Since Ashkenazi Jews in the United States are not a visible minority, it often becomes difficult to distinguish what/who is a Jew. As many Jewish females may appear to be of the dominant culture, they often get overlooked in discussions and courses on teacher education and multiculturalism/multicultural education. However, their identity as both Jewish and White and the absence of conversation regarding their multiple positions in education and in society can contest, as well as support, their connection to multiculturalism. The purpose of this research was to identify how four middle class Ashkenazi females in the greater Los Angeles area understand their identities and experiences as Jews and as public school educators, how these multiple identities impact their perceptions of their pedagogy, and how these women navigate the structures of public schooling. Narrative Inquiry and Listening Guide method of analysis were utilized to present multilayered portraits of these women in order to challenge the status quo of the White female teacher identity and the positioning of Jewish females in regards to the perseverance of Christianity in public education. Story threads emerged from the narratives which indicated that while Jewish identity is fluid and exists on a continuum over time, it was not a primary reason why these women became teachers. Although each woman made individual decisions regarding the degree to which her Jewishness was presented in the classroom and on campus, they did not actively design their curriculum due to them being Jewish; rather they unconsciously incorporated aspects of Judaism in their pedagogy.

This study examines the privatization movement in the post-Katrina New Orleans education system. Less than a month after Katrina, a well-financed charter school movement was moving swiftly through the ravaged city. Nationally, a network of right-wing think tanks and school choice advocates descended on New Orleans shortly after the storm. Locally, state legislators and local leaders pushed from the inside for reform in the way of charter schools. Aided by a state takeover of schools and federal and corporate financing, the "great experiment" had begun. This study strives to cut through the façade of the charter school movement, and to investigate and explain the real motivations of the expected outcomes of the privatizers. Finally, the current injustices caused by the experiment being conducted in New Orleans are reviewed as an extension of the historical racial inequities of the school system.

This Mixed Method Research Project examines the possible marketing strategies that can be used to market township schools in the Gauteng province, within an increasingly competitive educational system. These strategies are investigated within the largely unbalanced infrastructural and resource dichotomy that exists between most township schools and the former Model C schools; the results of which has seen among many other challenges, the ever increasing learner migration from the township schools to the former Model C suburban schools. This pedagogical manuscript adopts a case study approach while simultaneously integrating the influences of established research paradigms like pragmatism and enterpretivism. Within the attempt to find the best marketing options for township schools, the project also consciously attempts to identify the challenges (and possible solutions) that the said schools face as they try to market themselves. The benefits of implementing the marketing matrix within the education product are henceforth highlighted within the narrative of the project. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

L'enseignement du français comme une langue étrangère constitue une nécessité dans un pays plurilingue comme le Liban. La constitution libanaise a donné une place privilégié à la langue française dans le cadre de l'enseignement public en stipulant que : «l'enseignement des deux langues: l'arabe et le français sont obligatoires dans toutes les écoles nationales». Toutefois, à l'école publique, plus précisément au cycle primaire, les apprenants souffrent d'un niveau médiocre en français. Plusieurs facteurs entravent le processus d'enseignement/apprentissage du français ; nous avons délimité ces facteurs par les trois champs d'investigation suivants : l'apprenant, l'enseignant et le milieu scolaire. Notre recherche expérimentale tente d'établir une corrélation entre le niveau médiocre en français des apprenants de l'école publique et ces trois champs d'investigation. Elle vise à expliciter avec minutie les causes qui sous-tendent ce niveau médiocre en français notamment chez les apprenants de l'école publique. / Teaching French as a foreign language is a necessity in a multilingual country like Lebanon. The Lebanese Constitution gave a privileged place to the French language in the context of public education by stipulating that: "the teaching of two languages: Arabic and French are mandatory in all national schools." However, public schools, specifically in the primary grades, students suffer from a poor level in French. Several factors impede the process of teaching / learning French, we have defined these factors by the following three areas of investigation: the learner, the teacher and the school. Our experimental research attempts to establish a correlation between the level of poor learners in French public schools, and these three areas of investigation. It aims to explain carefully the reasons underlying this poor level in French particularly among public school students.

