A presente dissertação buscou conhecer as políticas públicas de formação continuada dos docentes das redes municipais de ensino da região gaúcha do Vale do Rio Caí. Trata-se de uma região situada entre a região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e a Serra Gaúcha, composta por vinte Municípios, no Rio Grande do Sul. Para a realização deste estudo, buscou-se o acesso à legislação brasileira que trata das políticas de formação dos docentes, bem como das políticas municipais da região em estudo. O aprofundamento bibliográfico da literatura acerca da formação continuada e desenvolvimento profissional docente constituiu-se como suporte para as discussões realizadas na dissertação. Buscou-se também conhecer as particularidades dos Municípios que compõem esta região, bem como aspectos da Educação Municipal, acessados por meio do Censo Escolar da Educação Básica e de outros dados fornecidos pelos órgãos de pesquisa do país e do Estado. Também foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas com os Dirigentes Municipais de Educação. A análise dos Planos de Carreira do Magistério Municipal (PCM) também se fez necessária, com a finalidade de conhecer a normatização das políticas municipais para a formação docente. Além dos PCM, foram analisadas as Atas das formações pedagógicas de cada um destes Municípios, uma vez que estas descrevem o que efetivamente foi colocado em prática em relação à formação continuada dos docentes destas redes públicas de ensino. Para a análise dos dados coletados, foram utilizados instrumentos quantitativos e qualitativos e como suporte teórico-metodológico, utilizou-se o ciclo de políticas, proposto por Stephen Ball e seus colaboradores. Os municípios que compõem a região apresentam um plano de carreira bem estruturado, abrangendo desde a remuneração, a valorização e possibilidade de ascensão na carreira durante a trajetória profissional docente. São desenvolvidos programas de formação continuada, inclusive por meio de arranjos de desenvolvimento da educação e apontaram-se alguns desafios que ainda se impõem à região, inclusive com possibilidades de superação dos mesmos. / This dissertation is a study about public policies of continuing education of teachers from municipal teaching, from the region of Vale do Rio Caí. This region is located between the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the mountain range, in Rio Grande do Sul. It has twenty municipalities. To do this study, the Brazilian legislation which is about policies of teachers’ formation was consulted. Municipal policies of the region where the study was done were also accessed. The literature that concerns continued formation and professional teaching development was a support for the discussions done in this dissertation. Another aim was to know about the particularities of the cities which belong to this region as well as aspects of municipal education. Some of these pieces of information were accessed through the school census of basic education and others were provided by research institutions from the state and from the country. Structured interviews with municipal education leaders were done. An analysis of the career plans of municipal teaching was also needed; the aim was to know about the standardization of municipal policies of teachers’ formation. Besides the career plans, registers of minutes of pedagogical formation of each municipality were analyzed once they describe what was actually put into practice, concerning continuing teachers’ formation in these publicschools system.To analyze the collected data quantitative and qualitative instruments were used and the cycle of policies, proposed by Stephan Ball and his collaborators, was used as a theoretical and methodological support. The municipalities which make part of the region have a well structured career plan including salary, professional development and possibilities of growing in the teaching career. Programs of continued formation are done through arrangements of education development and some challenges that the region still has were found out, but there is the possibility of overcomingthem.

