The level of increased central government that we have experienced during the last decades in school, for the purpose of increasing equality and to adapt the Swedish school to a certain international standard, clearly shows that increased control scarcely leads to improvement. The aim of this paper is to examine whether teachers believe that national tests contribute to equivalent assessment and increased goal attainment. Furthermore the teachers’ attitude towards and work with national tests is described. The paper is written from a school improvement perspective, where good examples from current research on what creates increased quality in school meaning increased goal attainment and equivalent assessment are related to research on school effectiveness and increased testing in schools. The study builds upon a quantitative survey among teachers in upper primary - and secondary school in a medium-sized municipality in Sweden. The result shows that the teachers have a somewhat more positive than negative attitude towards national tests, as a whole. The teachers use the tests in their instruction and they are a part of their planning. The advantages mentioned are the possibilities of showing off good examples, making the curriculum concrete, prepare the students for the test and get guidelines and support in assessment and grading. The teachers in the survey don’t consider the tests giving a full image of the abilities of a student nor do they consider the tests themselves relevant for the student’s learning. The result also shows a certain variation in the attitude of the teachers. Teachers, who have worked the longest period of time, more than 20 years, are those with the best attitude towards the test and their ability to contribute to increased goal attainment and equivalent assessment. Teachers who have worked the shortest period of time are the most skeptical to the positive effects of the tests. The teachers generally consider the tests contributing to equivalent assessment to some degree, but have the least positive stance toward the ability of the tests leading to improved quality meaning increased learning and goal attainment.

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyses educators’ experiences of reflective conversations in their teams and part of teams in relation to their work with pupils in need of special support. Ten educators representing ten different teams have been interviewed since all had experiences of working in teams and working with pupils in need of special support. Focus has been on the educators’ experiences of the organisation, the effects of the reflections and the need to develop the reflective conversations in their teams and part of teams. The result showed that only a few of the educators described an organisation of the reflective conversations in their teams that met the conditions recent research point out as a way to use reflective conversations as a tool for development. These educators reached a deeper level of analysis and critical approach than the other teams which led to an improvement of their work with pupils in need of special support. The majority of the educators described reflective conversations with parts of their teams that content analysis and critical reflection. These reflective conversations led to development of their work with pupils in need of special support despite the fact that these reflective conversations showed a lack of organisation. All of the educators were aware of the need to improve the reflective conversations to achieve development of the educational practice, especially those in their teams. A conclusion was that reflective conversations in teams or part of teams can be a tool in the process of developed the work with pupils in need of special support provided that the conditions for the organisation were met and that there was a systematic reflection on high level.

Begreppet vision är mångfacetterat och återfinns i en mängd olika sammanhang, kopplat till både ledarskap och skolutveckling och tillskrivs stor betydelse inom forskning på dessa områden. Tidigare forskning visar även att visionens betydelse, funktion och syfte varierar såsom synen på arbetet med att arbeta fram den i verksamheter och organisationer. Studiens övergripande syfte är att bidra till kunskap om visionens funktion i skolan och dess betydelse för ledarskap och skolutveckling. En enkätundersökning genomfördes bland rektorer på grundskolan. Studien är kvantitativ såtillvida att undersökningen genomfördes med hjälp av strukturerade enkäter med fasta svarsalternativ, vilka sedan bearbetades och analyserades med avseende på kvantiteter dvs. frekvens, spridning och samvariation. Studiens vetenskapsteoretiska ramar innebär att avsikten inte är att blottlägga några absoluta sanningar eller att uttala mig om kausala samband. Jag ser statistiken som ett sätt att upptäcka mönster i en variation, vilka sedan måste tolkas och förstås på samma sätt som andra typer av data. Undersökningen är gjord på ett urval bestående av samtliga rektorer på grundskolan inom kommunal verksamhet inom ett geografiskt och administrativt sammanhängande område som består av 14 kommuner. Den icke-slumpmässiga bestämningen av populationen har gjorts genom bekvämlighetsurval. Resultatet visar att rektorerna i stor utsträckning uppfattar att visionen har stor eller mycket stor betydelse för deras förutsättningar att leda skolan och för skolans utveckling. Rektorernas uppfattning om vilka funktioner visioner fyller i skolan är samstämmig. Enligt respondenterna fyller visionen i stor utsträckning flera funktioner vilka har olika fokus och syfte. / The concept of vision is multifaceted and is found in a variety of contexts, linked to both leadership and school improvement and assigned great importance in research in these areas. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of vision-building in school and its impact on leadership and school development. A survey was conducted among principals in the compulsory school. The study is quantitative, in that the survey was carried out by means of structured questionnaires with fixed response options, which were then processed and analysed with regard to quantities, i.e. frequency, proliferation and co-variation. The study's scientific theoretical framework means that the intention is not to expose any absolute truths or to speak about causal relationships. I see these statistics as a way to detect patterns in a variation, which must then be interpreted and understood in the same way as other types of data. The survey is made on a convenience sample consisting of all principals within a geographically and administratively contiguous area that is composed of 14 municipalities.The non-random determination of population has been made by comfort choice. The result shows that principals largely perceive that the vision has great or very great significance for their potential to lead the school and for the school's development. Principals' perceptions of what features visions fill in school are unanimous. According to the respondents the vision has several features which have a different focus and purpose.

