Professional development is a common and necessary approach to improving teacher quality. However, while teachers are required to participate in professional development activities, it is often the case that they are not involved in selecting and planning those activities, and that professional development may not be closely tied to classroom…

The governance of basic schools (grades 1-10) in Iceland was transferred from state control to municipal control in 1995 with a new Basic School Act. This transfer was in line with the emphasis on school-based management that was stressed in the Act. This policy was criticised by many, including teachers and their union representatives. Research…

This article reports on findings from a qualitative research project (Overton, 2006) that highlighted a lack of empowerment experienced by, with and for eight early childhood teachers working in Tasmanian schools. The study investigated how change affects teachers, and focused on the theme of power as experienced by these teachers. The study noted…

Beginning in the 1990s, the education departments of Hong Kong and Shanghai began to actively initiate reform with a focus on the quality of education. In reviewing the implementation of educational reform in these two societies, we found that Hong Kong teachers tended to only adopt those policies which they felt were beneficial for students'…

Modern primary teachers must adapt literacy programmes and ensure efficient learning for all. They must also support children with language and literacy difficulties, children learning English as an additional language and possibly teach a modern foreign language. To do this effectively, they need to understand the applied linguistics research…

Since 1994 when the General Law of Education was issued, educational authorities have been claiming that Colombia has embarked on an "educational revolution" [""La revolucion educativa"" (n.d.). From the Colombian Ministry of Education website: http://www.mineducacion.gov.co. Retrieved 23 Nov 2004] where schools have…

Between 1994 and 2002, Guinea implemented an ambitious program designed to enable teams of primary school teachers to become full partners in the mobilization of the educational system by initiating and carrying out their own professional development and school improvement projects. Known by its French acronym PPSE, this program was not originally…

Three policy strategies interpreted as intended to empower teachers within the new policy context of school autonomy were studied. Teacher services in Kentucky's school councils seemed to have little effect on empowering teachers since the researchers found in two studies involving 168 and 318 Kentucky teachers that teachers were not even…

Examines the relationship between English primary teachers' professional autonomy and the increasing managerial control over teachers' work. Explores how teachers develop an understanding of the managerial culture in education and how they reconciled it with their ideas on teaching and learning, professional interest, and career aspirations.…

Investigates characteristics of participative decision making in schools implementing the School Management Initiative by using a three-dimensional model and both quantitative and qualitative methods. Reveals a deprivation state in decision making regarding issues of managerial and technical domains, but a positive attitude among teachers toward…

Focuses on three changes that occurred in the twentieth century: (1) more children receive access to the study of art at all educational levels; (2) art teachers receive more training, education, and resources; and (3) art teachers have less choice in designing curricula and endure more regulation. (CMK)

Follows the progress of "negotiation" (a force for democratizing the curriculum) in Tasmanian English classrooms, claiming it (1) allows a fluid space where teachers and students can work together; (2) provides an alternative to direct and indirect political influence over curriculum construction; and (3) has the potential to empower…

Examines aspects of initial teacher education and continuing professional development in Scotland against the backdrop of McCrone Report recommendations on teaching conditions. Discusses teachers' attitudes toward their own professional development; the nature of professional knowledge, skills, and values; and some principles to promote genuine…

The key to our future students' success is educators' ability to transcend their immediate ego-protected environments and openly seek, accept, incorporate, and publicly acknowledge expertise and opinions of others. Principals advocating benefits of collaborative decision making must show tolerance and encourage a wide variety of management,…

Neglect of divergent cultural values and belief systems; perennial debates about moral, ethical, and legal questions; power struggles; and technically oriented initiatives have thwarted school-reform efforts. Initiating frequent policy changes to accommodate fads overlooks the slowness of change and the learning process in complex social…