title: An exploration of Board of Trustees' perceptions of their impact on student learning

authors: Sheterline, Richard Colin

subjects: boards of trustees

abstract: The radical changes within the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms came to fruition in 1989 amid much debate about the ideology that underpinned the change and the capability and roles of boards of trustees.  The roles of boards have evolved from a primary focus on compliance to the current focus on student achievement.  This has raised the question of whether trustees, individually or collectively, have an impact on student learning through their governance roles.
 
This small-scale study sets out to explore the perceptions of a small group of trustees.  It uses a qualitative framework, based on data from semi-structured interviews with ten trustees across five primary schools.  The interview data was supplemented with school and sector-based documentation.  The study sought of trustees their perceptions of their impact on student learning through an analysis of the data, and with consideration given to participants’ context. 

The literature review provides an historical review of Tomorrow’s Schools and outlines how boards are enabled, or constrained, by aspects of the governance model.

The findings of the study suggest that trustees perceived that they had both a direct and indirect impact on student learning.  It identified challenges for trustees related to the governance-management model, and how trustees understood student learning.  It highlighted a perceived lack of support for trustees and a need for improved quality and quantity of trustee training, as well as noting the influence of compliance on trustees’ thinking.

This study raises questions about the support that the current governance model provides for student learning and concludes with a range of recommendations for policy-makers and for future research.  It suggests that, in relation to student learning, Nash’s (1989) comment that the ‘jury is still out’ about the effectiveness of the model may still be valid.

text: An exploration of Board of Trustees' perceptions of their impact on student learning The radical changes within the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms came to fruition in 1989 amid much debate about the ideology that underpinned the change and the capability and roles of boards of trustees.  The roles of boards have evolved from a primary focus on compliance to the current focus on student achievement.  This has raised the question of whether trustees, individually or collectively, have an impact on student learning through their governance roles.
 
This small-scale study sets out to explore the perceptions of a small group of trustees.  It uses a qualitative framework, based on data from semi-structured interviews with ten trustees across five primary schools.  The interview data was supplemented with school and sector-based documentation.  The study sought of trustees their perceptions of their impact on student learning through an analysis of the data, and with consideration given to participants’ context. 

The literature review provides an historical review of Tomorrow’s Schools and outlines how boards are enabled, or constrained, by aspects of the governance model.

The findings of the study suggest that trustees perceived that they had both a direct and indirect impact on student learning.  It identified challenges for trustees related to the governance-management model, and how trustees understood student learning.  It highlighted a perceived lack of support for trustees and a need for improved quality and quantity of trustee training, as well as noting the influence of compliance on trustees’ thinking.

This study raises questions about the support that the current governance model provides for student learning and concludes with a range of recommendations for policy-makers and for future research.  It suggests that, in relation to student learning, Nash’s (1989) comment that the ‘jury is still out’ about the effectiveness of the model may still be valid.

year: 2013

title: Effect of thermomechanical processing on the mechanical properties of cost-effective powder metallurgy titanium-based materials

