Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / In post - apartheid South Africa, a lack of adequate financial and physical resources in historically disadvantaged public schools is a major barrier to effective teaching and learning. Schools in the rural South Africa are part of communities and therefore can be seen as microcosms of societal conditions. The national Ministry of Basic Education has a responsibility to provide a necessary educational infrastructure to all public schools. Other relevant stakeholders such as the community and businesses need to assist the government to supplement the delivery of educational infrastructure. It is against this background that the study undertakes to assess the delivery of educational infrastructure that will lead to service delivery improvement. Some of the considered focused areas in the study include the demographics of the schools, the condition of the school infrastructure and the legislative frameworks that serve to support educational infrastructure. Literature on various forms has been reviewed in order to understand the regulatory framework upon which the delivery of educational infrastructure is based. The study used the qualitative method to investigate the delivery of educational infrastructure. The main findings indicated that educational infrastructure in rural schools is generally poor and there is a shortage of physical resources in schools. It is clear in this regard that current processes are hampering the Department of Basic Education to improve service delivery in public schools especially those that are in rural areas. vi KEYWORDS  Department of Basic Education in Limpopo Province  Educational infrastructure  Assessment  Physical resources  Public schools  Service delivery  Teaching and learning

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Previous studies of lesson preparation groups (LPG; beikezu) have not dealt with the impact of LPG on teachers’ reflective practice. This qualitative case study was an exploration of LPG group leaders’ (beike zuzhang) facilitation of LPG meetings (beike zuhui) to gain insights on reflective practices in LPG meetings. The study involved 54 participants: 29 participants (LPG group leaders and teachers) were interviewed and observed; 20 participants (teachers) were observed; and 5 participants (school leaders) were interviewed. In addition to in-depth interviews and on-site observations, two questionnaires were used to expose a holistic picture of group learning and reflection in LPG meetings. The results indicate school leaders’ perceptions and values of reflective practices have an influence on the interdependence of LPG group leaders’ preparation and facilitation of meeting content and teachers’ attitudes and engagement toward reflection in LPG meetings. School leaders expected teachers to engage in reflection inside and outside of LPG meetings, but teachers’ practices were not aligned with school leaders’ expectations, given the differing understandings of LPG goals. Schools did not have evaluative plans for reflection in LPG meetings. LPG group leaders prepared teachers to understand the upcoming week teaching content and progress. However, LPG group leaders lacked facilitation skills for encouraging reflective group discussions. They were also reluctant to deal with group dynamics challenges proactively. Teachers’ experiences of reflection depended on the purpose of meetings and meeting agendas. Teachers were more likely to engage in reflective discussions with colleagues when LPG meetings involved clear purposes, guiding questions, constructive feedback, and guided future actions. The creating reflective practice in LPG meetings model was proposed to address the interdependence between stakeholders, with the mindsets and skillsets needed for LPG group leaders and teachers. The research results represent a step toward developing school-based reflective practice professional learning communities (PLCs).

The problem of this investigation is a case study of parental involvement in the initial Plan A public school districts in Texas. The components of parental involvement isolated for the study are parent education, parent participation, and parent counseling. The major sources of data are questionnaires distributed to parents, teachers, and administrators in the initial Plan A public school districts. Secondary sources of data include interviews with the three categories of respondents to the questionnaires, communication and correspondence with the Regional Education Service Centers, and correspondence and reports from the Texas Education Agency concerning parental involvement. The purposes of the case study of parental involvement are (1) to analyze the various approaches to provide parent education services in the selected Plan A programs, (2) to analyze the various types of parent participation in the initial Plan A programs, (3) to analyze the existing and projected needs for parent counseling in Plan A, (4) to summarize findings into recommendations for effective parental involvement strategies in future implementations of Plan A in Texas, and (5) to suggest modifications or to raise questions for further investigation.

This thesis presents the results of an examination of the Hebron, Texas public schools. Specific criteria, such as home life and socioeconomic background, were used to consider the abilities and needs of students. The resulting information made it possible to determine the ability of schools to impact the lives of students.

This thesis presents a broad historical and modern overview of teacher supervision by school administration. Areas of needed improvement and suggested solutions for them are indicated.

This study presents an efficacy evaluation of language arts instruction in the Fort Worth, Texas elementary schools.

In 2016, the Colombian National Congress endorsed the Peace Agreement with the largest guerrilla group in the country, FARC. Prior to this political benchmark episode, the National Government, under different executive agendas, sought to overcome the Colombian armed conflict through different approaches. Formal education has been historically conceived as a central area for advancing peace and democracy. Today, under a holistic model of Transitional Justice and the slow implementation of the 2016 Peace Accords, schools hold a key role in forming young citizens for peacebuilding, respect for human rights, and democratization. In this research project, I examine how high school students take up civic subjectivity in relation to the ongoing political transition in Colombia. I also explore the interplay between civic subjectivity and historical memory, emphasizing how students’ understandings of the past inform their civic positionings and actions in the present regarding the armed conflict and the prospects for conflict transformation. This study engages with the Foucauldian conceptualization of subjectivity as the two-fold process of “being-made” and “self-making”. Drawing on 22 weeks of ethnographic fieldwork at Colegio San Antonio public school (Eastern Antioquia), I analyze students’ encounters with the difficult past —often in the form of textured silences— and how these give shape to their construction of previous and contemporary armed violence and civic action/responsibilities on this matter. By paying attention to participants’ everyday lives and social navigation inside and outside of school, this dissertation discusses the tensions and negotiations youth face in the process of giving historical and political meanings to the armed conflict and current transition. It also sheds light on the intertwined dimensions of temporality, spatiality, and experience in how youth conceive and position themselves as civic actors. This study demonstrates how, through civic disjunctures, students partake in their becoming as citizens who challenge fixed and already-established notions on what peace is, should be, and what the school is expected to do to form peaceful citizens. This dissertation concludes with some reflections about the possible intersections between civic education and Transitional Justice’s efforts.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Istitute for Gverment and Policy Studies

The problem of this study was to develop and validate a sound plan of reorganization of the public school districts in Texas. It may best be stated if considered as two subproblems: (l) to develop and validate criteria for reorganization of public school districts in the light of sound guiding principles; and (2) to devise a plan for school district reorganization In Texas in the light of the criteria established.