A presente dissertação buscou conhecer as políticas públicas de formação continuada dos docentes das redes municipais de ensino da região gaúcha do Vale do Rio Caí. Trata-se de uma região situada entre a região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e a Serra Gaúcha, composta por vinte Municípios, no Rio Grande do Sul. Para a realização deste estudo, buscou-se o acesso à legislação brasileira que trata das políticas de formação dos docentes, bem como das políticas municipais da região em estudo. O aprofundamento bibliográfico da literatura acerca da formação continuada e desenvolvimento profissional docente constituiu-se como suporte para as discussões realizadas na dissertação. Buscou-se também conhecer as particularidades dos Municípios que compõem esta região, bem como aspectos da Educação Municipal, acessados por meio do Censo Escolar da Educação Básica e de outros dados fornecidos pelos órgãos de pesquisa do país e do Estado. Também foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas com os Dirigentes Municipais de Educação. A análise dos Planos de Carreira do Magistério Municipal (PCM) também se fez necessária, com a finalidade de conhecer a normatização das políticas municipais para a formação docente. Além dos PCM, foram analisadas as Atas das formações pedagógicas de cada um destes Municípios, uma vez que estas descrevem o que efetivamente foi colocado em prática em relação à formação continuada dos docentes destas redes públicas de ensino. Para a análise dos dados coletados, foram utilizados instrumentos quantitativos e qualitativos e como suporte teórico-metodológico, utilizou-se o ciclo de políticas, proposto por Stephen Ball e seus colaboradores. Os municípios que compõem a região apresentam um plano de carreira bem estruturado, abrangendo desde a remuneração, a valorização e possibilidade de ascensão na carreira durante a trajetória profissional docente. São desenvolvidos programas de formação continuada, inclusive por meio de arranjos de desenvolvimento da educação e apontaram-se alguns desafios que ainda se impõem à região, inclusive com possibilidades de superação dos mesmos. / This dissertation is a study about public policies of continuing education of teachers from municipal teaching, from the region of Vale do Rio Caí. This region is located between the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the mountain range, in Rio Grande do Sul. It has twenty municipalities. To do this study, the Brazilian legislation which is about policies of teachers’ formation was consulted. Municipal policies of the region where the study was done were also accessed. The literature that concerns continued formation and professional teaching development was a support for the discussions done in this dissertation. Another aim was to know about the particularities of the cities which belong to this region as well as aspects of municipal education. Some of these pieces of information were accessed through the school census of basic education and others were provided by research institutions from the state and from the country. Structured interviews with municipal education leaders were done. An analysis of the career plans of municipal teaching was also needed; the aim was to know about the standardization of municipal policies of teachers’ formation. Besides the career plans, registers of minutes of pedagogical formation of each municipality were analyzed once they describe what was actually put into practice, concerning continuing teachers’ formation in these publicschools system.To analyze the collected data quantitative and qualitative instruments were used and the cycle of policies, proposed by Stephan Ball and his collaborators, was used as a theoretical and methodological support. The municipalities which make part of the region have a well structured career plan including salary, professional development and possibilities of growing in the teaching career. Programs of continued formation are done through arrangements of education development and some challenges that the region still has were found out, but there is the possibility of overcomingthem.

This study presents a reflection on the possibilities of compatibility of two models used for institutional assessment: the evaluation component of the National System of Evaluation of Higher Education (NSEHE) and the model for the evaluation of the National Quality Foundation (NQF), taken in nevel of Commitment to Excellence. Both models were considered in their version of year 2008. The model of external assessment of the NSEHE is used specifically for the assessment of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in the country. The model for the assessment of NQF is for general use and supports the assessment of any organization, public or private, whether for profit or not. The general objective of presenting a structured discussion of the possibilities of compatibility of the models considered was achieved through a qualitative study, whose design methodology took the form of an interpretative analysis of the requirements of each model. There was the identification and grouping of categories in each item of the instrument of institutional external assessment of NSEHE. The categories were compared individually with the requirements of the Criteria of Excellence, providing evidence the similarities and convergences. There was an additional survey with a group of respondents intentionally in the field of Engineering Production. This survey aimed to collect evidence that helped to corroborate the initial assumption of internal consistency evaluation of the models considered. The lists generated by relational respondents were tabulated in the form of binary and sparse matrices, and it was estimated the resulting matrix of relationships identified. The qualitative analysis and, alternatively, the survey confirmed the assumption of compatibility of the external assessment component of SINAES and the evaluation model of FNQ, taken at the level of Commitment to Excellence. Specifically, this compatibility was found between the items of the first and the requirements of the criteria of