To achieve ambitious and equitable mathematics education, districts will likely have to extend their efforts beyond the bounds of classroom teaching and learning, and also address the social and political aspects involved in improving mathematics education. However, the literature has yet to explore the underlying boundaries that determine which…

Middle school students in an urban school district located in the northeastern United States struggled to improve their academic performance. In response to this problem, the superintendent initiated a districtwide professional learning community (PLC); however, students' test scores in five schools declined. The purpose of this basic qualitative…

Purpose: In Italy, only recently education policy makers have introduced a requirement for schools to implement the processes of self-evaluation, strategic planning and results' reporting. In this article, we aim to explore how the new leadership approach of school principals in the context of the introduction of the new accountability system is…

To improve teaching and learning outcomes, teachers and head teachers need whole-system support to build professionalism and enhance their practice. Roles at the middle tier of education systems, or those professionals working between the school and central level, offer unique capacities to facilitate collaboration, broker knowledge, scale…

Leading by doing takes an unwavering and visible commitment to an intentional, continuous improvement process. Teams at every system level distribute leadership to support effective practice so outcomes improve. Using a practice-based approach to improving mathematics outcomes, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) facilitated a continuous…

The growing interest in the role of student agency within schools, as well as the need for effective professional learning, supports further investigation into initiatives aiming to develop meaningful and sustainable student involvement in school improvement approaches. This article explores the role of student leadership in professional learning…

To improve teaching and learning outcomes, teachers and head teachers need whole-system support to build professionalism and enhance their practice. Roles at the middle tier of education systems, or those professionals working between the school and central level, offer unique capacities to facilitate collaboration, broker knowledge, scale…

After decades of accountability and market-based reforms in education, school systems are now organizing more around improving teaching and learning. Yet these efforts frequently yield unintended, superficial, or even counterproductive changes at the school level. In this article, Maxwell Yurkofsky develops the concept of technical ceremonies as a…

Learning Forward undertakes periodic updates to the Standards of Learning because educator needs, expertise in the field, and research related to professional learning are continually evolving. In addition, evidence and data are critical to implementing and documenting the results-based professional learning that policy and accountability systems…

Achieve high performance for all in your school. In "Achieving Equity and Excellence," author Douglas Reeves outlines how to make dramatic improvements to student learning, behavior, and attendance in a single semester. Study the mindset of high-poverty, high-success schools and follow their example to implement the equitable and just…

Competence-based, science e-testing (CBSeT) is a novel external assessment tool which provides feedback to science teachers about their students' competence-based skills, thereby giving relevant assessment information which teachers could potentially use in their teaching practice. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which…

Contemporary Froebelian-inspired early childhood education in the United States is challenged by government regulation and accreditation requirements that have arisen alongside neoliberalism in education. Using Critical Policy Analysis and case study examples from a preschool in Atlanta, Georgia, this paper examines the influence of neoliberalism…

Background: Primary teachers' pedagogical practices (TPP) are strongly focused on supporting pupils' psychological needs, creating a safe learning climate, and encouraging pupils' developmental and learning processes. As a core motivation for teachers is the desire to interact constructively with children, pedagogical practices can be understood…

During the past decade, states and districts have made significant investments in developing systems to measure teacher performance. The goals of such systems are to improve practice, inform professional growth, and ultimately improve student learning. In the very best of these systems, educators know the expected teaching standards and receive…

Informed by the ideology of 'deliverology', performance measurement has become a core component of how English schools are held accountable for the quality of their provision. A wealth of research conducted in diverse national contexts where this approach has been influential has suggested that the unintended harms it generates -- including a…