The overall purpose of this work is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collaboration an... more The overall purpose of this work is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collaboration and the development of shared understanding and action among teachers, researchers, administrators and policy makers in the design, implementation and diffusion of pedagogic innovations with the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Its specific aim is to build a framework for identifying and understanding crucial factors, conditions and processes inherent in the emergence, sustenance, diffusion and adoption of ICTs-related pedagogic innovations in schools.
The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESE... more The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESENTATION. First, the global context and objectives of the project are recalled and the link with the preceding work is explicated. The precise cases that were considered in the different countries are presented, along with the methodology followed. Then, first results of the empirical study about pupils' representations of ICT are presented and discussed. A first cartography of pupils' representation is given. Perspectives for the subsequent work packages are shaped out, notably &bout the uses of concept mapping software.
The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESE... more The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESENTATION. First, the global context and objectives of the project are recalled and the link with the preceding work is explicated. The precise cases that were considered in the different countries are presented, along with the methodology followed. Then, first results of the empirical study about pupils ' representations of ICT are presented and discussed. A first cartography of pupils ' representation is given. Perspectives for the subsequent work
The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School L... more The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). Based on an in-depth review of the literature, on research conducted by the EPNoSL partners, on the discourse that took place in on-line seminars and forums and in national workshops and Peer Learning Activities, it identifies critical policy goals for the promotion of school leadership under the scope of equity and learning in school systems across EU. In particular, the paper analyses in depth policies that can create an enabling school leadership environment, focusing on school autonomy, accountability, and distributed leadership.
Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri. Estonian Journal of Education, 2015
The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School... more The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). In particular, it is based on an in-depth review of school leadership policies in 21 European countries and the discourse that is taking place in EPNoSL’s webinars, national workshops and peer learning activities organised in several EU countries with the participation of a variety of school leadership stakeholders (including policy makers at European, national, and local levels, school leaders, teachers and other professionals, academics, researchers, parents and students). EPNoSL is a network of 42 European institutions that aims at improving policy on, and practice in, school leadership in Europe. The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive f...
... Title: Aesthetic perception in educational contexts, the mediational role of teacher-students... more ... Title: Aesthetic perception in educational contexts, the mediational role of teacher-students' interactions, the schemas of perception and the computer artifacts employed. Authors: Kollias, A. Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Keywords: MUSEUM; MULTIMEDIA. ...
This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case... more This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case of transmediatisation of problems in highly polarized contexts. Our analysis focuses on media tweets (in English, French, Italian, and Greek) using the Grexit hashtag between March and July 2015. There are three main questions on the potential reshaping of journalistic sourcing and framing on Twitter. The first focuses on the milieu of actors used by media outlets as sources in the #Grexit debate, the second on the types of news frames that dominated #Grexit media tweets, and the third on how sourcing and news frames interact to construct a space of power positions. The above processes took shape within a close information system, which included politicians, media elites, and economic experts that marginalized alternative voices and critical perspectives. These findings indicate that mainstream news media normalized Twitter to fit their traditional sourcing and framing norms and practic...
This research paper aims to present the results of implementing a new multi-dimensional and cumul... more This research paper aims to present the results of implementing a new multi-dimensional and cumulative tool that records child well-being, in the 2nd semester of the school year 2019–2020, which is the third round of an ongoing research. It also presents the results of the same year as a whole, in order to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of children. The tool was applied in Attica through questionnaires, addressing 22 public schools and three support centers of the organization, The Smile of the Child (25 units in total). The number of children in the sample was 560, belonging to three distinct school categories. The results of the 2nd semester were mapped out in seven clusters. The analysis of the results of the school year 2019–2020 as a whole was applied on a sample of 1,731 children; in other words, it incorporated almost the entire sample of the surveys conducted in the 1st and 2nd semesters. Finally, an action plan, based on the legal framework, focusing on mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic on child well-being is suggested.
This paper aims to present the results of implementing a new, multi-dimensional, and cumulative t... more This paper aims to present the results of implementing a new, multi-dimensional, and cumulative tool that records child well-being in the first semester of the school year 2019-2020, which is the second round of an ongoing research. The tool was applied in Attica through questionnaires addressing 30 schools and 3 support centers for children and families of the organization The Smile of the Child (thirty-three bodies in total). The total number of children participating in the sample was 1,171, belonging to three distinct school categories: 6th grade of elementary school (10-11 years old), 3rd grade of junior high (13-14 years old), and 3rd grade of high school (16-17 years old). The results were mapped out in 7 clusters. The findings raise concerns regarding nutrition and moral education of students in Attica. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was confirmed through a principal component analysis (PCA) and a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Finally, an action plan is suggested.
This paper aims to establish new, multi-dimensional indicators of child well-being suitable to ur... more This paper aims to establish new, multi-dimensional indicators of child well-being suitable to urban regions such as Attica, Greece, and adjusted to the new form of child poverty that has become apparent during its recent financial crisis. The paper mainly argues that child well-being is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and that the financial crisis produced a specific need for new scientific tools adapted to the particular features that emerged under this circumstance. Within this context, definitions of child well-being and child poverty were developed. With these definitions as foundation, a tool comprising many indicators was formulated to record child well-being; this was applied in Attica through questionnaires addressing 27 public schools and three support centers of the organization, The Smile of the Child, covering two periods: the school years between 2010 and 2018 collectively and the school year 2018-2019 individually. The total number of children in the sample was 878, belonging to three distinct school categories. The results were mapped out in seven clusters. The theoretical and meth-odological framework of the study was confirmed through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results reveal that child well-being improved in the period 2018-2019 while there were evident concerns regarding unemployment and whether the education individuals receive is relevant to what kind of people they ought to be. Finally, an action plan focusing on these dimensions and some of the clusters along with an auxiliary tool for decision-making founded on fuzzy logic have been suggested.
