In this article, we use data from ethnography-inspired studies of eight Swedish schools. We describe and analyse how a number of neoliberal-inspired economic and political processes have (re)organised social and relational practices in local school settings. There is an increased focus on individuality in the everyday working lives of teachers,…

Middle leadership is a dynamic area of policy in Scottish and Irish education to build leadership capacity. This article reports on a critical policy analysis of sequential sets of Scottish and Irish policy on middle leadership to identify codes of meaning. Two aspects are reported: (1) constructions of the purposes of middle leadership and (2)…

This article critically examines the relationship between recent educational policy and the advancement of second-level subject hierarchies in Ireland. The paradox of promoting an individual subject by means of the matriculation system, while also calling for a broad and balanced curriculum, is questioned. The apparent retreat from a commitment to…

In this article the author questions whether the understanding of teaching and leading is the same today as it was last year? The chances are that the concept of what it means to be a teacher and a leader has changed. After describing three leadership types: servants, managers, and monkeys, Buskey suggest several things that are needed to improve…

The research herein uses a mixed methods approach to examine how organizational phenomena at the macro level of analysis translate into phenomena at the micro level. Specifically, the research attempts to explain how cultural institutions may translate into individual attitudes and actions, such as public school teachers' decisions about using…

Social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and socially desirable responding were examined among a sample of self-identified supporters of gifted education (N = 341), 70% of whom had an official role in gifted education as researchers, teachers, or gifted-talented (G/T) trainers. The sample was primarily female, White,…

This article examines whether centrally developed initiatives at the state level have an impact on how districts in the U.S. think about their role in providing direction and support for student learning, and also examines how districts view the strategies that state governments use to initiate change at the local level. Our focus is on smaller…

In this article, the author clarifies why his use of the term "my teachers" in a lunch meeting--a term that is open to interpretation and one that principals should use with great care--had given him a nagging feeling. When a student says "my teacher," there is a clear meaning. The student is literally referring to his or her teacher, usually with…

During the 1980s and 1990s, administrative decentralization was a prominent reform theme in public education. Revisiting those efforts today reveals a conceptual landscape often governed by ad hoc theorizing, untested assumptions, and an overall lack of consistency and coherence. It provides an example of how terminological ambiguity on the part…

To find population proficiency distributions, a two-level hierarchical linear model may be applied to large-scale survey assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The model and parameter estimation are developed and a simulation was carried out to evaluate parameter recovery. Subsequently, both a hierarchical and…

This article presents an interview with Douglas Reeves, founder of The Leadership and Learning Center and author of a recent book, "Reframing Teacher Leadership to Improve Your School." In an interview, Reeves talks about his book and presents a compelling case that teacher leadership is key to implementing and sustaining effective school…

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent, to which factors in the process of decision making involved in curriculum development in Australia, have determined the quality of curriculum documents. Searches on web sites of education organisations and electronic databases of educational literature were conducted to identify source documents…

This article argues that the proposals in the 2005 White Paper can be largely explained by a New Labour emphasis on "meritocracy" merging with a right-wing belief in education as a means of creating an hierarchical society.

Purpose: "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound with mine, then come, let's work together". These words of Lill Watson, an indigenous activist, frame the context for this article. The purpose of this research was to examine the historical evolution of "grassroots movement…

Layers and layers of curricula stuffed into vinyl binders were the norm in this Texas district until teachers sat down with scissors and glue to create a vertically aligned curriculum. They then created standards-based lessons to support the curriculum and put them into a database readily accessible by all.