authors: Romero Villarreal, Carlos

subjects: Titanium alloys

abstract: Despite their excellent balance of properties, titanium alloys are still a niche material whose range of applications is limited by the high cost of their manufacturing. With recent developments, powder metallurgy (PM) approaches, in particular the blended elemental (BE) route, are able to reduce considerably the cost of manufacturing while keeping a reasonable performance, mostly in terms of tensile strength and ductility. The cost reduction of the BE approach derives from the simplification of the process by removing a large amount of re-melting and ingot breakdown operations, regardless of the use of the approach as a net-shape technology. However, in terms of fatigue behaviour, the performance of these alloys is generally worse than conventional processes unless additional steps are applied. This thesis aims to study the mechanical behaviour, with emphasis on the fatigue behaviour, of two cost-effective titanium alloys in order to find the key processing, microstructural and texture parameters that control their performance, with the goal of achieving similar properties to conventional wrought alloys with a reduction of the cost. These alloys, a conventional Ti-6Al-4V composition and a non-conventional low-cost Ti-5Fe composition, were processed following the blended elemental approach and thermomechanical processing, via hot extrusion, was subsequently applied. A variety of microstructures and textures were achieved under different extrusion conditions, which were further modified by applying additional heat treatments.
The tensile behaviour of both Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-5Fe alloys is strongly dependent on the processing conditions. Fully lamellar microstructures (from processing in the β phase) showed similar strength levels but considerably lower ductility compared to alloys with bimodal microstructures and stronger texture (from processing in the α+β phase). In the case of Ti-5Fe, moreover, there was a Fe partitioning effect that, when the processing temperature is low enough, leads to a sharp increase in both the strength and the ability to deform past necking took place. Heat treatments in Ti-6Al-4V alloys were useful in order to increase the strength as well as to keep the ductility similar or even increase it to higher values. The tensile behaviour of Ti-5Fe alloys was more tuneable, achieving higher differences in strength and ductility with the as-extruded conditions, even though this happened by trading-off. Overall, Ti-6Al-4V alloys outperformed Ti-5Fe alloys as their strength was typically higher (associated to their higher amount of alloying elements) as well as their ductility, due to their higher ability to deform past necking, which was very limited for Ti-5Fe alloys in most cases.
The fatigue behaviour of the alloys was found to as dependent on the chemistry as on the microstructure and the texture. While the Ti-6Al-4V alloy is not affected by the residual porosity left after thermomechanical processing, the Ti-5Fe alloy shows pores in the region where fatigue damage begins. In the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, it was found that texturing had a much stronger effect on the fatigue strength of the alloy than microstructural refinement. Therefore, the PM Ti-6Al-4V alloy processed in the α+β phase had a higher fatigue strength than alloys processed in the β phase, regardless if the latter has fully lamellar or acicular microstructure. In the case of the Ti-5Fe alloy, two conditions processed in the α+β phase were studied, and it was found that the Fe concentration in transformed β (which is higher when there is a larger amount of primary α) had a critical effect on the fatigue behaviour, overriding the effect of texture or microstructural refinement. This leads to the Ti-5Fe alloy processed at a lower temperature in the α+β phase showing a much lower fatigue strength compared with the alloy processed just below the β transus, despite the fact that its texture and microstructure were, in theory, optimal for fatigue behaviour.
It is concluded that, in order to process cost-effective Ti alloys with fatigue performance comparable to wrought alloys with conventional compositions (with fatigue strength in the range of 650 MPa), thermomechanical processing in the α+β phase must be applied to make use of the strong texturing of the alloy. However, in the case of alloys containing β-eutectoid elements like Fe, the range of temperatures is limited as the partitioning of the alloying element results in severe reduction of the fatigue strength.