This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case... more This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case of transmediatisation of problems in highly polarized contexts. Our analysis focuses on media tweets (in English, French, Italian, and Greek) using the Grexit hashtag between March and July 2015. There are three main questions on the potential reshaping of journalistic sourcing and framing on Twitter. The first focuses on the milieu of actors used by media outlets as sources in the #Grexit debate, the second on the types of news frames that dominated #Grexit media tweets, and the third on how sourcing and news frames interact to construct a space of power positions. The above processes took shape within a close information system, which included politicians, media elites, and economic experts that marginalized alternative voices and critical perspectives. These findings indicate that mainstream news media normalized Twitter to fit their traditional sourcing and framing norms and practices. More specifically, our findings indicate the following: first, traditional sources and powerful economic actors get easier access to online media reporting on Twitter; second, the negative and episodic media-driven frames take the lead in the frame-building process; and third, the non-elite political and socially-driven frames are marginalized in the framing building process. The Twitter affordances were essentially normalized by media to fit into their understandings of the negotiation process as a high-stakes international politics and economic game with predetermined winners and losers. It is also likely that this normalization reflects the normalization of Twitter by powerful political and economic elites aiming to offer journalists on Twitter easy and instant access to their narratives.
This study aims to explore and discuss how Greek news media Twitter accounts reported and framed ... more This study aims to explore and discuss how Greek news media Twitter accounts reported and framed grassroots protest/support activities of the anti-austerity camp and the pro-“Europe” camp, and their protagonists, grievances, and demands in the days before and after the July 2015 bailout referendum. The Greek referendum offers a special case to study the protest paradigm in complex, hybrid and polarized protest arenas, where two opposing protest camps mobilize massively to achieve their political aims. In total, 1,999 media tweets with references to grassroots protest/support activities and public opinion/citizens’ behavior in relation to the referendum were analyzed using content analysis processes and framing devices. Results show significant differences in frame coverage depending on the protest cycle challenging the protest paradigm, while the media emphasis on high-profile sources confirms key features of this paradigm.
The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School... more The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). In particular, it is based on an in depth review of school leadership policies in 21 European countries and the discourse that is taking place in EPNoSL’s webinars, national workshops and peer learning activities organised in several EU countries with the participation of a variety of school leadership stakeholders (including policy makers at European, national, and local levels, school leaders, teachers and other professionals, academics, researchers, parents and students). EPNoSL is a network of 42 European institutions that aims at improving policy on, and practice in, school leadership in Europe.
The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive framework of school leadership policy development that has been developed in the context of this project, the article undertakes two main tasks. Firstly, it attempts to show that instead of searching for universal solutions on the question of school autonomy, it is important to reflect on context specific policies on autonomy that aim at the attainment of concrete learning and equity goals. Secondly, it specifies seven general directions for policies on school autonomy that are adaptive to the divergent experiences of European education systems.
Conference proceedings. The future of education (p. 379-383). libreriauniversitaria. it Edizioni., 2014
The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School L... more The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). Based on an in-depth review of the literature, on research conducted by the EPNoSL partners, on the discourse that took place in on-line seminars and forums and in national workshops and Peer Learning Activities, it identifies critical policy goals for the promotion of school leadership under the scope of equity and learning in school systems across EU. In particular, the paper analyses in depth policies that can create an enabling school leadership environment, focusing on school autonomy, accountability, and distributed leadership.
The world of e-learning can effectively produce inequalities in e-learning achievements or re-pro... more The world of e-learning can effectively produce inequalities in e-learning achievements or re-produce inequalities established through years of traditional teaching and learning. A good start to fight the barriers set by less privileged family backgrounds to student learning outcomes in e-learning is to study in what ways students who come from such backgrounds manage to have high performance (resilient students) as compared to those who do not. This paper focuses in the study of these two groups based on an analysis of the PISA 2009 Electronic Reading Assessment (ERA) dataset for 6 European countries. The findings indicate that resilient students tend to be on average more confident in their ICT skills and to have more positive attitudes towards computers as compared to DLAs. In all countries studied resilient students engage more often in e-reading than their low achieving peers, they tend to read a wider variety of texts, they like reading more, and they are much more knowledgeable about effective metacognitive strategies having to do with reading and summarizing information.
This paper is concerned with the process of studying socio-cultural elements/issues in e-learning... more This paper is concerned with the process of studying socio-cultural elements/issues in e-learning from the perspective of the learner and his/her interactions with the components of the e-learning courses under the scope of inclusiveness. Presented are results that emerged from the implementation of an online course. Discussed are approaches to the study of socio-cultural elements in e-learning and learners’ dispositions-in-action during their engagement in the online course. The paper concludes with the definition of a set of four profiles of e-learners.
The overall purpose of this work is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collaboration an... more The overall purpose of this work is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collaboration and the development of shared understanding and action among teachers, researchers, administrators and policy makers in the design, implementation and diffusion of pedagogic innovations with the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Its specific aim is to build a framework for identifying and understanding crucial factors, conditions and processes inherent in the emergence, sustenance, diffusion and adoption of ICTs-related pedagogic innovations in schools.
