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Article
Publication date: 21 August 2019

Lisa A.W. Kensler and Cynthia L. Uline

The purpose of this paper is to articulate, and advocate for, a deep shift in how the authors conceptualize and enact school leadership and reform. The authors challenge…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to articulate, and advocate for, a deep shift in how the authors conceptualize and enact school leadership and reform. The authors challenge fundamental conceptions regarding educational systems and call for a dramatic shift from the factory model to a living systems model of schooling. The authors call is not a metaphorical call. The authors propose embracing assumptions grounded in the basic human nature as living systems. Green school leaders, practicing whole school sustainability, provide emerging examples of educational restoration.

Design/methodology/approach

School reform models have implicitly and even explicitly embraced industrialized assumptions about students and learning. Shifting from the factory model of education to a living systems model of whole school sustainability requires transformational strategies more associated with nature and life than machines. Ecological restoration provides the basis for the model of educational restoration.

Findings

Educational restoration, as proposed here, makes nature a central player in the conversations about ecologies of learning, both to improve the quality of learning for students and to better align educational practice with social, economic and environmental needs of the time. Educational leaders at all levels of the educational system have critical roles to play in deconstructing factory model schooling and reform. The proposed framework for educational restoration raises new questions and makes these opportunities visible. Discussion of this framework begins with ecological circumstances and then addresses, values, commitment and judgments.

Practical implications

Educational restoration will affect every aspect of teaching, learning and leading. It will demand new approaches to leadership preparation. This new landscape of educational practice is wide open for innovative approaches to research, preparation and practice across the field of educational leadership.

Originality/value

The model of educational restoration provides a conceptual foundation for future research and leadership practice.

Details

International Journal of Educational Management, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-354X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Cynthia L. Uline, Megan Tschannen‐Moran and Thomas DeVere Wolsey

Accompanying the recent concern for the quality of our nation's educational infrastructure, a growing body of research connects the quality of school facilities to both student…

1957

Abstract

Purpose

Accompanying the recent concern for the quality of our nation's educational infrastructure, a growing body of research connects the quality of school facilities to both student outcomes including achievement, behavior, and attitude as well as to teacher attitude and behavior. Less is known about the mechanisms of these relationships. This paper aims to examine the link between school building quality and student outcomes through the mediating influence of school climate. Results build upon those of a recent study that confirmed a link between the quality of school facilities and student achievement in both English and Mathematics, as well as the mediating role of school climate. This qualitative follow‐up study explores the complicated intricacies of how a school building's physical properties influence teaching and learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is structured according to a collective, instrumental case study design. Individual, focus group, walk‐through and photo‐interviews, as well as observations inform the inquiry. Two high‐poverty schools are identified from the earlier quantitative study because the ratings of the quality school facilities by their faculties fall within the upper quartile. These two schools, one urban and one rural, are selected purposefully for this study, maximizing learning from cases rich in information.

Findings

Results of the research indicate that ongoing interactions between the original design, the day‐to‐day reality of the built environment, and the occupants of that environment help to define the learning climate of these schools. Reciprocally, the climate helps to shape the interactions that take place, fostering environmental understanding, competence and control and supporting academic learning. From the data, several broad themes related to building quality emerge as central to this interaction between the built environment and building occupants, including movement, aesthetics, play of light, flexible and responsive classrooms, elbow room, and security.

Originality/value

Through the stories told by occupants of these two schools, we gain further understanding of the interactions between certain building conditions and design features and how these reinforce and enhance the social environment of school, helping to foster a sense of belonging within a place, a sense of control and competence, and a sense of collective commitment to the place and its purposes. As school designers balance considerations of durability with flexibility, the voices of these occupants may serve to argue for the inclusion of design features that allow occupants some measure of control over comfort and use factors. The broad themes related to building quality that emerge from the data include movement, aesthetics, the play of light, flexible and responsive classrooms, elbow room, as well as safety and security.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Cynthia L. Uline

1412

Abstract

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Lance W. Roberts

The purpose of this paper is to argue that taking the educational purposes of schools into account is central to understanding the place and importance of facilities to learning…

2454

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that taking the educational purposes of schools into account is central to understanding the place and importance of facilities to learning outcomes. The paper begins by observing that the research literature connecting facility conditions to student outcomes is mixed. A closer examination of this literature suggests that when school facilities are measured from an engineering perspective, little connection to learning outcomes is evident. By contrast, when school facilities are rated in terms of educational functions, a connection to learning outcomes is apparent.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides an empirical test of the educational relevance of how school facilities are measured. Using the schools in a Canadian division, the condition of school facilities was measured in two ways, including both conventional, engineering tools and a survey capturing principals' assessments. School facility ratings using these alternate measurement methods were correlated with schools' quality of teaching and learning environments (QTLE).

