bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Links Between Finance and University Organization: Comparative Analysis Spanish University
Authors: Fernández López Sara
Published: March 2015

Over the last two decades serious problems have arisen in the modus operandi of higher education institutions. Some national governments are trying to solve them through policies to introduce or further promote market strategies in the management of the higher education organizations. The outcomes of these measures are not known yet but it seems that the marketization of higher education is inevitable. Spanish universities are not an exception in this process although it has been slow in comparison with other institutions in Europe; during the 1990s funding through contract-programs or quality evaluation was introduced in order to promote the move towards a better covering of societal needs. In December, 2001, the Organic Law for the Universities was enacted with the explicit purpose of enhancing institutional differences and the consequent competition among institutions. This article discusses the degree of marketization of Spanish universities and compares such processes with the changes occurring in the Netherlands. For this comparison economic policies and universities? degrees of autonomy are specially considered.
Closing the Racial Achievement Gap:The Role of Reforming Instructional Practices
Authors: Wenglinsky Harold
Published: March 2015

No Child Left Behind calls for schools to close the achievement gap between races in math and reading. One possible way for schools to do so is to encourage their teachers to engage in practices that disproportionately benefit their minority students. The current study applies the technique of Hierarchical Linear Modeling to a nationally representative sample of 13,000 fourth graders who took the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress in mathematics to identify instructional practices that reduce the achievement gap. It finds that, even when taking student background into account, various instructional practices can make a substantial difference.
Tangible and intangible costs of "protecting human subjects": The impact of the National Research Act of 1974 onuniversity research activities
Authors: Jacobs Frederic , Zonnenberg Arina
Published: March 2015

This article (1) examines the overall structure of regulatory research oversight in the United States; (2) details the origins and evolution of federal legislation pertaining to the protection of human subjects in biomedical and behavioral treatment and research; and (3) describes the expansion of oversight regulation from biomedical and behavioral treatment areas to the social sciences. In addition, the paper describes three areas identified by compliance administrators as susceptible to abuse: (1) informed consent, (2) assessment of risks and benefits, and (3) equitable selection of human subjects. There is a discussion of existing tensions in the implementation of oversight policies and procedures. Finally, the paper identifies four issues for future consideration: (1) scope of the mandate regarding protection of human subjects, (2) impact on the nature of research being undertaken, (3) financial burden of compliance and oversight activities, and (4) ethical standards, constraints, and potential.
From centralization to decentralization in Chinese higher education
Authors: Qian Xiaohong , Verhoeven Jef C.
Published: March 2015

Since the late 1970’s, the Chinese government has been gradually changing its traditional policy for providing higher education and has begun to emphasize the comprehensiveness of the universities. Interdisciplinary cooperation and the synergization of resources are being promoted, and institutional autonomy is gradually increasing. Schools and faculties have been restored in universities, and new research institutions, research schools, research centers and the like have been established. From a unitary three-level model— university/department/ teaching and research group—before the reform, the organizational structures of the universities have developed a new organizational structure that is more flexible and more open. This more adaptable structure is intended to meet the developmental demands of modern universities with close links being created between their work and regional economic and social development. China has moved from a very centralized educational system in which the main decisions were taken by the central government to a decentralized educational system. This reform is also taking place within the institutions of higher education, and their internal organizational structure has also become more decentralized.
Discipline in School, Gender and Sexuality: Practices and Punishment production of identity
Authors: Salum Moreira Maria de Fátima , Piorkowsky dos Santos Lilian
Published: March 2015

This paper presents the results of a research where the phenomenon of indiscipline was problematized approaching its possible relationship with the production of gender identities, in and through school. By means of interviews and direct observation, in classes of the 8th grade of a school was carried out a study about the (male and female) teachers? attitudes towards what they consider their pupils? indiscipline (which are teenagers, about 13 / 14 years old). At the same time it was made an analysis about the practices of school punishment, threreby a listing of the punishments imposed to "desobedient" students? behavior. This listing came out from consultation to the " book of disciplinary records of the students". So it was possible to bring about, among others, some important aspects of this process: a) the coherence (or incoherence) between what teachers consider "indiscipline" and their actual practices and attitudes towards students? behavior; b) The diferences and analogies among (male and female) teachers?practices and attitudes c) The different ways in which teachers deal with the manifestations of gender and sexuality of the (male and female) students, at the same time associate them to the practices of insubordination and indiscipline; d) the production of identities, distinctions and inequalities of gender and sexuality, thru school practices.
Autonomy vs. control: Quality assurance and governmental policy in Flanders
Authors: De Wit Kurt , Verhoeven Jef C.
Published: March 2015

