bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High-Stakes Testing and Student Achievement: Does Accountability Pressure Increase Student Learning?
Authors: Nichols Sharon L. , Glass Gene V , Berliner David C.
Published: March 2015

This study examined the relationship between high-stakes testing pressure and student achievement across 25 states. Standardized portfolios were created for each study state. Each portfolio contained a range of documents that told the “story” of accountability implementation and impact in that state. Using the “law of comparative judgments,” over 300 graduate-level education students reviewed one pair of portfolios and made independent evaluations as to which of the two states’ portfolios reflected a greater degree of accountability pressure. Participants’ judgments yielded a matrix that was converted into a single rating system that arranged all 25 states on a continuum of accountability “pressure” from high to low. Using this accountability pressure rating we conducted a series of regression and correlation analyses. We found no relationship between earlier pressure and later cohort achievement for math at the fourth- and eighth-grade levels on the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests. Further, no relationship was found between testing pressure and reading achievement on the National Assessment of Education Progress tests at any grade level or for any ethnic student subgroup. Data do suggest, however, that a case could be made for a causal relationship between high-stakes testing pressure and subsequent achievement on the national assessment tests—but only for fourth grade, non-cohort achievement and for some ethnic subgroups. Implications and directions for future studies are discussed.
The Contract-Programs in Universities: Lessons from the International Comparison
Authors: García de Fanelli Ana M.
Published: March 2015

In 2005, the Ministry of Education of Argentina launched a new policy to allocate public funds to national universities: the contractualization policy. Its purpose is to allocate funds to improve teaching quality based on an institutional plan defined by each university. It is expected that this plan addresses the main weaknesses detected during the external assessment coordinated by the National Committee of University Assessment and Accrediting (CONEAU). This paper presents the main findings of a research project carried out to help in the design of this contractualization policy. The two most important antecedents, the French and the Catalonian cases, are examined through the study of official documents, on-site observation of the French negotiation processes, and interviews with government and university key officials. The study concludes with the main lessons learned from these experiences and shows that this mechanism has clear advantages when aligning the strategic objectives that the government and universities have, in order to improve university quality.
Perceptions of the impact of accountability on the role of principals.
Authors: Lyons James E. , Algozzine Bob
Published: March 2015

Calls for accountability in America's schools have created increased responsibilities for educational leaders. In this article, we describe and discuss a study of elementary, middle, and high school principals' perceptions of the state-wide educational accountability program in North Carolina. The respondents indicated that the state's accountability program has had its greatest impact on how they monitored student achievement, aligned the curriculum to the testing program, provided student remedial or tutorial opportunities, assigned teachers to grades levels or subjects, and protected instructional time. Views of some components, such as measures of school effectiveness, school safety standards, expectations and promotion standards for students, and financial bonuses received by staff members in schools that meet expected achievement standards, were viewed favorably. In contrast, the No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement (incorporated into the state's accountability program), testing requirements for Limited English Proficiency students and special education students, the sanctions applied to schools that do not meet expected growth, and the school status designation labels that are applied to schools based upon student achievement were perceived more negatively. The predictable and unpredictable outcomes of a mandated accountability program on the perceptions (and behavior) of school principals create important considerations which are discussed for policy-makers and other professionals dealing with standards-based reform.
The Impact of Lifelong Learning Teacher Education in Secondary School Results
Authors: González-Vallinas Paula , Oterino David , San Fabián José Luis
Published: March 2015

Studies dealing with factors which have an influence on students outcomes are reviewed, teacher variables and teacher training are among their most common findings to influence school achievement. This study analyses the variable in-service teacher training on students? academic achievement. The analysis levels are departments and schools, being department the level where the relation among variables is more significative. There are significative correlations between the in-service teacher training in their own subject and the subject pedagogy in 50% of the analysed departments. In-service teacher training is recommended to be organized, taking into account these differences (context, teacher variables, in- service teacher training variables) among departments, schools and districts to compensate the unequal school variables.
The Eight-Year Study: From Evaluative Research to a Demonstration Project, 1930—1940.
Authors: Watras Joseph
Published: March 2015

