The Gary plan of "work-study-play" was the brainchild of William Wirt (1874-1938), though largely influenced by the philosophy of John Dewey (1859-1952). Introduced in 1907 to the schools of Gary, Indiana, by Superintendent of Schools Wirt, the Gary plan had organizational and curriculum features that fostered hands-on activities…

In recent years discussions surrounding early childhood curriculum has focused on the movement from developmental to sociocultural theory. A further area worthy of investigation involves the role of content in early childhood education, specifically the relationship between content, context and pedagogy. The paper draws on teacher vignettes to…

To investigate the role of context in reading development, a comparison of reading comprehension and processes was conducted between learners of Japanese as a second language in study abroad (SA; n = 15) and intensive domestic (in the United States) immersion (IM; n = 15) contexts. A significant difference was found between contexts in pretest to…

Purpose: There is a considerable competition within the global education marketplace, as can be seen by the growing number of higher education providers. Significant changes to information and communication technologies (ICTs) have also supported dramatic opportunities for distance and online education. This transformation, in combination with a…

Purpose: Aims at conceptualizing and investigating the meaning of good school principalship within the space for manoeuvring that is available within the context of Danish comprehensive schools. The paper aims to present findings from case studies of two Danish schools within the frame of reference. Design/methodology/approach: Outlines the…

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to one's understanding of how beginning principals in Hong Kong exercise leadership by exploring the concurrent influence of their inner worlds and the external contexts on their leadership within a reforming environment. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a study of the work lives of beginning principals…

Constructivism, as a set of theories about how learners learn, has been an important discourse in the educational research literature for a number of years. Interestingly, it has been far more visible in science education research than in environmental education research. This article considers conceptual change theory within constructivism as a…

Just as creating good relationships with campus community requires an understanding of that community and its needs, the same holds true when dealing with the news media. Talking with reporters need not be a negative experience, even when explaining IT problems or failures. A successful relationship between IT news sources and reporters requires…

Learning to negotiate the "personal war between oneself as a musician and as a teacher" is an important part of the identity construction of pre-service music educators. In this article, the author shares some preliminary findings from a study related to the needs of in-service music teachers. This study did not begin as a sociological…

This study presents three case studies of teacher candidates in a Masters in Teaching (MIT) Program who interned in a well-established middle school Professional Development School (PDS) in Washington State. Each of the three portraits reveals how student teachers can positively influence the learning outcomes of middle school students by bringing…

This paper introduces the reader to Wild Child--a CD-ROM resource for dance education (Schofield & Smith-Autard, 2001) and aims to disclose how research undertaken by the dance educator (author of this paper) in partnership with multimedia expert, Jim Schofield, has led to advances in pedagogy. Focusing on the teaching of dance form, the paper…

How have presidential leadership strategy, decision approaches, and institutional culture preferences influenced fund-raising effectiveness at a historically Black college for women? These conceptual dimensions guided a qualitative study that interviewed three recent Spelman College presidents and investigated documentary evidence to develop an…

In the first part of this article, I examine new concepts of masculinity and the implications of these concepts for the practice of school administration. I also discuss the "gender subtext" of school organizations as one of the mechanisms through which masculinity is enacted and masculine stereotypes are reinforced within the school setting. In…

This article presents findings from a 2-year qualitative study that examined teacher and administrator involvement with implementation of school reform initiatives in a public secondary school. Findings suggest that implementation had both positive and negative consequences. Although reforms advanced the school's ongoing discussion about…

Children's perceptions of a distant locality are gauged before the introduction of a link with a school in that distant locality. Changes in the perceptions are recorded after a variety of exchanges between the schools. The implications are considered for children, teachers and teacher trainers.