Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / In this study I asked two questions: "How does the ideological stance of two White elementary school teachers inform their construction of race?" and, "How do teachers' ideological stances and constructions of race influence teaching practice?" The purpose of this study was to understand the ways that White teachers negotiated the meaning of race and racism within their personal lives and professional practice. Using a critical ethnographic approach, I examined the experience of two White teachers from a variety of perspectives. Data included semi-structured interviews, participant observations and selected classroom artifacts. In order to look at the data, I developed a conceptual framework referred to as the "racial geography of teaching." This framework emerged from Frankenberg's (1993) conception of the sociology of race, Rousmaniere's (2001) interpretation of racial biography, theoretical and empirical work about White teachers, and repeated readings of the collected data. Findings suggested that White teachers are worried about race and this worry is negotiated through discursive repertoires such as color-blindness and race cognizance. For the color-blind White teacher, practice is shaped by avoidance and silence about race, which prevents him or her from fully knowing his or her students. For the race cognizant teacher, practice is shaped by the idea that practice is far more expansive than what goes on in the classroom or the school community at-large. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Thesis advisor: Andy Hargreaves / Reform has been difficult at all levels of schooling but secondary schools have proved the most intractable to change (Sarason, 1990). Some of the reasons include the persistence of long-standing conventions, the struggle between competing interests, the size and complexity of the organizations being changed, and ironically the negative impact of reforms that are designed to bring about change. Creating equity among the nation's students requires rethinking and questioning long-term and ingrained identities. This change is threatening to the status quo and pressures many to actively preserve and perpetuate cherished beliefs and practices. The objective to close the achievement gap and "provide all children with the kind of schooling once offered only to a small elite" (Meier, 2002, p. 3) is thwarted by a number of factors, one of which is the factory-style structures and models of classic schooling (Cuban, 1984; Meier, 2002; Oakes & Lipton, 2002; Sarason, 1990; Tyack & Tobin, 1994). This is particularly apparent in conventional high schools which have maintained their existing epistemologies for long periods of time, holding steadfast to the "traditional grammar of schooling" (Tyack & Tobin, 1994). To understand why and how traditional secondary schools choose and maintain their values and structures, and how that illuminates educational change; this dissertation explores a detailed historical case study of how a non-traditional high school underwent a fundamental change by becoming a high school representative of the traditional grammar of schooling. Research explored the technological, political, and cultural forces that influenced the change and what these forces tell us about educational change in general. Findings revealed that successful reforms were initiated at the grass-roots level by the principals but only within the parameters allowed by the school community. External reforms from the district and state government were rarely sustained over time. The changing economy, the politics, and culture of the island directly impacted change initiatives and contributed to the school's drift towards an increasingly traditional grammar. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Peter Gottschalk / This paper examines the impact of spatial variation in HIV rates on female marriage rates in Zambia. I formulate a search model that predicts lower marriage rates of educated females relative to uneducated females in regions with higher HIV rates. I use exogenous geographic variation in HIV rates to identify the causal effect of HIV on female marriage. The risk of HIV infection causes marriage rates to fall for educated females but rise for uneducated females. One explanation is that in high HIV regions: (1) educated females take the time to find a partner who will use condoms and get HIV tested, which delays marriage, and (2) uneducated females marry sooner because youth and virginity are prized by males, and employment opportunities are scarce. These findings imply that returns to education for young females are likely underestimated since they miss conceivably substantial health-related benefits. Is widow remarriage beneficial to child school enrollment? Women are widowed at relatively young ages in high-HIV areas of Sub Saharan Africa and are likely to have school-aged children. A main finding in the parental death literature is that the death of a mother hurts child education more so than does the death of a father. This masks important differences in child school enrollment across households who have experienced a father's death. This paper estimates the effect of widow remarriage on child school enrollment by exploiting regional variation in HIV, religion, and the sex ratio. The cross-country empirical results indicate that remarriage is detrimental to child enrollment for widows with less than six years of schooling, yet beneficial to child enrollment for widows with six or more years of schooling. This is consistent with (1) marital sorting by education (correlation=.7), (2) intra-household bargaining, and (3) differences in tastes for remarriage and schooling. A policy implication is that investing in female education in high-HIV areas - among those likely to become widows - can have multiplier effects, as there is complementarity between the returns to education on marriage market outcomes and children's education. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