The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESE... more The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESENTATION. First, the global context and objectives of the project are recalled and the link with the preceding work is explicated. The precise cases that were considered in the different countries are presented, along with the methodology followed. Then, first results of the empirical study about pupils' representations of ICT are presented and discussed. A first cartography of pupils' representation is given. Perspectives for the subsequent work packages are shaped out, notably &bout the uses of concept mapping software.
The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESE... more The following text aims at proposing an initial conceptual model for the European project REPRESENTATION. First, the global context and objectives of the project are recalled and the link with the preceding work is explicated. The precise cases that were considered in the different countries are presented, along with the methodology followed. Then, first results of the empirical study about pupils ' representations of ICT are presented and discussed. A first cartography of pupils ' representation is given. Perspectives for the subsequent work
The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School L... more The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). Based on an in-depth review of the literature, on research conducted by the EPNoSL partners, on the discourse that took place in on-line seminars and forums and in national workshops and Peer Learning Activities, it identifies critical policy goals for the promotion of school leadership under the scope of equity and learning in school systems across EU. In particular, the paper analyses in depth policies that can create an enabling school leadership environment, focusing on school autonomy, accountability, and distributed leadership.
Eesti Haridusteaduste Ajakiri. Estonian Journal of Education, 2015
The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School... more The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). In particular, it is based on an in-depth review of school leadership policies in 21 European countries and the discourse that is taking place in EPNoSL’s webinars, national workshops and peer learning activities organised in several EU countries with the participation of a variety of school leadership stakeholders (including policy makers at European, national, and local levels, school leaders, teachers and other professionals, academics, researchers, parents and students). EPNoSL is a network of 42 European institutions that aims at improving policy on, and practice in, school leadership in Europe. The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive f...
... Title: Aesthetic perception in educational contexts, the mediational role of teacher-students... more ... Title: Aesthetic perception in educational contexts, the mediational role of teacher-students' interactions, the schemas of perception and the computer artifacts employed. Authors: Kollias, A. Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Keywords: MUSEUM; MULTIMEDIA. ...
This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case... more This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case of transmediatisation of problems in highly polarized contexts. Our analysis focuses on media tweets (in English, French, Italian, and Greek) using the Grexit hashtag between March and July 2015. There are three main questions on the potential reshaping of journalistic sourcing and framing on Twitter. The first focuses on the milieu of actors used by media outlets as sources in the #Grexit debate, the second on the types of news frames that dominated #Grexit media tweets, and the third on how sourcing and news frames interact to construct a space of power positions. The above processes took shape within a close information system, which included politicians, media elites, and economic experts that marginalized alternative voices and critical perspectives. These findings indicate that mainstream news media normalized Twitter to fit their traditional sourcing and framing norms and practic...
This research paper aims to present the results of implementing a new multi-dimensional and cumul... more This research paper aims to present the results of implementing a new multi-dimensional and cumulative tool that records child well-being, in the 2nd semester of the school year 2019–2020, which is the third round of an ongoing research. It also presents the results of the same year as a whole, in order to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of children. The tool was applied in Attica through questionnaires, addressing 22 public schools and three support centers of the organization, The Smile of the Child (25 units in total). The number of children in the sample was 560, belonging to three distinct school categories. The results of the 2nd semester were mapped out in seven clusters. The analysis of the results of the school year 2019–2020 as a whole was applied on a sample of 1,731 children; in other words, it incorporated almost the entire sample of the surveys conducted in the 1st and 2nd semesters. Finally, an action plan, based on the legal framework, focusing on mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic on child well-being is suggested.
This paper aims to present the results of implementing a new, multi-dimensional, and cumulative t... more This paper aims to present the results of implementing a new, multi-dimensional, and cumulative tool that records child well-being in the first semester of the school year 2019-2020, which is the second round of an ongoing research. The tool was applied in Attica through questionnaires addressing 30 schools and 3 support centers for children and families of the organization The Smile of the Child (thirty-three bodies in total). The total number of children participating in the sample was 1,171, belonging to three distinct school categories: 6th grade of elementary school (10-11 years old), 3rd grade of junior high (13-14 years old), and 3rd grade of high school (16-17 years old). The results were mapped out in 7 clusters. The findings raise concerns regarding nutrition and moral education of students in Attica. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was confirmed through a principal component analysis (PCA) and a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Finally, an action plan is suggested.
This paper aims to establish new, multi-dimensional indicators of child well-being suitable to ur... more This paper aims to establish new, multi-dimensional indicators of child well-being suitable to urban regions such as Attica, Greece, and adjusted to the new form of child poverty that has become apparent during its recent financial crisis. The paper mainly argues that child well-being is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and that the financial crisis produced a specific need for new scientific tools adapted to the particular features that emerged under this circumstance. Within this context, definitions of child well-being and child poverty were developed. With these definitions as foundation, a tool comprising many indicators was formulated to record child well-being; this was applied in Attica through questionnaires addressing 27 public schools and three support centers of the organization, The Smile of the Child, covering two periods: the school years between 2010 and 2018 collectively and the school year 2018-2019 individually. The total number of children in the sample was 878, belonging to three distinct school categories. The results were mapped out in seven clusters. The theoretical and meth-odological framework of the study was confirmed through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results reveal that child well-being improved in the period 2018-2019 while there were evident concerns regarding unemployment and whether the education individuals receive is relevant to what kind of people they ought to be. Finally, an action plan focusing on these dimensions and some of the clusters along with an auxiliary tool for decision-making founded on fuzzy logic have been suggested.
