In response to global and local needs, the South African government increasingly enables distance education through legislation and policy, and many traditional public higher education institutions have turned to dual-mode delivery of their programmes. This decision is often based on a desire for new market growth and firmly embedded in…

This essay presents an English teacher's inquiry into her professional practice in an institutional setting that is heavily regulated by standards-based reforms. Rather than something external to her, she sees those reforms as part of an internal conflict that affects her capacity to be fully responsive to her students. In dialogue with a…

While many researchers have studied teacher leaders, a corresponding field of research on teacher leadership has been slow to develop. This narrative account charts our strategic efforts to build a community of scholars capable of strengthening teacher leadership as a field of study. It documents the parallel development of two entities, the…

Professional learning communities (PLCs) are increasingly providing opportunities for school teachers to collaborate in order to develop shared beliefs about learning. Five key characteristics ensure the PLC's effectiveness. A PLC requires collaboration and a learning culture of trust among teachers. A goal-oriented plan is needed that involves…

In this paper we present experiences from a joint collaborative research project which may be described as an encounter between a school science teaching practice and a university science didactics research practice. We provide narratives which demonstrate how the encounter between these two communities of practice interacted to produce…

This paper presents a view of action research (AR) as a valuable way in which teachers can pose fertile questions and engage in inquiry with transformative possibilities. This counters claims of its being at best a sterile method of teacher research and at worst a perilous trap for teachers. Chris Higgins has argued that AR has lost its original…

In much the same way that distant whispers are in need of echoes, scholarship needs to grow or be refashioned by new scholars who can bring fresh perspectives and new critiques to existing scholarship. These perspectives and critiques are required because of inevitable shifts in educational and social contexts and human understandings. It becomes…

Educational reforms have become the new policy mainstay in educational discourse and policy. Without doubt, "fixing" teachers and increasing student test scores have both been a large component of much of the reform rhetoric. Moreover, calls for implementing merit pay schemes have uniquely combined reformer's efforts to "fix"…

School administrators are instructional leaders responsible for ensuring high quality inclusive education for all students including those with disabilities. In this article, the authors review legal mandates, discuss inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in practice, and obstacles to effectiveness. Recommendations…

COVID-19 changed the experiences of K-12 students and teachers in ways that are not yet well-documented. This report provides initial insights into teaching and learning during the pandemic from the perspectives of teachers and students at 31 public schools in three states. The analyses indicate that about two thirds of the teachers surveyed…

In this article we review the medical, human rights, social and social interactionist models of disability, and consider how these differing perspectives have influenced the provision of educational services to students with disability in Australia. We contend that the shift in educational policy and provision, from supporting to including…

For democratic societies to sustain, it is important to educate young people for active and democratic citizenship. This article examines the long-term yields of temporary civics and citizenship educational policies with respect to student participation at school as a precursor of political participation in adult life. The focus is on the…

As defined by the Kennedy Center, arts integration is "an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both" (Silverstein & Layne, 2010). In arts integrated…

In a neoliberal political context, educational reform is seen as largely dependent on the individual teacher and his or her ability to continue developing and improving his or her practice with the ultimate goal of improving student outcomes. Professional development (PD) is therefore reliant on teachers to embrace new models of practice, to…

The landscape of teacher education is undergoing significant change in many countries and this is often associated with a move towards greater school involvement in the preparation of teachers. One aspect of teaching expertise that is particularly challenging for primary student-teachers is the development of subject knowledge across a wide range…