies are proposed. Given the keen interest in bullying internationally this book provides a comparative text clearing indicating research and practice in Ireland.

This collection draws from research studies to build theory, critique reality, and provide practical recommendations for readers. Essays from each section speak to current school matters, with a range of students in different spaces across the U.S. and abroad. Readers are invited to visualize what "can be" in schools and how teacher educators can serve as leaders in the fight for social justice-oriented curriculum development and implementation. Researchers are challenged to pose different kinds of questions - questions that look at the possibilities rather than those of difficulties in their work to address and transform institutional and systemic inequality, inequity, oppression, marginalization, and discrimination in education.

Responding to Diversity in Schools provides guidance for education practitioners on how to use an inquiry-based approach in responding to learner diversity. It supports readers in addressing an agenda for change, considering questions such as: Who are the learners who are missing out? What evidence do we need in order to understand the barriers faced by these learners? How can we analyse this evidence in order to find effective ways of moving forward? How do we involve others in this process? Responding to Diversity in Schools sets out to encourage innovation in schools, challenge existing assumptions and practices, and promote critical reflection. The contributing authors explain how to use a wide range of research methods, including visual methods that can be used to gather the views of children and young people. In addition, the book provides illustrative examples of innovative approaches to doing research with children, teachers and parents in schools. Written in a clear, direct style that addresses the types of concerns facing teachers on a daily basis, this book offers both practical guidance on responding to the challenge of diversity and inclusion from an inquiry-based learning perspective, and a range of detailed worked examples from schools. It will support individual practitioners and staff teams working on school development issues, as well as tutors wishing to use inquiry-based approaches within workshops and courses. It will also benefit post-graduate students who are focusing on inclusion, diversity, school development and leadership.

"Based on the views of teenagers across Europe and in the Far East, this book argues that we need to reconsider how we judge schools and what they are for. It shows that the treatment of pupils in schools makes more difference to teenagers views on society, and on what it means to be fair, than it does to differences in attainment"--Provided by publisher.

Responding to Diversity in Schools provides guidance for education practitioners on how to use an inquiry-based approach in responding to learner diversity. It supports readers in addressing an agenda for change, considering questions such as:

• Who are the learners who are missing out?
• What evidence do we need in order to understand the barriers faced by these learners?
• How can we analyse this evidence in order to find effective ways of moving forward?
• How do we involve others in this process?

Responding to Diversity in Schools sets out to encourage innovation in schools, challenge existing assumptions and practices, and promote critical reflection. The contributing authors explain how to use a wide range of research methods, including visual methods that can be used to gather the views of children and young people. In addition, the book provides illustrative examples of innovative approaches to doing research with children, teachers and parents in schools.

Written in a clear, direct style that addresses the types of concerns facing teachers on a daily basis, this book offers both practical guidance on responding to the challenge of diversity and inclusion from an inquiry-based learning perspective, and a range of detailed worked examples from schools. It will support individual practitioners and staff teams working on school development issues, as well as tutors wishing to use inquiry-based approaches within workshops and courses. It will also benefit post-graduate students who are focusing on inclusion, diversity, school development and leadership.

The pivotal role of the school leader as a factor in effective schools has been corroborated by findings of school effectiveness research over the last decades. School improvement researchers have also demonstrated increasing recognition of the importance of school leaders for all stages of the school improvement process. The school leader is most often cited as the key figure in the individual school's development, either blocking or promoting change, acting as the internal change agent, overseeing the processes of growth and renewal. In view of these ever-increasing responsibilities of school leaders for ensuring and enhancing the quality of schools, school leadership has recently become one of the central concerns of educational policy makers. Moreover, in most countries, the tasks and structures of schools and of the education system are changing. These change processes strongly influence the leadership of schools.

The chapters of the book vividly reflect the ideas and experiences regarding current issues and trends in school leadership and leadership development from both perspectives, research and practice. They comprise insights from recent research findings and their consequences for the leadership of schools. They look at the growing importance placed on activities to "professionalize" school leaders, among them: training and development programs and selection procedures. They also examine the professional standing and the level of decision-making authority that school leaders in various countries have.

