School Opportunities Research Articles

Local labor markets and job match quality: Teachers

This paper examines how short-term variation in potential teachers’ outside options affects who chooses to teach in public schools. I use variation in state level unemployment rates as a source of plausibly exogenous variation in outside options available to first-year teachers among teachers surveyed in the NCES School and Staffing Survey. I find that those who become teachers when the local labor market is weak are both more likely to have come from highly selective colleges and more likely to express dissatisfaction with their jobs. Other observable demographic, educational, and certification characteristics of newly hired teachers are not affected. Teachers who enter during weaker labor markets are also no less likely to remain in teaching in the short run. Economic downturns provide a potential opportunity for schools to attract and retain academically talented workers, but this may come at a cost to those workers in the form of reduced job satisfaction.

What added value can school nursing bring to integrated care systems?

Integrated care systems will help provide real opportunity for school nursing services to improve the care of children and young people. Sharon White explains

Contextual influences on children's mathematical understandings

In order to maximise children's mathematical learning opportunities in school, we need to take account of what they have already learned about mathematics in their out-of-school contexts. Children's representations provide one such mechanism for gaining insight into their everyday mathematical experiences and understandings. This study utilises an ecological theoretical framework to examine the ways in which children's everyday experiences in a range of contexts influence their early mathematical understandings. Data is presented from a study of 100 four to six-year-old Australian children as they entered and experienced their first year of primary school. Throughout the study, the children completed a series of drawing tasks related to different mathematical concepts, and were invited to provide either verbal or written narratives to accompany their drawings. These data were analysed using an ecological theoretical framework in order to explore the individual components of each context, as well as the relationships between these contexts. Findings demonstrate that children come to school with rich understandings of mathematics which have been shaped by their experiences in a range of contexts. The activities and relationships within children's home settings appear to be the most profound in terms of developing mathematical understandings, with very few children representing mathematics learning within a school context.

Evaluasi Pelaksanaan Program Sekolah Pencetak Wirausaha di SMK Ibu Kartini Dengan Menggunakan Model CIPP

The lack of Indonesian entrepreneurs opens up opportunities for vocational high school graduates to become entrepreneurs. In line with this statement, the Directorate of Vocational Development (PSMK) pays special attention to strengthening entrepreneurial learning in Vocational Schools by creating the Entrepreneurial Printing School (SPW) program. The CIPP (Context Input Process Product) evaluation model is one type of model that can analyze the success rate of the SPW program implementation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the implementation of the SPW program from the aspect of evaluating context, input, process, and product. The results of the evaluation analysis that have been carried out state that the SPW program at SMK Ibu Kartini based on the context aspect has a formal basis, namely Government Regulation No. 15 of 2018 (Article 9 B), the input aspect has human resources for students and teachers who have an entrepreneurial background and have facilities. good infrastructure, aspects of the process of activities carried out in accordance with the guidebook that has been determined by the Directorate of Vocational Development (PSMK) and carried out well, product aspects, namely: (1) Formation of the SPW team; (2) Socialization of the SPW program in the school environment; (3) SPW program product exhibition activities; (4) Fostering entrepreneurial activities; (5) Increasing student competence in digital marketing; (6) The creation of student entrepreneurial activities independently; and (7) Evaluation of the SPW continuation program.

A Critical Review on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives of Commercial Banks: Evidence from Bangladesh

Corporate social responsibility usually refers as CSR, is an initiative to create a link between society and the businesses in the civilization. In Bangladesh CSR still has not become widespread. The commercial banking industry has started practicing CSR. Appropriate use of CSR can play a very important role in the imperishable growth of a country by upsetting every feature of economical activities. This article will analyze the initiatives that have been taken by the several business-oriented banks of Bangladesh in CSR investments. To complete this research data from secondary sources were collected and both quantitative and qualitative data were used. Commercial Banks are participating in corporate social responsibility-relevant activities there has not been significant growth in their investment in CSR. CSR activity has high potential economic value for an organization. Through the proper use of CSR, banks can participate to develop the Schooling opportunities, Health sector, social welfare, arts, and traditions of the country. Findings of this research in significant both in theoretically and practically.