Changed governance increased the freedom of schools but also their responsibility, with more scope for interpreting the assignment. Two models of school development were studied to see how they affect school actors’ understanding of assignment and responsibility, the relationship between the commissioner’s exaction of responsibility and the contractor’s assumption of responsibility. Two case studies examine conceptual dimensions of assumption of responsibility. These models and resulting measures shape actors’ understanding of assignment and responsibility, emphasizing different parts of the control system. The Scope for Action Model stresses the role of the local school with a bottom-up strategy for assumption of responsibility. It uses culture analysis to clarify responsibility relations by making actors aware of their accountability and the potential in their assignment. The Effective Schools Model stresses the political level in a top-down strategy. It shows organizational deficiencies in relation to the assignment and the responsibility. The models increased cooperation between professionals, exposing the organization and its boundaries, management, and occupational roles. Activities became more pupil-oriented, highlighting the task of upbringing and teaching. Lack of time, poor organizational structures, and increased administration obstructed the fulfilment of the assignment. The models led to the exposure and creation of responsibility structures for organization, management, communication and cooperation. Responsibility structures were created through firmer cooperation. These measures furthered individual and collective learning processes and (re)shaped the professionals’ understanding of assignment and responsibility. Professional autonomy is essential for commitment, motivation, and understanding. It is concluded that knowledge of the school’s responsibility reduces the discrepancy and helps professionals to improve their competence and develop school.

Sammanfattning Forskning visar att det finns ett samband mellan kreativitet och lärande och att det har betydelse för elevers måluppfyllelse. Undersökningens syfte var att undersöka hur kreativitet yttrar sig i undervisningen, om rätt förutsättningar finns samt hur lärare förstår innebörden av kreativa processer. Utöver detta var syftet att undersöka om lärarna anser att kreativitet i undervisningen gynnar elevers måluppfyllelse. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes i en mindre kommun i mellansverige och är en totalundersökning. En majoritet av respondenterna anser att den viktigste aspekten för att skapa kreativitet är att skapa nyfikenhet. Resultaten visar också att de strukturer som finns i en skola har betydelse för om lärarna kan planera för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Respondenterna har angivit lokalernas storlek, scheman, tid och klassens storlek som hämmande för kreativitet i sin undervisning. Merparten av respondenterna i undersökningen anser sig dock ha ganska bra kunskaper om kreativa processer. Undersökningens resultat har betydese för hur man ska tänka när man planerar för en ny skola, hur en skolas organisation bör se ut samt även hur undervisningen bör planeras och genomföras. Den har även betydelse för vilken kompetens som lärare bör ha för att ha möjlighet att undervisa kreativt. / Abstract Research shows that there is a connection between creativity and learning, and therefore creativity aim of this study was to investigate how creativity is shown in teaching, if there are the correct circumstances for creativity and how teachers understand creative processes. Another aim was to find out if teachers belive that creativity in school can support pupils´ achievements. The survey was conducted in a small municipality in central Sweden and is a census survey. A majority of the respondents answered that the most important aspect for creativity is to make the pupils curious. The results also show that the structures in a school affect to what extent teachers can plan for creativity in their teaching. The largest part of the respondents have answered that the size of the premises, schedules, time, and class size that discourages creativity in their teaching. Most of the teachers said that they are aware of the importance of creativity for learning and achievments. The result of this study is importand for how to think when planning a new school, for how a school ought to be organized and how teaching has to be planned and carried out. The result is also essential to learn what sort of knowledge teachers need to be able to work in creativity way.

Sri Lanka’s past, present and future efforts to improve the provision of education are in focus. Decentralization of education is reviewed. Since 1960s when decentralization in education management was initiated schools have been subjected to multiple control by the such layers of management as the provincial ministry, provincial department, zonal office and the division. To reduce role ambiguity clarity in division of roles and functions is needed as well as collaboration among the different layers.  Historical and recent reasons that hinder decentralisation and school autonomy are reviewed. Structural and cultural changes that facilitate the democratisation of school management are proposed. The newest trend in educational decentralisation in the country the Programme on School Improvement (PSI) is a kind of school based management. In PSI, schools are given a degree of autonomy in the areas of planning, teaching-learning process, co-curricular activities, staff development and the maintenance and development of the school plant. PSI enables schools to forge links with local communities through the establishment of a School Development Committees to improve resource mobilization and public accountability, thus creating better learning cultures in schools. The role and functions of the zonal education office are examined. The role of the zone is proposed to provide strategic guidance to the schools and effectively monitor overall performance. The zones have to work with schools and not on schools. The role and the main challenges of the school leaders in the proposed decentralized set-up are also examined and the need for more collaborative partnerships within the school is emphasized. The research further examines the factors that contribute to the institutionalisation of the new organizational innovation and as to how the capacity building institutes can help in transforming the roles of the zonal staff and school leaders.