text: Effect of thermomechanical processing on the mechanical properties of cost-effective powder metallurgy titanium-based materials Despite their excellent balance of properties, titanium alloys are still a niche material whose range of applications is limited by the high cost of their manufacturing. With recent developments, powder metallurgy (PM) approaches, in particular the blended elemental (BE) route, are able to reduce considerably the cost of manufacturing while keeping a reasonable performance, mostly in terms of tensile strength and ductility. The cost reduction of the BE approach derives from the simplification of the process by removing a large amount of re-melting and ingot breakdown operations, regardless of the use of the approach as a net-shape technology. However, in terms of fatigue behaviour, the performance of these alloys is generally worse than conventional processes unless additional steps are applied. This thesis aims to study the mechanical behaviour, with emphasis on the fatigue behaviour, of two cost-effective titanium alloys in order to find the key processing, microstructural and texture parameters that control their performance, with the goal of achieving similar properties to conventional wrought alloys with a reduction of the cost. These alloys, a conventional Ti-6Al-4V composition and a non-conventional low-cost Ti-5Fe composition, were processed following the blended elemental approach and thermomechanical processing, via hot extrusion, was subsequently applied. A variety of microstructures and textures were achieved under different extrusion conditions, which were further modified by applying additional heat treatments.
The tensile behaviour of both Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-5Fe alloys is strongly dependent on the processing conditions. Fully lamellar microstructures (from processing in the β phase) showed similar strength levels but considerably lower ductility compared to alloys with bimodal microstructures and stronger texture (from processing in the α+β phase). In the case of Ti-5Fe, moreover, there was a Fe partitioning effect that, when the processing temperature is low enough, leads to a sharp increase in both the strength and the ability to deform past necking took place. Heat treatments in Ti-6Al-4V alloys were useful in order to increase the strength as well as to keep the ductility similar or even increase it to higher values. The tensile behaviour of Ti-5Fe alloys was more tuneable, achieving higher differences in strength and ductility with the as-extruded conditions, even though this happened by trading-off. Overall, Ti-6Al-4V alloys outperformed Ti-5Fe alloys as their strength was typically higher (associated to their higher amount of alloying elements) as well as their ductility, due to their higher ability to deform past necking, which was very limited for Ti-5Fe alloys in most cases.
The fatigue behaviour of the alloys was found to as dependent on the chemistry as on the microstructure and the texture. While the Ti-6Al-4V alloy is not affected by the residual porosity left after thermomechanical processing, the Ti-5Fe alloy shows pores in the region where fatigue damage begins. In the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, it was found that texturing had a much stronger effect on the fatigue strength of the alloy than microstructural refinement. Therefore, the PM Ti-6Al-4V alloy processed in the α+β phase had a higher fatigue strength than alloys processed in the β phase, regardless if the latter has fully lamellar or acicular microstructure. In the case of the Ti-5Fe alloy, two conditions processed in the α+β phase were studied, and it was found that the Fe concentration in transformed β (which is higher when there is a larger amount of primary α) had a critical effect on the fatigue behaviour, overriding the effect of texture or microstructural refinement. This leads to the Ti-5Fe alloy processed at a lower temperature in the α+β phase showing a much lower fatigue strength compared with the alloy processed just below the β transus, despite the fact that its texture and microstructure were, in theory, optimal for fatigue behaviour.
It is concluded that, in order to process cost-effective Ti alloys with fatigue performance comparable to wrought alloys with conventional compositions (with fatigue strength in the range of 650 MPa), thermomechanical processing in the α+β phase must be applied to make use of the strong texturing of the alloy. However, in the case of alloys containing β-eutectoid elements like Fe, the range of temperatures is limited as the partitioning of the alloying element results in severe reduction of the fatigue strength.

year: 2020

title: Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools

authors: Milne, Beverley Ann

subjects: Maori education

abstract: If we look at a child’s colouring book, before it has any colour added to it, we think of the page as blank.  It’s actually not blank, it’s white.  That white background is just “there” and we don’t think much about it.  Not only is the background uniformly white, the lines are already in place and they dictate where the colour is allowed to go.  When children are young, they don’t care where they put the colours, but as they get older they colour in more and more cautiously. They learn about the place of colour and the importance of staying within the pre-determined boundaries and expectations. 

This thesis argues that this is the setting for our mainstream, or what I have called, whitestream New Zealand schools — that white background is the norm.   When we talk about multiculturalism and diversity what we are really referring to is the colour of the children, or their difference from that white norm, and how they don’t fit perfectly inside our lines.  If the colour of the space doesn’t change schools are still in the business of assimilation, relegating non-white children to the margins, no matter how many school reform initiatives, new curricula, strategic plans, or mandated standards we implement.  What the schools in this study have tried to do is change the colour of the space – so that the space fits the children and they don’t have to constantly adjust to fit in.  

New Zealand’s education system has been largely silent on the topic of whiteness and the Eurocentric nature of our schooling policy and practice. However, when I talk to senior Māori and Pasifika ‘warrior-scholars” in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School about “white spaces” they have encountered in their schooling experience they can identify them all too easily.  “White spaces,” they explain, are anything you accept as “normal” for Māori – when it’s really not,  any situation that prevents, or works against you “being Māori” or who you are, and that requires you to “be” someone else and leave your beliefs behind. White spaces are spaces that allow you to require less of yourself and that reinforce stereotypes and negative ideas about Māori.  Most telling of all was the comment from a Māori student that goes straight to the root of the problem, “White spaces are everywhere,” she said, “even in your head.”