This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case... more This study explores the news media Twitter messaging on the issue of Grexit, as an exemplary case of transmediatisation of problems in highly polarized contexts. Our analysis focuses on media tweets (in English, French, Italian, and Greek) using the Grexit hashtag between March and July 2015. There are three main questions on the potential reshaping of journalistic sourcing and framing on Twitter. The first focuses on the milieu of actors used by media outlets as sources in the #Grexit debate, the second on the types of news frames that dominated #Grexit media tweets, and the third on how sourcing and news frames interact to construct a space of power positions. The above processes took shape within a close information system, which included politicians, media elites, and economic experts that marginalized alternative voices and critical perspectives. These findings indicate that mainstream news media normalized Twitter to fit their traditional sourcing and framing norms and practices. More specifically, our findings indicate the following: first, traditional sources and powerful economic actors get easier access to online media reporting on Twitter; second, the negative and episodic media-driven frames take the lead in the frame-building process; and third, the non-elite political and socially-driven frames are marginalized in the framing building process. The Twitter affordances were essentially normalized by media to fit into their understandings of the negotiation process as a high-stakes international politics and economic game with predetermined winners and losers. It is also likely that this normalization reflects the normalization of Twitter by powerful political and economic elites aiming to offer journalists on Twitter easy and instant access to their narratives.
This study aims to explore and discuss how Greek news media Twitter accounts reported and framed ... more This study aims to explore and discuss how Greek news media Twitter accounts reported and framed grassroots protest/support activities of the anti-austerity camp and the pro-“Europe” camp, and their protagonists, grievances, and demands in the days before and after the July 2015 bailout referendum. The Greek referendum offers a special case to study the protest paradigm in complex, hybrid and polarized protest arenas, where two opposing protest camps mobilize massively to achieve their political aims. In total, 1,999 media tweets with references to grassroots protest/support activities and public opinion/citizens’ behavior in relation to the referendum were analyzed using content analysis processes and framing devices. Results show significant differences in frame coverage depending on the protest cycle challenging the protest paradigm, while the media emphasis on high-profile sources confirms key features of this paradigm.
The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School... more The article draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). In particular, it is based on an in depth review of school leadership policies in 21 European countries and the discourse that is taking place in EPNoSL’s webinars, national workshops and peer learning activities organised in several EU countries with the participation of a variety of school leadership stakeholders (including policy makers at European, national, and local levels, school leaders, teachers and other professionals, academics, researchers, parents and students). EPNoSL is a network of 42 European institutions that aims at improving policy on, and practice in, school leadership in Europe.
The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive framework of school leadership policy development that has been developed in the context of this project, the article undertakes two main tasks. Firstly, it attempts to show that instead of searching for universal solutions on the question of school autonomy, it is important to reflect on context specific policies on autonomy that aim at the attainment of concrete learning and equity goals. Secondly, it specifies seven general directions for policies on school autonomy that are adaptive to the divergent experiences of European education systems.
Conference proceedings. The future of education (p. 379-383). libreriauniversitaria. it Edizioni., 2014
The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School L... more The paper draws from the work conducted in the context of the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL). Based on an in-depth review of the literature, on research conducted by the EPNoSL partners, on the discourse that took place in on-line seminars and forums and in national workshops and Peer Learning Activities, it identifies critical policy goals for the promotion of school leadership under the scope of equity and learning in school systems across EU. In particular, the paper analyses in depth policies that can create an enabling school leadership environment, focusing on school autonomy, accountability, and distributed leadership.
The world of e-learning can effectively produce inequalities in e-learning achievements or re-pro... more The world of e-learning can effectively produce inequalities in e-learning achievements or re-produce inequalities established through years of traditional teaching and learning. A good start to fight the barriers set by less privileged family backgrounds to student learning outcomes in e-learning is to study in what ways students who come from such backgrounds manage to have high performance (resilient students) as compared to those who do not. This paper focuses in the study of these two groups based on an analysis of the PISA 2009 Electronic Reading Assessment (ERA) dataset for 6 European countries. The findings indicate that resilient students tend to be on average more confident in their ICT skills and to have more positive attitudes towards computers as compared to DLAs. In all countries studied resilient students engage more often in e-reading than their low achieving peers, they tend to read a wider variety of texts, they like reading more, and they are much more knowledgeable about effective metacognitive strategies having to do with reading and summarizing information.
This paper is concerned with the process of studying socio-cultural elements/issues in e-learning... more This paper is concerned with the process of studying socio-cultural elements/issues in e-learning from the perspective of the learner and his/her interactions with the components of the e-learning courses under the scope of inclusiveness. Presented are results that emerged from the implementation of an online course. Discussed are approaches to the study of socio-cultural elements in e-learning and learners’ dispositions-in-action during their engagement in the online course. The paper concludes with the definition of a set of four profiles of e-learners.
