The World Health Organisation has developed a concept of ecological health- a notion that health, using a broad definition, is a product of the societies and environments in which we live. It is the aim of the WHO to achieve "Health for All by the Year 2000." This reform agenda incorporates education as a tool for social change. This study investigates the role of education in social change, with local and global health as an objective. The background to the development of this concept is outlined, as are the social issues that make this such an important perspective. Theories of social formation and the role of the school in relation to society are discussed, and the research that confirms that schools do "make a difference" reported. Definitions of change, factors affecting social change and models of change are described. Factors relating specifically to educational change are outlined and related to examples of educational change, designed to promote social change, in Australia. Case studies, composed of descriptions of schools written by staff members to illustrate the process of working towards becoming "Healthy School Communities" and transcripts of interviews, are analysed to determine the extent and type of change that is taking place within each school, and how the changes are happening. Schools reported changes to attitude, understanding, policies and practice. The analysis is then discussed, and the conclusion reached that this construct of education has some useful conceptual frameworks, for the cultural changes that are occurring in Australia and other Western cultures.

This qualitative study is concerned with the development of inclusive values and practices in an Aotearoa New Zealand school. It focuses on the experiences of staff and leadership in the development of inclusive culture within their school. Since the launch of Special Education 2000 in 1996, it has been the stated aspiration of the Ministry of Education to create a ‘world class inclusive education system’. This thesis is part of an effort to assist schools, in the Aotearoa New Zealand context, to get closer to the aspiration of inclusion. It is hoped that this research can contribute to the sustainable development of inclusion within our schools, and that the values expressed by the ideal of inclusion can become firmly rooted in our learning communities. The research involved embedding myself in an Aotearoa New Zealand co-educational high school as a qualitative critical ethnographic researcher. Using participatory observation and semi-formal and informal interviews I examined the experiences of a school community developing inclusive values. During an academic year the school utilised a framework for inclusive change known as the Index for Inclusion. The Index provided the framework in which the school community could explore their values, how those values were translated into practice, and to guide the change process. My analysis drew on hermeneutic phenomological theoretical perspectives underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology. I utilise a theoretical construct of culture, or model, in which to frame the change process within the subject school. The tension between neoliberalism and inclusion based on social justice, and between a model of special education and definitions of ‘disability’ and ‘inclusion’ creates a dynamic that enables the co-creation of knowledge as well as possible futures. The methodology I employed was critical ethnography. Critical ethnography allows the researcher to become a participant in the project. Using a critical ethnographic methodology, the researcher/researched relationship was also a pedagogic relationship. Throughout the year of this study the staff at the subject school reflected on the core values of their school and made changes necessary to begin to align their practice with those values. I argue that inclusion is linked to culture, and as a result, efforts to create a ‘world class inclusive education system’ must take place in the setting of the school culture. As culture is multi-layered, the change process requires time, perseverance, and at times involves pain. Change involves a renegotiation of meaning and a negotiation of expression. I argue that in a devolved educational system such as Aotearoa New Zealand, the individual school provides a ‘shady place’ in which work can be carried out to counter neoliberal policies and inculcate values of inclusion based on social justice. An ancillary argument in this thesis is that no research is neutral, and that it is an ethical responsibility of the researcher to be aware of whom their research benefits. This awareness does not compromise research; it gives research relevance.

Based on the theory of pedagogic discourse developed by Bernstein, this thesis proposes a framework to analyse the relationship between the production of intellectual discourse and the Chinese State. The framework is developed on the basis of the theory of the pedagogic device developed by Bernstein and a comparison of the theoretical approaches adopted by Bernstein, Bourdieu and Foucault. The thesis then identifies three different dominant ideological positions in China between 1949 and 1993. They are, namely, traditional collectivism (before the Cultural Revolution), radical collectivism (during the Cultural Revolution) and regulated individualism (after the Cultural Revolution). The empirical work is a study of the most important education journal, jiaoyu Yanjiu (Educational Research) published by the Central Institute of Educational Research. The journal was created in 1978 by the Institute to support the new education reform initiated as part of the Post Cultural Revolution reform in China. Two major empirical studies are conducted. The first analysis is on the editorials published by the journal. The second analysis is on the papers published by the journal on moral education. Essentially, the paper argues that the reform policy in China introduced by the Chinese Government in 1978 had necessitated a fundamental shift in what constituted the core elements of the dominant ideological positions of the State. This involves certain elements of autonomy introduced to the intellectual field. But the exercise of the newly granted freedom is conditional. This fundamental shift led to a shift in the modality of controlling the intellectual field exercised by the State and has an effect upon the ways in which educational theories are produced and reported in the journal.

