Local Education Policy Research Articles

Community intervention in urban areas: A youth driven initiative

This paper aims to reflect on the results of the project Community Intervention in Urban Areas: a youth driven initiative. This project envisioned the development of a Transnational Seminar that gave origin to the development of youth arts intervention projects and to the elaboration of the document “Youth Policies for Urban Neighborhoods”. The project started from the youth’s reflection on the physical, social, economic, and cultural degradation of specific spaces/territories and communities in Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium (spaces in ruins, non-places and other abandoned areas), exploring these territories as spaces for transformation and future renovation. The idea is to explore the ways youth may contribute to the transformation of these spaces, therefore enhancing their civic knowledge, capacity to intervene and influence policy and research under this theme. We wish to explore the role of younger generations, and youth in particular, through a change of paradigm. That is, by developing alternatives of intervention, through Participant Action Research and through the exploration of its connections with artistic practice and the cultural field in general. We hope this approach can influence local, national and European youth education policies and enhance different approaches to research in general.

A feasibility study with process evaluation of a preschool intervention to improve child and family lifestyle behaviours

BackgroundAround a fifth of children starting school in England are now overweight/obese. There is a paucity of interventions with the aim of obesity prevention in preschool-age children in the UK. Previous research has demonstrated some positive results in changing specific health behaviours, however, positive trends in overall obesity rates are lacking. Preschool settings may provide valuable opportunities to access children and their families not only for promoting healthy lifestyles, but also to develop and evaluate behaviour-change interventions.MethodsThis paper presents a cluster randomised feasibility study of a theory based behaviour-change preschool practitioner-led intervention tested in four preschool centres in the North East of England. The primary outcome measures were to test the acceptability and feasibility of the data collection measures and intervention. Secondary measures were collected and reported for extra information. At baseline and post intervention, children’s anthropometric, dietary and physical activity measures as well as family ‘active’ time data were collected. The preschool practitioner-led intervention included family intervention tasks such as ‘family goal-setting activities’ and ‘cooking challenges’. Preschool activities included increasing physical activity and providing activities with the potential to change behaviour with increased knowledge of and acceptance of healthy eating. The process evaluation was an on-going monthly process and was collected in multiple forms such as questionnaires, photographs and verbal feedback.Results‘Gatekeeper’ permission and lower-hierarchal adherence were initially a problem for recruitment and methods acceptance. However, at intervention end the preschool teachers and parents stated they found most intervention methods and activities acceptable, and some positive changes in family health behaviours were reported. However, the preschool centres appeared to have difficulties with enforcing everyday school healthy eating policies.ConclusionsThe findings from the current study may have implications for nursery practitioners, nursery settings, Local Educational Authorities and policy makers, and contributes to the body of literature. However, further work with preschool practitioners is required to determine how personal attitudes and school policy application can be supported to implement successfully such an intervention.Trial registrationISRCTN12345678 (16/02/17) retrospectively registered.

A Questionnaire-based Study on Chinese University Students’ Demotivation to Learn English

This paper, adopting questionnaire survey method, investigated 367 non-key local university English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ demotivation to learn English. The collected data revealed that there were two main categories of demotivators: internal factors (lack of intrinsic interest, experience of failure and lack of confidence, and unclear study goal) and external factors (teaching material, teaching process and teaching content, significant others, teachers’ teaching competence and attitude of teachers, the relationship between teachers and students, teaching facilities and teaching environment). External factors are found to be more influential than internal ones in the participants’ demotivation to learn English. The current study adds to the literature in that unclear study goal is an important demotivator in Chinese local non-key university EFL students’ English study. The findings of this study will enrich the research of demotivation to learn English, and to provide an empirical basis for the needs analysis in English class and curriculum reform, as well as to provide reference for implementing central and local education policies.