From 1932 to 1940, the Progressive Education Association (PEA) conducted its Eight-Year Study. At first, the study appeared to be a poorly funded comparison of two groups of students in secondary schools. During the last four years, as more financial support became available, the Eight-Year Study became a broadly based demonstration of a wide range of educational innovations. For contemporary educators, the story of the Eight-Year Study represents an opportunity to reconsider popular principles of program evaluation such as utilization-focused evaluation or program theory in evaluation. Rather than set plans in advance, the PEA members seemed to follow the ideas of John Dewey; they allowed the purposes to widen and broaden as the study evolved. In this way, the Eight-Year Study represented a model of democratic policy evaluation. Its tentative type of planning allowed people to set and to change their own purposes in line with the needs of the wider organization. Part of the reason that the study changed direction was it gathered more financial support and could add consultants who worked in distinct program elements. In addition, the lack of consistency matched the varied nature that characterized the founding members of the PEA. Its democratic framework may have enabled the Eight-Year Study to become the PEA’s abiding contribution to American education.
Funding for Performance and Equity: Student Success in English Further Education Colleges.
Authors: Jaquette Ozan
Published: March 2015

The impact of performance funding on community college student outcomes is a contested issue. Performance funding policies in most U.S. states involve too small a proportion of funding to change college behavior. English further education colleges are similar to U.S. community colleges. 1992 policy reforms in England centralized policy control, and implemented a per-pupil funding formula; 10% of all funding is based on student success but other components of the funding formula pay colleges more money for enrolling disadvantaged students. This research uses five years of student level data to test the impact of these policies. Overall student success rates rose by 10% during the five-year period, with the largest gains made by ethnic minorities, adult basic education students, and students from disadvantaged neighborhoods. Although the English system depends on regulatory agencies that do not exist in the U.S., the major assertion of this research is that market-based funding policies˜if properly designed˜can promote equity in educational achievement.
A Multilevel Study Based on PISA 2003: School Effectiveness Factors in the area of Mathematics
Authors: Ruiz de Miguel Covadonga , Castro Morera Maria
Published: March 2015

This article presents a school effectiveness multilevel model based on PISA 2003 data. Our focus is math achievement. We employ a three level model (student, school and country) with variables related to school effectiveness as predictors of student achievement. We use a methodology that takes into account the multiple plausible values generated by PISA for each student. Results show that family structure, gender, family and school socioeconomic status, home educational resources, quality of school resources, student educational expenditures, school size, teacher education and country economic resources devoted to education all have sizable influence on mathematics achievement.
Relationships between high-stakes testing policies and student achievement after controlling for demographic factors in aggregated data.
Authors: Marchant Gregory J. , Paulson Sharon E. , Shunk Adam
Published: March 2015

With the mandate of No Child Left Behind, high-stakes achievement testing is firmly in place in every state. The few studies that have explored the effectiveness of high-stakes testing using NAEP scores have yielded mixed results. This study considered state demographic characteristics for each NAEP testing period in reading, writing, mathematics, and science from 1992 through 2002, in an effort to examine the relation of high-stakes testing policies to achievement and changes in achievement between testing periods. As expected, demographic characteristics and their changes were related significantly to most achievement outcomes, but high-stakes testing policies demonstrated few relationships with achievement. The few relationships between high-stakes testing and achievement or improvement in reading, writing, or science tended to appear only when demographic data were missing; and the minimal relationships with math achievement were consistent with findings in previous research. Considering the cost and potential unintended negative consequences, high-stakes testing policies seem to provide a questionable means of improving student learning.
No more aggregate NAEP studies? [editorial].
Authors: Dorn Sherman
Published: March 2015

This editorial reviews recent studies of accountability policies using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and compares the use of aggregate NAEP data to the availability of individual-level data from NAEP. While the individual-level NAEP data sets are restricted-access and do not give accurate point-estimates of achievement, they nonetheless provide greater opportunity to conduct more appropriate multi-level analyses with state policies as one set of variables. Policy analysts using NAEP data should still look at exclusion rates and the non-longitudinal nature of the NAEP data sets.
The school in the Quechua peasant world: sociocultural tensions between modes of socialization of knowledge
Authors: Zambrana Vargas Jaime
Published: March 2015

The implementation of State educational reforms has sidestepped the reality of a heterogeneous society and Bolivia?s cultural diversity. The pedagogic models of formal schooling have been thrust upon a rural world and fail to respond to the needs and socio-cultural interests of an indigenous peasant youth. As a result, the institutionalized school?an instrument geared toward homogenizing the culture?has failed to be sensitive to diverse indigenous cosmic visions, which has historically and repeatedly resulted in cultural conflicts, bargaining and mediation. This study takes a socio-historical perspective to qualitatively analyze the tensions between the modes of socialization of knowledge?formal schooling vs. peasant community?in the transformative processes of the State education system. From the perceptions and interactions of the educational social actors, the modes of socialization?as cultural and pedagogical phenomena?reveal a complexity of manifestations regarding meaning/significance from the distinct cosmic visions of the different actors. The study reveals and contrasts the characteristics and inter-relationships of the different visions and discourses in the forms of socialization between formal schooling and the peasant community in the context of implementing State educational reform at the municipal level.
Effects of a State Mandated Policy (Site-Based Councils) and of Potential Role Incumbents on Teacher Screening Decisions in High and Low Performing Schools.
Authors: Young I. Phillip , Miller-Smith Kimberly
Published: March 2015