Findings

Two central findings emerge. First, engineering assessments of facilities are unrelated to the QTLE in schools. Second, educators' assessments of school facilities are systematically related to the QTLE in schools.

Originality/value

The findings indicate that more research needs to be directed at developing sound tools for measuring school facilities in terms of their educational relevance. In addition, school administrators need to reconsider policies that devalue the contribution that facilities make to learning outcomes.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Glen I. Earthman and Linda K. Lemasters

This research was designed to investigate the possible relationship between the attitudes, teachers have about the condition of their classrooms when the classrooms were…

3378

Abstract

Purpose

This research was designed to investigate the possible relationship between the attitudes, teachers have about the condition of their classrooms when the classrooms were independently assessed. Previous research reported teachers in unsatisfactory classrooms felt frustrated and neglected to such an extent that they sometimes reported they were willing to leave the teaching profession. This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Eleven high schools in which the principals state the buildings are in unsatisfactory condition are identified and matched with 11 schools assessed as being in satisfactory condition. The My Classroom Appraisal Protocol© (MCAP) is used to gather impressions and attitudes of teachers. The MCAP is entered into the internet, and teachers in the selected schools are asked to voluntarily complete the instrument and submit it electronically.

Findings

The differences between the responses of teachers in satisfactory buildings are significantly different than those of teachers in unsatisfactory buildings at the p<0.05 level of confidence. Similar results are obtained on the attitudinal scale of the MCAP, again at the p<0.05 level.

Research limitations/implications

The size of the population is small, which limits applicability.

Practical implications

These findings clearly indicate the physical environment influences attitudes of teachers, which in turn affects their productivity. Such effects could cause morale problems in the teaching staff.

Originality/value

The findings indicate the condition of the classroom can cause morale problems with teachers. School authorities need to recognize the importance physical conditions have upon teachers so that negative feelings and attitudes do not pervade the faculty. Such feelings eventually may influence the achievement of students.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Bruce Fuller, Luke Dauter, Adrienne Hosek, Greta Kirschenbaum, Deborah McKoy, Jessica Rigby and Jeffrey M. Vincent

Newly designed schools for centuries have projected fresh ideals regarding how children should learn and how human settlements should be organized. But under what conditions can…

1609

Abstract

Purpose

Newly designed schools for centuries have projected fresh ideals regarding how children should learn and how human settlements should be organized. But under what conditions can forward‐looking architects or education reformers trump the institutionalized practices of teachers or the political‐economic constraints found within urban centers? The purpose of this paper is to ask how the designers of newly built schools in Los Angeles – midway into a $27 billion construction initiative – may help to rethink and discernibly lift educational quality. This may be accomplished via three causal pathways that may unfold in new schools: attracting a new mix of students, recruiting stronger teachers, or raising the motivation and performance of existing teachers and students.

Design/methodology/approach

We track basic indicators of student movement and school quality over a five‐year period (2002‐2007) to understand whether gains do stem from new school construction. Qualitative field work and interviews further illuminate the mechanisms through which new schools may contribute to teacher motivation or student engagement.

Findings

Initial evidence shows that many students, previously bussed out of the inner city due to overcrowding, have returned to smaller schools which are staffed by younger and more ethnically diverse teachers, and benefit from slightly smaller classes. Student achievement appears to be higher in new secondary schools that are much smaller in terms of enrollment size, compared with still overcrowded schools.

Originality/value

We emphasize the importance of tracking student movement among schools and even across neighborhoods before attributing achievement differences to specific features of new schools, that is, guarding against selection bias. Whether new schools can hold onto, or attract new, middle‐class families remains an open empirical question. Future research should also focus on the magnitude and social mechanisms through which new (or renovated) schools may attract varying mixes of students and teachers, and raise achievement.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Tak Cheung Chan

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible impact portable classrooms have on the teaching and learning process by exploring current related literature.