Dagens skola befinner sig i ständig förändring och ställs kontinuerligt inför nya krav. För att möta dessa utmaningar är därför skolutveckling en nödvändighet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka och beskriva hur arbetet med kollegiala observationer uppfattas av lärare och avser att belysa både det som uppfattas positivt och de svårigheter som finns med kollegiala observationer som en metod för att utveckla undervisningen. Studiens frågeställning är: Vilka faktorer påverkar enligt lärare arbetet med kollegiala observationer? Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har ett sociokulturellt perspektiv använts. Studien är kvalitativ och åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes och där innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats använts som metod för analys. Empirin kategoriserades i sju teman med faktorer som enligt lärarna påverkar de kollegiala observationerna; Relation, Erfarenhet, Dokumentation, Distans, Syftet med observationen och Organisation. Resultatet visar att lärarna upplever kollegiala observationer som ett värdefullt sätt att utveckla sin undervisning men att det finns vissa faktorer som upplevs som hinder. Det uppfattas som svårt då otillräckliga relationer skapar otrygghet, erfarenhet saknas, lärarna har olika inställning till uppgiften och känslan av tidsbrist infinner sig. Framgångsfaktorer i resultatet tyder på att lärarna skapat goda relationer, erhållit erfarenhet och fått stöd i form av hjälpstrukturer som observationsprotokoll som utvecklat observationerna. / The school of today is constantly changing and is continuously being faced with new requirements. In order to meet these challenges, school development is therefore a necessity. The purpose of the study is to investigate and describe how collegial observations is perceived by teachers and intends to highlight what is perceived positively and the difficulties with collegial observations as a method for developing teaching.  The question of the study is: What factors influence the work of collegial observations according to teachers? A socio-cultural perspective has been used as a theoretical framework.  This is a qualitative study and eight semi-structured interviews are conducted and as a method of analysis a qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used. The empirical data was categorized into seven themes with factors that, according to the teachers, influenced collegial observations: Relationship, Experience, Documentation, Distance, Purpose of the Observation and Organization. The result indicates that the teachers experience collegial observations as a valuable way of developing their teaching, but that there are certain factors that are perceived as obstacles. These difficulties include that of insecurity caused by insufficient relationships, lack of experience, teachers having varying approaches to the task and the sense of time shortage is present. Successful factors in the outcome indicate that the teachers created new relationships, gained experience and received support in the form of auxiliary structures such as an observation protocol that developed the observations.

This thesis examines the applicability of pre-dominantly Western theories of inclusive school development in countries of the Global South. Firstly, the findings of a review of research literature are used to develop a typology to describe the common features of inclusive schools, incorporating ways in which they might be supported. This typology was then used to explore the ways in which schools in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand developed inclusive practices. Engagement with school systems in these countries over a period of six years between 2003 and 2009 provided opportunities to work at several different levels with schools that in some way defined themselves as being 'inclusive'. Using data generated through field work with schools in an Inclusive Education Project in Laos and one school in Thailand, tensions were identified between the theoretical framework and my initial research findings. A revision of the typology was undertaken, drawing on a wider literature to take account of additional factors such as local and national culture and the impact of the policy context in these countries. The researcher often had the role of consultant, creating tensions in the way he constructed his position and also in the schools’ response. Reflecting on these tensions became a productive process in terms of understanding the factors which effectively promoted the development of inclusion in these different contexts. In particular, the process highlighted the relatively neglected significance of local context and knowledge and the way in which these factors impact on inclusive school development. In order to explore these issues in greater detail, further research was then undertaken in one school in Laos, creating a case study developed over four years. This detailed engagement revealed more clearly the limits of typologies in general and of Western theories in particular. Whilst they may offer a lens for examining inclusive school development they do not 'adequately' account for variable factors rooted in the local context. In conclusion, policy initiatives designed to support the development of more inclusive schools must allow for the creation of space at local levels for meanings to be constructed which will support teachers in developing their own sense of agency and making changes in their practice of which they have ownership.

