Local Education Authorities Research Articles

The 3P model for creating sustainable educational reform: an epilogue to the special issue

PurposeThis article presents a conceptual synthesis of the international literature on inclusive education while expanding upon, and incorporating, the articles in this special issue. The authors present their 3P model (philosophy, policy and praxis) and relate each paper in this special issue to different aspects of their model.Design/methodology/approachThis article serves as an epilogue to this special issue of the Journal of Educational Administration as well as a discussion of historical and conceptual distinctions between mainstreaming and inclusion while examining global trends in understanding the move toward inclusive education.FindingsThe authors examined the detrimental effects of ableism and a medical model of disability and their effects on the educational system. They conducted an analysis based on examining the philosophy, policy and practice of the inclusive movement, specifically by examining conceptual models and inclusive decisions, conceptual frameworks for describing inclusive policy and a focus of the application to educational administration. The authors examined the global movement from segregation/exclusion to integration and then to inclusionary praxis.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors maintain that the inclusion literature lacks a sound positivistic empirical base, and so they present throughout the article possible avenues for such research as well as future directions for comparative research.Practical implicationsUnderstanding the philosophical underpinnings of the inclusive movement is central to developing viable inclusive educational settings. The authors distinguish between inclusive schools and local educational authorities where stakeholders have moved toward an inclusionary system (the minority) versus locales who are reluctant to move systems to actual change.Originality/valueThis article takes a wider view of inclusionary practices, from one focusing on children with disabilities to one focusing on historical and traditional exclusionary practices. By widening the scope of the inclusion discussion, to one of exclusion, the authors present a viably wider lens to educational administration.

The enactment of setting policy in secondary school physical education

ABSTRACT The micro-level enactment of educational policy has received little attention in the physical education [PE] literature, particularly as it relates to setting policy. This study employs enactment theory to provide original insights into the ways in which setting policy was enacted by PE teachers in three mixed-gender secondary schools in England. The work of Stephen Ball and colleagues is used to examine the distinct and combined influence of the situated, material, professional and external dimensions of context on setting policy and practices in PE in these three schools. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 15 PE teachers who were responsible for delivering the Year 9 PE curriculum. Our findings highlight notable variation in the ways in which setting policy was translated and enacted in PE in these three schools and the multiple factors shaping decisions about groupings and, in turn, teaching and learning for students in different sets. This study also provides novel findings regarding the dynamic interplay between the external dimensions of context (i.e. neoliberal policy making and pressures and supports from the local education authority [LEA] and the school inspectorate) and the internal dimensions of context (i.e. school-based traditions, school demographics, and support and resourcing for PE) in policy enactment. Attention is drawn to equity issues inherent in, and arising from, the varied enactment of setting policy in PE. The paper concludes by arguing for greater scholarly engagement with policy enactment, grouping strategies and constructions of ability in PE.

Understanding The Educational Administrator’s Role in a Turbulent Ethnic Education System

ABSTRACT This study examined the performance of superintendents and leaders of the Arab education system in Israel in reducing achievement gaps and promoting curricula that empower and advance students. In-depth interviews were conducted with school governance officials in an attempt to address these key issues: (1) The steps administrators in the Arab education system take to reduce underachievement and empower change agents during crises; (2) Arab school superintendents’ and local government education officers’ assessment of government policies as empowering or disempowering; (3) The extent to which superintendents believe that cultural change is required within existing administrative structures before they can empower school communities to become societal innovators for equity, peace, and renewal. The findings were analyzed according to themes and categories, and examined through the lens of the Turbulence Theory. Results revealed that Arab educational leaders strive to reduce achievement gaps by increasing the curriculum’s relevance to the school community, and balancing the community’s demands for quality education with technocratic policy demands by the Ministry of Education. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Neoliberalism in ELT textbooks: an analysis of locally developed and imported textbooks used in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Neoliberal ideologies, evidenced in locally developed and internationally published imported English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks, are compared in the context of Malaysia, an outer circle country. Historically, locally developed ELT textbooks have been used to teach English but recently imported books have been prescribed following the adoption of the Common European Framework Reference (CEFR). This move has met with criticisms from many who are concerned with the culture and ideologies reproduced in imported texts. The current study addresses this concern through the thematic content analysis of locally developed and imported textbooks used in Malaysian classrooms. It is found that the neoliberal values demonstrated in imported textbooks outweigh those in locally published ones. This necessitates a critical reading of imported ELT textbooks by local educational authorities before they are prescribed for use. This is particularly important in outer- and expanding-circle countries where local cultural values and beliefs may be different from the Western, neoliberal values reproduced in imported materials.