National Policy of German Authorities in Belarus (1941–1944)

The article characterizes the national policy of the German authorities in different zones of the occupied Belarus. The author explores the general and special aspects of its implementation, shows the main components of national and ethno-social problems, which existed among the local population. Special attention is devoted to questions like realization of genocide, action for strengthening the role of the local Germans, educational, religious and cultural policy. The author notes that German authorities had sought to exploit the complex realities of a multi-ethnic community in the country, however, cultivation of tension between different ethnic groups did not render the expected results.

English as a Medium of Instruction: My Experience from a Nepali Hinterland

I have observed that many public schools are adopting English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in Nepal for a decade. During my last visits to lower parts of Mt. Everest region, some school principals stated, with a great enthusiasm, that they are gradually replacing Nepali with English as the medium of instruction up to secondary level even though there is lack of research and case studies to find whether such a shift is a boon or bane. It is already the most discussed issue at both global and local educational discourses and policies. Based on my own experience, observation and theoretical knowledge, I, in this paper, make attempts to analyze the EMI situation in Nepal with reference to some questions associated with it. I also suggest that a transitional model of language education is appropriate for multilingual country like Nepal. Journal of NELTA, Vol. 21, No. 1-2, 2016, Page: 23-30

Seeing through the metaphor: The OECD quality toolbox for early childhood

AbstractThis paper explores the idea of metaphor as a persuasive device, using as an example a recent OECD publication purporting to be a quality toolbox for early childhood education and care. Leaving aside the problematic notion of quality, we argue that there is a serious problem with the idea of education as something that can be done with a toolbox, particularly in the formative stages of young children’s education. We suggest that the OECD selection of the toolbox as a metaphor is a way of inserting international economic imperatives into local government education policy, in ways that the citizenry is not aware of. As with any metaphor for education, the selection highlights some aspects while hiding others, a concealment that can’t be exposed by intensifying one’s gaze without a change in perspective. To examine the extent of what remains hidden by the toolbox, we engage in creative play with some different metaphors for education, arguing that particular metaphors may serve to obfuscate rather than clarify, an artifice that is not acceptable from a body as influential and far-reaching as the OECD.

Shirkers or Toilers? Local Strategic Action and Education Policy Under Fiscal Abundance

Making sense of the behavior of local government officials is important for understanding the operation of large multi-tiered governance systems such as China. Local officials have often been seen as self-serving maximizers of the ‘local interest’, adopting the best possible strategies of action allowed by the circumstance of the time. A prevailing view in the literature, influenced by frames of analysis provided by principal–agent theory, is that local officials are shirkers and rent-seekers. In fiscal policy, where resources have normally been tight, this means local hoarding of resources, shirking of spending responsibilities and assertive bidding for central projects, resulting in inefficiencies in resource allocation. Recently a substantial inflow of central funding into local education offers an opportunity to reassess this characterization of local strategic behavior. How have local leaders responded at a time of relative fiscal abundance? Did they seek to increase ever more funding inflow and reduce local responsibility? Examining aggregate statistics at the national level and local case materials from the central part of the Chinese hinterland, this article finds that available evidence does lend some support to previous observations of local fiscal behavior, such as diverting funds. However, other expenditure patterns in the presence of relative abundance of central funds present strong evidence that this behavior masks a deeper motivation to act responsibly in the pursuit of shared education reform goals.

Improving College Enrollment of At-Risk Students at the School Level

ABSTRACTMany federal, state, and local education policy priorities are aimed at preparing high school students, especially those at risk, to be college- and career-ready when they graduate from high school. A number of programs across different institutional entities have been initiated to achieve these goals, encompassing individual partnerships with schools. Many of these programs include a variety of interventions, ranging from college and course counseling to college visits. Although there have been some evaluations of the larger federal programs, and some state and district programs, few have examined national observational data on the impact of these programmatic efforts on college enrollments. This study uses the HSLS:09 database to investigate the impact of specific treatments in at-risk schools on college enrollments. Results show that several of these programmatic initiatives have a positive effect on college enrollment; however, the effects are small compared to some of those reported by other national studies.