Orientador: Pedro Ganzeli / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T07:24:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Evangelista_SergioRicardo_M.pdf: 2296917 bytes, checksum: 86c8717964ee17d10deb5fbfbe8679e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar a influência do Plano de Desenvolvimento da Escola (PDE-Escola) no processo de democratização da escola pública. Preocupou-se em compreender se esse modelo de planejamento favoreceu ou não a participação nos processos de organização da unidade escolar. Adotamos como metodologia de pesquisa a abordagem qualitativa, utilizando como procedimentos metodológicos o levantamento bibliográfico referente ao PDE-Escola e à gestão democrática da escola pública no banco de dados de Teses e Dissertações da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), bem como nos artigos científicos publicados no Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Outro procedimento metodológico utilizado foi a análise documental de fontes primárias (Legislação, Planos de Ação do PDE-Escola e de Relatórios do PDE-Escola), acessados pela plataforma online Sistema Integrado de Monitoramento, Execução e Controle do Ministério da Educação (SIMEC). Verificamos que o modelo gerencial que informa o PDE-Escola, ao utilizar instrumentos de responsabilização e controle sobre o processo de gestão, ressignificou os conceitos de participação e autonomia no contexto da administração pública, não contribuindo com a ampliação da democratização da gestão escolar / Abstract: This research had as main goal to analyze the influence of the School Development Plan (PDE-School) in the public school democratization. It concerned in understanding whether this planning model favored or not the participation in the organization processes of school unit. We have adopted as a research methodology the qualitative approach, using as procedures the literature regarding to the PDE-School and democratic management of public schools in the database of Theses and Dissertations of Higher Education Personnel Training Coordination (CAPES) and as in scientific articles published in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO). Another approach used was the documentary analysis of primary sources (legislation, PDE-School Action Plans and PDE-School Reports), accessed by the online platform Integrated Monitoring System, Implementation and Control of the Ministry of Education (SIMEC). We found that the management model that informs the PDE-School, using tools of accountability and control over the management process, meant the concepts of participation and autonomy in the context of public administration, not contributing to the expansion of democratization of school management / Mestrado / Politicas, Administração e Sistemas Educacionais / Mestre em Educação

Objetivou-se com esse estudo analisar a importância da gestão participativa para o desenvolvimento das escolas públicas estaduais e municipais do Distrito de Icoaraci, município de Belém, segundo a visão de seus gestores. Na revisão da literatura, foram analisados os aspectos significativos, os avanços e os percalços, percebidos quanto ao processo de desenvolvimento educacional no Brasil. Também foram enfatizados os caminhos e descaminhos da gestão escolar, e a importância de promover a gestão democrática nas escolas. Em campo, foi realizada uma pesquisa, com abordagem quantitativa, de nível descritivo. A amostra foi definida por meio do número de escolas existentes no Distrito, sendo, composta por 120 gestores escolares entre diretores, vice-diretores, administradores e coordenadores pedagógicos. O instrumento utilizado foi um questionário contendo 61 perguntas. Os dados foram analisados e tabulados com o auxílio do software SPHINX. Os principais avanços educacionais obtidos pelas escolas que praticam a gestão compartilhada, segundo a visão dos gestores, foram a existência de órgãos colegiados como o conselho escolar e o conselho de classe, a participação da escola e comunidade na elaboração do projeto político pedagógico. Ao se comparar as formas de gestão praticadas, contatou-se que os gestores que trabalham em ambas as escolas se destacaram quanto ao desenvolvimento de práticas democráticas nas escolas em que atuam. Foi possível concluir que os gestores têm se empenhado em implementar uma gestão participativa, entretanto as forças contrárias ao trabalho democrático são fatores que dificultam e impedem, na maioria das vezes, a ação. Dentre os principais fatores dificultadores foram apontados a falta de valorização profissional, e o autoritarismo e individualismo de profissionais da escola. / The objective of this study to analyze the importance of participatory management for the development of public schools and municipal Icoaraci District, city of Belém, according to the vision of its managers. In reviewing the literature were analyzed, significant aspects, advances and obstacles, perceived as the process of educational development in Brazil. Were also emphasized the ups and downs of school management and the importance of promoting democratic management in schools, aiming at the participation of the school community. In the field, a search was conducted with a quantitative approach, the descriptive level. The sample was defined by the number of existing schools in the district and is composed of 120 managers from school principals, vice principals, administrators and coordinators. The instrument was a questionnaire containing 61 questions. Data were tabulated and analyzed with the aid of the Sphinx software. The main educational advances made by schools engaged in shared management, through the perspective of managers, were the existence in its interior of the collegiate bodies such as the school council and class council, the school and community participation in developing the political project teaching and the opening of school space for the local community. Comparing the forms of management practiced by state and local public schools that contacted the managers who work at both schools stood out as the development of democratic practices in schools where they work. It can be concluded that managers are struggling to implement a participatory management, however the forces opposed to democratic work are factors that hinder and prevent, in most cases, the action. Among the main factors hindering included lack of professional advancement, and authoritarianism and individualism of school professionals.