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Kokybiškas ir visuotinai prieinamas švietimas - esminė bendros visuomenės gerovės prielaida. Tuo tikslu Lietuvoje yra reformuojama švietimo sistema. Tačiau šiuo metu švietimas – viena problematiškiausių sričių Lietuvoje, jis kelia daug socialinių problemų, neaiškūs švietimo reformos tikslai, reforma vykdoma neturint moksliškai pagrįstos švietimo strategijos. Atlikto tyrimo duomenys padėjo išsiaiškinti, koks bendrojo lavinimo vidurinių mokyklų vadovų, mokytojų, mokinių tėvų požiūris į įvykdytas ir tebevykdomas švietimo reformas, leido suvokti, kokios švietimo reformų pasekmės vidurinėse mokyklose, išryškino silpnąsias ir stipriąsias reformų vykdymo puses. Tyrimo tikslas. Ištirti Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų (Vilniaus Žvėryno gimnazijos, Ukmergės A.Smetonos gimnazijos) narių (mokyklų vadovų, pedagogų, mokinių tėvų) požiūrį į švietimo reformas, įvertinti jų pasekmes bei parengti tyrimų rezultatais pagrįstas rekomendacijas. Tyrimas atliktas tikslinėmis imtimis: gimnazijų mokytojai, vadovai ir mokinių tėvai. Generalinė aibė: 73 mokytojai, 11 vadovų ir 66 mokinių tėvai. Iš viso - 150 respondentų. Jiems buvo pateikti 108 klausimai. Tyrimo rezultatai. Tyrimas parodė, kad skaudžiausios švietimo reformų pasekmės vidurinėse mokyklose - mokyklų profiliavimas, nepatvirtinta ilgalaikė bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų finansavimo reforma, abejotina mokyklų tinklo optimizavimo nauda, neišspręsta Gimnazijos koncepcija, mokinio krepšelio... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Results of the Educational Reform in Secondary Schools A quality and universally available education is an essential assumption of a general welfare of the society. For this reason educational system in Lithuani a is under reform. Unfortunately, education now is one of the most problematic spheres in Lithuania as it causes a lot of social problems. Moreover, the aims of the education reform are not clear and the reform is being pursued without having a scientifically based education strategy. Findings of an accomplished research have helped me to find out what secondary school leaders, teachers and parents‘ attitude towards the education reforms is. They have also allowed me to understand what outcomes of the education reform. The aim of the research is to analyse secondary schools (Vilnius Zverynas gymnasium and Ukmerge Antano Smetonos gymnasium) members‘ (leaders, teachers and parents‘) attitude towards education reforms, to evaluate their consequences and to prepare recommendations based on the research findings for the personnel of a strategic planning and analysis division of Ministry of Science and Education. The research was done with certain groups of respondents: gymnasium teachers, leaders and pupils‘ parents. A general set is 73 teachers, 11 leaders and 66 pupils‘ parents, in total 150 respondents. They were asked 108 questions. Results of the research. The research has showed that the most painful consequences of the education reform at general secondary... [to full text]

In this educational ethnography, I focused on how parents and students enrolled in a public charter high school in Sundale City (pseudonym), Arizona made the choice to attend a charter school. I also focused on educational reforms in the context of two large district high schools to further contextualize family choice-making. In contrast to the prevailing view that it is primarily parents with the requisite cultural and social capital who access school choice, participants in this study were `forced' to choose an alternative to their neighborhood district school due to the harmful effects of being marginalized and penalized in traditional district school contexts. With implications for policy and practice, this anthropological study expands the polemic surrounding school choice by considering the discursive practices inscribed in traditional school contexts that force out disenfranchised students. Understanding of family choice-making and students' experiences contributes to theorizing social inequality and educational reform in new ways that lead to the development of equitable school spaces.

In this qualitative study of middle school English teachers, I investigated the phenomenon of why teachers stay, year in and year out, despite challenges brought on by educational reforms and negative depictions from the general public. The teachers’ experiences illustrate the dedication and perseverance of professionals committed to working with students year in and year out. I framed this case study (Merriam, 1988) in theories of sensemaking (Maitliss & Christianson, 2014; Wieck, 1995) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 2011). The participants were three teachers who taught middle school English for over ten years. Within this time frame, they were exposed to multiple, ongoing reforms: No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards. I used sensemaking and critical pedagogy lenses to explore how these teachers experienced issues of power and interpreted educational reforms. I also examined the reasons why they persisted in the profession. I employed grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1967) and Gee’s (2011) Seven Building Tasks for analysis to identify four categories to illuminate the teachers’ stories: 1) Public Perception of the Profession, 2) Pedagogy and Curriculum, 3) Relationships, and 4) Being a Teacher. The teachers’ experienced ongoing struggles and yet had longevity in the profession. Implications of the study point to the perils and promises of long-term teaching. The perils were challenges of the profession: demands from administrators, new and limiting curriculum, a negative public perception, and long hours. The promises these teachers kept were commitments to decision makers and the public, middle school students and their families, and to the profession. It is these promises that they kept each year that motivated the teachers and sustained them over time.