Este trabalho buscou investigar os usos do Caderno do Aluno de Língua Inglesa, material impresso de apoio, semelhante a um livro didático, veiculado pela recente Proposta Curricular (2008), para as escolas públicas do Estado de São Paulo, disponível nas escolas a partir de 2009. Para tal, foi realizada uma pesquisa de cunho qualitativo e inspiração etnográfica, na qual foram entrevistados dez professores de língua inglesa de Rede Pública Estadual com o objetivo de conhecermos algumas de suas percepções referentes ao uso do Caderno do Aluno, com base nas considerações delineadas por Lefebvre (1980;1981) e Penin (1989;1995), a respeito do estudo da das representações e da vida cotidiana. Foi acompanhado, também, um professor da disciplina durante o segundo semestre de 2009 e primeiro de 2010 para que fossem observadas suas aulas nas classes de 5ª à 8ª séries. As observações, registros, transcrições e análises foram realizadas com base nas diretrizes enunciadas por Rockwell (1987), que descreve as características e procedimentos da pesquisa etnográfica. O estudo indica que a nova organização curricular e o instrumento impresso trouxeram mudanças positivas para a rotinas das aulas de inglês. No entanto, observamos que não houve alterações substancias na rotina das aulas em relação à concepção de ensino da disciplina, historicamente focada no estudo das estruturas da língua. Finalmente, é apresentada uma reflexão acerca das características que envolvem o estudo qualitativo, à luz das proposições de Hammersley (1989, 1993). Objetivamos assim, promover uma discussão sobre a metodologia para que esta seja novamente utilizada em outros estudos, referentes à mesma temática, ampliando o escopo de pesquisas sobre o ensino de língua inglesa na escola pública no futuro. / The objective of this work was to investigate the uses of the Caderno do Aluno de Lingua Inglesa (Student\'s English Notebook), the recently printed school material, similar to a school book , created and distributed due by the new Proposta Curricular (2008) and meant to be used in the public schools of São Paulo state. In order to do so, qualitative research was conducted, inspired by the ethnographic approach and ten English language teachers were interviewed, so that we could observe their perceptions and representations towards the use of the Notebook, based on the considerations placed by Lefebvfre (1980,1981) and Penin (1989, 1995). Also, a state school teacher was observed while dealing with his ten to fifteen- year-old students during the second semester of 2009 and first of 2010. The observation register and data analyses were based on Rockwell´s description and definition of the ethnographic procedures. The study indicates that the new curriculum and the printed tool, the notebook have brought positive changes to the routine of teachers and students. However, it was observed that there were no deeper changes into the teaching routine of the subject, historically focused on the study of the language structures. Finally, we provide the reader with some reflexions over qualitative study based on the proposition stated by Hammersley (1989, 1993) so that we can help spreading the approach in a sense that it might inspire and broaden the range of studies about the teaching English as a Foreign Language in public schools in the future.