Higher education in Flanders has seen some major changes in the 1990s. One of the key elements of the new higher education regulations was the quality assessment system. This exemplified best the government's policy of granting all institutions of higher education autonomy, making them responsible for their policies, while still keeping the quality of higher education somewhat under governmental control. In this article, we focus on the tension between the government's aim of improving and controlling the quality of higher education and universities ' concern for their autonomy. We describe the Flemish government's view on issues of quality in higher education and confront these with an account on the basis of case studies of how the quality assurance system was actually implemented in universities. We conclude that the model of the "market state" or the "evaluative state" is only realised partially in Flanders. The government is still interventionist when it comes to key policy issues
The Balance Between Higher Education Autonomy and Public Quality Assurance:Development of the Portuguese System for Teacher Education Accreditation
Authors: Campos Bártolo
Published: March 2015

The accreditation systems of higher education institutions and/or programs are becoming a policy measure used to find a balance between their autonomy and public assurance concerning the quality of the qualifications they award. This article analyses, from the point of view of this balance of power, the process of development of the Portuguese accreditation system aimed at providing public assurance that initial teacher education programs are more driven by social demand, namely by the changing school education needs. This was a political and cultural process rather than a merely rational and technical one. Thus the emergence of the need for, and possibility of, external pressure upon higher education institutions is related to the evolution of several social factors. On the other hand, the implementation of the accreditation system means a significant change for these institutions which implies new practices and comes into conflict with some of their values and with power sharing within and among them and with society. For these reasons a strategy of wide participation of significant stakeholders was deemed more suitable for the formulation, adoption and implementation of this new public policy. The way in which government, the accreditation body, and the significant stakeholders exercised their power in this process influenced the characteristics of the system, the rhythm of its implementation, and the abrupt governmental decision to put it on stand-by, until now.
Policymaking in education: Understanding influences on the Reading Excellence Act.
Authors: Edmondson Jacqueline
Published: March 2015

Educators and researchers are being called to participate in language and literacy policy making (Roller & Long, 2001). In order to do so, however, there needs to be an understanding of how policy is made. Although policymaking often appears to be an irrational process, there are theories that exist to explain the influences and mechanisms that work to shape policies. In what follows, I adapt Theodoulou and Cahn's (1995) typology on policymaking in order to discuss how policy is made. These theories of policy making are explored within the context of the Reading Excellence Act to demonstrate how policymaking is read and explained. Given the limitations of these explanations, particularly the sense that there may be no explicit role for educators in such a process, an alternate theory of policymaking, critical pluralism, is proposed. This alternate typology suggests different roles for educators in relation to policymaking.
Staking out the successful student
Authors: Brown Christopher
Published: March 2015

With the performance of students, teachers, and schools defining success under current standards-based accountability policies (e.g. Chicago Public Schools (Note 1); No Child Left Behind Act, (United States Department of Education, 2002)), school districts are implementing various forms of intervention programs as a means to improve student performance. By examining a pilot summer school program that is transitioning from a low-stakes' to a high-stakes' intervention program, this article examines the possibilities that exist for students to author themselves as learners, and it questions whether opportunities for students to identify themselves as successful learners are lost when an intervention program, such as summer school, becomes mandatory. The implications of this analysis highlight questions and concerns that policymakers and school personnel need to address when formulating high-stakes standards-based accountability policies and intervention programs.
Designing Finance Structures to Satisfy Equity and Adequacy Goals
Authors: King Richard A. , Swanson Austin D. , Sweetland Scott R.
Published: March 2015

In addition to setting high standards for student performance, educational policies must consider what resources are essential to provide an adequate educational program to meet all students' learning needs. Policy makers also want to ensure that educators make efficient use of available resources. In this exploration of school finance policy, we advance a conception of adequacy as the ideal state of vertical equity, examine the evolution of this concept through judicial reviews, and discuss methods for determining the level of funding required to achieve adequacy. We then discuss economic and political problems inherent in institutional inefficiencies that are likely to derail efforts to raise achievement in poorly performing schools even after granting them an adequate level of resources. The paper concludes with a description of how a state funding formula might provide a foundation for adequacy in all districts.
Practices Advisory Educational Centers: A Review of the process model
Authors: Domingo Segovia Jesús
Published: March 2015