the second / Este estudo apresenta uma reflexão sobre as possibilidades de compatibilidade de dois modelos utilizados para a avaliação institucional: o componente de avaliação externa do Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Superior (SINAES) e o modelo de avaliação da Fundação Nacional da Qualidade (FNQ), tomado no nível do Compromisso com a Excelência. Ambos os modelos foram considerados em sua versão do ano de 2008. O modelo de avaliação externa do SINAES é utilizado especificamente para a avaliação das Instituições de Educação Superior (IES) no país. O modelo de avaliação da FNQ é de uso geral e suporta a avaliação de qualquer tipo de organização, seja pública ou privada, com ou sem fins lucrativos. O objetivo geral de apresentar uma reflexão estruturada das possibilidades de compatibilidade dos modelos considerados foi atingido mediante um estudo qualitativo, cujo delineamento metodológico tomou a forma de uma análise interpretativa dos requisitos de cada modelo. Procedeu-se a identificação e o agrupamento das categorias presentes em cada item do instrumento de avaliação institucional externa SINAES. As categorias foram confrontadas individualmente com os requisitos dos Critérios de Excelência, permitindo evidenciar as similaridades e convergências. Procedeu-se um levantamento suplementar com um grupo intencional de respondentes da área da Engenharia de Produção. Este levantamento objetivou colher evidências que auxiliaram a corroborar o pressuposto inicial da compatibilidade interna dos modelos avaliativos considerados. As listas relacionais geradas pelos respondentes foram tabuladas sob a forma de matrizes binárias e esparsas, e calculou-se a matriz resultante das relações identificadas. A análise qualitativa e, subsidiariamente, o levantamento realizado, confirmou o pressuposto da compatibilidade do componente de avaliação externa do SINAES e do modelo avaliativo da FNQ, tomado no nível do Compromisso com a Excelência. Especificamente, esta compatibilidade foi evidenciada entre os itens das dimensões do primeiro e os requisitos dos critérios do segundo

A presente dissertação buscou conhecer as políticas públicas de formação continuada dos docentes das redes municipais de ensino da região gaúcha do Vale do Rio Caí. Trata-se de uma região situada entre a região metropolitana de Porto Alegre e a Serra Gaúcha, composta por vinte Municípios, no Rio Grande do Sul. Para a realização deste estudo, buscou-se o acesso à legislação brasileira que trata das políticas de formação dos docentes, bem como das políticas municipais da região em estudo. O aprofundamento bibliográfico da literatura acerca da formação continuada e desenvolvimento profissional docente constituiu-se como suporte para as discussões realizadas na dissertação. Buscou-se também conhecer as particularidades dos Municípios que compõem esta região, bem como aspectos da Educação Municipal, acessados por meio do Censo Escolar da Educação Básica e de outros dados fornecidos pelos órgãos de pesquisa do país e do Estado. Também foram realizadas entrevistas estruturadas com os Dirigentes Municipais de Educação. A análise dos Planos de Carreira do Magistério Municipal (PCM) também se fez necessária, com a finalidade de conhecer a normatização das políticas municipais para a formação docente. Além dos PCM, foram analisadas as Atas das formações pedagógicas de cada um destes Municípios, uma vez que estas descrevem o que efetivamente foi colocado em prática em relação à formação continuada dos docentes destas redes públicas de ensino. Para a análise dos dados coletados, foram utilizados instrumentos quantitativos e qualitativos e como suporte teórico-metodológico, utilizou-se o ciclo de políticas, proposto por Stephen Ball e seus colaboradores. Os municípios que compõem a região apresentam um plano de carreira bem estruturado, abrangendo desde a remuneração, a valorização e possibilidade de ascensão na carreira durante a trajetória profissional docente. São desenvolvidos programas de formação continuada, inclusive por meio de arranjos de desenvolvimento da educação e apontaram-se alguns desafios que ainda se impõem à região, inclusive com possibilidades de superação dos mesmos. / This dissertation is a study about public policies of continuing education of teachers from municipal teaching, from the region of Vale do Rio Caí. This region is located between the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the mountain range, in Rio Grande do Sul. It has twenty municipalities. To do this study, the Brazilian legislation which is about policies of teachers’ formation was consulted. Municipal policies of the region where the study was done were also accessed. The literature that concerns continued formation and professional teaching development was a support for the discussions done in this dissertation. Another aim was to know about the particularities of the cities which belong to this region as well as aspects of municipal education. Some of these pieces of information were accessed through the school census of basic education and others were provided by research institutions from the state and from the country. Structured interviews with municipal education leaders were done. An analysis of the career plans of municipal teaching was also needed; the aim was to know about the standardization of municipal policies of teachers’ formation. Besides the career plans, registers of minutes of pedagogical formation of each municipality were analyzed once they describe what was actually put into practice, concerning continuing teachers’ formation in these publicschools system.To analyze the collected data quantitative and qualitative instruments were used and the cycle of policies, proposed by Stephan Ball and his collaborators, was used as a theoretical and methodological support. The municipalities which make part of the region have a well structured career plan including salary, professional development and possibilities of growing in the teaching career. Programs of continued formation are done through arrangements of education development and some challenges that the region still has were found out, but there is the possibility of overcomingthem.