Series:

Policy and Practice in Education

3 primary works • 6 total works

Book 9

Cover of School Leadership

Schools become increasingly complex organisations and, as their role in socialising young people is recognised, the task of leading the school community is receiving greater attention than ever before.

School Leadership summarises current thinking about leadership in schools and suggests ways forward. School leadership is set in its social context. Is leadership associated with function within a bureaucratically ordered hierarchy, is it widely shared across communities or is it both? The school is considered both as an institution of the state and as an agency of democratic values. Ideas as to who the leaders are and what leadership involves are recast. The authors' recent experience with Headship preparation and development is discussed and analysed. Set in the Scottish experience this book provides examples of general issues facing many schools and school leaders across the world.

School Leadership is required reading for head teachers, education administrators and for those aspiring to leadership roles in schools.

This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of a book that has been a key resource for School Leadership programmes since publication of the first edition in 2003.

Book 21

Cover of Professional School Leadership
Political and social expectations of schools and their leaders are very high. The ideal school leader is often portrayed heroically, as someone who is able to drive forward an agenda of change and improvement whatever the challenges. Yet the experience of school leadership is more complex. School leaders find a gap between their aspirations and the tensions of the job, leading to high levels of personal and professional stress. These tensions arise between individuals and groups within plural school communities whilst the competing priorities set for the education system by its political masters are exacerbated by the competing values and interests found in our complex societies. In schools, this gives rise to specific and unavoidable dilemmas which affect individuals deeply, dilemmas which can occur on a daily basis. Daniel Murphy uses this concept of 'dilemmas' to rebalance our understanding of the work of school leaders. This analysis offers helpful support to school leaders facing difficult decisions and insight for those on leadership training programmes into the experience, as well as the aspiration, of leadership.It provides a frame for 'dealing with dilemmas', drawing on experience of school leadership, the psychology of learning and the perspectives of the politics and the ethics of schooling. The book concludes with some important insights into what the dilemmas tell us about the character of all public service in complex plural democracies. Dealing with Dilemmas will be of considerable use to school leaders and those training for leadership roles in schools and education administration. Research reveals that these dilemmas are experienced by school leaders across the globe.

Book 26

Cover of International Education

International Education

by Margery McMahon

Published 1 January 2011

Learning about and understanding the world in which we live has always been one of the purposes of education and this has been given fresh impetus in recent years with many government sponsored initiatives, around the world, to foster international education. However international education is not easily or clearly defined; the term is often used interchangeably with multicultural education or with global education, without distinction. Margery McMahon bridges the gap between theory, policy and practice by providing a critical perspective on international education by tracking and analysing its development as national strategy in Scotland, England and the USA. She examines its conceptual basis and explores its relationship with other concepts such as global citizenship and interculturalism. She provides practical analysis and compares models of implementation across nations whilst considering the skills and resources that assist the development of international education initiatives and explores the implementation of international education at school level through case studies. International Education will be of use to policy makers and practitioners, students in initial teacher education and post graduate programmes of study for classroom practitioners and school leaders.

Cover of The Social Agenda of the School

Schooling is not just about learning new knowledge and skills, it is about preparing young people to take an active role in society and involves 'educating the whole child'. Equally there is a greater understanding of the rights of children now enshrined in legislation associated with educational provision in may systems. In response to changing curricular imperatives and organisational initiatives, schools have developed structures and approaches that offer care and support for individual students and have strived to develop partnerships with parents and major stakeholders. As society changes and schools have become more complex institutions, the nature of that care and support has taken on new forms and meanings. Priorities have changed and teacher conditions of service and management responsibilities are different. This book traces the developments associated with policy initiatives such as guidance and pastoral care; support for learning; the inclusion agenda; new community schools and personal and social education. The Scottish experience is compared and contrasted with developments in the UK and other educational systems. The book will appeal to all who are concerned with the role played by schools in their wider social context, be they policy makers, school managers, teachers and those seeking to take an active role in social education.

Cover of Professional School Leadership: Dealing with Dilemmas. Policy and Practice in Education, Volume 21.

Cover of Induction

Induction

by Janet Draper and Jim O'Brien

Published 23 November 2006
Induction is a broad concept which is applicable to teachers at several career stages. The authors explore past and current findings on the early experience of teachers as they arrive in new posts. They set these experiences into the policy framework and practice of induction within a context of changing work and career patterns with themes of changing conceptions and practices of professional development. The book draws comparisons between developments and initiatives in Scotland and those in other parts of the UK and also more internationally. Planned induction may be seen as an idea whose time came for beginning teachers in Scotland at the turn of the new millennium. However, the future sustenance and development of induction will require continuing commitment, if it is to avoid becoming ossified within a relatively static framework for professional development. Growing emphasis on continuing professional development for teachers, especially those who elect to stay in the classroom will make this an important reference for all those involved in the development of standards.