Towards a Knowledge Based Economy: Knowledge and Learning in European Educational Research, 2006
Abstract: The overall aim of this paper is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collabora... more Abstract: The overall aim of this paper is to contribute to the strengthening of links, collaboration and the development of shared understanding and action among teachers and researchers in the design, implementation and further utilisation of pedagogic innovations with the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The ideas that are discussed here emerged during our involvement in a number of research and development (R&D) projects on ICTs-related innovations in the field of education and training and our collaboration with research institutes, universities, schools, teachers and students from several EU countries. What motivated us most to elaborate on these ideas was our concern about what happens after an R&D project in schools has been formally completed. Will the involved schools, teachers and students continue and extend the ICTs-related innovative practices developed during the project? Will other schools, local and regional school administrators get to know them and, more importantly, will they integrate them in their own school development plans? How the outcomes of ICTs-related effective innovations can inform decision making regarding the integration of ICTs in schools? Such concerns, was not difficult to discover, were shared among researchers and long standing partners in European projects, as well as, teachers and local school administrators with whom we had the chance to collaborate with. What more, there was a shared feeling among researchers and teachers alike that no matter how promising the outcomes of a particular research might be and despite the hard work and dedication of the people involved, ICTs-related innovations implemented during R&D projects have little chances of being sustained let alone diffused at local, regional and, of course, national level.
In this text it is presented the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL) framework... more In this text it is presented the European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL) framework, designed to provide
policymakers with the tools and analysis to meet challenges and identify areas for policy attention to support and enhance school leadership for equity and learning. Furthermore,
the EPNoSL framework is designed to analyze the ways that different school leadership policies and programs interplay and influence the overall capacity of school leaders and their
schools to effectively and persistently address equity and learning challenges in their schools.
This study was developed in the frame of the European Policy Network of School Leadership (EPNoSL... more This study was developed in the frame of the European Policy Network of School Leadership (EPNoSL) project’s second work package (WP) entitled “The State of Affairs on School Leadership in Europe”. The objectives of this WP were a) to review and define critical factors for the implementation of LLL Strategy and Policy under the scope of equity and learning and the perspective of school leaders (SL), b) to reflect on the need for a renewed research agenda on SL, and c) to critically review the knowledge base for the construction of a common European Policy Indicators Framework on/for SL.
The EPNoSL project considers school leadership as a multi-faceted process of strategically using the unique skills and knowledge of teachers, pupils, and parents, toward achieving common educational goals. It is more about relationships rather than people or processes. Under the EPNoSL’s perspective, within the framework of educational goals, leadership is present at all levels of an organization, directed at serving the most important stakeholders, through inspiring others in the organization to take part in the management process.
Chapter one offers a review of the literature on school leadership and equity in order to help provide policy with an evidence base on school leadership from the perspective of equity. This chapter cautions that literature on the efficacy of school leadership and equity may help constitute a “de-stated” account of governance that places onus on school leaders to take responsibility for social processes that may, in reality, lie beyond their control.
In chapter two it is argued that as the issues Europe faces become more testing, so schools are faced with intensifying difficulties in offering an equitable education to all. As it is argued, the causes of inequality are of course multiple and complex and not all under the control of school leaders, but the latter have the opportunity to minimise or exacerbate inequality.
In chapter three, decentralisation is discussed in relation to school autonomy types and the space for manoeuvres to schools and school leaders in related to critical issues such as finances, staff management, curricula etc. It is identified a trend of restructuring following New Public Management patterns of redistribution of power and governance between the State, local authorities and organisations. The couplings to local, municipal and national authorities have been loosened on how to spend public funding, how to manage staff and how to run schools, but the aim and curriculum of education has been tightened at the same time: standards are being detailed more and there are more control and accountability. This autonomy has been established according to bureaucratic and market place logics, using new social technologies like tests and quality reporting or inspection. Following those trends is a trend to empower school leaders more in the style of private sector top down management and leadership.
In chapter four the focus is on the leadership and management of change within organisations. Important questions have to do with how do we ensure that change is led and managed successfully - what do we need to consider when leading and managing the change process?
Chapter five on policy response explores the concept of policy, and considers what is meant by policy response. In this chapter it is provided an analysis that acknowledges that policy is in part extemporized, and in part the attempt to promote a “de-stated” account of governance.
Chapter six offers an analysis of policy briefs from 15 EU countries that were drafted by the EPNoSL partners. The analysis focuses on a) the policy emphasis that is placed on issues of equity and learning achievement at school, and on b) how the role of school leaders is (re)conceptualized in legislative frameworks and policy documents emphasizing on the relationships between leadership in schools, equity and learning outcomes, and c) outlines the organization, the content, and the duration of principals’ and other school leaders’ training that is available, focusing in particular to training on issues related to equity and learning outcomes. What this analysis reveals is that while there is some policy emphasis on equity and learning achievement at school drawing mostly from the PISA results, less emphasis is placed in the training of school leaders on how to deal with issues of equity and learning outcomes.
Chapter seven provides the Swedish Ministry of Education’s perspective on policies to support equity and improved learning outcomes and the role of principals in achieving these aims. As it is noted, equity and learning – linked to improved student outcomes - is not an easy task. The variation between high- and low-performing students as well as high and low performing schools and school districts in Sweden has increased over time, and concerns are raised about equity and learning linked to the quality of student outcomes in the context of Sweden’s highly decentralized school system.
Chapter eight offers an in-depth account of the state of affairs on school leadership in Finland. The goal of this chapter is to highlight the academic underpinning on school leadership in Finland and, on such a base, to review the current policy and trends in this country. As it is argued, a major re-orientation to school leadership is taking place in this country. Principals in Finland are called not only to act as educational leaders of their schools but also as managers who are responsible for financing and personnel issues, and also are held accountable for the results of their institutions.