‘Cruel optimism’: teacher attachment to professionalism in an era of performativity

This study provides a critical exploration of the way teachers’ attachment to notions of professionalism may facilitate a process whereby teachers find themselves obliged to enact centralised and local education policies that they do not believe in but are required to implement. The study argues that professionalism involves an entanglement of (past) occupational and (present) organisational discourses and that the remainders of the former facilitate the enactment of the latter. The study draws on Berlant’s notion of cruel optimism to help understand this process, whereby teachers’ attachment to professionalism may assist them in undermining the very values they believe it embodies.

The school science attitude survey: a new instrument for measuring attitudes towards school science

ABSTRACTThere have been many attempts over the last five decades to measure students’ attitudes towards school science. Many of these studies investigated attitudes towards limited aspects of science and utilized large numbers of items to draw snapshot summaries of the educational landscape. An understanding of attitudes towards science, and how these change over time, is of particular importance to educators in Australia and farther afield, who are forming a response to the continued declines in enrolments seen in post-compulsory science courses. We identify a gap among the available instruments for a tool that can measure multiple facets of attitudes using a minimal number of items, while being suited for use in pre-/post-test and longitudinal studies. In this article we describe the definition, validation and statistical refinement of a digital survey tool using single-item web-based visual analogue scales to measure five key perceptions of school science that lead to the formation of a Science Attitude Profile. We suggest that a particular strength of the resulting data analyses is the ability to provide a comparative ‘does it work?’ critique of various interventions implemented by educators and inform local and national educational policy.

“We Need to Grab Power Where We Can”: Teacher Activists’ Responses to Policies of Privatization and the Assault on Teachers in Chicago

In the midst of neoliberal governing mentalities, policies of privatizing public education in the U.S., and corporate reform, to what extent do the voice, emotion, body and resistance of a teacher matter? This article considers the experiences of teachers as they develop a critical consciousness and attempt to resist the global and local forces that seek to (de)professionalize them in particular ways that omit their voice from educational matters. Instead of accepting that teacher bodies have become regulated through disciplinary acts such as policies of privatization, corporate reform models or mechanisms of standardization in education such as value-added analysis as part of teacher evaluations across the U.S., this article explores the ways in which teachers in the local context of Chicago “talk back” to policy reform. Utilizing Giroux’s (1988) conceptual frame of “critical consciousness” coupled with teacher as “radical organic intellectual” and additional frameworks around neoliberal governmentality in educational settings to situate the study (Foucault, 1994; Rose, 1996, 1999; Rose & Miller, 1992), the purpose of this article is to explore teacher activists’ responses to teacher assault, policies of privatization and school closings in Chicago during the 2012-2013 school year. Drawing on ethnographic field notes from participant observations as teachers protested, organized, and agitated local educational policies and interviews with three teachers, this article considers the purpose of public education from teacher perspectives as well as their reasons and motivation for speaking against policies of neoliberal governmentality and policies of privatization (Lipman, 2011). Locating teacher consciousness and reflexivity enables us to see the lived experiences of teachers in Chicago and to write against (othering of teachers, and) the normative discourses around teacher deficits and the profession of teaching’s positioning in policy as inferior. Using the narratives of three particular teachers, this study provides insight into the ways in which teachers make sense of policy, and the ways in which they disrupt the process of corporate, neoliberal ideology.

Breaking classroom silences: a view from linguistic ethnography

ABSTRACTThis paper addresses potentially problematic classroom episodes in which someone foregrounds a social division that is normally taken for granted. It illustrates the way in which linguistic ethnography can unpack the layered processes that collide in the breaking of silence, showing how linguistic form and practice, individual positioning, local institutional history and national education policy development all count, and it discusses the value of situated interactional data for teacher development. It presents two case studies, involving a Turkish language class in a Greek-Cypriot secondary school, and a discussion of Standard English in an inner London comprehensive.