Esta pesquisa tem como foco transpor para a prática, em contexto de aulas de língua inglesa em uma escola pública, conceitos das teorias de letramentos críticos (LUKE e FREEBODY, 1997; GIROUX, 2005) e multiletramentos (LANKSHEAR, SNYDER e GREEN, 2000; GEE, 2006) e analisar as questões que emergem dessa transposição. Isso é feito através de um trabalho de colaboração, em que preparamos e implementamos práticas de leitura de textos multimodais, com foco não apenas na linguagem escrita, mas também nas linguagens visuais (KRESS, 2003). São utilizadas propagandas de revistas americanas, bem como um site em LI com informações sobre filmes. O processo de leitura proposto engloba inferências de significados na LI e também reflexões críticas a partir das imagens e dos textos escritos. A análise dos dados se baseia no conceito de objetividade entre parênteses, de Maturana (2001), segundo o qual não existe uma realidade externa ao observador, mas, sim, realidades que o observador ajuda a construir ao olhar para o contexto pesquisado. Entre as questões que emergem dessa transposição estão: o papel da língua materna nas aulas de línguas estrangeiras; as diferenças conceituais entre as propostas dos (multi)letramentos críticos e da abordagem comunicativa; os encontros, desencontros e a circulação de poderes que acontecem ao longo do processo (FOUCAULT, (1987 [1975]). As práticas propostas auxiliaram no desenvolvimento de ferramentas para a leitura em LI bem como para a reflexão crítica acerca de questões sociais que estão sempre presentes nos usos da leitura e da escrita (SOARES, 2004 [1998]). Ressalta-se que certas ausências trouxeram contribuições para as reflexões levantadas no presente estudo. / This research aims to transpose into practice, in the context of English classes in a public school, concepts of the theories of critical literacies (LUKE e FREEBODY, 1997; GIROUX, 2005) and multiliteracies (LANKSHEAR, SNYDER e GREEN, 2000; GEE, 2006) and to analyse questions that emerge from this process. It is done through a collaborative research, in which the researcher and the collaborative teacher prepared and implemented, together, reading practices of multimodal texts with focus not only in the written language but also in the visual languages (Kress, 2003). Magazine ads and a website about movies are used for this purpose. The reading process proposed englobes meaning inferences as well as critical thinking in relation to the images and written texts. The data analysis is based on the concept of objectivity between parenthesis from Maturana (2001), according to which there is no reality external to the observer; on the contrary, there are realities that the observer helps to build as he/she looks into the investigated context. Among the questions that emerged from this study are: the role of the mother tongue in the foreign language classes; the conceptual differences between the (multi)literacies and the communicative approach; the encounters, mismatches and the circulation of powers that took place along the process (FOUCAULT, (1987 [1975]). The proposed practices contributed to the development of tools for the reading of texts in the English Language as well as for the critical thinking in relation to social issues that are always present in practices of reading and writing (SOARES, 2004 [1998]). It is important to highlight that the drawbacks also contributed to the issues raised in this study.

Introdução As novas configurações da Educação escolar têm demandado do professor mais tempo e esforços. Esta profissão, assim como outras, possui riscos que facilitam o processo de adoecimento. No entanto, ser professor tem suas especificidades inerentes à natureza das atividades exigidas e tempos para executá-las. O presenteísmo e absenteísmo nesta função manifestam-se de forma peculiar e sua ocorrência tem importantes consequências. Objetivos Analisar as percepções das condições de trabalho de docentes do ensino fundamental e as possíveis associações com o adoecimento, absenteísmo e presenteísmo docente. Métodos Estudo de natureza qualitativa de associação sem interferência entre as variáveis. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas individuais e análises documentais. Foram convidados a participar 20 professores de escolas fundamentais de Rio Branco, Acre. Dez professores que não registraram nenhuma ausência por doença no período de um ano anterior à coleta de dados; e dez professores que estiveram afastados por motivo de doença (superior a 15 dias) e que retornaram ao trabalho ou como professor ou em outra função (readaptados). Para análise dos dados foi realizado a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados e discussão As categorias temáticas discutidas foram: 1- condições de trabalho; 2- trabalho, repercussões domésticas e saúde; 3- presenteísmo; 4- absenteísmo por doença; 5- o reconhecimento e o sentido do trabalho para um professor e; 6 - ações auxiliares na prevenção de doenças na visão dos professores. Os professores afirmaram a interferência do trabalho em seu dia a dia, fator este que dificulta os cuidados de si, sua família e sua saúde. Foram relatadas situações de desvalorização do trabalho do professor e os riscos que tal profissão oferece à saúde. O motivo mais enfatizado para ocorrência do presenteísmo foi a exigência escolar para repor sua ausência em sala de aula, quando esta for de até 15 dias, mesmo