The processes of change in schools are complex and personal. Those processes have been discussed in multiple dissertations and experiences. Multiple support models and strategies for consulting on the change process have been developed. And we have learned many lessons about these situations. Abandoning our previous naivety, we should move to the fundamentals: the contents and the process of self-reconstruction. This article analyzes practices in consulting with schools and it presents a critical revision of the process pattern using the following: (1) the process of consulting in the journey to improvement (moments, partial processes and purposes); (2) the process of consulting is not a technology but rather a tool; and (3) it describes the learned lessons, the contradictions and the cautions one must take into consideration in the process of consultation.
Mandating supplemental intervention services: Is New York state doing enough to help all students succeed?
Authors: Killeen Kieran M. , Sipple John W.
Published: March 2015

As states have become more active in establishing curriculum content standards and related assessments disappointingly little attention has been paid to policy efforts that create learning opportunities for students to meet the new standards. This study examines one state policy designed to bolster the opportunity to learn by mandating additional instruction for students not currently achieving proficiency in the state standards. The results focus on a detailed description of New York State's Academic Intervention Services, including its organizational and instructional elements (e.g., staffing, scheduling, student grouping, instructional strategies) across NYS schools. While the majority of states have established curriculum frameworks and linked them to assessment instruments, this experience in NY may be unique for its coordinated emphasis on intervention services (academic and non-academic) linked to rigorous learning and accountability standards. However, the caveats identified in this study promote a familiar sense of local discretion in the interpretation and implementation of state policy mandates. The analyses describe how such practices vary by local district context, such as community wealth and geography, and if those practices have equity implications. The primary analyses draw on survey data from a stratified random sample of 764 teachers and principals from 125 school districts, and feature multi-variate methods with proper adjustment for the clustering of responses within districts (i.e., multiple teachers and administrators within each district).
Changes and Conflicts in policy speeches on University Teaching
Authors: Malagón Plata Luis Alberto
Published: March 2015

This article considers multiple perspectives and notions about education that prevailed in the development of universities in Latin America. As complex institutions, universities have been developed following multiple models and through contradictory processes, maintaining ancient traditions and incorporating modern characteristics, to the extent that in contemporary universities it is possible to see the traces of previous models (medieval and modern universities). Accordingly, during the last century, the Latin American model of the university has been marked by conflict, but contrary to other analysis which see weaknesses in conflicts, this article concludes that the conflictive character of universities in Latin America has permitted the development of institutions where complex and critical thought emerged.
Using pressure and support to create a qualified workforce.
Authors: Ryan Sharon , Ackerman Debra J.
Published: March 2015

In order for any new initiative to be implemented, it is generally assumed that policy actors need both motivation to comply with a new initiative and adequate assistance to implement the required change successfully. The study reported here examined the impact of a system of pressure and supports created to encourage preschool teachers working in public school, Head Start, and child care settings to obtain a teaching credential by a court imposed deadline. Findings from the sample of 689 teachers indicate that the court mandate, in combination with a scholarship program and an accessible number of certification programs, motivated many preschool teachers to improve their qualifications. Paradoxically, it was also found that the mandate may contribute to a depletion of the workforce if teachers who obtain a qualification move out of preschool into higher status positions. Findings of this study suggest that policymakers should consider systems of pressure and support not only to achieve short term goals, but to maintain outcomes over the long term, as well.
Accountability and the pressures to exclude: A cautionary tale from England.
Authors: Rustique-Forrester E.
Published: March 2015

Recent studies have produced conflicting findings about whether test-based rewards and sanctions create incentives that improve student performance, or hurdles that increase dropout and pushout rates from schools. This article reports the findings from a study that examined the impact of England's accountability reforms and investigated whether the confluent pressures associated with increased testing, school ranking systems, and other sanctions contributed to higher levels of student exclusion (expulsion and suspension). The study found that England's high-stakes approach to accountability, combined with the dynamics of school choice and other curriculum and testing pressures led to a narrowing of the curriculum, the marginalization of low-performing students, and a climate perceived by teachers to be less tolerant of students with academic and behavioral difficulties. A comparison of higher- and lower-excluding schools, however, found that these effects were more pronounced in the higher-excluding schools, which lacked strong systems and internal structures for supporting staff communication, teacher collaboration, and students' individual needs. The study offers an international perspective on recent trends toward greater accountability in education, pointing to a complex inter-relationship between the pressures of national policies and the unintended consequences on schools' organizational and teachers' instructional capacities. The study's findings raise particular implications for the United States and show that in the design of accountability systems, attention must be paid to how the pressures from accountability will affect the capacity of schools and teachers to respond to students who are low-performing and struggling academically.
Academic freedom, tenure, and student evaluations of faculty: A response to Haskell and his critics.
Authors: Cisneros-Cohernour Edith J.
Published: March 2015