Marine litter on Mediterranean shores: Analysis of composition, spatial distribution and sources in north-western Adriatic beaches

Marine litter is one descriptor in the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This study provides the first account of an MSFD indicator (Trends in the amount of litter deposited on coastlines) for the north-western Adriatic. Five beaches were sampled in 2015. Plastic dominated in terms of abundance, followed by paper and other groups. The average density was 0.2litteritemsm−2, but at one beach it raised to 0.57itemsm−2. The major categories were cigarette butts, unrecognizable plastic pieces, bottle caps, and others. The majority of marine litter came from land-based sources: shoreline and recreational activities, smoke-related activities and dumping. Sea-based sources contributed for less. The abundance and distribution of litter seemed to be particularly influenced by beach users, reflecting inadequate disposal practices. The solution to these problems involves implementation and enforcement of local educational and management policies.

Indiana Music Educators and Policy: An Examination of Awareness, Engagement, Trust, and Efficacy

Abstract Despite the impact of local, state, and federal education policies on music education practices, little is known about public school kindergarten through 12th grade (K–12) music educators’ political awareness, participation, and beliefs. The following research questions guided this study: How familiar are Indiana music educators with local and national education and music education policies? How politically active are Indiana music educators? To what extent do Indiana music educators trust policymakers and leaders? What do Indiana music educators believe about their own political efficacy? What relationships exist between political constructs, demographic variables, and employment characteristics? Indiana K–12 public school teachers (N = 144) responded to a survey designed to address these questions. Results indicated that while awareness of policies varied widely between respondents, they were overwhelmingly (97%) registered to vote. Participants perceived higher levels of internal political efficacy than external, and efficacy was highest at the local level. Local officials were most trusted, followed by those at the federal level, and then those at the state level. Exploratory investigation showed that neither teacher gender nor age was significantly related to awareness, efficacy, or trust in government, and there were no significant relationships between characteristics of teaching placements and trust in government, participation, or awareness. Findings indicated small significant negative correlations between political efficacy and both county urbanicity and the proportion of non-White students in the district.

A Grounded Approach to Citizenship Education: Local Interplays Between Government Institutions, Adult Schools, and Community Events in Sacramento, California

Following a grounded, bottom-up approach to language policy (Blommaert 2009; Canagarajah 2005; McCarty, 2011; Ramanathan, 2005), this paper investigates available resources and discourses of citizenship in Sacramento, California to those situated within the citizenship infrastructure. It analyzes how the discursive framing of local and national educational policies affects prospective citizens and the ways that resources and discourses differ across educational sites. These sites include a government field office, citizenship classes at adult schools and community centers, and a law school-sponsored citizenship fair. This article argues that adult schools and community events introduce their own de facto and de jure policies, in conjunction with top-down governmental policies, that tend to reduce the complexity of naturalization at the expense of full participation. Both top-down and bottom-up educational policies consequently affect prospective citizens’ understanding and enactment of citizenship.

Social media illuminates

Montclair Cares About Schools (MCAS) is a citizen-activist group in Montclair, N.J., that used Facebook, emails, and online petitions to inform and organize citizens on local educational policy issues. Emerging in response to a new superintendent’s plans to reshape Montclair schools with new teacher evaluations, administrative hires, and extra districtwide quarterly assessments, MCAS has had some degree of success in opening a dialogue and keeping the community informed about changes to the Montclair School District.