This thesis describes the 25 year journey of two schools and their community’s determination to resist and reject alienating school environments in favour of a relevant culturally-located, bilingual learning model based in a secure cultural identity, stable positive relationships, and aroha (authentic caring and love).  While the research design is a case study, in terms of western, “white space” academic tradition, it is also a story in terms of kaupapa Māori and critical race methodology. More importantly, it is a counter-story that chronicles the efforts of these two schools to step outside education’s “white spaces” to create new space.  This counter-story is juxtaposed against pervasive, deficit-driven whitestream explanations of “achievement gaps” and the “long tail” of Māori and Pasifika “under-achievement” in New Zealand schools.  In the process of this research the focus shifted from how could Māori and Pasifika learners develop secure cultural identities in mainstream schools, to examining what barriers exist in schools that prevent this from happening already?  As these issues became clear the language of the thesis shifted accordingly; “developing” a cultural identity was reframed as a reclamation of educational sovereignty — the absolute right to “be Māori” or “be Pasifika” in school — and “mainstream” schooling became better understood as the “whitestream.” 

The study hopes to contribute to the journey other schools might take to identify and name their own white spaces, and to make learning equitable for indigenous and minoritised learners.

text: Colouring in the White Spaces: Reclaiming Cultural Identity in Whitestream Schools If we look at a child’s colouring book, before it has any colour added to it, we think of the page as blank.  It’s actually not blank, it’s white.  That white background is just “there” and we don’t think much about it.  Not only is the background uniformly white, the lines are already in place and they dictate where the colour is allowed to go.  When children are young, they don’t care where they put the colours, but as they get older they colour in more and more cautiously. They learn about the place of colour and the importance of staying within the pre-determined boundaries and expectations. 

This thesis argues that this is the setting for our mainstream, or what I have called, whitestream New Zealand schools — that white background is the norm.   When we talk about multiculturalism and diversity what we are really referring to is the colour of the children, or their difference from that white norm, and how they don’t fit perfectly inside our lines.  If the colour of the space doesn’t change schools are still in the business of assimilation, relegating non-white children to the margins, no matter how many school reform initiatives, new curricula, strategic plans, or mandated standards we implement.  What the schools in this study have tried to do is change the colour of the space – so that the space fits the children and they don’t have to constantly adjust to fit in.  

New Zealand’s education system has been largely silent on the topic of whiteness and the Eurocentric nature of our schooling policy and practice. However, when I talk to senior Māori and Pasifika ‘warrior-scholars” in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and Clover Park Middle School about “white spaces” they have encountered in their schooling experience they can identify them all too easily.  “White spaces,” they explain, are anything you accept as “normal” for Māori – when it’s really not,  any situation that prevents, or works against you “being Māori” or who you are, and that requires you to “be” someone else and leave your beliefs behind. White spaces are spaces that allow you to require less of yourself and that reinforce stereotypes and negative ideas about Māori.  Most telling of all was the comment from a Māori student that goes straight to the root of the problem, “White spaces are everywhere,” she said, “even in your head.”

This thesis describes the 25 year journey of two schools and their community’s determination to resist and reject alienating school environments in favour of a relevant culturally-located, bilingual learning model based in a secure cultural identity, stable positive relationships, and aroha (authentic caring and love).  While the research design is a case study, in terms of western, “white space” academic tradition, it is also a story in terms of kaupapa Māori and critical race methodology. More importantly, it is a counter-story that chronicles the efforts of these two schools to step outside education’s “white spaces” to create new space.  This counter-story is juxtaposed against pervasive, deficit-driven whitestream explanations of “achievement gaps” and the “long tail” of Māori and Pasifika “under-achievement” in New Zealand schools.  In the process of this research the focus shifted from how could Māori and Pasifika learners develop secure cultural identities in mainstream schools, to examining what barriers exist in schools that prevent this from happening already?  As these issues became clear the language of the thesis shifted accordingly; “developing” a cultural identity was reframed as a reclamation of educational sovereignty — the absolute right to “be Māori” or “be Pasifika” in school — and “mainstream” schooling became better understood as the “whitestream.” 

The study hopes to contribute to the journey other schools might take to identify and name their own white spaces, and to make learning equitable for indigenous and minoritised learners.

year: 2013