I comment on the strengths and limitations of Haskell's article and provide a critical review of his arguments about the negative impact of SEF on tenure and other administrative decisions. I object to the limited evidence supporting the claim that the use of student evaluations per se challenges academic freedom.
Reflections on a study of Intercultural Education and Participation in Mapuche Communities in the IX Region of La Araucania, Chile
Authors: Williamson Guillermo , Pastrana Jill Pinkney , Gómez Patricia
Published: March 2015

This analysis focuses on a specific dimension of the "indigenous question" in Chile: that of social participation in educational processes, specifically within the context of the current national education reform. Beginning with new understandings based on the work of the Proyecto de Investigación & Desarrollo, Gestión Participativa en Educación-Kelluwün, this paper analyzes the possibilities and limits of participation, considering the particular framework of institutional structures inherited from the Military Regime, characteristics of the education reform, and the context of current indigenous conflicts for territorial and political rights. The Proyecto Kelluwün, using methods of action research and based on the principles of Paulo Freire, developed diverse experiences oriented to the augmentation of action, dialogue, critical reflection and elevating the social power of the community as an actor able to confront the local government, the aim being the integration of Mapuche culture, language and cosmovision into the curriculum, pedagogy, organization and culture of local schools. Through the understandings generated in the process of engaged research, we interrogate the real possibilities of increasing effective participation in actual contexts--participation, social engagement aimed at attaining the objectives of the quality and equity sought by the current educational reform as well as the expansion of community rights sought by the Mapuche in Chile.
Flexible Subjects: Educational Policy Neoliberal Rationalities
Authors: Gomez Sanchez Lucia , Navas Saurin Almudena , Bernad Garcia Joan Carles
Published: March 2015

Flexible Subjects: Neo-liberal Rationalities and Education Policy. This article aims to examine training and employment programmes for the young (more specifically, the Spanish Social Guarantee Schemes—Programas de Garantía Social) in relation to neoliberal political rationalities. We believe the introduction of neoliberal policies to have been greater and faster precisely in the periphery of the educational system. To that end, we intend to make teachers' participation in the operation of the policies conceptually visible. The professionals’ discourse about the socio-labour integration of the young –a discourse that legitimises their daily work – will be analysed on the basis of qualitative materials from in-depth interviews. This analysis allows us to: 1) show the new ways of defining and valuing the teaching activity required and generated by these practical and institutional changes; 2) the analysis evidences some of the effects of the emerging discourses as well as the strategic roles they play in connection with neoliberal governance styles.
Exploring State Policy Regarding Teachers Removing License Endorsements: Short Term and Long Term Policy Implications. Vol. 13 No. 47
Authors: Earley Penelope , Brazer S. David
Published: March 2015

This study explores and begins baseline documentation of state policies governing teachers' voluntary removal of endorsement areas from their licenses. Through a survey of state licensure officers we find that most states allow teachers to remove endorsements, though the specifics of how this can be done vary from state to state. The No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act may help motivate teachers to remove endorsements. By defining teacher qualifications and setting expectations that all students will achieve adequate yearly progress on state examinations, these two pieces of legislation place additional pressure on teachers of general population and at-risk students. Thus, federal policy contributes to a dilemma playing out at the state level: Policies enacted to improve classroom instruction may increase pressure on qualified teachers that potentially drives some of them away from special needs classrooms that most require high quality service. As demands on them mount, teachers may look for ways to relieve some stress points. Removing a license endorsement becomes one such tool to avoid teaching in classrooms of students with learning challenges. If significant numbers of teachers remove license endorsements, labor market dislocations may follow. Additional study is needed in the future to further document how states do or do not regulate endorsement removal, the extent to which teachers are aware of and have utilized this option, and how school, district, and state administrators and decision makers respond to license endorsement removal.
Charter school type matters when examining funding and facilities: Evidence from California.
Authors: Krop Cathy , Zimmer Ron
Published: March 2015

