A persuasive solution for governments and systemic authorities seeking to improve the quality and equity of outcomes for students has been the localized management of schools. Believed to provide opportunities for context-sensitive decision-making, what remains unclear is how does shifting increasing management to the school-level generate the…

In this article, we examine the tension between external educational accountability demands and other [political] forces of interest and possible ways to ensure that schools can still succeed in performing their daily duties and achieving educational goals. We draw from interviews undertaken with school principals in South Africa. Our analysis…

Although scholars have proposed school climate as a key mediator through which school-based management (SBM) can improve educational outcomes, empirical evidence on the relationship between SBM and school climate improvement is sparse. In this article, we use three waves of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data across 57…

The primary goals of this research were to investigate the development of computational thinking (CT) skills among elementary students and to identify areas for improvement in their CT practices. Empirical investigations, accomplished in a learner-centered, problem-based learning curriculum for sixth-graders, sought to examine student proficiency…

This article reports on a study of a teacher professional development (TPD) course that combined digital courseware with a face-to-face professional learning community. The aim of the course, implemented in a developing country, was to improve teacher knowledge and practice in early childhood literacy and numeracy. Using interview and…

This study aims to illustrate how states include an improvement science approach to educational improvement in their Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) state plan. Through a qualitative content analysis of 52 state ESSA plans, we propose an introductory organizational typology to categorize states based on their explicit inclusion of improvement…

Recently, at the end of 2019, the whole world was affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, which has caused massive disruption of the normal teaching and learning process worldwide, including Thailand's educational system. This sudden shift of the educational processes to online learning and teaching has caused many challenges as teachers,…

Educational reforms fail again and again. One reason for the failure is that educational reform stops just outside the classroom door. During the last 25 years, the dominant educational reform initiatives in the US have operated under the misguided conventional wisdom that the educational system is loosely coupled. With this model in mind, decades…

Next generation accountability systems can empower states, districts, communities, and schools with timely, relevant information and provide the capacity to analyze and continuously improve instruction and learning. After 21 years of the current accountability framework in federal and state policy in the United States, there is growing recognition…

Dual enrollment--in which students take college credit-bearing courses when still in high school--is becoming increasingly popular. Community college programs account for about 70% of the dual enrollment that more than one million high school students participate in each year nationwide. Yet dual enrollment can be a big financial burden for…

This study examines teacher professional development as part of the required K-12 continuous school improvement process. Through semi-structured, open-ended interviews and data (school improvement plans, PD agendas), this qualitative case drew from organizational theory to identify and describe information to better understand the role teacher…

This philosophical study aims to inform improvements to teacher professional development by introducing and integrating principles from the Theory of Margin. Specifically, a critique of existing professional development norms illuminates traditional offerings increase teacher load without consistent increases in teacher power, leading to the…

Current research supports the need for data-driven systems that occur naturally through a culture of continuous growth. Told through an ethnographic case study design and the lens of shared leadership, is the story of one educator preparation program's journey to improve curricula, clinical practice, and performance management through improvement…

Teachers' assessment literacy affects the quality of assessments and is, therefore, an essential part of teachers' competence. Recent studies define assessment literacy as a dynamic, contextual and social construct, situated in practice and mediated by teachers' identity and conceptions of assessment. This study provides a further elaboration of…

This qualitative exploratory case study delves into the intricate experiences between teacher leadership and school improvement factors, focusing on the unique context of rural areas. School leaders and educators possess a limited comprehension of the potential roles and necessity of teacher leaders in driving school improvement efforts.…