ILS-Innovative Learning Space is a Summer School organised in 2016 by the Ecourbanlab research facility, founded by Massimo Faiferri within the DADU (Department of Architecture, Design and Urbanism) at the University of Sassari. It was formed as a project activity SPIN-APP: Innovative Learning Spaces (Regional Law No. 7 Promotion of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation in Sardinia) in collaboration with the INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) and with contributions from Sardegna Ricerche through the project Scientific School 2015. The general objective of the Scientific School is as an innovative project for learning environments which can serve as a reference and model for the new realisation or adaptation of school education. To intervene on the project of school space means to reflect responsibly on the role that space itself covers in the dynamics of learning processes as well as to think about the renewal of the didactic organisation. The prerequisite is the articulation of a modular and multi-functional space suited to the subjective needs of the individual pathways of pupil skills, and which incorporates principles and material linked to good sustainable practices as their constituent elements, which can accept new technological tools as a form of enhancement of real space.

Learning is the soul of our species. From our first steps to our last words, we are what we learn. But for all its obvious importance, learning has lost touch with human progress. We live in an information age, work in a knowledge economy, yet our schools are relics of an industrial era. Education insider Alex Beard takes us on a dazzling tour of the future of learning to show how we can - and why we must - do better. Tackling everything from artificial intelligence to our growing understanding of the infant brain, Natural Born Learners is a user's guide to transforming learning in the twenty-first century and roadmap to accessing our better future selves.

"A superb, crucial, blistering expose of all the myths about our education system that are all too often used to attack it. Melissa Benn again proves why she is one of country's most formidable education campaigners - and why the powerful should fear her. Owen Jones, Guardian columnist and best-selling author Never has it been more urgent to publicise the truth about what works and doesn't work in our education system. Debunking the ideology of marketisation, and exposing the half-truths that pass for objective reporting, Benn and Downs meticulously lay out the evidence: that a national system of comprehensive schools delivers the best outcomes. This hugely important book should be required reading for each new Education Secretary. Caroline Lucas, MP Opinions about comprehensive education are often made into easy-to-swallow sound-bites by media and politicians alike and whilst the benefits of a genuinely comprehensive education for all pupils are obvious, untruths have unwittingly evolved into hard facts. Based on Melissa Benn and Janet Downs' work as part of the pioneering Local Schools Network, The Truth About Our Schools calls for us to urgently and articulately challenge unquestioned myths about state education. Benn and Downs have meticulously built an argument for its still enormously vital role, and rigorously challenge assumptions that: Comprehensive education has failed Local authorities control and hold back schools Choice, competition and markets are the route to educational success Choice will improve education in England: the free school model. Academies raise standards Teachers don't need qualifications Private schools have the magic DNA Progressive education lowers standards Anyone who thinks that comprehensive education cannot deliver, that local authorities are the chief block to improving our school system, that competition and markets are the route to educational success and that private schools hold the magic DNA that can simply be transferred to other state schools will have their beliefs shaken by this blisteringly incisive book. .

David Reynolds is recognised internationally as one of the leaders of the school effectiveness and school improvement movement, and Failure Free Education? brings together for the first time many of his most influential and provocative pieces. Drawing on the authora (TM)s work from over three decades, these extracts from his seminal books, chapters, papers and articles combine to give a unique overview of how the movement developed, the problems involved in the application of the knowledge and the disciplinesa (TM) potentially glittering future now.

The book also covers the issues raised by, and lessons learned from, his close involvement with English government educational policymaking from the mid 1990s to date.

This book is essential reading for those who seek to understand how we can make every school a good school, and what the obstacles may be to achieving that goal.

Exploring current approaches to addressing boys' education in schools, this book highlights the limitations of structural reform initiatives and the failure to address the impact of socioeconomic status, race, sexuality, disability and hegemonic masculinity on both boys' and girls' participation in schooling.

Originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, this expanded text provides new insights into the successful, sustained implementation of Full-Service Community Schools (FSCSs) in the United States. Reviewing the Success of Full-Service Community Schools in the US documents the experiences of students, teachers, and communities involved in the establishment and growth of FSCSs. By considering how successful this reform strategy has been in meeting the needs of underserved communities, the text illustrates the potential these schools have to transform students' learning and outcomes. In particular, the studies illustrate the value these schools have in supporting low-income students and students of color. At the same time, by interrogating the defining pillars of FSCSs - expanded learning opportunities, integrated services, family and community engagement, and collaborative leadership - chapters identify challenges that if left unattended, could limit the transformative potential of this reform strategy. This groundbreaking text will be of great interest to graduate and postgraduate students, researchers, academics, professionals, and policy makers in the fields of Educational Change and School Reform, Multicultural Education, Sociology of Education, Education Policy, and School Management and Administration.

The evidence is clear - school leaders make a difference to the learning of the pupils they serve. And yet, not all leaders have the same degree of impact. What are the factors that make the difference to student learning? Why are some leaders able to raise student achievement in schools in the most challenging circumstances whilst other leaders struggle to simply maintain the status quo?

Drawing from international case study research over many years, from the experience of hundreds of school leaders serving widely diverse communities, Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser argue that there are six distinct mindsets that characterize the way successful, learning-oriented leaders operate and make sense of their professional world. These leaders are:

• motivated by intense moral purpose
• knowledgeable about current models of learning
• consistently inquiry-oriented
• able to build trusting relationships
• evidence-informed
• able to move to wise action.

This book outlines an alternative way of thinking about school leadership. It examines research evidence that leaders will find most useful and suggests how they might use this evidence to maximise their learning and the learning of their students. Leadership Mindsets has been written specifically for aspiring to newly-appointed school leaders who are determined and motivated to create quality and equality for learners in the schools they serve, through networks of inquiry, learning and support.

This book empowers you to seek a deeper perspective on the education system and to develop as a critically informed teacher able to challenge the status quo appropriately - without losing your job! It focuses on the need to engage with research, to reflect critically and question your own teaching practice, so you don't get stuck in bad or ineffective routines and can develop personally and professionally as a confident, versatile educator. Key topics include: * Understanding the pressure points in today's education system * Developing your own educational philosophy * Reading and critiquing research to sharpen your thinking * How to make change happen

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.

In "Overcoming Religious Illiteracy," Harvard professor and Phillips Academy teacher Diane L. Moore argues that though the United States is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, the vast majority of citizens are woefully ignorant about religion itself and the basic tenets of the world's major religious traditions. The consequences of this religious illiteracy are profound and include fueling the culture wars, curtailing historical understanding and promoting religious and racial bigotry. In this volume, Moore combines theory with practice to articulate how to incorporate the study of religion into the schools in ways that will invigorate classrooms and enhance democratic discourse in the public sphere.

"School Choice and Student Well-Being" is a review of research in the area of school choice and adapts Sen's theory of Capability to develop a more complex theoretical framework for understanding education markets. It is a timely contestation. Those for whom public education is a necessity are also those most adversely affected by its perceived failure, a for them, the tension between the rhetoric of the public good and the actualite of everyday disadvantage, between doctrine and reality, deserves better explication.

This compelling book introduces Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen's, capability approach, and explores its significance for theory, policy and practice in education. The capability approach has attracted attention across disciplinary boundaries in recent years contributing to debates in economics, political philosophy, health and social policy. This book complements these discussions by considering the potential of the approach for work in education, showing how the capability approach challenges some of the key assumptions of human capital theory and how it can provide substance for policy and practice in education concerned with social justice. The book looks particularly at questions concerning the education of children, gender equality, and higher education.Contributors hail from the UK, USA, Australia, Italy and Mexico.