Currently, charter schools represent one of the fastest growing movements of educational reform. The first charter school opened in 1992 and there are now over 3,400 charter schools nationwide. Despite this growth, we are only beginning to learn about the performance and operation of these schools. This article adds to our knowledge of charter schools both by examining the finances of charter schools in California, which has more charter students than any other state, and by highlighting their fiscal challenges. Using survey data of California charter and conventional public schools, the results suggest that the degree charter schools are struggling with resources and facilities depends upon charter school type.
Trends in State Education Policy in Greece: 1976 to the 1997 Reform
Authors: Georgiadis Nikos M.
Published: March 2015

This article deals with the education policy in Greece during the period 1976 to 1997, with special focus on the policy that is in practice since 1997. During the early 1990s, the important changes at international and local levels had established the foundations for this policy, which is significantly different from the ones implemented during the twenty five years before that and has effected a total transformation of the Greek educational system. The analysis of this policy, including a comparison with those that preceded it (through the study of the relevant reforms and major regulations), as well as with the "restructuring" education policies implemented in several other countries during the last 15 years, is followed by an assessment of its results to the present.
Gathering evidence on an after-school supplemental instruction program: Design challenges and early findings in light of NCLB.
Authors: Chatterji Madhabi , Kwon Young Ae , Sng Clarice
Published: March 2015

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that public schools adopt research-supported programs and practices, with a strong recommendation for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as the “gold standard” for scientific rigor in empirical research. Within that policy framework, this paper compares the relative utility of federally-recommended RCT versus the demonstrated extended term mixed-method (ETMM) designs as options for monitoring effects of novel programs in real-time field settings. Guided by the program’s theory of action, a year-long, two-phase study was conducted to monitor the context, processes and early outcomes of an after-school supplemental program in a New York elementary school. In both phases, the design combined a matched-groups, quasi-experiment with qualitative classroom observations and descriptive surveys. Early findings showed some positive, albeit “gross” program effects. Although findings are tentative, the ETMM approach enhanced interpretations by shedding light on relevant environmental variables, causes for program instabilities and sample attrition, and factors affecting treatment fidelity and scaling-up of the program beyond the pilot year.
The impact of language and high-stakes testing policies on elementary school English language learners in Arizona.
Authors: Wright Wayne E. , Choi Daniel
Published: March 2015

This article reports the results of a survey of third-grade teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Arizona regarding school language and accountability policies—Proposition 203, which restricts bilingual education and mandates sheltered English Immersion; the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB); and Arizona LEARNS, the state’s high-stakes testing and accountability program. The instrument, consisting of 126 survey questions plus open-ended interview question, was designed to obtain teacher’s views, to ascertain the impact of these polices, and to explore their effectiveness in improving the education of ELL students. The survey was administered via telephone to 40 teacher participants from different urban, rural and reservation schools across the state. Each participant represents the elementary school in their respective school district which has the largest population of ELL students. Analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data reveal that these policies have mostly resulted in confusion in schools throughout the state over what is and is not allowed, and what constitutes quality instruction for ELLs, that there is little evidence that such policies have led to improvements in the education of ELL students, and that these policies may be causing more harm than good. Specifically, teachers report they have been given little to no guidance over what constitutes sheltered English immersion, and provide evidence that most ELL students in their schools are receiving mainstream sink-or-swim instruction. In terms of accountability, while the overwhelming majority of teachers support the general principle, they believe that high-stakes tests are inappropriate for ELLs and participants provided evidence that the focus on testing is leading to instruction practices for ELLs which fail to meet their unique linguistic and academic needs. The article concludes with suggestions for needed changes to improve the quality of education for ELLs in Arizona.
On ideology, causal inference and the reification of statistical methods: Reflections on "Examining instruction, achievement and equity with NAEP mathematics data."
Authors: Wenglinsky Harold
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this article is to comment on the prior article entitled "Examining Instruction, Achievement and Equity with NAEP mathematics data," by Sarah Theule Lubienski. That article claims that a prior article by the author suffered from three weaknesses: (1) An attempt to justify No Child Left Behind (NCLB); (2) drawing causal inferences from cross-sectional data; (3) and various statistical quibbles. The author responds to the first claim, by indicating that any mention of NCLB was intended purely to make the article relevant to a policy journal; to the second claim, by noting his own reservations about using cross-sectional data to draw causal inferences; and to the third claim by noting potential issues of quantitative methodology in the Lubienski article. He concludes that studies that use advanced statistical methods are often so opaque as to be difficult to compare, and suggests some advantages to the quantitative transparency that comes from the findings of randomly controlled field trials.
Technical Problems and Political Uses of National Assessments in the Argentinian Educational System
Authors: Gvirtz Silvina , Larripa Silvina , Oelsner Verónica
Published: March 2015

