Peer-reviewed articles by Rafael Mitchell
International Journal of Educational Development, 2023
This paper concerns an aspect of schooling in sub-Saharan Africa which receives limited attention... more This paper concerns an aspect of schooling in sub-Saharan Africa which receives limited attention in official education discoursenamely, that students themselves often bear educational responsibilities for the access and learning of their peers. Informed by postcolonial and decolonial scholarship, this critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) of school-based research from the region provides a taxonomy of students' roles and responsibilities with respect to the education of their peers. The study reveals positive and negative aspects of such support. The expectation of mutual support amongst students reflects a collectivist orientation in the region, and the material realities of teaching and learning in historically under-resourced environments. Where peer support focuses on improving learning then evidence is largely positive, both for those giving and receiving support; however, where students' access to education is reliant on peers (which is the case for many disadvantaged learners, including children with disabilities and those from linguistic minorities) then the adequacy of these arrangements is questionable. Peer support cannot compensate for exclusionary policies and underinvestment in necessary professional support and infrastructure. This study finds that peer support is a key and neglected aspect of education quality in the region. The implications of this for progress towards global and regional policy priorities are considered, alongside lessons for research and practice.
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Curriculum Journal, 2022
This article draws on the experiences of teachers and teacher educators within the "Bristol Decol... more This article draws on the experiences of teachers and teacher educators within the "Bristol Decolonising Network", an informal professional learning network based in South West England, to share examples of teacher-led decolonising/antiracist initiatives. The seven vignettes presented cover a range of subject areas across the English Secondary school curriculum, with varying rationales, foci, forms and intended outcomes. For this Special Issue, we look across these cases to consider links between teacher-led decolonising and antiracist initiatives and professional learning. We suggest that professional learning is both a condition for, and outcome of, teachers' engagement in such work; and that extending collaboration beyond hierarchical and institutional boundaries is a key enabler for progress on this agenda.
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Cambridge Journal of Education, 2023
This article considers different approaches to lesson observation and their potential for underst... more This article considers different approaches to lesson observation and their potential for understanding and evaluating classroom practice in sub-Saharan Africa. We start with a critical appraisal of Teach, a recent World Bank initiative. The evidence and assumptions underpinning this teacher-focused instrument are considered alongside its affordances and limitations. Following this, we review evidence from school-based research from the region to identify four salient aspects of conditions for learning: the use of languages; the role of peers; the use of resources to support learning; and differentiated support. An alternative framework for lesson observations is proposed as a means of developing understandings of these conditions through a spotlight on the activities of individual learners; learners’ interactions with teachers and peers; and the classroom environment. In conclusion we consider how this framework may be used alongside existing instruments for deeper insights into the nature and quality of education in the region.
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Global Social Challenges Journal, 2023
In spring 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, research projects funded by the UK's Global Challen... more In spring 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, research projects funded by the UK's Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) were subjected to budget cuts. The cuts were the result of UK government's decision to reduce its Official Development Assistance (ODA), which had devastating effects for humanitarian, development and research work. This article draws on focus group discussions with project teams working on three large GCRF-funded projects to explore the effects of these cuts. The article documents how the cuts curtailed project aspirations and impact, had a negative toll on the mental health of researchers, and imperilled the trusting relationships upon which international research collaborations are built. The article argues that the cuts expose the shallow commitments to research ethics and equitable partnerships of powerful actors in the UK research ecosystem, including research councils and government. In 'doing harm' via these cuts, the article explores the failure of research governance structures and the continued coloniality underpinning the UK's approach to researching 'global challenges'.
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This study is an original synthesis of African research evidence on teacher professional developm... more This study is an original synthesis of African research evidence on teacher professional development (TPD) provision in the sub-Saharan region. It provides a critical appraisal of the evidence base and identifies patterns in the actors and agendas involved in TPD initiatives; the modes and modalities of provision; and teachers’ experiences and outcomes. The study takes the form of a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) and is informed by theoretical work on decolonising education (Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2013) and promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI). It draws primarily on publications by African-based researchers, where our research team is largely based. The findings point to the prevalence of one-size-fits-all provision which can often undermine, rather than strengthen, the situated professional knowledge and agency of teachers. Additionally, despite the emphasis given to inclusive education and gender-responsive pedagogy as a substantive focus of TPD initiatives, we find that dominant modalities of TPD provision continue to exclude historically marginalised groups, and largely reproduce existing social inequalities along the lines of gender, rurality, dis/ability and other dimensions. Alongside these negative findings, the study also finds fertile ground for more inclusive, generative and empowering TPD in the region.