Ensuring Equitable Access to School Meals

Ensuring Equitable Access to School Meals

The Competency of English Language Teachers in Implementing the English Language Literacy Programme

The teachers’ competency level was investigated from four related aspects which are knowledge competency, teaching skills competency, assessment and evaluation competency, and professional values and behaviour competency. A total of 141 English language literacy teachers from 83 primary schools in Pontian, Johor were involved with this study. The research design is through the use of a questionnaire which intended to measure the competency level of respondents. Data that had been collected is analyzed with Statistical Package for The Social Science (SPSS 12.0) to find the mean, frequency and standard deviation. ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze the hypothesis. The findings showed that the level of competency is high for the knowledge, teaching skills, assessment and evaluation, and professional values and behaviour aspects. As for the hypothesis, there are no significant differences in the competency of the English language teachers across the school zones, teaching experience, and gender factors. Implications of the study were discussed which then followed by a few proposals of the study to the stakeholders such as English teachers that are involved with the LINUS Bahasa Inggeris (LBI) programme, the school administrators, local education authorities (District Education Office and the State Education Department), and the Ministry of Education.

Power dynamics and policy actions in the changing landscape of local school governance

ABSTRACT In this paper, we theorize on local school governance through a multi-method case study of a large-sized Swedish municipality by drawing on neo-institutional theory. In light of a changing governing landscape in Sweden in terms of a ‘re-centralization’, new conditions between the state, the local education authorities (LEA) and the schools have emerged. The aim of this study is to examine what policy actions the LEA employ for governing the school and in what ways that principals respond and handle these policy actions. The results point to the fact that the LEA uses a bench-marking strategy through its quality assurance system and intervene if results are poor. Principals seek support from the LEA, but are anxious that their autonomy will be diminished and therefore function as ‘gate-. The system for quality assurance is appreciated by principals, but standards aimed at framing discursive communication on quality are criticized. Principals turn to managers below the superintendent, which creates a tension between managers. The study shows that different levels and actors must be taken into account in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the multi-layered field of local policy enactment.

What Happens During Teacher–Student Interaction in the First Year of Primary School? A New Explanation

The present research aims to develop a theory on teacher–student interaction in the first year of primary school period. The present research was designed in grounded theory research which is one of the qualitative research traditions. A total of 18 primary school children started the first year of primary school. Data were collected through participant observation. Participant observation was launched after all necessary ethical permissions were taken from local education authority, the participant children, their teacher, and parents. Data were analyzed through constant comparison within three stages as open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. It was reported that the teacher and the first graders mutually developed strategies and there were several circumstances in the interaction that nested behavioral problems.

Effects of Caregivers’ Training Programme on Preschoolers’ Socio-Emotional Readiness for Transition From Kindergarten to Primary One in Rivers State

This study determined the effect of caregivers’ training program on preschoolers’ socio-emotional readiness for transition from kindergarten to primary one in Rivers State Nigeria. The study adopted quasi-experimental design with a population of 550 pupils and a sample of 111 pupils 48 (experimental) and 73 (control) drawn from the population using a multi-stage sampling procedure. The instrument for data collection for this study was the Rating Scale for Observation of Kindergarteners and Primary One Pupils Readiness and Transition (RASOKIPOPRAT). Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the hypotheses were tested using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 set as the level of significance. The findings revealed that caregivers’ training program had a significant effect on pre-schoolers’ socio-emotional readiness for transition from kindergarten to primary one. Based on the findings it was recommended among others that local government education authority should adopt this training manual to help caregivers understand the meaning of socio-emotional readiness and then apply it in their school activities for proper development of the pupils.