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in improving the performance of educators. While literature exists on IQMS as a performance management system for educators in South Africa, no research examines it as a Performance Improvement (PI) system. Given the gap in the literature, this study aimed to answer the question: How effective is the IQMS in improving the performance of educators? The IQMS policy mandates the District Office to design and implement Performance Improvement interventions. This study investigated the effectiveness of the IQMS as a PI system with specific reference to the interventions designed and implemented by the East London District of Education. The introduction of the IQMS marked a paradigm shift from the inspectorate system. It introduced a democratic system of teacher evaluation. It put consultative structures in place and allowed educators to make their voices heard during the evaluation process through pre-evaluation meetings and feedback. The IQMS is a standards based system of evaluation. As such it is morphed with the use of rating scores and rubrics to identify the performance gap, which is followed by the development and implementation of intervention strategies to close the gap. The concept of Performance Improvement (PI) which is the process of identifying and analyzing individual performance gaps, planning for future performance improvement, designing and implementing interventions to close performance gaps, comes into play. This study was conducted using qualitative research methods. Data from questionnaires and the interviews were triangulated with information from a review of policy documents from the Department of Basic Education, pertinent documents from the East London District of Education and sampled high schools in Mdantsane. The Post Level 1 Educators are primary stakeholders in this study, and the School Principals and Education Specialists are secondary stakeholders. In this qualitative study, forty-two high school Post Level 1 (PL1) educators provided responses to an open-ended questionnaire. Six PL1 educators were interviewed. Three high school principals and three education specialists provided responses to open-ended questionnaires. Pertinent documents were surveyed. Qualitative responses were categorized and analyzed into themes and sub-themes. The findings of the current study indicate that the IQMS in its current form did not impact positively on the Performance Improvement of educators. Five specific findings emerged from this study: Educators have not embraced IQMS as a Performance Improvement system; The twofold purpose of the IQMS: development and salary progression renders it ineffective in improving the performance of educators; The logical framework for the implementation of the IQMS is not adhered to; The implementation of the IQMS is not monitored; The IQMS has no impact on learner attainment. This study also documents other positive areas in the implementation of the IQMS. This study has implications and recommendations for further research, practice and provides valuable information to the Department of Basic Education and the teacher unions in the Education Labour Relations Council as they review the IQMS and in implementing future teacher performance evaluation policies.

This study evaluates the implementation of Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) policy to improve the quality of teaching and learning at schools in the Cofimvaba Education District. IQMS involves the measurement and evaluation of teacher performance for developmental purposes and to reward the best performers in order to improve teaching. A qualitative research approach was adopted and data was collected using questionnaires distributed and retrieved from schools in order to determine educators’ experience of IQMS implementation. The data were then analysed using constant comparative methods. The findings indicate that most participants agreed with the objectives of the policy and felt that it should be retained to evaluate teacher performance for accountability purposes and improved teaching and learning results. The system has the potential to develop educators if is implemented honesty and as long as educators trust the evaluation processes to identify weaknesses and strengths. A key recommendation is that IQMS should be part of the school management team’s responsibilities, which must report quarterly on implementation.

M.Ed. / The researcher’s initial observations and discussions with educators revealed that secondary schools in the Northern Free State district perform below the required standard. The problem of this research lies in the lack of effectiveness in secondary schools which is due to factors such as historical political development, the collapse of the culture of teaching and learning at schools, under qualified teachers and poor infrastructure. These factors made worse by lack of clearly defined models for improving school effectiveness. The purpose of this research is to suggest and develop a model for improving schools effectiveness in the Northern Free State district and to determine the extent to which secondary schools in the Northern Free State district are using the Total Quality Management approaches or the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) approaches as well as characterizing those secondary schools that are viewed as effective or ineffective. The research method is qualitative in nature. The researcher collected data through observations, interviews and analysis of school records. The findings of this research support the purpose of the study which is to develop a model for improving secondary schools effectiveness. This research is regarded as a direction pointer in the development of the model that can be effectively applicable to improve effectiveness of the secondary schools in the Northern Free State district and the country as a whole hence it is recommended that the suggested model which is a combination of the known powerful models for improving school effectiveness be expanded to other schools.

