In 1994, the Federal Government made a commitment to link all classrooms, libraries, businesses, and industries to the information highway by the year 2000. President Clinton mandated that all classrooms in America be connected to the Internet by the year 2000. While many say this commitment and mandate have successfully occurred, there is still concern and questions about what successful integration of the Internet looks like and what specific practices can tap the bountiful resources available on the Internet. School systems have spent billions of dollars investing in hardware, software, and connection to the World Wide Web. Stakeholders demand accountability for time and money spent connecting our classrooms to the World Wide Web. Until educators fully understand what successful integration looks like in the K-12 schools, there will continue to be a digital divide for learners. In this qualitative study, which covers K-12 school systems in a three state area, the researcher interviewed system level supervisors of technology, building level administrators, and classroom teachers. The teachers selected for participation in this study were nominated by the administrators as teachers who demonstrate successful integration of Internet technology in the classroom. This study is an attempt to determine if there are trends, characteristics, or successful practices that other teachers could employ. Findings of the study include the importance of re-evaluating staff development related to the Internet and other technology issues. The results indicate that teachers are most receptive to learning from their peers and other teacher leaders when learning how to integrate the Internet into their classroom curricula. The importance of a planned vision, created by the stakeholders, concerning integration of Internet technology also emerged during the study. In addition, the study addresses the need for building level administrators to be better prepared in order to lead their schools in successful practices concerning integration of the Internet into school curricula.

No description available.

This dissertation explores the types of professional communities that are built when teachers work in initiatives that, in various forms, link them to teachers from other countries. In doing so it explores the types of knowledge that may be exchanged by the building of these communities and the value that teachers put upon these different forms of knowledge. Therefore, this study is situated in the broad theoretical context of discussions related to the building of professional communities but explores this within a specifically international context. The most significant findings that this dissertation identifies are: that the teachers involved built the professional communities that are most important to them in more exploratory ways and with more agency than is suggested by other related research, and in connection to this that those professional communities that the participants attached most significance to were consistently alternative to the immediate workplace. It was also found that whilst the teachers involved in this study problematised the possibility of directly transferring specific classroom strategies, stories about teaching were seen by all to be useful vehicles for exchanging other forms of knowledge, for enabling affirmation and for co-constructing moral purpose. These findings have potential implications for policy and practice as they indicate that structures that focus exclusively on developing communities within schools may need to be enriched by those that provide teachers with the flexibility to discover and build communities in alternative ways too. The primary data collection method used when conducting this research was interview. The participants who were interviewed came from two countries, namely England and Macedonia. This entirely qualitative approach is positioned within an interpretivist paradigm. However, it is argued that contributions to theoretical debates regarding the nature of professional communities can still be made.

