I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards ... more I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Education.
Educational effectiveness research (EER), especially over the past twenty years, has investigated... more Educational effectiveness research (EER), especially over the past twenty years, has investigated the relationship between student outcomes and the key characteristics of schools that make a difference. It has been international in scope, with a central focus on achievement of students from a wide range of social backgrounds. The field has not been without its critics, their issues concerned primarily with what are seen as the narrow compass of its focus, the methodologies that have been employed, and its applications in different national and cultural contexts. This chapter provides an overview of the seminal critical debates in EER, highlighting the challenges and opportunities within them. First, concepts and definitions of effectiveness are explored, raising two key questions, as follows. What do we mean by ‘effectiveness’? Effectiveness for whom and for what? In response to these questions, we consider the impact of the outcome measures of ‘effectiveness’ currently in use in educational systems across the globe. Secondly, the chapter deals with criticisms of the methodological orientation of the field, arguing that while quantitative data and multilevel modelling are helpful in ascertaining effect sizes and providing a descriptive picture at a level of generality, these methods tend to leave an unhelpfully large percentage of the variation unexplained; nor, it is argued, do they provide insights into the processes and complex social phenomena at work in individual school and classroom contexts. Thirdly, we examine the field’s relationship with policy and practice. Although close links with practitioners and policymakers may have helped effectiveness findings to filter into practice, this has occurred in a selective fashion, with policymakers cherry-picking the politically expedient, rather than the more nuanced, findings of research studies. The result has been overly simplistic headlines and findings used to fit with political ambitions.
Educational and Psychological Measurement, Mar 1, 1994
As interest in teachers' participation in decision making grows, obtaining valid ... more As interest in teachers' participation in decision making grows, obtaining valid data to assess the effects of participation becomes increasingly important. One instrument, developed by Bacharach, Bauer, and Shedd, has been used in several recent studies of participation. Although the internal-consistency reliability of scores from this measure appears to be adequate, the construct validity of scores from the instrument has not been fully investigated. The present study explores the construct validity of data from the instrument using principal components analysis and Procrustean rotation. Findings were generally supportive of validity, although the results were somewhat more qualified with respect to one factor.
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Nov 14, 2017
Abstract For many US citizens, the election of Donald Trump was an event that will be etched into... more Abstract For many US citizens, the election of Donald Trump was an event that will be etched into our collective psyche. As educational researchers, the challenge is how to prevent it from becoming an Event with a capital E. That almost 63 million US voters, many of whom have attended or graduated from public schools, supported Donald Trump makes the problem OUR problem. Thus, how to conduct more inclusive and expansive research is the first step followed by maintaining a sense of urgency so that we recommit to the ideals of public education without being distracted by noise of tweets and Executive orders. The essay offers professional and personal insights into promoting reflective dialogues.
This chapter questions the directions taken by the field of educational leadership when delimited... more This chapter questions the directions taken by the field of educational leadership when delimited to (1) highly prescriptive managerial practices inside institutionalized schooling, coupled with (2) the positivistic educational research designs that substitute a narrow range of highly correlated variables of interest defined as school improvement/school leadership. These structural and epistemological perspectives are neither educational nor in the broad sense leaderly. Our field combines idealistic hopes for humanity, often focused on the next generation, with a realistic re-envisioning of education as continuous learning with open-ended possibilities. Educational practices are themselves contextual, and developmental, encompassing life-long learning experiences both inside and out of schools. The chapter offers examples of aesthetic and moral education from prose and poetry which bring freedom, joy, and intellectual insights to our school leaders, internationally and without borders.
Journal of Educational Administration, May 1, 1996
Despite general agreement that shared decision making is a desirable component of school restruct... more Despite general agreement that shared decision making is a desirable component of school restructuring, reform efforts have failed to emphasize the importance of information use in decision processes. Consequently, teacher decision authority is unlikely to result in new and creative approaches to practice. Reports on a study in which teachers and principals in 24 restructuring schools responded to surveys assessing their level of involvement in shared decision making, the kinds of information they used in reaching collaborative decisions, and their perceptions of the usefulness of various sources of information in their school improvement efforts. Results revealed a generally high level of involvement but little valuing of information beyond the collective knowledge of the group. However, where multiple information sources were sought and utilized, satisfaction with collaborative decision making was greater. Sketches of decision processing in two schools contrast the efficacy of collaboration when information is or is not valued. Discusses implications for school restructuring and presents a model for information use in school improvement.