The experiences of female headteachers of boys’ senior high schools in Ghana

This study examines the experiences of the only three female headteachers leading boys’ senior high schools (SHS) in Ghana to understand the uniqueness of their career journeys, on-the-job experiences and the leadership strategies. Qualitative phenomenological approach was used for the study. The three women were interviewed multiple times over a period of five months between November 2020 and March 2021. The data were inductively and deductively analysed to identify themes that help to tell their story. The results of this study show that early exposure to role models and socialisation into the power of positive thinking at the family, school and societal levels imprint values that inspired the participants to top leadership positions and the strategies they deployed – blending of motherliness and professionalism, networking and ethical leadership. The female headteachers are bridge builders and transformational leaders who are suitable for leadership in the twenty-first century. This study identifies several implications for female headteachership including: initial preparation for aspirants of school leadership positions, ongoing professional development, and support of female school leaders. The Ministry of Education should provide women with more headteachership or leadership opportunities in schools.

Promoting academic resilience in DEIS schools

ABSTRACT This article reports on baseline data gathered as part of an intervention project which aims to enhance academic performance, encourage retention and broaden the educational and career aspirations of senior cycle students in schools which serve socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The experiences and perceptions of 405 students attending 16 DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools who are participating in a voluntary after-school tuition programme are reported. Specifically, the article provides a demographic profile of the students in relation to familial education levels and parental occupations; explores whether the students had previously considered leaving school and what specific factors influenced their retention; and reports on the results of two standardised questionnaires, measuring perceived self-efficacy and sense of school belonging. Findings indicate that students reported an overall low level of self-efficacy but a positive sense of belonging in schools, with no differences reported across gender. Differences were observed, however, between those who had considered early school leaving and those who had not, with the former cohort recording lower self-efficacy and sense of belonging scores. This article presents an important, and possibly the first, profile of senior cycle students from DEIS schools who have demonstrated academic resilience in terms of school retention, career ambition, and availing of additional support in their schools through this intervention project.

Quality Delivered: How a Pandemic Fostered Innovation and Creative Solutions in Clinical Education

Background: Clinical education placements for students enrolled in healthcare programs were abruptly upended in March 2020 due to COVID-19. Programs were faced with decisions of how to mitigate substantive challenges due to an unforeseen pandemic within timeframes that would align with curricular sequences and graduation dates. Schools quickly modified curriculum formats, implemented alternative teaching and learning instruction and developed safety protocols to protect students, clinical faculty, and patients. Purpose: The aim of this study explored the strategies employed by one physical therapy school’s clinical education team, which resulted in successful completion of clinical course requirements and on-time graduation. Method: Data was collected on a single cohort of eighty (n=80) students who experienced changes in the timing, location, and/or progression of their clinical experiences due to COVID-19 related complications. The use of innovative clinically-oriented teaching strategies including web-based patient case simulation, virtual grand rounds, and other creative learning activities effectively supported student engagement both in and outside of clinical settings. Alternative learning strategies provided students the opportunity to progress through the clinical education curriculum, meet educational objectives, and satisfy the standard requirements by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). Performance on the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) for the cohort of students affected by COVID-19 was compared to a cohort from 2019 who were not affected by COVID-19 related issues. Results: Analysis using Mann Whitney U statistics showed there were no significant differences in performance on the CPI between the groups (p=0.874). Conclusion: Looking forward, there is an opportunity for schools to build on what was learned during the pandemic and apply those strategies to other non-pandemic related situations with successful outcomes. Innovative teaching and learning strategies can help to bridge the gap of time out of clinic for any student who may experience an interruption in clinical education due to injury, illness, or other situation, and can provide a way for students to progress successfully through their physical therapy education.

Teachers´ Wellbeing; a Binary Asset Working with Newly Arrived Migrant Pupils

Today’s classrooms are more culturally and ethnically diverse than ever, and never has diversity been so extensive or raised such complex questions in education (Banks, 2011). In 2018, migrant population represented 17.3 % of the Norwegian population (Report to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Norwegian ministries 2018). This diversity poses challenges (Gutentag et al., 2018) and opportunities (Banks, 2017) for schools and for teachers who work with migrant pupils, especially those who recently arrived (Horenczyk & Tatar, 2002; Author, 2019a; Author, 2021). In Norway, there are classes called reception or introductory classes (mottaksklasser) for newly arrived minority langue pupils’ (NAMLPs) for Norwegian language learning along with remedial education (Hilt, 2016; Author, 2019a). These reception classes are very divers in terms of ethnicities, religions, languages, cultures, and traditions (Hilt, 2016; Dewilde & Kulbrandstad, 2016; Author, 2019a; Author, 2021). The role of reception teachers who work with NAMLPs is significant (Tatar & Horenczyk, 2003; Gutentag et al., 2018) as they are often the first representative of the host society (Dewilde & Skrefsrud, 2016; Author, 2019a) in addition to having a general teacher role. For successful integration, and for academic and social development, we must be concerned with the well-being of NAMLPs (Author, 2019b). Pupil well-being and teacher well-being are two sides of the same coin; pupil well-being is strongly associated with teacher well-being (Roffey, 2012; Harding et al., 2019; Spilt et al., 2011). This might be why teacher well-being is increasingly gaining (overdue) focus in current research (Vesely et al., 2014). Keywords: Newly arrived migrant pupils, wellbeing, diversity, care, teacher pedagogies.

