Educational Leadership & Foundations

Relationally embedded network ties influence the economic decisions of emerging firms and evolve over time. Evolutionary processes and paths of these ties are examined based on two research questions: How do components of social relationships facilitate the evolution of relational embeddedness? What are the different paths to relational embeddedness? Findings from qualitative case study methods suggest three evolutionary processes (network entry, social component leverage and trust facilitation), four evolutionary paths, and the conclusion that ties entering the network through personal relationship may evolve more quickly toward full embeddedness. Strategic implications for emerging firms are suggested regarding entrepreneurial opportunity recognition, resource acquisition and effective governance of relationally embedded ties.

Schools in developing contexts, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, are often resource poor and seek to access resources from their external environments in order to improve school performance. Critical conduits for resource access are found among the school's external network of relationships between school administrators. Using both network and qualitative methods in the field, this research explores and describes the external social relationships among secondary school headteachers in Mukono District, Uganda. The findings identify implications of network structure for resource acquisition as to improving school performance. r

This article examines the teacher preparation experiences of preservice teachers in six international contexts: China, Fiji, Kiribati, Mexico, Samoa, and Tonga. More specifically, it looks at the value-added components in an international teacher education program, with an emphasis on effective teaching and employability. Theoretically the study is based on Strauss and Corbin's (1998a) substantive grounded theory and Patton's (1997) Theory of Action Framework. Verbal and non-verbal forms of feedback were identified as essential aspects of the international preservice training experience. Cultural diversity, teaching English as a second language, collaboration, and exposure to a different educational system were identified among several components as advantages to individuals who conduct their preservice teacher training in international settings.

Research indicates that mentoring programs help increase the retention of beginning teachers. School administrators may be presented with competing mentoring models, with various sources and types of support, aimed at improving beginning teacher retention. This study collected both qualitative and quantitative data under the rubric of a comparative case study method to investigate mentoring models in the Asher and Dane School Districts (pseudonyms). Using this approach, the authors explored the two distinct models related to beginning teacher retention. Although both districts used collaborative teams, in-school mentors, and principals within the context of professional learning communities to participate in the mentoring of beginning teachers, only the Dane School District employed district "coaches." Findings from this research suggest that these "coaches" were not as effective as in-school mentors or collaborative teams in increasing retention, possibly because of lack of proximity and personal relationship. Additional findings describe and explain mentoring characteristics and different sources of support that benefited the mentoring experience and subsequent retention of beginning teachers.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether potentially disadvantaged groups of researchers derive more research performance benefits from co-authorship network centrality (degree, closeness and betweenness). Design/methodology/approach -The paper builds on , which found positive associations of network centrality on research performance with a moderating relationship of gender for female authors. Using data from ISI Web of Science (SCI), the authors study the same domestic co-authorship network of Chemistry researcher in Pakistan publishing from years 2002-2009 and investigate the moderating role of academic age and institutional sector on the relationship between co-authorship network centrality (degree, closeness, and betweenness) and the academic research performance (aggregate impact factor) of chemistry university/institute faculty members in Pakistan. Findings -Ordinary least squares (OLS)-regression findings indicated a positive relationship between degree centrality and research performance with a positive moderating relationship for both academic age and institutional sector on the relationship between degree centrality and research performance for junior faculty members and faculty members employed in private sector universities/research institutes. Practical implications -The findings can be heartening and motivating for junior faculty and private institute faculty in Pakistan in suggesting opportunities to surpass barriers of domination and poor resource access through co-authorship ties and structural social capital. Originality/value -This paper adds to the limited research by strengthening the argument that potentially disadvantaged faculty with certain individual (academic age) and work-related characteristics (institutional sector) may benefit differentially from their co-authorship network centrality.

Education is central to the preservation and success of any society, including that of the Palestinians. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1993, Palestinians now have their rst opportunity in nearly 500 years to control and develop their own educational system, a system that will better meet the needs of the Palestinians than those nations who have controlled the Palestinians for so many years. With this singular opportunity, the questions now becomes one of determining the nature of this educational system, one uniquely tted to preserve and promote Palestinian society. The purpose of this study was to examine ideas from Palestinians about what they thought their educational system should be and what core values should inform its creation and development. Through information gathered in semi-structured interviews, a portrait begins to emerge about what Palestinians think their schools and educational processes should look like, what barriers present themselves to the realization of their ideas, and what the solutions may be to remove these barriers.