We begin with the assumption that the School Effectiveness and School Improvement (SESI) movement... more We begin with the assumption that the School Effectiveness and School Improvement (SESI) movement represents one of the most dominant models of school improvement world-wide. The claim is consistent with state and national education policies as well as many ...
I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards ... more I certify that I have read this study and that in my opinion it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Education.
Educational effectiveness research (EER), especially over the past twenty years, has investigated... more Educational effectiveness research (EER), especially over the past twenty years, has investigated the relationship between student outcomes and the key characteristics of schools that make a difference. It has been international in scope, with a central focus on achievement of students from a wide range of social backgrounds. The field has not been without its critics, their issues concerned primarily with what are seen as the narrow compass of its focus, the methodologies that have been employed, and its applications in different national and cultural contexts. This chapter provides an overview of the seminal critical debates in EER, highlighting the challenges and opportunities within them. First, concepts and definitions of effectiveness are explored, raising two key questions, as follows. What do we mean by ‘effectiveness’? Effectiveness for whom and for what? In response to these questions, we consider the impact of the outcome measures of ‘effectiveness’ currently in use in educational systems across the globe. Secondly, the chapter deals with criticisms of the methodological orientation of the field, arguing that while quantitative data and multilevel modelling are helpful in ascertaining effect sizes and providing a descriptive picture at a level of generality, these methods tend to leave an unhelpfully large percentage of the variation unexplained; nor, it is argued, do they provide insights into the processes and complex social phenomena at work in individual school and classroom contexts. Thirdly, we examine the field’s relationship with policy and practice. Although close links with practitioners and policymakers may have helped effectiveness findings to filter into practice, this has occurred in a selective fashion, with policymakers cherry-picking the politically expedient, rather than the more nuanced, findings of research studies. The result has been overly simplistic headlines and findings used to fit with political ambitions.
Educational and Psychological Measurement, Mar 1, 1994
As interest in teachers' participation in decision making grows, obtaining valid ... more As interest in teachers' participation in decision making grows, obtaining valid data to assess the effects of participation becomes increasingly important. One instrument, developed by Bacharach, Bauer, and Shedd, has been used in several recent studies of participation. Although the internal-consistency reliability of scores from this measure appears to be adequate, the construct validity of scores from the instrument has not been fully investigated. The present study explores the construct validity of data from the instrument using principal components analysis and Procrustean rotation. Findings were generally supportive of validity, although the results were somewhat more qualified with respect to one factor.
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Nov 14, 2017
Abstract For many US citizens, the election of Donald Trump was an event that will be etched into... more Abstract For many US citizens, the election of Donald Trump was an event that will be etched into our collective psyche. As educational researchers, the challenge is how to prevent it from becoming an Event with a capital E. That almost 63 million US voters, many of whom have attended or graduated from public schools, supported Donald Trump makes the problem OUR problem. Thus, how to conduct more inclusive and expansive research is the first step followed by maintaining a sense of urgency so that we recommit to the ideals of public education without being distracted by noise of tweets and Executive orders. The essay offers professional and personal insights into promoting reflective dialogues.
This chapter questions the directions taken by the field of educational leadership when delimited... more This chapter questions the directions taken by the field of educational leadership when delimited to (1) highly prescriptive managerial practices inside institutionalized schooling, coupled with (2) the positivistic educational research designs that substitute a narrow range of highly correlated variables of interest defined as school improvement/school leadership. These structural and epistemological perspectives are neither educational nor in the broad sense leaderly. Our field combines idealistic hopes for humanity, often focused on the next generation, with a realistic re-envisioning of education as continuous learning with open-ended possibilities. Educational practices are themselves contextual, and developmental, encompassing life-long learning experiences both inside and out of schools. The chapter offers examples of aesthetic and moral education from prose and poetry which bring freedom, joy, and intellectual insights to our school leaders, internationally and without borders.