O tema desta pesquisa é a escola rural e o problema da escolarização de crianças de Atibaia, estado de São Paulo. O período estudado tem como marco inicial o ano de 1964, quando ocorreu o Golpe Militar até 1985 ano que marcou o início da nova redemocratização brasileira. Foi realizado um estudo da escolarização de crianças em escolas rurais, enfatizando os papéis integrador e socializador da escola junto aos filhos dos trabalhadores nascidos na região, além de migrantes que se estabeleceram em dois bairros rurais de Atibaia, Portão e Água Espraiada. Abordam- se as diferenças existentes na população rural, tanto em relação às condições materiais de vida, quanto à produção dos bens simbólicos, papéis anteriormente contemplados pela escola. Para compreender esse processo, optou-se metodologicamente pelas técnicas da História Oral, entrelaçadas aos estudos da memória, enquanto fenômeno social. Através da realização de entrevistas semi estruturadas, foram coletadas informações que contribuíram para a compreensão da complexidade das questões que envolvem o campo brasileiro e a educação escolar de sua população. / The theme of this research is the rural school and the problem of access and education of childrens from Atibaia, State of Sao Paulo. The study period is from 1964, when there was the military coup, to 1985, marked by the beginning of Brazilian democracy. The study focused on rural schools and their integrating and socialing role in the education of workers and migrants families located in two rural districts of Atibaia, Portão and Água Espraiada neighborhoods. To understand this process, the oral history methodology was chosen, and memory studies as a social phenomenon. By carrying out semi-structured interviews, information was collected that contributed to the understanding of the complexity of the issues surrounding the Brazilian countryside and the education of its population.

This thesis constitutes an interpretive ethnography of children’s educational experiences in rural Rwanda. It advances a theoretical argument for conceptualizing subjectivity, one which attends to how impersonal forces of political economy and history converge to inform children’s awareness, expectations, and perceptions of possibility. A decade ago, children from poor families in Rwanda had few opportunities to continue their studies beyond primary school. With the government’s recent introduction of basic education, more children now have access to more years in the formal education system—yet, poor education quality excluded them from meaningful participation within that system. Study findings suggest that children’s schooling functions as a contradictory resource: the same education policy reforms that aim to transform Rwanda into a knowledge-based economy have also introduced the perception of inequalities along the lines of economic status, ethnicity, language, and geographic location. The core of my study included a collaboration with 16 focal students. Their subjective experiences were the microcosm through which I investigated the nexus of individual and collective processes. Students grappled with what value their education had, what status it would confer, and whether it would lead to opportunities for social mobility. However, in absence of alternatives, most felt obliged to continue their studies—even as their educational experience produced a growing sense of disillusionment.

Since its inception in the 1980s digital technology is considered to be at the heart of contemporary education in the developed world, supported by national ICT strategies and exponentially rising levels of public funding. Yet the promised educational transformation, as measured by learning outcomes, has arguably failed to materialise, while developing countries continue to emulate unproven digital educational programmes. A substantial body of empirical research, conducted by policy makers, business and educators over the past fourty years has found tangible beneficial evidence consistently elusive. This qualitative-based study seeks to explain the dichotomy by critically investigating what is actually happening when digital technology meets education in UK secondary schools as opposed to what is often envisaged as 'should' or 'might' be happening. It moves the debate beyond both its learning focus predominance, and deterministic view of education and technology to one which addresses the educational phenomenon by reference to the broader context of the social, political, historical and cultural conditions that influence all educational practices and which recognises the mutual social-shaping nature of the relationship. Consequently, this qualitative study utilises semi-structured interviews in a multilevel framework to explore how secondary school heads of department; a hitherto under-researched group, at the organisation's structural intersection, have responded to the introduction of ICT from the 1980s to the current day. This thesis contributes to the advancement of knowledge and understanding by drawing attention to issues of continuity and change, and structure and agency within the educational process and by offering insights into why (unforeseen) developments have occurred, how they have evolved and with what consequences for the profession and its educational institutions. It concludes by establishing a link between ICT-induced structural developments and agency constraints, offering policy makers a means of addressing key detrimental oganisational procedures in order to improve educational processes.