Chapter nine provides a comprehensive overview of the research orientation of studies on school principals across the northern European community --its content, research designs, major findings - and offers conclusions and recommendations for advancing research on school principals. Key research areas identified are the following: 1) important educational challenges in order to inform policy makers, 2) implementation processes in relation to national policy on the local governing structures, 3) effects of national policy on changes processes on the local school level, 4) effects of international testing schemes on student outcomes, 5) effects on change processes in local schools in relation to the local governing structures, 6) principals and their decision making in relation to school governance, 7) principals’ strategic decision making in relation to school improvement, 8) effects of principal training programs, 9) effects of the relation between principals and teachers on improved student outcomes, and 10) effects of school leaders’ behavior on schools results analyzed with an organizational lens.
Chapter ten deepens into the discussion on policy response by focusing on the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland. In particular, in this chapter it is acknowledged that such policy is in part extemporized and in part an attempt to make inevitable a “de-stated” account of governance, as argued in chapter 5. On this basis, it is asked what practices such policy does, and does not permit in the context of Scotland.
Chapter eleven presents a new analysis of the PISA 2009 datasets in relation to school leadership. In this study the hypothesis that the intake of schools related to the socio-economic and cultural background of their students is a critical factor for basing policy on equity and learning was supported by evidence from PISA 2009 showing that students in schools with a high share of students coming from low socio-economic and cultural backgrounds perform on average much lower than their peers in medium or high SES schools. Low SES schools pose therefore much more pressing challenges to school leaders as compared to more privileged schools in terms of their intake. This reality observed in almost all EU countries has or should have implications regarding the training, professional development, retention and replacement of school leaders in low SES schools. Furthermore, the analysis of the relationship between principals’ leadership behaviour in low SES schools and student performance showed two dominant patterns between EU countries: the “reactive school management” pattern and the “proactive school management” pattern. As it is argued, these two patterns possibly use different fields of comparison, and is likely to reflect different underlying cultures of school management.
On the basis of the first eleven chapters of this report, as well as the documentation that was produced during the first year of the EPNoSL, in chapter twelve a number of critical factors are identified that may shape the capacity and potential of school leaders to exercise effectively school leadership in order to implement strategies and initiatives that are targeting to combat inequalities in access, opportunities and outcomes and promote learning performance in schools. The critical factors identified are the following: a) policy ownership, b) empowerment of different stakeholders and trust in their professionalism, c) supportive shared dispositions to inclusive schools, d) sound scientific evidence supporting the design, implementation and evaluation of policies, e) human resources: school leaders’ capacity building, f) political commitment and priorities, g) policy coherence and h) financial resources.
Finally, in chapter thirteen a preliminary European Policy Indicators framework is proposed to support policy development that is aimed to promote culturing and structuring of school leadership from the perspective of equity and learning. The framework builds upon the critical factors on policy implementation identified and discussed in the previous chapter.
"The aim of this e-book is to provide an empirically grounded framework for understanding equity ... more "The aim of this e-book is to provide an empirically grounded framework for understanding equity issues in vocational education and training with an emphasis on learning to learn, which is anticipated to help national and regional education authorities across Europe to promote equity in vocational education and training (VET) through the development and implementation of targeted strategies and interventions.
This framework was developed through an iterative process of theory development, qualitative and quantitative empirical research and analyses, and synthesis of views expressed in the context of a wider dialogue and experience sharing that took place between national research teams and vocational education professionals, students and graduates in individual and group discussions in vocational schools and during workshops that were organised in Poland, Greece, Germany, Spain and Turkey. The above were undertaken in the context of the project “Facilitating Reflections on Equity in LLL Strategy -FARE” (2010-11). In total, the FARE national teams engaged directly in research activities 62 VET teachers, 12 administrators/policy makers mostly at regional/school levels, 388 VET students and 36 VET graduates. In the consolidation of the FARE framework and results participated around 103 VET administrators and teachers and around 100 students.
The proposed framework on equity in vocational education and training is based on the following basic questions that need to be answered in comprehensive ways in order for national and regional authorities, in collaboration with policy makers and stakeholders, from parents, teachers and students to municipal and regional government authorities, professional associations, employers’ and employees’ unions, and other interested civil society organizations and groups, to design and implement strategies and initiatives promoting equity in vocational schools and programmes, with an emphasis on the lifelong learning prospects of students:
* What wider socio-economic trends challenge VET?
* How social inequalities and patterns may affect issues of equity in education?
* What are system-wide educational equity problems that have to be taken into account?
* What are systemic/institutional level issues that may affect equity in vocational education?
* What is the socio-economic and educational background of students who choose vocational paths?
* What are the vocational students’ dispositions and practices towards learning to learn?"