This article presents results from different research investigations which have explored the relations between the technical and the political dimension of the assessment of educational systems. The case study taken on for this matter is the national evaluation system in force in Argentina since 1993. In the first part we present some technical problems which the implementation of this system has encountered in this country. In the second part we carry out an analysis of these technical inconveniences, within the political context of educational reform in which the evaluation system arises and develops. In addition, we present an analysis of the effective use of the information provided by the evaluations. Finally, in the conclusions, we present some considerations on the role of national evaluations in educational reform contexts, and on the prospects of their consolidation as systems which inform in a valid and reliable form about the course of education in the mid and long term.
Federal, state, and district level English language learner program entry and exit requirements: Effects on the education of language minority learners.
Authors: Ragan Alex , Lesaux Nonie
Published: March 2015

Identification of a language minority learner for placement in a program for English Language Learners (ELLs), and the length of the support program, may have a significant effect on the student’s academic achievement. Widespread anecdotal evidence suggests that criteria used to make placement decisions vary widely across the U.S. This study systematically examines related federal laws and guidance, as well as published entry and exit criteria for ELL programs for the 10 states and 10 districts in the U.S. with the largest enrollment of ELLs. For the majority of placement decisions, a measure of English language proficiency is used. Very few states and districts rely on multiple sources of information for these decisions. The ramifications of these findings are discussed in light of the language and content demands of the mainstream classroom.
Comparison of the enrollment percentages of magnet and non-magnet schools in a large urban school district.
Authors: Arcia Emily
Published: March 2015

Are magnet schools in a position to meet diversity ideals? As districts are declared unitary and released from court ordered desegregation, many are framing their commitments to fairness and equity in terms of diversity˜i.e., comparable rates of participation and comparable educational outcomes in all segments the student population. In this study, the enrollment statistics for magnet and contiguous non-magnet public schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools, a large, urban district that had been released from court ordered desegregation, were compared to each other and to district enrollment averages at two time points: the year the district was declared unitary and four years hence. Findings indicated that within four years of being declared unitary, the gains that the magnet schools had made with regards to Black/non-Black desegregation had eroded substantially. Also, in the four year span, magnet schools had not made significant strides in meeting the diversity ideals adopted by the district at being released from supervision by the court. These findings highlight the difficulty of attaining diversity in student enrollment characteristics when quotas are not used and suggest that recruitment and enrollment policies must be crafted with care if districts are to achieve diversity goals.
Bias factors associated with assessing the validity of university teaching: a hierarchical linear model
Authors: Acevedo Alvarez Raciel , Rodríguez Nuria Mairena
Published: March 2015

The present study analyzes the variables that are intrinsically linked with the student, professor and class environment in relation to the university educational evaluation questionnaires. The participants in the study were 374 students with an age mean of 19.9 and 29 professors with an age mean of 36 from 3 different departments at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) at the city of Guanacaste. The hierarchical lineal models were used for the data analysis, a quantitative methodology which facilitates the evaluation of the determinants which affect the results of the study. However, only four of these determinants were associated with the evaluation concerned, class size, enrolment year, department type and forecasted achievement levels. The results obtained from the study demonstrate that these kinds of evaluation are valid despite the results being slightly affected by a range of factors from externalities to teacher competence.
National Board Certification as Professional Development: What Are Teachers Learning?
Authors: Lustick David , Sykes Gary
Published: March 2015

