Improving Low-Achieving Schools

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 236-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Childs ◽  
Jennifer Lin Russell
Keyword(s):  
Urban Education ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Organizational Capacity ◽  
Race To The Top ◽  
Federal Grant ◽  
Policy Shifts ◽  
School Improvement Initiatives ◽  
Critical Challenge

Improving low-achieving schools is a critical challenge facing urban education. Recent national policy shifts have pressed states to take an expanded role in school improvement efforts. In 2009, a federal grant competition called Race to the Top (RttT) compelled states to improve their capacity to implement ambitious education reform agendas. Drawing on the theory of organizational capacity, the study sampled five RttT winning states’ plans to support improving low-achieving schools. Findings indicate that states sought to build capacity to productively enact an expanded role and focus resources and expertise toward school improvement initiatives.

scholarly journals Book Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-82
Author(s):  
Soraya Fallah ◽  
Cklara Moradian ◽  
Wendy Murawski
Keyword(s):  
Urban Education ◽  
School Improvement ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Change Initiatives ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Urban Education Reform ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Cultural Responsivity ◽  
Diverse Ensemble ◽  
District Culture

Ability, equity, and culture: Sustaining inclusive urban education reform, edited by Kozleski and Thorius (2014), is a remarkable compilation of work, written by a diverse ensemble of educators, researchers, practitioners, and advocates. A thought-provoking book that looks critically at urban education reform, the authors challenge readers to have a broader understanding of what the term inclusivity entails. The editors present the work of 17 authors who were all part of the National Institute for Urban School Improvement (NIUSI). These authors shed light on various aspects of systemic urban reform in policy, pedagogy, and practice. Issues discussed ranged from the micro to the macro change initiatives to classroom environments and district culture, as well as successful models of student-centered programs around the country. Using data from 12 years of research conducted under the sponsorship of NIUSI, the contributors paint a hopeful, if daunting, a portrait of what equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive education should and could look like. Ultimately, the contributors of this book believe that sustainable, scalable, successful systemic educational reform is attainable, provided that all stakeholders are committed to cultural responsivity and inclusivity for all students. In order to achieve this goal, the authors posit that reform needs to combat discrimination based on socially constructed notions of difference, such as gender, race, ethnicity, ability, class, and sexual orientation.

scholarly journals Teachers at the Center: Place and Education Displacement in Southwest Atlanta

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thais Council ◽  
Shaeroya Earls ◽  
Shakale George ◽  
Rebecca Graham
Keyword(s):  
Urban Education ◽  
Black Students ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Black Families ◽  
Black Teachers ◽  
Black Communities ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Black Schools ◽  
Urban Education Reform ◽  
Personal Experiences

In Southwest Atlanta, urban education reform and gentrification have intersected to create the perfect collision of housing and educational displacement of Black students, Black families, and Black teachers. While Black communities are dealing with the impacts of gentrification, Black schools are simultaneously witnessing shifts that uproot students and their teachers. As a teacher participatory action research (PAR) collective, we share our personal experiences of housing displacement and how it has impacted our students, our communities, and our ability to maintain our positions as community-centered teachers. In this article, we acclimate readers to Atlanta, Georgia, and the Southwest Atlanta region in which we serve. We also illustrate how we have confronted the displacement of our students and ourselves. Finally, we highlight the significance of community-centered teachers operating within a Critical Studyin’ for Human Freedom praxis in the struggle against systemic inequities that persistently plague our students and communities.

scholarly journals ADOPTION OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY IN INDONESIA: Impact to Teacher Education and Professional Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-203
Author(s):  
Satia Prihatni Zen
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teacher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
International Education ◽  
International Development ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
International Education Policy

The paper discussed the implication of adopting international education policy in Indonesia through international development aid and funding. Specific implications to teacher education and teacher professional development was discussed by analyzing two education reforms enacted in 1980 to 1990’s. The paper describes implementation processes and challenges faced by the programs from local dynamics especially on how social, political and historical influence teacher identity as well as teaching culture. The implications to school, district as well as national policy was discussed in light of uniformity of educational system by dissemination of best practices and model of education through aid and other cooperative projects. Local responses to international education policy is increasingly relevant to ensure education reform will respond local needs and sensitive to local context.Artikel ini mendiskusikan implikasi dari mengadopsi kebijakan international di Indonesia melalui dana dan bantuan international. Khususnya, dampak pada pendidikan guru dan perkembangan professional guru dikaji melalui dua program pendidikan yang diterapkan pada tahun 1980-an hingga 1990-an. Deskripsi dari pelaksanaan dan tantangan yang dihadapi dalam implementasi program tersebut dilihat dari konteks local dimana pengaruh social, politik dan sejarah mewarnai konsepsi identitas guru serta budaya pengajaran di sekolah. Implikasi pada kebijakan sekolah, pemerintah local dan nasional dimana kecenderungan akan penyeragaman system pendidikan terjadi melalui kerjasama dan bantuan juga dijabarkan. Artikel ini menekankan pentingnya respon local yang relevan terhadap penerapan kebijakan pendidikan internasional agar sensitive terhadap kebutuhan dan konteks local itu sendiri.

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