Extent of Parental School Involvement on Pupils’ Academic Performance in Anambra State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to investigate the extent of parental-school involvement on pupils’ academic performance in Anambra State. Four research questions and four null hypotheses guided the study. It adopted a descriptive survey research design. Two research questions guided the study. The population of the study consisted of 10,369 primary school teachers and 65,406 parents in Anambra state. The sample size for the study comprised of 736 which made up of 172 primary school teachers and 564 parents whose children/wards are in primary schools in Awka North, Awka south, Anambra, Dunukofia and Njikoka local Government Education Authorities were selected using multi-stage sampling. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires titled “Teachers Response on Parental School Involvement Questionnaire (TRPSIQ) and parent’s response on school involvement questionnaire (PRSIQ). The TRPSIQ and PRSIQ was validated by three experts. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach Alpha which yielded an overall co-efficient of 0.83. mean was used to answer the research questions while standard deviation was used to check the closeness of the respondent’s response to the mean. The findings revealed that teachers and parents rated to a great extent parental involvement in child home-school communication and school volunteering for improvement in pupil’s academic performance. Based on the findings, the researcher recommended among others that schools should create good communication language style that will foster close interaction between the parents and the child as well as the parents and the schools.

Diversified transitions and educational equality? Negotiating the transitions of young people with immigrant backgrounds and/or special educational needs

The focus of this contribution is on the targeted transition practices of career guidance and on the opportunity structures they frame for young people with immigrant backgrounds and/or special educational needs. By analysing curricular documents and interviews with representatives from the local education authorities, such as administrators, principals, guidance counsellors and special education teachers (n = 16), we aim to examine critically the options provided for these groups of young people. We conclude that targeted transition practices do not recognise enough the heterogeneity of young people, and can therefore be limitative and exclusive.

Implementing inclusive education policies – the challenges of organizational change in a Danish municipality

ABSTRACTIn 2012 the Danish Parliament passed legislation mandating that 96% of all students in compulsory public education attend regular classes. This target generally led to severe strains within local education authorities in Denmark. Civil servants, school principals, and teachers experienced inclusive education as a challenge rather than as an opportunity. In 2015 a municipality in Northern Jutland even decided to increase the target to 97% of all students. This article analyses the process and challenges of how inclusive education policies in this particular municipality were implemented and enacted between 2015 and 2019. Drawing on qualitative data, the article maps the discourse surrounding inclusive education and the organizational interactions between three levels of the local education authority: the political level, the civil servant level, and the local school level. The concluding discussion reports the findings and sheds light on the local challenges of organizational change in terms of inclusive education policies.

BRITISH SCHOOLCHILDREN’S ORGANIZATION OF EDUCATION

The article deals with the organization of education of schoolchildren in the United Kingdom. The basic documents dealing with the organization of training in British schools are investigated. Curriculum was found to be the main document regulating the work of British schools. The article describes the curriculum and its goals. The key stages of education have been identified and analyzed. We defined the correlation between years of study and key stages of education, the periodization of school education in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, schooling is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 16. Stages of study were first introduced into the British Curriculum by the Education Reform Act in 1988. It has been noted that the national curriculum of England, Wales and Northern Ireland consists of core subjects and basic subjects. In Scotland, there are no key stages of education, and there is a structure of primary and secondary education that is divided into primary and secondary education cycles. The types of exams and tests that make up students in schools at different key stages are distinguished. The main timetable requirements are laid down in the national curriculum. Schedule and school regime are standardized at the level of local education authorities. The article identifies that the school year is divided into three semesters; after each semester, there are vacations, each academic year provides a test for the transition to another stage. Finally, the paper characterizes the common and distinctive features of the organization of the educational process in schools in different territorial units of the UK.