This study investigated the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ (NBPTS) assessment process in order to identify, quantify, and substantiate learning outcomes from the participants. One hundred and twenty candidates for the Adolescent and Young Adult Science (AYA Science) Certificate were studied over a two-year period using the recurrent institutional cycle research design. This quasi-experimental methodology allowed for the collection of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data insuring a good measure of internal validity regarding observed changes between individual and across group means. Transcripts of structured interviews with each teacher were scored by multiple assessors according to the 13 standards of NBPTS’ framework for accomplished science teaching. These scores provided the quantitative evidence of teacher learning in this study. Significant pre-intervention to post-intervention changes to these individual and group means are reported as learning outcomes from the assessment process. Findings suggest that the intervention had significant impact upon candidates’ understanding of knowledge associated with science teaching with an overall effect size of 0.47. Standards associated with greatest gains include Scientific Inquiry and Assessment. The results support the claim that the certification process is an effective standards based professional learning opportunity comparable to other human improvement interventions from related domains. Drawing on qualitative data, we also explore three possible implications of teacher learning outcomes from certification upon classroom practice identified as Dynamic, Technical, and Deferred. These patterns suggest that more than one kind of learning may be taking place in relation to board certification. The discussion then considers the importance of this study for policy making and science teaching communities.
The Democratization of educational inequalities in France and the United Kingdom: A Global Update, a Local Reading
Authors: Luzon Antonio , Torres Mónica
Published: March 2015

This article uses a comparative perspective to analyze English and French educational policies focused on equal opportunity. Specifically. the British Education Action Zones and the French Zones d’Action Prioritaire. Although these two educational policies are different applied in two distinctive social and political contexts, both cases are showing convergence in their understanding of the concept of equal opportunity. This convergence indicates that these policies are the product of processes of hybridization between national and global tendencies.
Hugging the Middle
Authors: Cuban Larry
Published: March 2015

In the last quarter-century and especially the last decade, testing and accountability have come to dominate education policy at the state and national levels. The common concern about the effects of such testing is that it reshapes teaching in the classroom. But such claims do not look at the evidence of deeper classroom structures (the mix of teacher-centered and student-centered practices) in historical context. This article extends historical research in How Teachers Taught (Cuban, 1993) to the present in three metropolitan school districts. While testing and accountability have become more obvious concerns of teachers, the hybridized classroom environment documented in How Teachers Taught have become more pervasive. This article documents this continuing ubiquity and addresses the apparent inconsistency between evidence of a hybridized classroom environment and the unintended consequences of testing and accountability.
Decentralization, Local Powers and Social Participation in Education in Bolivia: The Cases of Tarabuco and La Paz (1997-2003)
Authors: Yapu Mario
Published: March 2015

Since the Declaration of ministers of education of iberoamerican countries held in Santa Fe de Bogotá, November 4-6, 1992, the decentralization of education has been a recurrent subject of educational reforms in Latin American countries, where in some of them the experiences of decentralization have preceded said Declaration while in others they have followed it. The educational reforms that have come about within the last years associate the decentralization of education with social participation and improvements in the quality of education, among other subjects. This article discusses these topics, questioning what type of decentralization would be effective in Bolivia, which would be the characteristics of social participation and how it is affecting the quality of education. The analysis is done using a micropolitical approach and its emphasis is on the social practices of the actors (i.e., local authorities, teachers and parents), grounding its methodology in two case studies: La Paz and Tarabuco (Bolivia). It is suggested that policies of education decentralization and theoretical social sciences approaches have not been successful in explaining the phenomenon of social relations of power at the local level that affects the nature of any decentralization process, because at the core of State power there is a hegemonic dominance of the managerial approach and a vision of education that is essentially bureaucratic.
Curriculum Reforms and Physical Education: the Theoretical-Conceptual knowledge of the Spanish School Population
Authors: Hernández Álvarez Juan Luis , Velázquez Buendía Roberto , Martínez Gorroño Eugenia
Published: March 2015

This article analyses the changes generated by the implementation of a new curriculum in the context of the new Law of Education in Spain. In that context, our interest is centered in the reflection about the influence of educational policies in the development of Physical Education as a subject matter. We use a historical perspective to analyze some of the changes introduced by the Ley de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo Español (LOGSE, 1990), and the curricular reform. In particular, we base our analysis on the introduction of the theoretical-conceptual contents (“to know”) in the curricular area of Physical Education, which has traditionally centered in the “know how”. In order to carry out our analysis, we took as a point of departure the results obtained from the research on what the Spanish school population knows about the theoretical-conceptual contents. The focus of the investigation was the Spanish school population between the ages of 10 and 16. A Questionnaire on the Learning of Concepts in PE was applied to a representative sample (n=2,721) of the said school population. Results show that, in general, the students of both primary and secondary education have a poor theoretical and conceptual knowledge, reaching worrying proportions in some cases. The results also show the need to develop strategies that lead the improvement of the “PE culture” among students of both primary and secondary education. The learning of these contents is a fundamental factor in the education of autonomous citizens, committed to caring for their bodies and their health, and thus achieving a good quality of life. The study shows that the curricular reform by itself is insufficient to introduce new contents. Thus it is also necessary to implement measures of support to teachers so that the proposed changes become a reality.
From policy design to campus: Implementation of a tuition decentralization policy.
Authors: Harris Michael S.
Published: March 2015