Some states have viewed teacher selection as a means of improving student performance and have mandated the use of site-based teacher councils. To assess the utility of this legislative action, an experimental study was conducted. This study uses a 2X3X2 factorial design that varies state legislation, role of the decision maker, and academic performance of the school site. Credentials of hypothetical teacher candidates were evaluated as if screening for a vacant position, and evaluations were submitted to a MANOVA. Results indicate that legislated alterations in the teacher-selection process failed to have any substantial effects on outcomes in the screening of teacher candidates for elementary school positions. Although screening decisions were found to be the same for participants affiliated with both low- and high-performing school districts, teachers were more appreciative of candidate’s credentials than either principals or parents.
Educational liberalization under the AGCS/GATS: Analyzing the current state of negotiations
Authors: Verger Antoni
Published: March 2015

The aim of this article is to analyze the factors that influence the commercial liberalization of educational services in the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) framework. First at all, we examine closely the negotiation methodology of the Agreement, as well as we check the commitments of the WTO members in the educational sector. On the other hand we analyze the provisional results of the last round of services (GATS2000) which is still being negotiated. The primary data sources are interviews to different delegations of the countries members of the WTO, documents of position of some delegations and documents of analysis of the “Council of Trade in Services” of the WTO.
Four conceptions about Educational Planning in Argentina’s Educational Reform of the 1990s
Authors: Terigi Flavia
Published: March 2015

This article analyses four patterns of planning in the educational reform in Argentina since the approval of the Federal Law of Education: first, planning focused on change, without enough attention to measures that could be useful to consolidate the educational system; second, planning was anchored in a vision of change that may be described as applicable and progressive, as if the impact that change may have on institutions and agents could be predicted; third, planning focused on centralized policies in order to homogenize and organize the systems, despite the goal of bringing the educational system under the jurisdiction of a federal-government-type system; and fourth, a work division was established between the Nation and the provinces, between planning and execution, and between technical and political issues of the reforms.
Levels and Profiles of Functionality as Dimensions of University Quality: An Empirical Study of Universidad Complutense
Authors: De la Orden Hoz Arturo , Asensio Muñoz Inmaculada , Biencinto López Chantal-María , González Barberá Coral , Mafokozi Ndabishibije José
Published: March 2015

This study comes out as a step forward in a research line focused on validating empirically a systemic model of university quality. The article defines university quality in terms of three dimensions: functionality, effectiveness and efficiency. The focus of the article is on the analysis of the dimension of functionality as a starting point in the process of identifying and validating indicators for the evaluation of university quality. The core of the article integrates the presentation of the level and profile of functionality of the university for the total sample and for three audiences: faculty, students and employers. For each audience the study emphasizes the evaluation of the extent to which the university accomplishes its functions as a whole institution (level) and for each separate function (profile), as well as the differences among different strata of each audience. Finally, the study points out the differences in the profiles of functionality of the university observed by the different audiences, both as a whole institution and for each function. In the conclusions, a global vision of the level of functionality of the university, evaluated by the three audiences, is established.
Bureaucratic discretion and alternative teacher certification: understanding program variation in Missouri.
Authors: Heinen Ethan B. , Scribner Jay Paredes
Published: March 2015