An Analysis of Professional Learning Community Policies of Local Education Authority: focused on Annual Plan of Local Education Authority in 2019

An Analysis of Professional Learning Community Policies of Local Education Authority: focused on Annual Plan of Local Education Authority in 2019

Local Government and Primary Education in Nigeria: An Overview

Local government in Nigeria has constitutional responsibility in primary education; also, the state and federal government attend to all levels of education, including the primary education. Over the years, local and state governments have constituted the real actors in Nigeria primary education sector through the instrumentality of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), and Local Government Education Authority (LGEA). Constitutionally and financially, local governments remain major actors in primary education, but practically, it is SUBEB who manage schools through LGEA with little or no consultation to local government council, regardless of their huge contributions. The paper intends to look at these challenges and reemphasis the contribution of Local government to Primary Education. Using the secondary method of data collection in form of content analysis, the paper revealed that Local government has contributed immensely to the functioning of primary education, both in mandatory and concurrent capacities with the state government especially in payments of teacher’s salary and allowances, provision of instructional materials, provision of classrooms and other infrastructures needed for the smooth running of primary education in Nigeria. The paper concluded that local governments remain the major actor and provider of primary education in Nigeria.Key Words: Primary Education, Local Government, UBEC, SUBEB, LGEA

Editorial

This issue completes another year in which developments in the orientation of Support for Learning continue apace. Its virtual Editorial Office, only recently established at the Swiss Cottage School and Research Centre, is now co-located. This results from my own recent appointment to the staff of the School of Education at Brunel University, London. This arrangement will amplify the Journal’s focus – that of connecting theory with practice, researchers more closely with practitioners, in the ‘real world’ of special and inclusive education. The move gives me an opportunity for quiet reflection on my own career pathway. In 1988 I moved from my work as a classroom teacher and SEND leader in a community high school in Greater London. At that time schools in England were still busy addressing the requirements of the 1981 Education Act. But the educational landscape was in some turmoil, as a result of the changes resulting from the 1988 Education Act, the so-called ‘Reform Act’ – its terminological inappropriateness being noted by JK Galbraith, inferring its negative impact on some aspects of educational provision: notably teacher autonomy in the face of an imposed National Curriculum, the value-added inputs by ‘Local Education Authorities’ and the creation of an education market-place driven by parental aspiration. Children and young people with SEND were predictably on the margins during conversations regarding post 1988 provision. In somewhat cowardly fashion I escaped the longer-term negative impacts of this market-driven, Thatcherite view of schooling. Although a longing for those exquisite, life-changing interactions with children who learned and behaved differently was palpable, it was offset by new professional challenges. I moved into teacher education, at what was to emerge in the early 1990s as Brunel University. It was a time of further self-discovery and fulfilment – teaching and researching in special educational needs and the then newly emergent inclusive policy and practice. What I did note, almost from the start, was the quite stark division between way that initial teacher preparation and their subsequent professional development functioned in many cases in isolation from the ‘real world’ that I’d recently abandoned. Now, as I re-establish myself, after 30 years or more, with Brunel University I am inclined to reflect on how little has changed in respect of the challenges experienced by SEND stakeholders. Whilst statutorily and operationally the current landscape is very different, those closely involved in all aspects of provision and those who choose to reflect critically on the circumstances prevailing for marginalised children and young people will undoubtedly be struck more by continuities than differences. Thus, schools still struggle to effectively resource their SEND provision, the children who challenge the most are still more likely to be excluded, the serial debates concerning what constitutes inclusive education are ongoing, and the training of both teachers and school-leaders remains fraught with inconsistency. Whilst I accept with relish my new position as a Professor of Education, the same relief and (dare I say) cowardice is once more apparent. I am certainly reassured that I don’t have to complete another lap… Moving to more substantive and certainly less whimsical issues, the present issue of Support for Learning rises well above any sense I may have given that commitment and practical endeavour is absent in research and practice in special and inclusive education. The issue provides a customary range of perspectives and national lenses via which key topics in SEND are being explored. I am pleased to say that Support for Learning has retained such orientations, signalled by the articles by Shiralee Poed and her colleagues in Australia, alongside that of Timo Salovita from Finland. These are important voices, not only because they impart new ideas and perspectives but also because they remind those of us in the United Kingdom that parochialism is an inhibitor of professional advancement. Other, more ‘local’ contributions are made by authors with wide-ranging professional backgrounds and interests, reflected in the rich variety of topics covered. I’m delighted that Emma Clarke and her colleague John Visser have extended their interrogation of the role of teaching assistants in supporting change in children’s behaviour. Nikita Hayden and her colleagues from the University of Warwick examine the infrequently visited issue of supporting siblings with a SEND. Equally thought-provoking, and only modestly covered in educational literature, is the question of those who are ‘care experienced’ and who thus can face additional barriers in accessing learning. Finally, Emma-Kate Kennedy and Laleh Laverick shine an important light on the role of school leaders, who are so vital as catalysts in progressing an agenda which is adds value by helping those with SEND to achieve and to belong.