This publication is presenting the European Policy Network on School Leadership's (EPNoSL) Framew... more This publication is presenting the European Policy Network on School Leadership's (EPNoSL) Framework on school leadership policy development, including also a number of background papers that offer an in-depth discussion of critical issues on school leadership. The EPNoSL Framework is designed to provide policymakers at local, regional, national and EU levels with the tools and analysis to meet challenges and identify areas for policy attention to support and enhance school leadership for equity and learning. Furthermore, the EPNoSL Framework is designed to help policy makers analyze the ways that different school leadership policies and programs interplay and influence the overall capacity of school leaders and their schools to effectively address equity and learning challenges in their schools. This publication also is anticipated to help the research and academic communities to identify key areas for further research on school leadership that are of high interest both to the policy making communities as well as to leaders in schools of all levels and types across Europe. It is also addressed to developers and providers of school leadership training programmes, aiming to raise their awareness for the need to place particular emphasis on training current and prospective school leaders on how to effectively manage and lead their schools through democratic decision making, and the creation of school learning cultures and practices that recognise and value diversity, combat exclusion, and promote fairness and high learning achievement. Finally, this publication intends to help school leaders identify areas where they need to improve on their competencies and daily practice and offer them a wider policy perspective to strategically orient, plan and implement initiatives that have the potential to create school environments that help all students, irrespective of their socio-economic and cultural background, gender, health condition or family circumstances, to develop to the best of their abilities.
European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL), 2015
The School Leadership Toolkit is designed to provide policy makers, school authorities, schools, ... more The School Leadership Toolkit is designed to provide policy makers, school authorities, schools, researchers and teacher training institutes with the tools to reflect upon, identify challenges and engage in policy action planning to support and enhance school leadership for equity and learning. Furthermore, the School Leadership Toolkit is designed to support analyses of the ways different school leadership policies and programs interplay and influence the overall capacity of school leaders and their schools to effectively and persistently address equity and learning challenges in their schools.
The research problem of the study is focused on the ways students perceive, respond to and evalua... more The research problem of the study is focused on the ways students perceive, respond to and evaluate paintings in the context of educational activities. Overall, this study contributes to the development of a better understanding of the ways the teacher-students’ interactions, the schemas of perception and the artifacts employed might influence students’ perception, responses to and evaluations of paintings.
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The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive framework of school leadership policy development that has been developed in the context of this project, the article undertakes two main tasks. Firstly, it attempts to show that instead of searching for universal solutions on the question of school autonomy, it is important to reflect on context specific policies on autonomy that aim at the attainment of concrete learning and equity goals. Secondly, it specifies seven general directions for policies on school autonomy that are adaptive to the divergent experiences of European education systems.
The article discusses the question of school autonomy in the context of school leadership policy development in Europe. School autonomy is considered as a critical precondition for the development of comprehensive school leadership policies. Based on the comprehensive framework of school leadership policy development that has been developed in the context of this project, the article undertakes two main tasks. Firstly, it attempts to show that instead of searching for universal solutions on the question of school autonomy, it is important to reflect on context specific policies on autonomy that aim at the attainment of concrete learning and equity goals. Secondly, it specifies seven general directions for policies on school autonomy that are adaptive to the divergent experiences of European education systems.
policymakers with the tools and analysis to meet challenges and identify areas for policy attention to support and enhance school leadership for equity and learning. Furthermore,
the EPNoSL framework is designed to analyze the ways that different school leadership policies and programs interplay and influence the overall capacity of school leaders and their
schools to effectively and persistently address equity and learning challenges in their schools.
The EPNoSL project considers school leadership as a multi-faceted process of strategically using the unique skills and knowledge of teachers, pupils, and parents, toward achieving common educational goals. It is more about relationships rather than people or processes. Under the EPNoSL’s perspective, within the framework of educational goals, leadership is present at all levels of an organization, directed at serving the most important stakeholders, through inspiring others in the organization to take part in the management process.
Chapter one offers a review of the literature on school leadership and equity in order to help provide policy with an evidence base on school leadership from the perspective of equity. This chapter cautions that literature on the efficacy of school leadership and equity may help constitute a “de-stated” account of governance that places onus on school leaders to take responsibility for social processes that may, in reality, lie beyond their control.
In chapter two it is argued that as the issues Europe faces become more testing, so schools are faced with intensifying difficulties in offering an equitable education to all. As it is argued, the causes of inequality are of course multiple and complex and not all under the control of school leaders, but the latter have the opportunity to minimise or exacerbate inequality.
In chapter three, decentralisation is discussed in relation to school autonomy types and the space for manoeuvres to schools and school leaders in related to critical issues such as finances, staff management, curricula etc. It is identified a trend of restructuring following New Public Management patterns of redistribution of power and governance between the State, local authorities and organisations. The couplings to local, municipal and national authorities have been loosened on how to spend public funding, how to manage staff and how to run schools, but the aim and curriculum of education has been tightened at the same time: standards are being detailed more and there are more control and accountability. This autonomy has been established according to bureaucratic and market place logics, using new social technologies like tests and quality reporting or inspection. Following those trends is a trend to empower school leaders more in the style of private sector top down management and leadership.
In chapter four the focus is on the leadership and management of change within organisations. Important questions have to do with how do we ensure that change is led and managed successfully - what do we need to consider when leading and managing the change process?
Chapter five on policy response explores the concept of policy, and considers what is meant by policy response. In this chapter it is provided an analysis that acknowledges that policy is in part extemporized, and in part the attempt to promote a “de-stated” account of governance.
Chapter six offers an analysis of policy briefs from 15 EU countries that were drafted by the EPNoSL partners. The analysis focuses on a) the policy emphasis that is placed on issues of equity and learning achievement at school, and on b) how the role of school leaders is (re)conceptualized in legislative frameworks and policy documents emphasizing on the relationships between leadership in schools, equity and learning outcomes, and c) outlines the organization, the content, and the duration of principals’ and other school leaders’ training that is available, focusing in particular to training on issues related to equity and learning outcomes. What this analysis reveals is that while there is some policy emphasis on equity and learning achievement at school drawing mostly from the PISA results, less emphasis is placed in the training of school leaders on how to deal with issues of equity and learning outcomes.