Alternative teacher certification literature has contributed significantly to our understanding of this approach to teacher preparation. However, this literature has more often than not treated alternative teacher certification programs (ATCPs) as a black box, thus ignoring program heterogeneity. The present study examines how and why five ATCPs in Missouri have evolved in different ways. To understand this variation and its potential significance for researchers and practitioners, we use political science literature on bureaucratic discretion to understand programs' varied responses within the same state policy context. Using a multiple case study design, we present two key findings. First, external factors such as the state's regulatory approach, programs' relationships with school districts, and programs' relationship with external partners shape program coordinators' perceptions of their discretionary authority. Second, within an environment of limited regulation, programs responded to these external factors in ways that shaped programs in dramatically different ways. These approaches ranged from formal partnerships with large urban school districts and philanthropic funders to alternative certification programs that were at least partially blended with existing undergraduate and post baccalaureate teacher preparation programs. In our discussion, we explore how state attempts to widen the discretionary space between the rules may have allowed external interests (e.g., school districts, and external funders) to backfill that space in ways that limit the potential for programs to provide high quality preparation experiences. This study explores these consequences and trade offs in order to inform policy makers and practitioners who are concerned with fostering innovative and creative ways to prepare high quality teachers.
Attitudes of Dentistry Students at the UAM-Xochimilco Towards Their Professional Training
Authors: Sáenz Martínez Laura , Sánchez Pérez Leonor , Luengas Aguirre Isabel , Jarillo Soto Edgar
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this article is to analyze the attitudes of students towards the theoretical and clinical knowledge and about research as part of the Dentistry Program during their professional training at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco. A questionnaire with Likert items was applied to students in order to know their answers about these topics. An X2 test was applied to analyze the homogeneity of answers. Results indicate that students’ opinions differ on: a) the amount of theoretical content regarding treatment (p < .003), b) some aspects regarding clinical knowledge (p < .006), and c) research options per school year (p < .05). We conclude that it is necessary to study in depth the achievements and limitations of the program proposed by the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco.
Fissures in standards formulation: The role of neoconservative and neoliberal discourses in justifying standards development in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Authors: Caughlan Samantha , Beach Richard
Published: March 2015

An analysis of English/language arts standards development in Wisconsin and Minnesota in the late 1990s and early 2000s shows a process of compromise between neoliberal and neoconservative factions involved in promoting and writing standards, with the voices of educators conspicuously absent. Interpretive and critical discourse analyses of versions of English/language arts standards at the high school level and of public documents related to standards promotion reveal initial conflicts between neoconservative and neoliberal discourses, which over time were integrated in final standards documents. The content standards finally released for use in guiding curriculum in each state were bland and incoherent documents that reflected neither a deep knowledge of the field nor an acknowledgement of what is likely to engage young learners. The study suggests the need for looking
more critically at standards as political documents, and a greater consideration of educators' expertise in the process of their future development and revision.
Change in the Mexican Technological Baccalaureate: The case of the Discipline of Science, Technology, Society and Values
Authors: Tinajero Villavicencio Guadalupe , López Bonilla Guadalupe , Pérez Fragoso Carmen
Published: March 2015

This article reports partial results of a research project that attempts, among other things, to identify the scope of educational policies concerning structural reforms to the Mexican high school curriculum. In particular, it covers the curricular reform implemented during the 2004-2005 school year in vocational technological high schools, paying special attention to teacher's adoption of the new pedagogical proposal. The research was carried out in three technological high schools: Agricultural, Marine, and Industrial, where three teachers were observed while teaching a new discipline entitled: Science, Technology, Society and Values I. This is one out of three sequential subjects included in the new curriculum that substitute four subjects from the former historical–social sciences area. Our results showed a lack of teachers' appropriation of the pedagogical proposal introduced with the reform due, in part, to a lack of knowledge regarding its conceptual framework.
Disparities in Access to Educational Media and Child Labor
Authors: Crosta Facundo Luis
Published: March 2015

This paper presents an innovative way of analyzing the effects of child labor on the access to the educational system. The results show that an integrated analysis of achievement in the educational system allows for a more precise identification of the heterogeneities involved in access to such system. To this end, an index of orderly categories is built, allowing us to show some of the different ways that the relation of individuals with the system can take. The analysis is based on microdata withdrawn from the ECV 2001 for Argentina. It is shown that child work is a significant variable to explain why some individuals are not at grade level corresponding to their age. What?s more, the interactions between occupation and age, gender, and poverty reveal that this effect increases for males 15 years or older and poor. It is shown that observable individual characteristics such as age and sex are the ones that establish differences in access to the educational system, thus becoming relevant instruments for public policy. Besides, this result suggests that policy that allots the same amount of money to all secondary school students without considering age and gender does not seem to be the best answer to solve the problem of academic achievement at this level. A more in-depth study is necessary to be able to evaluate the simultaneity of decisions about work and study and their relationship with the availability of financial resources at home.
Examining the streams of a retention policy to understand the politics of high-stakes reform.
Authors: Brown Christopher P.
Published: March 2015