This study analyzes the implementation of a tuition decentralization policy in North Carolina. Concepts of organizational culture served as a guiding framework for an interpretive analysis. Qualitative case study data for the research was collected from interviews with key policy makers within the University of North Carolina as well as an extensive collection of documents. The findings demonstrate the importance of shared norms and beliefs in achieving successful policy implementation through a case study where incongruence of stakeholder values, beliefs, and goals created institutional conflict.
A Pedagogical Model in a Non-Formal Educational Context: The Museum
Authors: Alfageme González Mª Begoña , Martínez Valcárcel Nicolás
Published: March 2015

Our proposal is to present a model of educational planning for museums. The school cannot be assumed to render all the education that a person needs. Therefore other social institutions are called upon to complement a person?s training. We begin by justifying the interest of including non-formal education in this context. Subsequently, we focus our study on an educational model that can be used as a planning tool in museums, thus expanding its use as a formative institution as well.
School commitment and alcohol use: The moderating role of race and ethnicity.
Authors: Eitle Tamela McNulty , Eitle David James
Published: March 2015

Research indicates that lower levels of school commitment may be one potential outcome of policy initiatives such as high-stakes testing and exit exams. Such outcomes may lead these policy initiatives to have unintended consequences for students, particularly racial or ethnic minority students. This study examines whether race or ethnicity moderate the relationship between school commitment and alcohol use or binge drinking among a sample of Florida public middle and high-school students who were surveyed as part of the 2002 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. Low school commitment was found to be associated with a greater likelihood of alcohol use in the past 30 days and a greater likelihood of binge drinking during the past two weeks for Black, Hispanic, and White students. Both the higher average levels of school commitment among Black and Hispanic than among white students and the greater association between low school commitment and the two alcohol use outcomes for Black and Hispanic students compared to White students account for some of the difference in alcohol use and binge drinking among the different groups.

1 Financial assistance for this study was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (grant number R01 AA13167) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (grant number R01 DA018645-01A1). We gratefully acknowledge Michael French and members of the Health Economics Research Group (HERG) for their research suggestions and William Russell for editorial assistance. The authors are entirely responsible for the research and results reported in this paper, and their position or opinions do not necessarily represent those of NIAAA or NIDA.
Attention to Diversity: From the Deficit Model to the Curricular Model
Authors: Arnaiz Sánchez Pilar , Guirao Lavela José-Manuel , Garrido Gil Carlos F.
Published: March 2015

This article presents a research study developed in a Primary School (3 to 12 years) in the county of Murcia (South east of Spain). The study?s aim was to establish the educational response carried out with learners with special education needs in the school. The theoretical framework reviews the course of school integration in Spain and establishes the need to work from a curricular model. The results of this study, which follows the qualitative analysis model by Doyle (1979, 1986, 1987), show the organization structures and tasks that promote participation and integration of students with special education needs in mainstream classrooms.
Contextual effects of socioeconomic level on academic achievement in obligatory secondary education in the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain). Differential study about socioeconomic level of families and school centers.
Authors: Lizasoain Luis , Joaristi Luis , Lukas José Francisco , Santiago Karlos
Published: March 2015

The aim of this paper is to analyze the contextual effect of the socioeconomic status (SES) on the academic achievement in Mathematics and Language in Compulsory Secondary Education at the Basque Autonomous Community (Spain). We have carried out a differential study taking into account family SES and school SES in a multi-level study context. First, via tested hierarchical models, the hypothesis of the contextual effects (i.e., double jeopardy) is accepted, showing that the academic achievement of students from low SES families tend to worsen when they attend low SES schools. In order to illustrate the different effect of both SES, a new variable is generated so that, for each student, it combines the values of the previously categorized family and school SES. Using statistical segmentation techniques (regression and classification trees, CART), the present study has found that low family SES students attending high SES schools obtain the best academic achievement results, only outperformed by high family SES students who are studying at high SES schools, and also, even better than the sample subgroups who were expected to get much better scores. The study ends with some explanatory hypotheses about the findings and with some suggestions for further research.