Chapter seven provides the Swedish Ministry of Education’s perspective on policies to support equity and improved learning outcomes and the role of principals in achieving these aims. As it is noted, equity and learning – linked to improved student outcomes - is not an easy task. The variation between high- and low-performing students as well as high and low performing schools and school districts in Sweden has increased over time, and concerns are raised about equity and learning linked to the quality of student outcomes in the context of Sweden’s highly decentralized school system.
Chapter eight offers an in-depth account of the state of affairs on school leadership in Finland. The goal of this chapter is to highlight the academic underpinning on school leadership in Finland and, on such a base, to review the current policy and trends in this country. As it is argued, a major re-orientation to school leadership is taking place in this country. Principals in Finland are called not only to act as educational leaders of their schools but also as managers who are responsible for financing and personnel issues, and also are held accountable for the results of their institutions.
Chapter nine provides a comprehensive overview of the research orientation of studies on school principals across the northern European community --its content, research designs, major findings - and offers conclusions and recommendations for advancing research on school principals. Key research areas identified are the following: 1) important educational challenges in order to inform policy makers, 2) implementation processes in relation to national policy on the local governing structures, 3) effects of national policy on changes processes on the local school level, 4) effects of international testing schemes on student outcomes, 5) effects on change processes in local schools in relation to the local governing structures, 6) principals and their decision making in relation to school governance, 7) principals’ strategic decision making in relation to school improvement, 8) effects of principal training programs, 9) effects of the relation between principals and teachers on improved student outcomes, and 10) effects of school leaders’ behavior on schools results analyzed with an organizational lens.
Chapter ten deepens into the discussion on policy response by focusing on the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland. In particular, in this chapter it is acknowledged that such policy is in part extemporized and in part an attempt to make inevitable a “de-stated” account of governance, as argued in chapter 5. On this basis, it is asked what practices such policy does, and does not permit in the context of Scotland.
Chapter eleven presents a new analysis of the PISA 2009 datasets in relation to school leadership. In this study the hypothesis that the intake of schools related to the socio-economic and cultural background of their students is a critical factor for basing policy on equity and learning was supported by evidence from PISA 2009 showing that students in schools with a high share of students coming from low socio-economic and cultural backgrounds perform on average much lower than their peers in medium or high SES schools. Low SES schools pose therefore much more pressing challenges to school leaders as compared to more privileged schools in terms of their intake. This reality observed in almost all EU countries has or should have implications regarding the training, professional development, retention and replacement of school leaders in low SES schools. Furthermore, the analysis of the relationship between principals’ leadership behaviour in low SES schools and student performance showed two dominant patterns between EU countries: the “reactive school management” pattern and the “proactive school management” pattern. As it is argued, these two patterns possibly use different fields of comparison, and is likely to reflect different underlying cultures of school management.
On the basis of the first eleven chapters of this report, as well as the documentation that was produced during the first year of the EPNoSL, in chapter twelve a number of critical factors are identified that may shape the capacity and potential of school leaders to exercise effectively school leadership in order to implement strategies and initiatives that are targeting to combat inequalities in access, opportunities and outcomes and promote learning performance in schools. The critical factors identified are the following: a) policy ownership, b) empowerment of different stakeholders and trust in their professionalism, c) supportive shared dispositions to inclusive schools, d) sound scientific evidence supporting the design, implementation and evaluation of policies, e) human resources: school leaders’ capacity building, f) political commitment and priorities, g) policy coherence and h) financial resources.
Finally, in chapter thirteen a preliminary European Policy Indicators framework is proposed to support policy development that is aimed to promote culturing and structuring of school leadership from the perspective of equity and learning. The framework builds upon the critical factors on policy implementation identified and discussed in the previous chapter.
This framework was developed through an iterative process of theory development, qualitative and quantitative empirical research and analyses, and synthesis of views expressed in the context of a wider dialogue and experience sharing that took place between national research teams and vocational education professionals, students and graduates in individual and group discussions in vocational schools and during workshops that were organised in Poland, Greece, Germany, Spain and Turkey. The above were undertaken in the context of the project “Facilitating Reflections on Equity in LLL Strategy -FARE” (2010-11). In total, the FARE national teams engaged directly in research activities 62 VET teachers, 12 administrators/policy makers mostly at regional/school levels, 388 VET students and 36 VET graduates. In the consolidation of the FARE framework and results participated around 103 VET administrators and teachers and around 100 students.
The proposed framework on equity in vocational education and training is based on the following basic questions that need to be answered in comprehensive ways in order for national and regional authorities, in collaboration with policy makers and stakeholders, from parents, teachers and students to municipal and regional government authorities, professional associations, employers’ and employees’ unions, and other interested civil society organizations and groups, to design and implement strategies and initiatives promoting equity in vocational schools and programmes, with an emphasis on the lifelong learning prospects of students:
* What wider socio-economic trends challenge VET?
* How social inequalities and patterns may affect issues of equity in education?
* What are system-wide educational equity problems that have to be taken into account?
* What are systemic/institutional level issues that may affect equity in vocational education?
* What is the socio-economic and educational background of students who choose vocational paths?
* What are the vocational students’ dispositions and practices towards learning to learn?"