Using John Kingdon's (2003) multiple streams approach to agenda setting, I analyze how key actors within the state of Wisconsin understood the need to construct and implement the state's No Social Promotion statutes to improve students' academic performance. Policymakers within the state focused their standards-based reforms on the issue of improving students' academic performance through increasing accountability. In doing so, they did not see these high-stakes policies as a form of punishment for those who fail, but rather, as a tool to focus the education establishment on improving the academic skills and knowledge of all their students. Thus, the retained student is not the primary concern of the policymaker, but rather, the retained student demonstrates the state's system of accountability works. Raising the question as to whether those who support or oppose high-stakes policies such as these should focus their efforts on the agenda setting process rather than analyzing effects of such policies. I contend that while evaluating a policy's effects is important, education stakeholders must pay attention to all three streams of the agenda setting process as they promote particular reforms to improve students' academic performance.
TICs: A key element of communication among university faculty
Authors: Tomàs Folch Marina , Segovia Tamayo Paola
Published: March 2015

This article exposes the interest that the technologies of information and communication (TICs) present in the development of the universities, especially, in the development of its processes of information management and internal communication. Based on a review of the state of the art in this field, different theoretical approaches from the field of theory of communication and institutional communication are discussed, allowing us to visualize the crucial role that information management has in the processes of modernization of the university. Finally, a methodological design for the study of the role of the TICs in information management in the university institution is presented, specifically in relation to the influence that the widespread use of the TICs has had on communication among university faculty.
A response to Steubing et al., "Effects of systematic phonics instruction are practically significant": The origins of the National Reading Panel.
Authors: Camilli Gregory , Kim Sun Hee , Vargas Sadako
Published: March 2015

A recent article by Stuebing, Barth, Cirino, Francis and Fletcher critiqued the findings of Camilli, Vargas, and Yurecko (2003) and Camilli, Wolfe, and Smith (2006). With a methodological argument, they attempted to resolve the conflict between these studies and the original report Teaching Children to Read (National Reading Panel, 2000). In response, it is argued that three issues must be considered in a fair assessment of the NRP report—program labels or bins, alternative bins, and the role of literacy activities in reading instruction. In this light, three hypotheses ventured by Stuebing et
al. are analyzed. It is concluded that the argument by Stuebing et al. does not reveal flaws in the original NRP report by Camilli et al. (2003), though some points of agreement are acknowledged.
The Negotiations of Services of Health and Education in Argentina: Between Commercial Liberalization and Technical Cooperation
Authors: Botto Mercedes , Peixoto Batista Juliana
Published: March 2015

The aim of this article is to analyze the Argentine experience on the commercial negotiations of education and health services. Firstly, we closely examine the negotiations' dynamics of these sectors in diverse forums for negotiation, such as the multilateral, the hemispheric, and the interregional and regional ones. In addition, we determine the advances on the matter, identifying the existence of commercial agendas as well as issues regarding cooperation. The authors emphasize on the existing tension between these two agendas—cooperation and liberalization—, that although antagonizing in the rhetoric, they are reciprocally connected in the facts. Finally, the debate at the national level is analyzed, differentiating the contents and the construction of the argentine negotiating position, where nongovernmental actors have played a preponderant role. The primary data sources come from semi-structured interviews to the argentine delegations that participated in the negotiations during 1992 and 2005, official and negotiating position documents, and technical and research studies of the negotiation process.
The impact of state intervention on "underperforming" schools in Massachusetts: Implications for policy and practice.
Authors: McQuillan Patrick J. , Salomon-Fernandez Yves
Published: March 2015

Since passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, state
departments of education across the U.S. have been busy creating or modifying school accountability systems to meet NCLB guidelines. Ultimately, NCLB seeks to have all public school students proficient in English/Language Arts and mathematics by 2014. To identify schools in danger of not meeting this goal, states must establish student performance benchmarks and identify
schools not making adequate yearly progress (AYP). Those consistently failing to make AYP can be ordered into "radical restructuring," which may include having the state intervene in running the school (U. S. Department of Education, 2002). Given these NCLB provisions and the growing number of schools not meeting AYP, the number of state interventions in low-performing
schools will certainly increase. Accordingly, this article explores two questions about state-led interventions. First, how have teachers and administrators in underperforming schools in Massachusetts perceived state intervention? In addition, based on their perceptions, what might be done to make the process more effective? At three schools that experienced interventions from the Massachusetts Department of Education, a qualitative study explored the process of state intervention. A survey to principals in
22 of the 23 schools deemed underperforming by the state between 2000 and 2004 supplemented the in-depth qualitative work. Drawing on these mixed methods data sources, this article offers a series of proposals aimed at informing future state interventions in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Postcolonial Perspectives on the Inclusion of Immigrant Students in Galiza, Spain
Authors: Teasley Cathryn
Published: March 2015

