This research examined how stakeholders (n = 40) from one school district experienced "accountability" within a context where responsibility for student learning was being distributed across the system. Using a case study design, we examined: what conditions supported stakeholders in multiple roles to exercise responsibility for student…

Fostering a culture of professionalism is the work of all stakeholders in a school and can be influenced by participating in self-selected professional development. Professionalism is a trait among teachers that has garnered significant attention within mathematics education. Central to the principle of professionalism is the recognition that…

This paper presents new evidence that explores the strengths, weaknesses and overall quality of school inspection practice in China. In one city region of Shandong Province, the research examines stakeholder perceptions of inspection purposes, processes and outcomes, as well as the potential to improve inspection practice and compulsory education…

Purpose: This study aimed at describing what occurs at the implementation of accountability in instruction by analysing the perceptions of the teachers who directly encounter and experience this phenomenon in instructional processes. Research Methods: The data were collected using a phenomenology design, which is a type of qualitative research…

This paper explores perceptions of work intensification around the world. Underpinning this analysis is C. Wright Mills' (1959) argument that many personal troubles are public issues, and the notion that a significant dimension of the privatisation of public education, a concern of public education advocates worldwide, is the ways in which school…

Teacher evaluations are conducted to inform employment decisions and teacher professional development with the ultimate goal to create beneficial student learning environments. The effectiveness and feasibility of teacher evaluations, particularly in high-stakes contexts (hiring, firing, promotion, Pay-for-Performance schemes), crucially depends…

This research aimed to analyze (1) how hard legacy was used to develop a school--namely MIN (Madasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri) Tegalsari, Wlingi sub-district, Blitar Regency--and (2) how soft legacy was applied at the same school. The research took a qualitative approach with a case study design. It was conducted at a madrasa, namely MIN Tegalsari in…

Schooling for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in remote or 'Red Dirt' communities has been cast as 'problematic', and 'failing'. The solutions to deficit understandings of remote schooling are often presented as simple. But for those who work in Red Dirt schools, the solutions are not simple, and for education leaders positioned…

Kindergarten in the United States has fundamentally changed. It is the new first grade where children are taught increased academic content and experience more standardized testing. There is much debate among education stakeholders about these changes, but such discussions are often siloed-- making it difficult to know whether these changes…

The social pedagogic tradition has been integral to the culture of early childhood education including School Age Childcare (SAC) in Denmark for decades. Drawing upon interviews with multiple stakeholders: lecturers, representatives of an Education Research Institute, union activists an SAC provider and a policy maker, in Copenhagen, Denmark, this…

To meet the demands of knowledge economy, educational systems worldwide have developed many accountability mechanisms to hold the schools responsible for a standardized teaching and account-giving for the results. Henceforth, this research seeks to portray the accountability pressures on schools and school responses, and their variations between…

A phenomenographic analysis explored 18 teachers' conceptions of feedback and how they were enacted. Five hierarchically ordered categories of feedback were seen as aligning with three major functions; that is, (1) satisfying stakeholder expectations (Category 1), maintaining student psycho-social well-being (Category 2), and supporting learning…

Background: In recent years, there appears to have been more interest than ever in the education of orphaned children, especially in terms of their school attendance. Although some studies have reported on the efforts of caregivers, teachers, government, Non-Governmental Organisations and others in providing the educational needs of orphaned…

The current educational climate of increased accountability requires school principals to improve student learning for all students, implement national and state policies, maintain a positive culture, provide professional development, and supervise and evaluate faculty members. In order to improve learning in schools, education reform mandates…

This paper addresses the question: How do teachers and school leaders respond to high stakes testing of pupils transitioning from primary to secondary school? It explores how a new test, the Level 6 test, operated with regard to primary/secondary school relationships in England. It draws on an analysis of qualitative interviews with teachers and…