Background: Systems thinking is a holistic approach that puts the study of wholes before that of parts. It does not try to break systems down into parts in order to understand them; instead, it focuses attention on how the parts act together in networks of interactions. Purpose: This study explored the development of holistic school leadership--an…

This paper shares findings from case study research into how school principals respond to ethical dilemmas. Preliminary research instigated a criteriological inquiry into the nature of schools as systems and findings of that inquiry conclude that schools are complex adaptive social systems rather than the open complicated systems they are…

The systems view of quality postulates that product or service quality comes as the result of interactions between various components that comprise a production process. In view of this, most problems in the organization, like an institution of higher education, can be attributed to the system. To be effective, any quality improvement initiative…

Entrepreneurship is always challenging the status quo; it's an engine of human progress. We view Entrepreneurial Mindset (EM) as a pathway to improve upon the status quo and improve individuals, organizations, and communities and promote health, education, and prosperity. In this brief paper, we lay out the case for why EM is beneficial for…

This paper reports on the thoughts 6-year-olds and 9-year-olds have related to the serious issue of air and sea pollution. More specifically, twenty seven 6-year-olds and thirty 9-year-olds attending two state schools in Volos, a small provincial town in Greece participated in the research which assessed the students' competence to think…

Current literature on nursing education indicates curriculum design mandates that meet recommendations from the nursing legislature and accreditation bodies. Innovative curricula designs in nursing education are aimed towards resolving content saturation issues associated with traditional systems-based curricula while improving quality in pedagogy…

The purpose of this qualitative exploratory single case study was to explore how public school assistant principals who self-identified as spiritual leaders experienced, understood, and practiced leadership for the overall success of their schools in the Southeastern United States. Transformational leadership, spiritual leadership theory, and…

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks exposed considerable breakdowns in communications interoperability and information sharing among first responders. Multijurisdictional responses to the active-shooter incidents at the University of Texas in 2010; Sandy Hook Elementary of Newtown, Connecticut in 2012, and the Reynolds High School shooting of…

Participation in curricular change and teacher professional development can be challenging for honorary clinical teachers, who juggle teaching alongside busy clinical practice. Following redevelopment of our traditional lecture programme, we conducted qualitative research, based on Vygotsky's Social Development Theory, to explore honorary clinical…

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center used a rigorous 2-year collaborative process to develop, test, and revise a conceptual framework for high-quality state early intervention (EI) and early childhood special education (ECSE) systems. The framework identifies six critical components of a state system and what constitutes quality in each…

Purpose: This paper aims to increase related knowledge across personal, social and ecological dimensions of sustainability and how it can be applied to support transformative learning. Design/methodology/approach: The paper provides a reflexive case study of the design, content and impact of a course on eco-justice that integrates relational…

Career pathways (CP) has gained prominence as a strategy to ensure that high school students and displaced workers acquire the college and career readiness skills needed in a fast-changing, globalized economy. In an effort to ensure future success for CP, Stephen F. Hamilton examines the School-to-Work (STW) movement of the 1980s and 1990s and…

In this essay, I examine the Córdoba University Reform Movement of 1918 through both a historical lens and the application of Urie Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1986, 1993) ecological systems theory. Examining the Reform Movement at the National University of Córdoba (UNC) from a historical perspective elucidates the complexities of the movement and its…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on an evaluation of the UK Healthy Universities Network (UKHUN), which explored engagement of network members; identified what members value about the network; examined facilitators and barriers to engagement; and informed the network's future development. Design/methodology/approach: The study was a…

Teachers play a role in promoting teaching and learning strategies to address the complexity of concepts. Systems thinking is a strategy for achieving meaningful learning. Doubt exists over the extent to which the latter has been converted into appropriate classroom practice at under-resourced rural schools in one province in South Africa. This…