Before- and After-School Physical Activity: Programs and Best Practices

Before- and after-school programs can be excellent opportunities for schools to provide supplemental physical activity (PA) and reinforce the knowledge, skills, and dispositions taught in physical education, particularly when some schools may perceive PA during the school day as competing with academic learning time. Before- and after-school PA programs can be offered directly by school staff, or in partnership with community organizations, and can include offerings like intramural sports, mileage clubs, active childcare programs, interscholastic sports, active transport initiatives, and PA clubs. Research findings suggest that before- and after-school programming can contribute meaningfully to children and adolescents’ daily PA accrual and offer additional benefits related to cognitive health and social-emotional wellbeing. Careful attention should be paid by program leaders and staff to the structure of these programs to maximize potential benefits for youth. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief summary of the research conducted to date on before- and after-school PA programs with a specific intention to extend the content reviewed since the last special issue of JOPERD on CSPAP nearly a decade ago (Beighle & Moore, 2012). In this article, we endeavor to translate the literature on before- and after-school PA programming and evidence of its impact into tangible strategies that school stakeholders can use to deliver these programs effectively in schools.

Introducing Quantum Mechanics through light polarization: Experiences in Hungary

In the 2019/20 school year I directed a teaching unit on quantum mechanics based on light polarization which enriched me with several experiences. Sometimes I faced problems because the obligatory Hungarian curriculum based on the wave nature of particles does not fit perfectly with the polarization approach of quantum physics. Nevertheless, I presented the polarization approach to my physics teacher colleagues too. Then I recognized some of the difficulties of Hungarian physics teachers in relation to this approach because they used to apply the wave approach. Thus, teacher training programmes should include the foundations of different approaches on equal footing, and in my opinion, teacher education should also respond to secondary school opportunities. In this article, I summarize the problems that may arise in applying the polarization approach in countries where wave formalism has a great tradition, like in Hungary. I also show why I personally prefer a 2-state approach in secondary school instead of the traditional wave formalism, and present what I have learned as a teacher. I highlight some of the requirements that arise when we intend to use polarization approach in physics teacher training programmes, and I make suggestions for teacher education too.

SCHOOL SELF-EVALUATION: A BUREAUCRATIC OBLIGATION OR AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Since the 1980s, education policies in many European countries have aimed at decentralization by giving educational institutions greater autonomy and responsibility for overseeing the quality of the provided education, while introducing or intensifying accountability measures. During recent years, an effort was made in Greece to promote the institutionalization of school self-evaluation and to enable the continuous assessment of education quality. Nevertheless, evaluation remains inactive or is partially implemented. Self-evaluation can be described as a process that starts from the school itself, in which carefully selected participants make a systematic description and evaluation of its operation, in order to make decisions or take initiatives for overall school development. In self-evaluation the initiative lies primarily with the school itself which chooses the means to be used and the participants. Because self-evaluation is conducted for the purpose of school improvement, stakeholder involvement, open school climate development, and transparency become critical factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the attitudes of teachers working in a secondary education special school on the necessity and the prospects of self-evaluation in the Greek educational system and on how it should be designed and implemented to improve education quality. For this purpose, we conducted qualitative research using semi-structured interviews. Our research results show that if we want self-evaluation to be an essential tool, not just a bureaucratic obligation, it should focus on responsibility sharing and on promoting the collective character of all stakeholders involved in the educational process. Self-evaluation should help develop relationships of dialogue and cooperation, and a climate of trust among those involved, aiming not to control but to improve education. That is, to identify weaknesses and problems and to create the conditions for the improvement of educational practices by introducing innovative actions. At the same time, teachers should be given the opportunity for continuous feedback, which will enable improved planning and implementation of the related pedagogical interventions.