apresentando atestado médico. Os professores que retornaram ao trabalho perceberam o retorno na mesma função como um fator impeditivo de manter seus cuidados; aqueles professores que foram readaptados analisaram como benéfica sua saída da sala de aula, pois possibilitava a maior dedicação à família e cuidados pessoais. Conclusões As condições de trabalho do professor além de facilitar o processo de adoecimento, dificultam os cuidados que este deveria ter com sua saúde. É necessário repensar estratégias que possibilitem ao professor o uso do direito de se ausentar quando estiver doente. Ações de promoção à saúde, bem como estratégias de acesso ao serviço de saúde devem ser inseridas neste contexto / Introduction - The new configurations of school education led to greater demands of efforts and time. This occupation, like several others present workplace risks that facilitate the development of work-related diseases. However, being a teacher has its specificities. They are inherent to the nature of the work activities. Presenteeism and absenteeism among teachers are manifested in a peculiar way and its occurrence has important consequences. Aims- To evaluate perceptions of teachers\' working conditions of elementary schools and their association with illnesses, sick leave and presenteeism. Methods Qualitative evaluations took place without interference between the variables. Data collection was conducted through individual interviews and documentary analysis. The study was carried out among teachers of municipal schools of Rio Branco, AC. Twenty elementary school teachers were invited to participate. Two groups were formed: ten teachers who never asked for a sick leave during 12 months prior to the data collection; and ten teachers who have been on sick leave (short or long term absence) due to illness, and returned to work either as a teacher or in another function (re-adapted to perform another job in a fundamental school. Data analysis was performed using content analysis. Results and Discussion - The themes raised during the interviews belonged to the following categories: 1- working conditions; 2 work, home and health implications; 3- presenteeism; 4- sickness absenteeism; 5- the recognition and the meaning of work for a teacher and; 6 - support in the prevention of diseases. Teachers mentioned the interference of work in their daily lives, a factor which complicates their own care, family and health. A number of times teachers mentioned several health risks they face at work. The main reported reason for the occurrence of presenteeism was a school requirement that obliged teachers to replace their classes even if they were absent due to a medical reason. Returning to work at the same job (as a teacher in the classroom) was perceived as lack of incentive to preserve ones health; those who were readapted reported it was beneficial leaving a teaching job, as it allowed them a greater time to devote to their families and personal care. Conclusions- Teachers working conditions were associated with work-related diseases. Being a teacher was reported as an additional difficulty to maintain their health. It is necessary to rethink strategies that would allow teachers to use the right to be in sick leave without being punished for missing classes. Programs of health promotion, as well as easier access to health services should be inserted in this context

This study broadly examines how Black parents in Minnesota’s Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) make sense of and respond to the achievement gap. Using a qualitative research design, I interviewed 21 SPPS Black parents, of diverse backgrounds, and seven district administrators to gather their perspectives on how the phenomenon known as the achievement gap is “named,” “framed,” and “claimed” within the mainstream educational community and through the unique experiences of Black parents in SPPS. Specifically, I asked: (1) to what extent are Black parents in SPPS aware of the race-based achievement gap, and how do they interpret or make sense of it; (2) how does knowledge of the gap influence the attitudes and interactions of Black parents in SPPS toward and with the school system; and (3) how do Black parents in SPPS engage in, or react to, the district’s efforts to develop and/or implement programs, policies, and practices designed to address the achievement gap? I found that the Black parents I interviewed have strong opinions about, and reactions to, academic outcomes and disparities. They are aware of disparities in education but don’t think or talk about the achievement gap in the same way as is dominant in public discourse. The parents acknowledge many reasons why children don’t do well and have something to say about what should done and by whom. Their engagement in their children’s schooling experience, whether visible or not (especially if not), is a form of resistance and advocacy, and they want and need to be part of a larger movement to amplify their collective voice. This study is intended to provide guidance to leaders and decision-makers in SPPS as the district develops, implements, or redesigns programs, policies, and practices aimed at eliminating racial disparities in student achievement. In particular, I recommend that careful and ongoing exploration of Black parent perspectives and behaviors would be useful to the district’s efforts to address the achievement gap.