The Ministry of Education in Abu Dhabi launched an extensive reform initiative developed by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) in partnership with international operators. The reform has introduced innovative teaching methodologies, modern books, a new curriculum and the use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI) in mathematics and science classes. The research carried out for this thesis investigated 11 Emirati female teachers. The data was collected from interviews and several informal observations carried out in a public middle school in a town outside Abu Dhabi city, UAE. The rationale for this study is to critically investigate the effects that rapid reform is having on the performance of the female teachers in the classroom and the impact of this speedy reform on their professional and personal lives so as to highlight differences between reform theory and practice. This study is significant because few studies on female teachers in a Gulf educational reform environment have been undertaken and it is essential to uncover the foreign and non-egalitarian nature of the reform programme. Therefore, the study’s aims are to highlight teacher perspectives and teacher marginalization, EMI and consider whether the reform is being implemented successfully at the classroom level. Of course, an important aim of this critical study has also been to raise the consciousness of those participating in the reform. This study has revealed mostly negative perceptions regarding the Abu Dhabi education reform programme, in particular with teachers’ perceptions of the work environment and the new pedagogy. It has also disclosed several instances of teacher marginalization as the result of a top-down reform and has exposed a prevailing sentiment of teacher disempowerment because of the presence of foreigners operating in the country. Teacher perceptions regarding EMI have been numerous in particular with cultural issues relating to the use of EMI in mathematics and science classes. Surprisingly, the study revealed a few unexpected positive findings with certain aspects of reform.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Patel Stevens / This study uses the construct of design to examine the interplay of texts, tools, and participants to ask, "How are educational environments designed and how do participants interact with designs to create spaces." I approached this question from the theoretical stance that material settings (e.g., schools, classrooms) may be designed for particular uses through institutional norms and purposeful thought (e.g., curriculum guides, technologies, architectural designs), but the way participants take up designs is not given a priori. Using ethnographic methods and spatial theories, I studied the literacy practices of a high school class designed for learning with and through multimodal textual practices, focusing on how this design of learning operated within the institutional norms of a comprehensive urban high school. Data included participant observation, qualitative interviews, and analysis of cultural artifacts, but spatial theories (de Certeau, 1984; Deleuze & Guattari, 1987; Lefebvre, 1991; Soja, 1989, 1996) and theories of design (Kress, 2003; New London Group, 1995) guided the selection and analysis of the data. Stylistically, this dissertation uses video and hyperlinks as a representational tool to illustrate the connections between conceptual fields and to illustrate how meaning is made and conveyed through the added dimensions of multimodality. The dissonance that the teacher's designs caused with the school's available designs is one of the most interesting findings. By breaking temporal and spatial boundaries of what constitutes a class, an academic discipline, and a teacher/student relationship, the teacher and the students used multimodal literacy practices in ways that offered fewer opportunities to assimilate understandings of what and how it means to learn and teach in school into available designs. The participants' interactions with the designs were mediated, however, by their cultural understandings of the purpose of school, their place in the school, and the potential of learning in school. In other words, the rules and grammars of available designs of school were co-constructive in the active designing by the participants. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

The effects of the public sector reform impacted on all aspects of public services including the performance of the economy. Central to this argument was the re-organization of the operations of the public service from the traditional administration system to the new public management (NPM). Education, a critical service in any economy was not spared. Literatures around the application of NPM (a derivative of market principles and practices) to education (which was value based) suggested that NPM was dangerous for education and could deplete the value system of education and replace that with a focus on accounting for money by individuals who were self-interested and who would seek to maximize their benefit with guile. Arguments against NPM suggested that the human factor was neglected and that education had led to chaos among professionals, stakeholders and students. However, those who argued for the introduction of NPM suggested that it had made the provision of education more efficient, effective and relevant to the needs to the clients. It held those working in the education sector accountable for the resources used and made the system more responsive to the needs of the clients of education. Education in the Cook Islands experienced many changes since western type education was introduced by the Missionaries in the late 1800s. Cook Islands people have always regarded education as a right and also believed their participation in education would improve their lives as well as positively contribute to economic growth. As the public sector reform was a global phenomenon, the currents of NPM also converged on the Cook Islands and affected the delivery of education. Those changes revolutionalized education in ways that was not commonplace in the Cook Islands. However, professionals and stakeholders within education made the most of the system and diverged some of the practices to suit the need, the environment and the culture of the Cook Islands people. Change also refocused education from teachers teaching to student learning reinforcing the dedication of many teachers and education administrators to ensure NPM served the best interest of their clients; the students, despite the workload placed on them. The challenge in this thesis was to understand how the NPM system affected education and how the Cook Islands education professionals worked within the system in their favour. The stories of teachers and Ministry of Education professionals demonstrated that there was no resistance to the application of NPM system in the Cook Islands. In fact, the system was embraced by the education sector suggesting it was a positive change from their previous system of traditional administration. Much of their system was inherited from New Zealand where the environment, layers of bureaucracy and economic status of the country was different. Instead, it appeared the Cook Islands took much of what others deemed as dangerous for education and turned it into a positive opportunity for the Cook Islands education. This thesis presents the story of the revolution in the Cook Island education system.