This study investigated the perceptions of quality held by undergraduate students enrolled in an online degree program, and examined the connections between these perceptions and retention in an online learning environment. Three main research questions guided this study: (1) What are the characteristics of quality that are desirable for academic success in online distance education? (2) How well does the university manage selection and retention of students and control dropout rates in online learning environment? and; (3) How well does the university foster learning based on information about (a) student engagement, (b) the time and effort students devote to educationally sound activities (within and outside the classroom), (c) policies and practices the institution uses to induce students to take part in those activities, and (d) policies and practices at their institution, even if unintended, that hinder students' full participation? What are the connections between student perception of quality and retention in an online learning environment? A group of students at a medium-sized state university in central California composed of sophomores, juniors and seniors enrolled in a psychology course participated in interviews. The study employed a qualitative method to collect opinions and data from students who chose to learn in an online environment, examined students' experiences, determined those efforts that promote or hinder learning and higher student retention as perceived by the students, and presented from three main domains; (a) administration, (b) faculty, and (c) students. The findings of the study indicate that some of the characteristics of quality perceived by students as desirable include individual discipline and instructors that are more understanding and encourage students to learn. Administrative and technical support was also rated high on the list. Overall, students desired programs that were convenient and provided sufficient flexibility to accommodate other of life's challenges. The study confirmed expert opinions that when a student has positive personal experiences, possesses positive individual motivation, in an environment with positive attrition factors, it is predictable that the student could attain completion of course or program. The connections between the student's perception of quality and retention then are those personal experiences, individual motivation and positive attrition factors within the distance education learning culture. The quality of these connection variables determines a student's commitment to complete online education and commitment to the university.

Thesis (LLD.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The delivery of substandard education to the leaners in South African schools has become a pressing concern and needs special attention. This is so despite the advent of democracy in 1994, which brought legislative frameworks and other measures promoting access to quality education. This study seeks to highlight the importance of a radical paradigm shift in educational approach, from a single (access) to a dual system (access and delivery) in South Africa. The study examines adequacy of access to education, by evaluating the effectiveness of delivery. The study emphasizes that delivery should be strengthened in order to develop skills and capacity. The study also accentuates the need to strengthen legislative measures and compliance, in order to improve the delivery of quality education to the leaners. The domestic laws such as the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Skills Development Act, the South African Schools Act, Further Education and Training Act and the Continuing Education and Training Act, which all cover access and full delivery of quality education, will be examined. It is pertinent to point out that the delivery of quality education and skills development, can improve the employability of leaners and graduates, wherever they find themselves. Consequently, it is fundamentally important to increase interest in strengthening the implementation of the skills development legislation and policies, to drive the necessary change from access to delivery, in order to meet the developmental needs of the country. Lessons are drawn from China, Finland and Singapore, where policies and laws are utilized for the purpose of comparative studies. The rationale for such a comparative analysis is premised on the fact that these countries have very strong educational systems, which promotes the employability of learners, and also enables learners to become self-reliant and entrepreneurs. / National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) and South African Humanities Deans Association (SAHUDA)

This study explores the influence of teacher unions on the formulation and implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in the Johannesburg Central District. The involvement of unions in the signing of Collective Agreement Number 8 of 2003 and the failure of unions to fully support implementation at school level is a challenge. Unions are part of the bargaining council in the Education and Labour Relations Council as they are also part of the policy formulation process. The constitutional duty that teachers need to align themselves with is to provide quality education that will allow learners fair and better opportunities of succeeding. The use of IQMS as a quality measurement system is of outmost importance to stabilise the education environment and to benefit the nation. Unions therefore have a statutory obligation not only to their constituencies but also to their clients, the teachers. The study was qualitative and exploratory in nature, based on grounded and social constructivism theory. It was conducted in the Johannesburg Central region that forms part of the Gauteng Education Department. The sample consisted of groups of five union representatives, two Gauteng Department of Education officials and 35 school-based unionised teachers. The researcher used observation, one on one interview as well as focus group interviews to collect data. The unions involved in the study were the Suid Afrikaanse Onderwyseris Unie the National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Organisation .Findings showed a deficiency in processes such as advocacy, training and funding which are the main determinants of policy implementation. The unions were of the opinion that regardless of their role in the ELRC which some viewed as rubberstamping; their influence was not of much significance during the formulation of policies. They suggested a more rigorous and intense route that could give them the mandate to be hands on during the formulation of policies. They also reported that they needed qualified and competent people to spearhead training so as to ensure a better understanding by all stakeholders during the effective implementation of IQMS. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)