This study offers a critical exploration of educational policy in Galiza (or Galicia), Spain, in light of the growing cultural diversity of its population and its own socio-cultural history. By situating schools' "welcoming" (acogida), or reception and inclusion, of immigrant students within a broad, transversal terrain of postcolonial and relational (McCarthy, 1993 and 2005) analysis–one that traverses disciplinary perspectives and national and historical contexts–the main intent is to reflect on specific aspects of the official inclusion policy in order to help transform schooling into a more just and integrative cross-cultural institution. A series of ethnographic observations currently underway in educational communities of the four provinces of Galiza will provide some initial impressions of this policy as seen from the necessary perspectives of practice in schools. Some key questions include: What relevance does the postcolonial perspective have for the educational integration of immigrant students in Galiza? Does the mere development of a postcolonial awareness among teachers and students, as well as a relational understanding of today's world, constitute a potentially transformational, even emancipatory, pedagogical and curricular intervention? It is argued that it does, to the extent that it reveals the assimilationist orientation of integration, in the currently predominant approaches to inclusion or welcoming.
Standards-based mathematics reforms and mathematics achievement of American Indian/Alaska Native eighth graders.
Authors: Akiba Motoko , Chiu Ya-Fang , Zhuang Yue-Lin , Mueller Heather E.
Published: March 2015

Using the NAEP nationally-representative data collected from eighth-graders, we investigated the relative exposure of American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) students to mathematics teachers who are knowledgeable about standards, participate in standards-based professional development, and practice standards-based instruction; American Indian/Alaska Native student reports of standards-based classroom activities; and how student reports of classroom activities and teacher reports of their knowledge, professional development, and practices are associated with mathematics achievement of American Indian/Alaska Native students. We found that AIAN students had among the lowest exposure to teachers who reported they were knowledgeable about standards, who participated in standards-based professional development, and who practiced standards-based instruction. In addition, AIAN students were less likely than African American and Latino students to report that they experienced standards-based classroom activities. Our data showed that teacher reports of standards-based knowledge and practice of standards-based instruction were not significantly associated with mathematics achievement of AIAN students. However, student reports of classroom activities characterizing standards-based instruction was associated with higher mathematics achievement of AIAN students.
Latent Class Models in the Assessment of Education: The Case of Students’ Academic Attainment in Elementary Education in Zacatecas
Authors: Muro González Francisco
Published: March 2015

Based on an advanced statistical method (Latent Class Analysis), the author jointly examines two crucial factors in the assessment of students? performance in elementary school: School attainment and teacher education ( based on teachers? results in tests taken to earn their teaching credentials). Data from files in the 2001 Archives for the State of Zacatecas, Mexico are used to make this analysis. The author shows that when working with latent class models, one can make a more significant in depth analysis because by virtue of using this method, it is viable to construct suitable clusters and to segment the data files more efficiently in order to find differentiated effects of parameters in the population.
Intertextuality in Educational Reform: Reflections on Equity in Swedish School Reform
Authors: Francia Guadalupe
Published: March 2015

This article proposes intertextuality as a conceptual instrument for the deeper understanding of the phenomenon of equity in educational Reform in times of decentralization. This analysis starts from a dynamic vision of education reforms as interactions of texts. To illustrate the use of intertextual analysis of equity in education, this article introduces and discusses the analyzed examples of the educational national policy and of educational practice in the educational reform implemented in the 90?s and currently in force in the compulsory school in Sweden. It is argued that the meaning of equity is never a fixed one; it varies according to the interactions between political texts at a national level and texts of educational practice at communal and school levels.
Educational Quasi-Market in Chile: The Discourse of Policy Makers
Authors: Almonacid Claudio , Luzón Antonio , Torres Mónica
Published: March 2015

The Chilean educational system is characterized by the functioning of a cuasi (free) market, in which increasing degrees of administrative, financial and curricular decentralization take place within a context where two constitutional rights are in conflict: the right to (free) education and the freedom of teaching. This conflict arose from the design and implementation of said decentralization policy due to its negative effects in the processes of social inclusion of children and youngsters. In order to understand why those two constitutional rights are in conflict, it must be taken into account that such decentralization policy was designed by the military regime (1973-1990) as one of several neoliberal policies implemented in many different fields of the Chilean society, and that said policy has been kept in effect by the subsequent administrations of the “Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia” (Coalition of Parties for Democracy) (since 1990 to present) in a so called “transition process to democracy.” This research paper is intended to understand how the process of educational decentralization was conceived and how the system is in effect up to the present, as well as to understand the effects it has had on the process of social exclusion. To do that, the views of selected policy makers who have had active participation in this process are analyzed. First, there is a reference to the way the Chilean educational system works, and then the opinions of several educational policy makers about the processes of educational decentralization and social exclusion are analyzed.
Importance of teaching and research from the academic perspective in Mexican public institution: The case of the University of Sonora
Authors: Estévez Nenninger Etty Haydee , Martínez García Joel Manuel
Published: March 2015