Challenges and Opportunities in Religious Education: Re-Considering Practitioners’ Approaches in Scottish Secondary Schools

In Scotland, and particularly with regards to non-denominational RE, known as Religious and Moral Education (RME), a current focus of debates is on how and why practitioners are implementing or deviating from legal and curricular expectations. Using the findings of a small-scale qualitative practitioner enquiry centered on one local education authority in Scotland, this article advances recent discussions and engages with comparative international scholarship by identifying the challenges and opportunities in relation to the provision of RME and arguing that practitioners are motivated by the demands of learners and the priorities of school leaders, rather than official expectations.

Effects of three different first-aid training methods on knowledge retention of caregivers and teachers: a randomized and longitudinal cohort study in China

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to assess the effects of pediatric first-aid training methods on caregivers' and teachers' knowledge retention. Study designThis was a randomized longitudinal cohort study. MethodsA stratified random sampling method was used to select 1282 caregivers and teachers with the help of local education authorities in 18 districts and 1 county of Shanghai, China. The selected caregivers and teachers were randomly allocated into groups that were exposed to 3 models of training, including an interactive training model (group A), lecture-based training model (group B), and video instruction training model (group C), for pediatric first-aid training for caregivers and teachers (PedFACTs). Before and after the training, a descriptive questionnaire composed of demographic information and 37 simple-choice questions about first aid was administered. During the follow-up, 120 caregivers and teachers from each of the three methods were randomized and retested 9 months after their training and 120 caregivers and teachers were randomly reselected in each of the three methods and retested 4 years after their training. ResultsImmediately after training, there was a significant difference in the postassessment results between groups A and B (P = 0.002) as well as between groups A and C (P < 0.001). The average interactive training model score was the highest, followed by the instruction training model and video instruction training model. There was no significant difference among the three groups in the reassessment scores at 9 months and 4 years after training (P = 0.744, P = 0.595). The difference in passing the assessment among the three groups at 9 months or 4 years after training was not maintained at a significant level. ConclusionThe three training methods did not affect knowledge retention of the caregivers and teachers at nine months or four years after training completion. Video instruction may be an effective, convenient, and feasible method to train caregivers and teachers.

Teachers for rural schools – a challenge for South Africa

Poverty is rife in many African countries and this has serious implications for the provision of quality education. Rural schools face severe challenges that are unique to their environment. A lack of parental interest in children’s education, insufficient funding from the state, a lack of resources, underqualified teachers, and multi-grade teaching are some of the barriers to effective education. These challenges can be attributed to numerous sources, from within school structures and from the external environment, including local communities and education authorities. After 25 years of democracy, educational standards and learner performance in rural schooling has shown little improvement. This study illustrates the complexity and inter-connectedness of the problems faced by teachers in South African rural schools. Using qualitative research within the interpretivist paradigm, this article explores the perceptions and experiences of teachers in rural schools located in White River in the Mpumalanga province. This grounded-theory research focuses on effective teaching and learning. The findings reveal that most rural schools do not have water, sanitation, or electricity, and classrooms are in a terrible state. These issues have serious implications for effective teaching and learning. Keywords: deployment; education level; education quality; recruitment; rural schools

Enacted discretion: policy implementation, local government reform and education services in Pakistan

ABSTRACT This article examines policy implementation in the Pakistan education sector introduced by the Musharraf local government reforms between 2001 and 2009. By devolving administrative and financial powers from the provincial to local government, the reforms sought to address weaknesses in existing local government provision. Our analysis developed a process model of policy implementation that suggests that while extensive structural decentralisation did occur, in practice this was more limited leading to what we term enacted management discretion, where local managers overcame weak organisational capacity, resource constraints and increased bureaucratic control from higher tiers of provincial government to manage and deliver educational services.