The effects of general interpersonal and bullying-specific teacher behaviors on pupils’ bullying behaviors at school

Bullying is a problem in many schools around the world. It is seen as an unwanted phenomenon in education and in many contexts the reduction of bullying is a target of national and local education policy. In practice, the extent to which bullying occurs differs widely across classrooms. Part of these differences may be explained by teachers’ management of bullying. The goal of the present study was to combine two perspectives on teacher behavior to identify their impact on pupils’ bullying behavior at school, namely teachers’ bullying-specific and their general interpersonal behaviors. Data were collected by means of questionnaires from 33 upper-grade primary school teachers and their 784 pupils. Results of multilevel regression analyses showed that teachers’ bullying-specific and general interpersonal behaviors independently contributed to pupils’ bullying behavior. Lower levels of bullying were established when teachers were less likely to discipline the bully, and showed more interpersonal behaviors with high levels of control and closeness, and less interpersonal behaviors with low levels of control and closeness. These findings suggest that teachers’ bullying-specific and general interpersonal behaviors are two different pathways through which teachers can manage bullying. This underlines the need of taking teacher’s strengths into account in designing anti-bullying programs.

Reading in Arabic Orthography: The influence of Short Vowels on Reading Accuracy and Comprehension of Poor and Normal Arabic Readers

Research conducted on strategies aimed at improving reading skills and comprehension among Arabic readers (Abu Rabia, 1997, 1998) reported on the contribution, of the addition of short vowels to Arabic texts, to both the acquisition of proper reading skills during early childhood, and to better reading comprehension among all ages. The findings were considered controversial. Such a determination can have important implications for both local and national educational policies seeking the improvement of reading skills and comprehension among Arabic readers of all ages. In this study, 60 native Arabic speakers, 12 years old were sampled from school in northern Israel. They were divided into two equal groups of 30 normal and 30 poor readers, based on their average grade point average in the Arabic Language subject. The results indicated that the vocalization of Arabic texts significantly improved both reading accuracy and comprehension among all participants, whether normal or weaker readers. Further, despite the very noticeable difference between reading abilities among the two groups (regular and weak readers) at the outset, on the average we found that the addition of short vowels helped both groups acquire basic reading skills. The findings indicated that the use of vocalized texts helps readers achieve higher reading comprehension levels among all types of readers.

Образование в современной политической повестке дня

The article touches on the contradictions between the market model and the social and welfare models of the state which remain unresolved especially in the educational sphere both in the developed and developing and post-communist countries including Russia. The special object of analysis is the educational aspect of new liberal ideology in the Western Europe as like as the ideology of Republicans in the USA identified as neoconservatives and compassionate conservatives. The new ideological perspectives of evolution of education and some educational projects in the globalization era are also discussed. Globalization of education refers to the worldwide discussions, processes, and institutions affecting local educational practices and policies, first of all, the national school systems. Today, many nations choose to adopt policies from the global superstructures in order to compete in the global economy. There is a constant dynamic of interaction: global ideas about school practices interact with local school systems while, through mutual interaction, both the local and the global are changed.

A learning odyssey: the trials, tribulations and successes of the Educational Institute of Scotland’s further education and teacher learning representatives

For the past decade, I have been observing, researching and reporting on a group of Scottish further education lecturers and schoolteachers, who, through their trade union activities, have had a significant impact on their colleagues’ engagement with post-compulsory education and professional development. They are members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and are unpaid lay volunteers who are trained and accredited as Union Learning Representatives (ULRs). They have a specific remit of advising and guiding colleagues in all matters relating to post-compulsory education and professional development. The article will detail how from very humble beginnings this group has become an indispensable element of the Scottish education system. It will show how these ULRs, many of whom had not been involved in trade union or political activism, are now regarded as experts in the field of post-compulsory education and professional development. They regularly work with key stakeholders such as the Scottish Government, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and local authorities, and hold major positions within the EIS and on the General Teaching Council for Scotland. They have evolved as leaders within their institutions, the EIS and the Scottish education system more by accident than design. These developments indicate that they may well become key players in the construction and implementation of future local and national post-compulsory education and professional development policy. The article will be underpinned by the academic concepts of ‘wounded learners’, ‘organic intellectual growth’ and ‘emerging teacher leaders through professional development engagement’.