This paper contains an analysis of the importance of teaching and research activities at the University of Sonora (UNISON), from the academic perspective. During 2007 the survey "Reconfiguration of Academic Profession in Mexico" (RPAM) was applied on a representative sample of full-time teachers of UNISON, public higher institution which happens to be one of the most important universities of northwestern México. The academic features of both teaching and research were considered separately, and then sought for some relations between these two activities, to finally make a comparative analysis with the national survey results. The UNISON faculty is mainly composed by adulthood (51.8 years average), labor experienced (23 years in working place) and a high rate in educational levels: 20.2 % bachelor degree, 53.2% master, 26.5% doctorate). The presence of academic women throws a 33% of faculty, lower than the average shown by the national survey (37%). Given the classification scheme proposed in this paper, it was possible to clearly identify four types of scholars which set a pattern that might be present in other public state institutions of the country, this according to the differential importance assigned to the various activities, roles and responsibilities that make up academic work.
The Impact of the Kalamazoo Promise on School Climate
Authors: Miron Gary , Jones Jeffrey N. , Kelaher-Young Allison J.
Published: March 2015

The Kalamazoo Promise was announced in the fall of 2005, offering free college tuition at any public state college or university for graduates of the district who have gained acceptance to a postsecondary institution. This program was funded through the generous support of anonymous donors, and a federally-funded evaluation is underway to examine potential changes that result from its implementation. This paper situates perceptions of school climate in this moment of punctuated equilibrium of school reform, and in the context of this universal postsecondary scholarship program. This evaluation research draws from multiple data sources including interviews with educators, and surveys and interviews with students in the school district. Findings indicate that school climate has improved since the announcement of the program. We discuss the implications of research findings and the potential of the Kalamazoo Promise as a catalyst for systemic change in the district.
Context-Responsive Leadership: Examining Superintendent Leadership in Context.
Authors: Bredeson Paul V. , Klar Hans W. , Johansson Olof
Published: March 2015

It is widely acknowledged that context matters, that it affects leadership practices. A large body of descriptive studies documents common elements in the work of school superintendents. What is less well known is how superintendents’ leadership may be expressed very differently given the varying contexts in which they work. The purpose of this cross-national study was to identify the specific variations in context which influence superintendents’ leadership, and to examine how superintendents respond to these variations in context. Structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 superintendents- six from across Sweden and six from Wisconsin, in the United States. The findings illustrate that the work of superintendents is paradoxically similar but different. Superintendents described common primary work priorities, challenges and contextual variations which influenced their practice. Yet, differences in district size, organizational culture, community characteristics, and geographic location significantly influenced their leadership practices. Despite their challenges, all superintendents responded to and shaped the context of their work. The study provides illustrative examples of superintendent leadership in situ, and supports the argument that leadership is both embedded in and influenced by context. The study also furthers the authors’ emerging theory of context-responsive leadership.
Un estudio sobre el impacto de las revistas de investigación educativa en línea: El caso de la REDIE
Authors: Backhoff Eduardo , Rentería Rosalinda , López-Ornelas Maricela , Vidaurri Gabriela
Published: March 2015

El propósito central de este trabajo fue conocer el impacto académico que ha tenido la Revista Electrónica de Investigación Educativa (REDIE) en sus primeros diez años de vida (1999-2009) en términos del número, tipo y procedencia de las citas a sus artículos, así como del comportamiento de dichas citas a través de los años, tanto por volumen como para cada uno de los artículos publicados en este periodo. Dado que la REDIE no se encuentra indizada en las bases del Web of Science de la empresa Thomson Reuters (ISI, siglas en inglés), el estudio de impacto se basó en las citas de las publicaciones de acceso abierto indexadas en Google Académico y Google. Se buscaron y localizaron las citas de 161 artículos, y los resultados se analizan en términos de la frecuencia con que se cita a la REDIE, el tipo de documentos que lo hace, los países de origen de las fuentes que citan, así como del comportamiento de las citas a lo largo del tiempo. Se utilizó un índice de citación anual y un índice equivalente al factor de impacto. Se concluye con una síntesis de los hallazgos y con una comparación de los indicadores de citación de la REDIE y seis revistas latinoamericanas de educación y psicología.
Locating Leadership: The Blind Spot in Alberta’s Technology Policy Discourse
Authors: Brooks Charmaine
Published: March 2015