Com o intuito de atender às recomendações do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE), o poder público adota modelos de gestão que julga eficiente, porém as informações sobre a eficácia e eficiência, antes e após a implementação dos mesmos são escassas, o que dificulta os estudos de avaliação. O Estado de Goiás, a partir de 1995, migrou do modelo de gestão centralizado para o modelo de gestão descentralizado, no qual o Governo do Estado de Goiás transfere para as unidades escolares os recursos financeiros bem como a responsabilidade de execução do Programa de Alimentação Escolar. Visando avaliar o modelo de gestão em questão, 51 unidades de ensino estadual de 04 Subsecretarias de Educação Regional foram avaliadas. Foram calculados a composição nutricional (carboidratos, proteínas, lipídeos, fibras, vitaminas A e C, ferro, cálcio, magnésio e zinco), o Ndpcal e o valor calórico dos cardápios oferecidos. Os índices de adesão e aceitação foram verificados. As condições operacionais referentes a recursos humanos, equipamentos, utensílios, estrutura de distribuição das refeições, custos e a presença de cantinas também foram averiguadas. Como resultados, os valores médios da composição nutricional e do valor calórico das refeições mostraram-se abaixo dos preconizados pelo PNAE. A adesão média foi de 49%, considerando o número de alunos matriculados. Já sobre os presentes, o índice subiu para 56%. A presença de cantinas, o período (matutino e vespertino) e o tipo de cardápio influenciaram na adesão ao Programa. Dos cardápios planejados, 23% não foram cumpridos e a aceitação média foi de 87%. Em 80% das escolas as preparações foram servidas em sala de aulas. Em relação aos equipamentos e utensílios, 64% e 72%, respectivamente, encontravam-se em bom estado. O número de funcionários da cozinha não é padronizado e insuficiente para atender a demanda, bem como o de nutricionistas. Um dos objetivos da implantação do modelo escolarizado no estado de Goiás foi a melhoria na qualidade, porém, de acordo com todos os resultados obtidos, a realidade do Programa das unidades de ensino ainda não condiz com às referências estabelecidas pelo Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação. / Aiming to achieve the recommendations of the National School Lunch Program (PNAE), the government adopt management models that judge efficient, but the information on the effectiveness and efficiency before and after implementation of them are scarce, which difficults evaluations. The State of Goiás, in 1995, migrated from centralized to the schooled model, in which the state government of Goias transfers to the schools the financial resources and the responsibility for implementing the School Lunch Program . Aiming to evaluate the model in question, 51 schools from 04 Departments of Regional Education were studied. Nutritional composition (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc), the Ndpcal and calorific value of the meal were calculated. The acceptance and adhesion rates were verified. The operational requirements related to human resources, equipment, utensils, distribution structure, costs and the presence of commercial establishment were also investigated. As result, the average values of the nutritional composition and caloric value of the meals were below those recommended by FNDE Resolution. The rate of students participation in the School Lunch Program was 49%, considering the number of students enrolled. The rate increased when the present students was consideres. The presence of commercial stablishments, the period (morning and afternoon) and the type of menu influenced the adhesionn. Considering planned menus, 23% were not met and the average acceptance was 87%. In 80% of schools the melas were served in the classroom. In terms of equipment and utensils, 64% and 72%, respectively, were in good condition. The number of employees was not standardized and insufficient to meet demand, as well as nutritionists. The implantation of the model schooled in the state of Goiás had the purpose to improve the quality, however, considering the results, the reality of the Program does not consistent with the references provided by FNDE.

Com o intuito de atender às recomendações do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE), o poder público adota modelos de gestão que julga eficiente, porém as informações sobre a eficácia e eficiência, antes e após a implementação dos mesmos são escassas, o que dificulta os estudos de avaliação. O Estado de Goiás, a partir de 1995, migrou do modelo de gestão centralizado para o modelo de gestão descentralizado, no qual o Governo do Estado de Goiás transfere para as unidades escolares os recursos financeiros bem como a responsabilidade de execução do Programa de Alimentação Escolar. Visando avaliar o modelo de gestão em questão, 51 unidades de ensino estadual de 04 Subsecretarias de Educação Regional foram avaliadas. Foram calculados a composição nutricional (carboidratos, proteínas, lipídeos, fibras, vitaminas A e C, ferro, cálcio, magnésio e zinco), o Ndpcal e o valor calórico dos cardápios oferecidos. Os índices de adesão e aceitação foram verificados. As condições operacionais referentes a recursos humanos, equipamentos, utensílios, estrutura de distribuição das refeições, custos e a presença de cantinas também foram averiguadas. Como resultados, os valores médios da composição nutricional e do valor calórico das refeições mostraram-se abaixo dos preconizados pelo PNAE. A adesão média foi de 49%, considerando o número de alunos matriculados. Já sobre os presentes, o índice subiu para 56%. A presença de cantinas, o período (matutino e vespertino) e o tipo de cardápio influenciaram na adesão ao Programa. Dos cardápios planejados, 23% não foram cumpridos e a aceitação média foi de 87%. Em 80% das escolas as preparações foram servidas em sala de aulas. Em relação aos equipamentos e utensílios, 64% e 72%, respectivamente, encontravam-se em bom estado. O número de funcionários da cozinha não é padronizado e insuficiente para atender a demanda, bem como o de nutricionistas. Um dos objetivos da implantação do modelo escolarizado no estado de Goiás foi a melhoria na qualidade, porém, de acordo