2029

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible impact portable classrooms have on the teaching and learning process by exploring current related literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper takes a synthesis approach, analyzing current studies to assess the impact of portable classrooms on teaching and learning.

Findings

No significant impact of portable classrooms on teacher perception, teacher morale, teacher job satisfaction, student achievement, and behavior is detected. Negative student attitude is found in one of the studies reviewed. Technical testing shows negative relationships between portable classrooms and health and safety conditions, but the permanent structures are sometimes worse.

Research limitations/implications

An experimental study on the impact of portable classrooms on teaching and learning is needed. Analysis of current studies indicate that the impact of portable classrooms on teaching and learning is not as negative as assumed. Still, the negative effects of deterioration or lack of maintenance cannot be underestimated; making implementation strategies, maintenance schedules, relocation plans, and plans for ultimate replacement vital.

Originality/value

This paper represents the first of its kind to synthesize the findings of current studies on portable classrooms. Results are of great value to educational decision makers.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2003

Lynne G. Perez and Cynthia L. Uline

The information age is upon us. In schools across the country, administrators are making important decisions about how best to employ computer technology. This case study of an…

1565

Abstract

The information age is upon us. In schools across the country, administrators are making important decisions about how best to employ computer technology. This case study of an expert educational administrator looks at computer use from a problem‐solving perspective, focusing on the relationship between how this school leader thinks about and acts on technological capacity. It examines the personal attributes and perceptions that underlie his effective application of technology and finds them interwoven with the same cognitive and behavior skills he employs across his problem solving. It explores the connections he makes between school and community and between administrative and instructional technology.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2001

Donald J. Willower and Cynthia L. Uline

Examines the alleged demise of science in terms of claimed difficulties including: the human limitations of scientists, that science seeks ultimate reality and universal truth…

699

Abstract

Examines the alleged demise of science in terms of claimed difficulties including: the human limitations of scientists, that science seeks ultimate reality and universal truth, oversimplifies complexity, and accepts no standard external to itself. Also considers incommensurability, the theory ladeness issue, and the assumption of orderliness. Overall, there is little discussion of epistemological issues in the sense of exploring pros and cons, while the resurrection of positivism and its equation with science and “big tent” thinking that confers legitimacy on every interest group’s position regardless of its cogency, further degrades discourse. The naturalistic‐pragmatist perspective presented as an alternative sees scientific inquiry as an open, growing, fallible activity that has proven far superior to other methods of problem solving. Inquiry is also taken to be central to principled moral choice and to efforts aimed at improving people’s lives.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 39 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2009

Faith E. Crampton

The purpose of this study is to further develop an emerging thread of quantitative research that grounds investment in school infrastructure in a unified theoretical framework of…

2490

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to further develop an emerging thread of quantitative research that grounds investment in school infrastructure in a unified theoretical framework of investment in human, social, and physical capital.

Design/methodology/approach

To answer the research question, what is the impact of investment in human, social, and physical capital on student achievement, the author uses canonical analysis, a multivariate statistical approach that allows for multiple independent and dependent variables. The null hypothesis is selected given the limited body of research on this question, and the state is selected as the unit of analysis. Level of student poverty is added as a control variable given an extensive body of research that supports its negative impact on achievement. Descriptive statistics are generated as well as a Pearson product moment correlation matrix to diagnose and address potential issues of multicollinearity and simultaneity. Three national databases are used: United States Census Bureau, US Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress test score data, and the US Department of Education's Common Core of Data. Years analyzed are 2003, 2005, and 2007.

Findings

The results of the canonical analysis are robust, statistically significant, and consistent over time. Investment in human, social, and physical capital accounts for between 55.8 and 77.2 percent of the variation in student achievement in fourth and eighth grade Reading and Mathematics. Investment in human capital is consistently the largest influence on student achievement followed by social and physical capital. The null hypothesis is rejected.

Originality/value

This study advances the use of theory in explaining the impact of investment in school infrastructure on student achievement, a feature which distinguishes it from much previous research in this domain. The use of a theory also addresses a major weakness of traditional, atheoretical education production function research. In addition, utilization of canonical analysis rather than multiple regression to operationalize the theoretical model and analyze the data represents an advance in research design and statistical analysis for this type of research question.

Details

Journal of Educational Administration, vol. 47 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-8234

Keywords

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