Over the last 20 years, technology and education policy discourse in Alberta, Canada has been philosophically polarized and dominated by value-neutral ways of thinking about technology (Brooks, 2011). While technology policy implementation has significant ramifications for schools and systems, for much of this time, system leaders, specifically the College of Alberta School Superintendents, (CASS), did not engage the discursive circle. This paper identifies a probable rationale for the historic lack of engagement in technology and education policy by CASS. Concluding discussion offers reasons for and early impacts of CASS’ first formal move into provincial technology policy discourse System Leadership for Learning Technology Success.
Multidimensional Framework for the Analysis of Innovations at Universities in Catalonia
Authors: TOMAS Marina , CASTRO Diego
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the nature of change processes and dynamics at Catalan universities. A multidimensional approach was adopted to examine the change processes and to analyse organizational innovation in higher education. The paper draws involved in each particular innovation. Analysis of these innovations has led to the identification of common characteristics and a proposal for a multidimensional framework for future innovation analysis. Finally, the innovation cases analysed highlighted interactions between three innovation characteristics, defined as scope (number of people involved), nature (organizational or curricular) and term (short, medium or long).
Factores de éxito para la enseñanza de la prevención de riesgos laborales en la escuela: aportaciones desde la opinión del profesorado de la comunidad autónoma de Andalucía (España)
Authors: Burgos Garcia Antonio , Rodriguez Sabiote Clemente , Alvarez Rodriguez Jose
Published: March 2015

En este trabajo de investigación pretendemos determinar la influencia que una colección de factores de éxito relacionados con el proceso de implantación de la prevención de riesgos laborales en la escuela poseen en la consecución de un conjunto de beneficios y ventajas en el futuro laboral del alumnado, según la opinión del profesorado andaluz inmerso en un programa de prevención en riesgos laborales. Hemos desarrollado un estudio correlacional-predictivo con una muestra de profesorado (N= 258)  que participo en el programa “Aprende a crecer con seguridad 2009” de la Consejería de Empleo y Educación en los centros escolares de Andalucía. Dicho profesorado, valoró un conjunto de factores de éxito (variables predictivas) basados en el modelo propuesto por la Agencia Europea para la Seguridad y Salud Laboral (EU-OSHA). Los resultados alcanzados tras la implementación de un análisis de regresión lineal múltiple indican que los factores relacionados con la realización y la decisión de la puesta en marcha de la prevención en riesgos laborales son los predictores de éxito más influyentes en la consecución de un conjunto de beneficios relacionados en el futuro acceso al mercado laboral del alumnado.
High Expense: Disability Severity and Charter School Attendance in Arizona
Authors: Garcy Anthony M.
Published: March 2015

Much of the literature related to the skimming or cropping of students by charter schools has ignored special education students. This article examines the relationship between the severity of student disabilities and their likelihood of having attended an Arizona charter school in the 2002-2003 school year. After adjusting for student traits, local education agency characteristics, and the mix of available special education services, a multilevel logistic regression analysis suggests that students who had more severe and thus more expensive disabilities were less likely to attend an Arizona charter school. Findings from an ancillary set of hierarchical linear models suggested that special education students enrolled in charter schools were less expensive on average than similar traditional public-school special education students.
Circles of influence: An analysis of charter school location and racial patterns at varying geographic scales
Authors: Gulosino Charisse , DEntremont Chad
Published: March 2015

This paper uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and dynamic mapping to examine student enrollments in New Jersey charter schools. Consistent with previous research, we find evidence of increased racial segregation. Greater percentages of African-Americans attend charter schools than reside in surrounding areas. We add to the existing charter school literature by more fully considering the importance of charter school supply and examining student enrollments across three geographic scales: school districts, census tracts and block groups. We demonstrate that racial segregation is most severe within charter schools’ immediate neighborhoods (i.e. block groups), suggesting that analyses comparing charter schools to larger school districts or nearby public schools may misrepresent student sorting. This finding appears to result from the tendency of charter schools in New Jersey to cluster just outside predominately African-American neighborhoods, encircling the residential locations of the students they are most likely to enroll.