This research examines the duality of accountability as perceived by twelve principals of elementary schools in the Bedouin education system in Israel who are implementing a self-management policy requiring a mechanism of accountability in their schools. This study also explores the impact of accountability on the effectiveness of the functioning…

Test-based accountability (TBA) draws on a managerialist ideology that emphasises standards, constant measurement, and external motivation for improvement. It stands in sharp contrast to the idea of professional learning communities (PLCs) that aim to mobilise teachers' internal motivation and willingness to cooperate with peers to facilitate a…

Previous studies have paid little attention to teachers` self or collegial considerations when making decisions about their students, precisely their tendency to avoid being blamed for students` failure. When a teacher is blamed for a student's difficulties, her/his public image ('face') is threatened, and s/he and her/his colleagues can be…

Objective: Schools are important settings for health promotion. In schools, children and adolescents can be reached regardless of their social background, which represents a unique opportunity for promoting health. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of school leadership in initiating and sustaining health promotion; however, efforts…

Environmental education (EE) is recognized as an important way to improve the environmental crisis. It seems that international and national educational assessment and accountability ideas are working against EE. By examining the perspectives of Israeli teachers, who are important change agents in society, this qualitative case study seeks to…

Through a sense-making lens, this qualitative study explores high school principals' considerations while they perceive and enact additional resources within a national reform implementation. Principals' allocation of resources, especially as part of a national reform, is a complex matter for schools' effectiveness in an era of accountability.…

This paper discusses the emergence of an opt-out movement in Israel led by parent associations at local and national levels. The protest targeted the use of a national standardized test, the Meitzav. Analyzing media coverage of this movement and informed by the theoretical arguments of the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the study suggests that by…

This study focuses on the metaphors used by modern Orthodox Israeli women aged 18-30 who studied in seminars in Israel where "havruta" learning is practiced to refer to their learning experience. It is assumed that these metaphors reflect the students' unmediated perception of "havruta" and highlight the significance of…

This study explored the perceptions of 25 secular teachers employed in American, Australian, and Israeli Jewish religious schools regarding disparities between their secular identity and their school's religious habitus. It also examined the ways these teachers cope with such disparities. Findings suggest that teachers' challenges were anchored in…

In this research, we investigate the implementation of a non-mandatory learning-unit on renewable energy in elementary schools in Israel. The research focuses on the effect of teachers' attitudes toward energy conservation and the efficient use of energy, as well as on the effects of contextual factors on teaching the programme. Mixed methods were…

This study focuses on the interactions between students, their peers, their teacher, and digital game-based multiple supports provided by a rich learning environment designed in order to promote meaningful mathematics among low-achieving students. Attempting to identify which aspects of the setting facilitated meaningful learning and which were…

This paper addresses perceptions and implications of teacher evaluation by Arab school principals in an era of accountability. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 26 Arab principals showed that teacher evaluation as a strategy keeps the school accountable in an era of reform. Additionally, most principals recognize the tool's possible uses…

Purpose: In order to fill the gap in theoretical and empirical knowledge about the characteristics of principal workload, the purpose of this paper is to explore the components of principal workload as well as its determinants and the coping strategies commonly used by principals to face this personal state. Design/methodology/approach:…

Based on literature arguing that risk encourages conservative leadership that supports existing routines and strategies rather than innovations and proactive behaviors, this study focuses on the connection among leadership styles, perceived school productivity, and leaders' perceived risk. Results testify to the moderate levels of role risk that…

Most policymakers and academics agree that entrepreneurship is indispensable to society's development and well-being. Fostering entrepreneurship has become a matter of highest priority in public policy worldwide. Given the growing pressures of decentralization and competitiveness that schools have faced over the last 20 years, the role of school…