com todos os resultados obtidos, a realidade do Programa das unidades de ensino ainda não condiz com às referências estabelecidas pelo Fundo Nacional de Desenvolvimento da Educação. / Aiming to achieve the recommendations of the National School Lunch Program (PNAE), the government adopt management models that judge efficient, but the information on the effectiveness and efficiency before and after implementation of them are scarce, which difficults evaluations. The State of Goiás, in 1995, migrated from centralized to the schooled model, in which the state government of Goias transfers to the schools the financial resources and the responsibility for implementing the School Lunch Program . Aiming to evaluate the model in question, 51 schools from 04 Departments of Regional Education were studied. Nutritional composition (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc), the Ndpcal and calorific value of the meal were calculated. The acceptance and adhesion rates were verified. The operational requirements related to human resources, equipment, utensils, distribution structure, costs and the presence of commercial establishment were also investigated. As result, the average values of the nutritional composition and caloric value of the meals were below those recommended by FNDE Resolution. The rate of students participation in the School Lunch Program was 49%, considering the number of students enrolled. The rate increased when the present students was consideres. The presence of commercial stablishments, the period (morning and afternoon) and the type of menu influenced the adhesionn. Considering planned menus, 23% were not met and the average acceptance was 87%. In 80% of schools the melas were served in the classroom. In terms of equipment and utensils, 64% and 72%, respectively, were in good condition. The number of employees was not standardized and insufficient to meet demand, as well as nutritionists. The implantation of the model schooled in the state of Goiás had the purpose to improve the quality, however, considering the results, the reality of the Program does not consistent with the references provided by FNDE.

This thesis investigates a new kind of conservative Protestant schooling that emerged in Australia after 1962.Themelic schools developed out of a reaction to secular humanist trends which emerged after World War II. The author argues that these schools constitute a system which warrants greater research. Historical, philosophical and theological work is integrated with a considerable methodological basis in oral history. The research seeks to introduce the schools, clarify their theoretical positions, evaluate their theological and social position and offer criticism and recommendations regarding their educative value. One of the central arguments is that the themelic system of schooling is one of fear and confusion.It is argued that the themelic system is laden with numerous contradictions that have not been addressed and that the schools are reactionary, authoritarian and educationally limited. Some recommendations are made that address organisational and language issues. Though criticism offered is sometimes negative, the intended outcomes of the thesis are positive so as to help these schools establish better environments for education / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Abstract This thesis examines the progress of pupils through New Zealand schools in the last two decades of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. The purpose of this study was to apply demographic techniques to primary historical education data to enable the progress of pupils to be quantified and to allow comparisons to be made among different Education Districts and longitudinally over a period of some three decades. The present work applies demographic methods using cohort and period analyses to overcome difficulties in direct comparisons of historical education data because of differences in population structure and differing examination pass rates in various Education Districts. This approach allows the determination of retention rates of pupils both by age and by level from Standard 4 to Standard 6 using primary data from the nineteenth century. In addition, gender differences in retention by age are analysed from the 1880s to the end of the first decade of the twentieth century. Previous published work considered school attendance only in general terms and usually on a national basis, but generally without analysing specific educational data on gender differences. Studies prior to the present work have suggested that in the nineteenth century Education Districts differed in school enrolments (Hodder, 1996) and it is thus likely that there were differences in school retention of pupils between various Education Districts. Pilot research to the present work developed demographic methods for studying retention of pupil populations allowing for changes in the number and structure of the pupils populations over time (Hodder, 2005). These pilot methods are applied in the present research to study pupil retention in all thirteen Education Districts over the approximately 30 years from the 1880s. In addition to age and level cohorts, gender differences are analysed. Direct comparisons among all Education Districts and over time are now possible. This study has used a novel approach to the analysis of historical education data. The results enable comparisons to be made among all thirteen Education Districts and across several decades; such comparisons have not previously been possible and will facilitate future research on the possible factors affecting pupil retention particularly in relation to employment opportunities for school leavers and differences according to gender. __________ Hodder, C. (1996). Cambridge District High School and its community, 1880 - 1888. Unpublished Master of Arts thesis, Department of Education Studies, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Hodder, C. (2005). Old data, new methods: the use of demographic methods to study historical education data. Unpublished Directed Study, Department of Societies and Cultures, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.