本研究旨在探討國民中學校長教學領導、教師領導與家庭教養文化對學生表現之影響。首先，要了解國民中學校長教學領導與教師領導之現況；其次，探討不同家庭背景學生對家庭教養文化知覺的差異情形；再者，分析校長教學領導、教師領導、家庭教養文化與學生學業成就之間的相關情形；最後，利用結構方程式以校長教學領導與家庭教養文化為外衍變項；學校文化、學生參與和認同與學生學業成就為內衍變項，探討各變項之間的直間接效果，並找出對學生表現預測力最強的因素。 本研究以九十五學年度台南市立國民中學之教師與學生為研究對象，並以研究者譯自國外重要問卷編制而成之「學校情形與領導調查問卷」和「學生參與和家庭環境調查問卷」為研究工具，有效樣本為858份，包括教師236位與學生622位。根據受試者之填答結果再分別以平均數、標準差、單因子變異數分析、皮爾遜積差相關以及結構方程模式（SEM）等統計方法，進行資料處理分析。 本研究獲致之結論如下： 一、 國民中學教師對校長教學領導之知覺為中度表現。 二、 國民中學教師對教師領導之知覺為中度表現。 三、 不同家庭背景之國民中學學生對於家庭教養文化的知覺有顯著差異。 四、 國中校長教學領導與學生學業成就有正相關。 五、 國中教師領導與學生學業成就有正相關。 六、 家庭教養文化與學生學業成就有正相關。 七、 本研究所假設的結構模型在LISREL整體適配度考驗下，為一可接受模型，並可顯示出各變項之間的直間接效果。尤其，家庭教養文化對於學生表現有高度的預測力；而校長教學領導與教師領導必須透過學校文化才能對學生表現造成顯著影響。 最後，根據研究結果提出具體建議，以作為教育行政主管機關、國民中學校長、教師、家長以及未來相關研究之參考。 / The Study of the Effects of Junior High School Principal Instructional Leadership, Teacher Leadership, and Family Educational Culture on Student Performances The goal of the study is to explore the relationship among junior high school principal instructional leadership, teacher leadership, family educational culture and student performances. First of all, to understand the common situation of principal instructional leadership and teacher leadership in Tainan municipal junior high school. And then, to explore the differences between students’ perceptions toward family educational cultures and students’ family backgrounds, including brother and sisters’ number in family, family organization type, parents’ education degree, and parents’ occupation. Next, to analyze the correlation between principal instructional leadership ＆student achievement, teacher leadership＆student achievement, and family educational culture＆student achievement. Finally, to use the Structural equation modeling to exam the feasibility of the hypothetical model, and through the path analysis to find out the direct and indirect effects between each variable. There were 858 valid cases, including 236 teachers and 622 students. The returned data were analyzed by statistical methods such as “ Mean”, “Standard Deviation”, “One-Way ANOVA”, “Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation”, and“ Structural Equation Modeling”. The major results were summarized as follows: 1. The entire performance of principal instructional leadership in Tainan municipal junior high school is at middle degree. 2. The entire performance of teacher leadership in Tainan municipal junior high school is at middle degree, too. 3. There are obvious differences between students’ perceptions toward family educational cultures and students’ family backgrounds. 4. There is a positive correlation between principal instructional leadership and student achievement. 5. There is a positive correlation between teacher leadership and student achievement. 6. There is a positive correlation between family educational culture and student achievement. 7. Through the LISREL test, improving the hypothetical model in our research could be acceptable, and it could show the direct and indirect effects between variables. We also find out that family educational culture is the most powerful predicator to student performances in the study. At last, to bring up some concrete suggestions according to the study outcomes as references for governmental institution for education, junior high school principals, junior high school teachers and parents, and correlated study in the future.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The people in the organisation are the key to quality and effective change and improvement in schools. A new paradigm in school leadership, namely teacher leadership, grounded in distributed leadership theory and supported by enabling policies, provides a platform for school wide capacity building where more and more people recognise the potential of other team members, promote it and thus give stimulus for significant change. The purpose of the research was to determine the perspectives, perceptions and readiness of educators in the Eden and Central Karoo Education District for teacher leadership, as well as educators’ perceptions regarding the school culture required for teacher leadership to be nurtured and sustained. A total number of 283 educators participated in this study, including principals, members of school management teams, veteran, middle, novice educators and district officials. A series of instruments were used to determine educators’ perspectives, perceptions and readiness for teacher leadership, including the Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument (TLRI) and the Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS). Data revealed that educators held positive assumptions about teacher leadership; that educators were collectively ready for teacher leadership; and that they perceived their school cultures as healthy for teacher leadership practices. Educators used language of leadership which can be associated with the organisational and transformational leadership theory; indicated that they experienced barriers to teacher leadership; and that there is a need for professional development in relation to teacher leadership. A significant difference was found between the preliminary leadership and barriers to teacher leadership perceptions held by district officials and other educators (principal, member of school management team, veteran, middle and novice). A significant difference was also found between members of school management teams and other educators (middle and novice) in relation to their readiness for teacher leadership. Significant relationships were found between educators’ preliminary leadership and readiness for teacher leadership perceptions, as well as between their readiness for teacher leadership and their perceptions about a healthy school culture for teacher leadership. These findings have significant implications for leadership practices, collaboration, capacity-building and improvement in schools, educators’ self-esteem, motivation and productivity, as well as student outcomes. / Educational Studies / Thesis (D. Ed. Education Management))