Introdução As novas configurações da Educação escolar têm demandado do professor mais tempo e esforços. Esta profissão, assim como outras, possui riscos que facilitam o processo de adoecimento. No entanto, ser professor tem suas especificidades inerentes à natureza das atividades exigidas e tempos para executá-las. O presenteísmo e absenteísmo nesta função manifestam-se de forma peculiar e sua ocorrência tem importantes consequências. Objetivos Analisar as percepções das condições de trabalho de docentes do ensino fundamental e as possíveis associações com o adoecimento, absenteísmo e presenteísmo docente. Métodos Estudo de natureza qualitativa de associação sem interferência entre as variáveis. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas individuais e análises documentais. Foram convidados a participar 20 professores de escolas fundamentais de Rio Branco, Acre. Dez professores que não registraram nenhuma ausência por doença no período de um ano anterior à coleta de dados; e dez professores que estiveram afastados por motivo de doença (superior a 15 dias) e que retornaram ao trabalho ou como professor ou em outra função (readaptados). Para análise dos dados foi realizado a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Resultados e discussão As categorias temáticas discutidas foram: 1- condições de trabalho; 2- trabalho, repercussões domésticas e saúde; 3- presenteísmo; 4- absenteísmo por doença; 5- o reconhecimento e o sentido do trabalho para um professor e; 6 - ações auxiliares na prevenção de doenças na visão dos professores. Os professores afirmaram a interferência do trabalho em seu dia a dia, fator este que dificulta os cuidados de si, sua família e sua saúde. Foram relatadas situações de desvalorização do trabalho do professor e os riscos que tal profissão oferece à saúde. O motivo mais enfatizado para ocorrência do presenteísmo foi a exigência escolar para repor sua ausência em sala de aula, quando esta for de até 15 dias, mesmo apresentando atestado médico. Os professores que retornaram ao trabalho perceberam o retorno na mesma função como um fator impeditivo de manter seus cuidados; aqueles professores que foram readaptados analisaram como benéfica sua saída da sala de aula, pois possibilitava a maior dedicação à família e cuidados pessoais. Conclusões As condições de trabalho do professor além de facilitar o processo de adoecimento, dificultam os cuidados que este deveria ter com sua saúde. É necessário repensar estratégias que possibilitem ao professor o uso do direito de se ausentar quando estiver doente. Ações de promoção à saúde, bem como estratégias de acesso ao serviço de saúde devem ser inseridas neste contexto / Introduction - The new configurations of school education led to greater demands of efforts and time. This occupation, like several others present workplace risks that facilitate the development of work-related diseases. However, being a teacher has its specificities. They are inherent to the nature of the work activities. Presenteeism and absenteeism among teachers are manifested in a peculiar way and its occurrence has important consequences. Aims- To evaluate perceptions of teachers\' working conditions of elementary schools and their association with illnesses, sick leave and presenteeism. Methods Qualitative evaluations took place without interference between the variables. Data collection was conducted through individual interviews and documentary analysis. The study was carried out among teachers of municipal schools of Rio Branco, AC. Twenty elementary school teachers were invited to participate. Two groups were formed: ten teachers who never asked for a sick leave during 12 months prior to the data collection; and ten teachers who have been on sick leave (short or long term absence) due to illness, and returned to work either as a teacher or in another function (re-adapted to perform another job in a fundamental school. Data analysis was performed using content analysis. Results and Discussion - The themes raised during the interviews belonged to the following categories: 1- working conditions; 2 work, home and health implications; 3- presenteeism; 4- sickness absenteeism; 5- the recognition and the meaning of work for a teacher and; 6 - support in the prevention of diseases. Teachers mentioned the interference of work in their daily lives, a factor which complicates their own care, family