Risk as opportunity in schools: An economies of worth perspective

IMPACT For policy-makers, this article highlights the need for governmental risk management (RM) policies to embrace leadership attributes at the individual level. A proactive RM culture and practices can only be triggered when senior leaders move beyond a compliance mindset and have the capacity to foster the RM values that are unique to their individual school profile. Given that their conceptions of risk are intricately connected to the values they believe to be at stake in their school, it is essential that school leaders are recognized and rewarded for their innovative contributions to societal value creation. ABSTRACT This article examines the ways in which school leaders shape distinct risk management (RM) control cultures. By drawing on values-based perceptions of risk, the authors found that the values school leaders believe are most at stake influence their individual RM strategies including the use of accounting artefacts, for example control and performance indicators for risk mitigation. Interviews with Australian school leaders reveal the multifaceted perceptions of risks and the different ways they induce innovative RM responses. As such, this article contributes to the emerging economies of worth theory in the accounting literature from the contextual setting of school leaders. In teasing out the detailed ways in which school leaders contemplate the competing world views, insights are provided into the ways they also manage the regulatory requirements with formal RM controls in tandem with their own professional values and judgements.

Participatory Group Textile Practice as a Route to Support Mental Health and Social Interaction in Secondary School Pupils

The mental health of young people in the UK today has become a significant cause for concern, particularly as the impacts of COVID-19 lockdowns, school closures and bereavements are recognised and assessed. Schools are charged with identifying and supporting pupils who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, and with delivering a prescribed mental health curriculum for pupils of each age range. It is widely accepted that involvement with creative activity can make a positive contribution to the sense of wellbeing; however, curriculum changes in each sector have diminished creative opportunities in schools leaving many children, particularly those from lower income communities, without regular access to the arts and, as a result, limited opportunity to enhance their wellbeing in this way. This paper outlines the methodology, implementation, and findings from a pilot study with secondary pupils in a Birmingham inner-city through school as part of a research investigation into the relationship between the mental health of young people and participatory group textile practice. Working primarily with a core group of eight pupils aged between 11 and 15, all with experience of poor mental health, the project progressed from idea generation to completing and sharing the final textile outcome. As a six-week group hand-stitch project, the study focused on the impact of the shared process on the pupils, benefits to individuals in terms of personal development and wellbeing, and the positivity generated through successful completion of the project. A participant-observer qualitative methodology was implemented in the research, with questionnaires also informing the project evaluation.

School Nurses’ Perspectives of Bullying Involvement of Adolescents with Chronic Health Conditions

Objective: Our primary objective was to understand bullying as it pertains to middle school students with chronic physical or behavioral health conditions by examining it through the lens of school nurses. A second objective was to understand issues pertaining to implementation of New York’s bullying prevention law with a focus on these same students. Methods: We employed a qualitative descriptive design with purposive sampling to explore perspectives of school nurses in New York State who worked in public middle schools. Using a semi-structured protocol, we conducted audio-recorded telephone interviews that were transcribed for subsequent thematic analysis. Results: Twelve nurses agreed to be interviewed. Results revealed participants’ understanding of bullying as related to students with chronic health conditions, especially those with behavioral health issues. Results also showed nurses’ limited understanding of New York’s bullying prevention law and missed opportunities for school nurses as champions of students with chronic health conditions who are bullied. Conclusions: Education and health care professionals should collaborate to disseminate information to school personnel about the risks of bullying for students with chronic health conditions and operationalize plans for prevention.

Getting to Grade 10 in Vietnam: does an employment boom discourage schooling?

ABSTRACT Blue-collar employment growth increases schooling opportunities by raising incomes, but also reduces incentives for some students to advance beyond compulsory education. These contradictory influences may help to explain relatively slow and uneven growth of progression to upper-secondary schooling in Vietnam, which has experienced a foreign investment boom in mainly low-skill manufacturing industries. We use data on participation rates and scores in an upper-secondary school entrance exam to analyze variation due to demand-side and supply-side factors. The data come from less advanced provinces and so illuminate the challenges of deepening educational development at the extensive margin, especially among ethnic minority populations.