Journal of Educational Administration, May 1, 1996
Despite general agreement that shared decision making is a desirable component of school restruct... more Despite general agreement that shared decision making is a desirable component of school restructuring, reform efforts have failed to emphasize the importance of information use in decision processes. Consequently, teacher decision authority is unlikely to result in new and creative approaches to practice. Reports on a study in which teachers and principals in 24 restructuring schools responded to surveys assessing their level of involvement in shared decision making, the kinds of information they used in reaching collaborative decisions, and their perceptions of the usefulness of various sources of information in their school improvement efforts. Results revealed a generally high level of involvement but little valuing of information beyond the collective knowledge of the group. However, where multiple information sources were sought and utilized, satisfaction with collaborative decision making was greater. Sketches of decision processing in two schools contrast the efficacy of collaboration when information is or is not valued. Discusses implications for school restructuring and presents a model for information use in school improvement.
We begin with the assumption that the School Effectiveness and School Improvement (SESI) movement... more We begin with the assumption that the School Effectiveness and School Improvement (SESI) movement represents one of the most dominant models of school improvement world-wide. The claim is consistent with state and national education policies as well as many ...
Starting By the Numbers: Most of my reflections on the challenges we face today as professors of ... more Starting By the Numbers: Most of my reflections on the challenges we face today as professors of educational leadership originate from local experiences. Reconciling public opinion trends with local perceptions on the " state of the art " calls upon educational leadership researchers to engage explicitly in the dominant discourses of economics, science and politics. What the numbers tell us is that the US, and maybe the world, is divided along deeply held values grounded in both facts on-the-ground as well as transcendent beliefs from histories, religions and philosophies. For our field to move forward, we need to construct more inclusive theoretical frameworks so as to capture the diverse values – those with which we agree and those with which we disagree. Only then can educational leadership find its place in education and societal debates. This draft examines how we might rethink our positions vis a vis neo-liberal ideology and progressive education.
Radicalizing Educational Leadership: Dimensions of Social Justice, 2008
Originally published in 2008. I updated and corrected the text. The book itself is listed as "out... more Originally published in 2008. I updated and corrected the text. The book itself is listed as "out of print."
I recently attended a virtual session symposium at AERA 2021 on Educational Autonomy and I immediately thought back to the arguments presented in this chapter. The
Bridging educational leadership, curriculum theory and didaktik - Non-affirmative theory of education., 2017
Uljens, M. &,Ylimaki, R. (2017). (Eds.). Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and ... more Uljens, M. &,Ylimaki, R. (2017). (Eds.). Bridging Educational Leadership, Curriculum Theory and Didaktik. Non-affirmative Theory of Education. Dordrecht: Springer.
Recent neoliberal policies and transnational governance practices point toward new tensions in nation state education. These challenges affect governance, leadership and curriculum, involving changes in aims and values that demand coherence. Yet, the traditionally disparate fields of educational leadership, curriculum theory and Didaktik have developed separately, both in terms of approaches to theory and theorizing in USA, Europe and Asia, and in the ways in which these theoretical traditions have informed empirical studies over time. An additional aspect is that modern education theory was developed in relation to nation state education, which, in the meantime, has become more complicated due to issues of ‘globopolitanism’. This volume examines the current state of affairs and addresses the issues involved. In doing so, it opens up a space for a renewed and thoughtful dialogue to rethink and re-theorize these traditions with non-affirmative education theory moving beyond social reproduction and social transformation perspectives.
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Papers by Ira Bogotch
I recently attended a virtual session symposium at AERA 2021 on Educational Autonomy and I immediately thought back to the arguments presented in this chapter. The
http://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319586489
Recent neoliberal policies and transnational governance practices point toward new tensions in nation state education. These challenges affect governance, leadership and curriculum, involving changes in aims and values that demand coherence. Yet, the traditionally disparate fields of educational leadership, curriculum theory and Didaktik have developed separately, both in terms of approaches to theory and theorizing in USA, Europe and Asia, and in the ways in which these theoretical traditions have informed empirical studies over time. An additional aspect is that modern education theory was developed in relation to nation state education, which, in the meantime, has become more complicated due to issues of ‘globopolitanism’. This volume examines the current state of affairs and addresses the issues involved. In doing so, it opens up a space for a renewed and thoughtful dialogue to rethink and re-theorize these traditions with non-affirmative education theory moving beyond social reproduction and social transformation perspectives.