and health. A number of times teachers mentioned several health risks they face at work. The main reported reason for the occurrence of presenteeism was a school requirement that obliged teachers to replace their classes even if they were absent due to a medical reason. Returning to work at the same job (as a teacher in the classroom) was perceived as lack of incentive to preserve ones health; those who were readapted reported it was beneficial leaving a teaching job, as it allowed them a greater time to devote to their families and personal care. Conclusions- Teachers working conditions were associated with work-related diseases. Being a teacher was reported as an additional difficulty to maintain their health. It is necessary to rethink strategies that would allow teachers to use the right to be in sick leave without being punished for missing classes. Programs of health promotion, as well as easier access to health services should be inserted in this context

Esta pesquisa tem como foco transpor para a prática, em contexto de aulas de língua inglesa em uma escola pública, conceitos das teorias de letramentos críticos (LUKE e FREEBODY, 1997; GIROUX, 2005) e multiletramentos (LANKSHEAR, SNYDER e GREEN, 2000; GEE, 2006) e analisar as questões que emergem dessa transposição. Isso é feito através de um trabalho de colaboração, em que preparamos e implementamos práticas de leitura de textos multimodais, com foco não apenas na linguagem escrita, mas também nas linguagens visuais (KRESS, 2003). São utilizadas propagandas de revistas americanas, bem como um site em LI com informações sobre filmes. O processo de leitura proposto engloba inferências de significados na LI e também reflexões críticas a partir das imagens e dos textos escritos. A análise dos dados se baseia no conceito de objetividade entre parênteses, de Maturana (2001), segundo o qual não existe uma realidade externa ao observador, mas, sim, realidades que o observador ajuda a construir ao olhar para o contexto pesquisado. Entre as questões que emergem dessa transposição estão: o papel da língua materna nas aulas de línguas estrangeiras; as diferenças conceituais entre as propostas dos (multi)letramentos críticos e da abordagem comunicativa; os encontros, desencontros e a circulação de poderes que acontecem ao longo do processo (FOUCAULT, (1987 [1975]). As práticas propostas auxiliaram no desenvolvimento de ferramentas para a leitura em LI bem como para a reflexão crítica acerca de questões sociais que estão sempre presentes nos usos da leitura e da escrita (SOARES, 2004 [1998]). Ressalta-se que certas ausências trouxeram contribuições para as reflexões levantadas no presente estudo. / This research aims to transpose into practice, in the context of English classes in a public school, concepts of the theories of critical literacies (LUKE e FREEBODY, 1997; GIROUX, 2005) and multiliteracies (LANKSHEAR, SNYDER e GREEN, 2000; GEE, 2006) and to analyse questions that emerge from this process. It is done through a collaborative research, in which the researcher and the collaborative teacher prepared and implemented, together, reading practices of multimodal texts with focus not only in the written language but also in the visual languages (Kress, 2003). Magazine ads and a website about movies are used for this purpose. The reading process proposed englobes meaning inferences as well as critical thinking in relation to the images and written texts. The data analysis is based on the concept of objectivity between parenthesis from Maturana (2001), according to which there is no reality external to the observer; on the contrary, there are realities that the observer helps to build as he/she looks into the investigated context. Among the questions that emerged from this study are: the role of the mother tongue in the foreign language classes; the conceptual differences between the (multi)literacies and the communicative approach; the encounters, mismatches and the circulation of powers that took place along the process (FOUCAULT, (1987 [1975]). The proposed practices contributed to the development of tools for the reading of texts in the English Language as well as for the critical thinking in relation to social issues that are always present in practices of reading and writing (SOARES, 2004 [1998]). It is important to highlight that the drawbacks also contributed to the issues raised in this study.