The sexual and reproductive health needs of school-going young people in the context of COVID-19 in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Background: The impact of school closures due to COVID-19 raised widespread concerns about children’s health and well-being. We examine the impact on the sexual health needs of learners in the context of COVID-19 related lockdowns in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods: In july–November 2020 and August–November 2021 we conducted 24 in-depth interviews and 8 group discussions with teachers and learners from 4 schools, community members and key education stakeholders. All interviews were conducted by telephone. We used a thematic analysis approach and Nvivo 12 software to manage the data. Results: Four main themes related to the COVID-19 pandemic emerged from the data: the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of learners in the lead-up to the pandemic; the impact of COVID-19 on learners’ SRH and wellbeing; the opportunities schools provided to support sexual well-being of learners during the pandemic; and the role of schools in supporting SRH for learners during the pandemic. Learners and stakeholders reported that the SRH of young people was affected by alcohol misuse, poor SRH knowledge and few pathways to link learners with services. Stakeholders working with schools reported that a lack of access to biomedical interventions (e.g., contraception) increased learner pregnancies. Gender-based violence in learners’ households was reported to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic related to loss of income. School closures disrupted the provision of a safe space to provide SRH and HIV-education through Life Orientation lessons and school nurse talks. This loss of a safe space also left learners vulnerable to sexual and physical violence. However, once schools re-opened, daily COVID-19 screening in schools provided the opportunity to identify and support vulnerable children who had other social needs (food and uniforms). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic may have increased SRH needs and vulnerability of school-going children in a high HIV-burden rural setting. School shutdowns reduced the opportunity for schools to provide a vital safe space and information to enhance SRH for adolescents. Schools play a vital health promotion and social protection role.

A critical consideration of ‘mental health and wellbeing’ in education: Thinking about school aims in terms of wellbeing

AbstractThis paper examines ideas about mental health, wellbeing and school education to illustrate important issues in the relationship between mental health and education. The Covid crisis has amplified the pre‐existing mental health problems of children and young people in England and recognition of the opportunities in schools to address these. The paper gives an overview of child and adolescent mental health services and how they position the role of schools. It examines prominent concepts of mental health and their relationship to wellbeing, setting this in a discussion of ‘mentally healthy’ schools, mental health in special educational needs and whole‐school approaches. This analysis shows how the relationship between mental health and wellbeing has not been adequately worked out, using this as the basis for arguing for the dual‐factor mental health model which separates mental illness/disorder from wellbeing as two related dimensions. The paper then translates the dual‐factor model into a two‐dimensional framework that represents the distinctive but related aims of school education (wellbeing promotion) and mental health services (preventing, coping, helping mental health difficulties). This framework involves a complex conception of wellbeing, with schools playing an important role in promoting wellbeing (beyond emotional wellbeing), tiered models and establishing school‐wide social emotional learning. It is about a whole‐school curriculum approach that involves considering what is to be learned and how it is taught. It contributes to a more nuanced concept of wellbeing that has a place for meaningful learning and challenge.

Growing Up as Rents Rise: How Housing Affordability Impacts Children

Over the past several decades, housing costs have risen sharply, and as a result, an increasing number of families have become “housing cost burdened,” paying more than one third of their income toward rent and utilities. This integrative literature synthesis considers the known and potential impacts of families’ housing affordability problems on child development and schooling outcomes through a review of 64 studies published between 2000 and 2020. The synthesis proceeds in three sections: the first section examines research on the direct connection between affordability and child outcomes. The second section considers the empirical evidence on four pathways through which affordability problems are theorized to affect child outcomes: the residential mobility pathway (by causing residential mobility, school mobility, eviction, or homelessness), the living environment pathway (by reducing the quality of housing or living conditions), the neighborhood and school opportunity pathway (by restricting access to high-opportunity neighborhoods and schools), and the parental resources pathway (by reducing financial resources that could be invested in children and increasing parental stress). The third section of the synthesis considers affordability’s impact on children through an examination of the research literature on the impact of federal housing assistance. Future directions for policy are considered, including the expansion of housing assistance for families, and additional research is urged on the impacts of housing affordability on children by scholars within the field of education.

Telling Tales: Inspiring Creativity through the Myths, Legends, and Folklore of England

ABSTRACT In 2019, the charity English Heritage adopted an organization-wide theme, “Telling Tales: The Myths, Legends and Folklore of England,” which sought to highlight the wealth of stories associated with the historic places in its care. In conjunction with this theme, the charity launched a two-stranded Education Beacon Project, which consisted of a national writing competition and regional activity opportunities for schools at English Heritage sites across England. Both strands inspired and enthused teachers and students with stories from England's past, serving to highlight how heritage sites can be used to stimulate learning across the curriculum. This article reviews this specific Education Beacon Project, offering insight into learning outcomes of the project both for participants and for English Heritage staff.