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Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 2017
Recent policies in Ethiopia put students at the heart of school improvement through structures fo... more Recent policies in Ethiopia put students at the heart of school improvement through structures for peer leadership and school-level consultation, evaluation and decision-making. This article draws on an ethnographic study of a government school in Tigray, Ethiopia, to explore how the participation and influence of students is achieved and mediated by structures and processes in school. Three key contexts of student participation are explored: positions of peer leadership (monitor, ‘one-to-five’ network leader); public evaluation sessions (gim gima); and the Parent Student Teacher Association (PSTA). Recommendations are made for sharing and strengthening democratic practices and for future research.
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In Ethiopia, as elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there are efforts to broaden local stakeho... more In Ethiopia, as elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there are efforts to broaden local stakeholder participation in structures and processes of school leadership. Despite advocacy from the World Bank, amongst others, research in SSA questions the extent to which such reforms reflect genuine democratisation. This study applies theories of power to the participation of local stakeholders (management, teachers, students and parents) based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at a government primary school in Tigray. The study finds that management agendas dominate consultative and decision-making forums; however, these spaces also enable students and others to share their views on conduct within the school community, which serves an important accountability function.
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Educational Review, Jun 20, 2014
In the last 20 years the Ethiopian education system has rapidly expanded, leading to a 500% incre... more In the last 20 years the Ethiopian education system has rapidly expanded, leading to a 500% increase in primary school enrolment. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has sought to address a perceived decline in educational quality through nationally-mandated programmes for school improvement and teachers’ professional development . Such programmes – imported on the advice of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Department for International Development (DfID) and other development partners – are implemented “mechanistically”, without adaptation for societal or organisational cultural contexts. This article reviews empirical research from the last decade, including “grey” literature, in the school improvement (SI) and school effectiveness research (SER) traditions to draw implications for primary school principals in Ethiopia.
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Professional Development in Education, 2013
This article considers the nature of professional development, how it occurs in individuals, and ... more This article considers the nature of professional development, how it occurs in individuals, and how educational leaders and managers can facilitate professional development for the purpose of school improvement. Social theories of learning provide compelling explanations of the conditions through which professional development occurs in and among individuals within a community of practice. Research into professional learning communities suggests ways forward for educational leaders and managers to foster environments in which individual and organisational learning is optimised through collaboration and shared leadership.
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Journal of Further and Higher Education, May 20, 2014
This paper reports on an exploratory study of the role of programme leaders (PLs) in a pre-1992 u... more This paper reports on an exploratory study of the role of programme leaders (PLs) in a pre-1992 university, based on interviews with PLs (7) and a survey of taught Masters students (54) in a single school. The study elicits PLs’ activities, most of which might be categorised as managerial and administrative, with leadership required intermittently; the preeminent role is in managing programme quality. The study finds that institutional guidelines overlook important aspects of PLs’ work (such as organising enrichment activities and student advocacy) which affect the quality of provision; and findings challenge the notion that PLs are engaged in a ‘disesteemed’ service.
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Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, Mar 27, 2014
The Coalition Government’s ‘Green Paper’ (DfE, 2011) proposes a systemic overhaul of services for... more The Coalition Government’s ‘Green Paper’ (DfE, 2011) proposes a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with Special Educational Needs in England, with increased parental choice of provision, and “sharper accountability” (p. 67) in schools. Deadlines for various stages of this reform have not been met, and its final nature remains uncertain. This article reveals SENCOs’ insights into their changing role in this turbulent policy context. This is achieved through the thematic analysis of 227 responses to an ‘open-ended’ question in the national SENCO Survey 2012. Findings from this sample indicate that SENCOs predict schools in England will become more inclusive, with greater shared responsibility for achievement for all, and SENCOs’ increased involvement in staff training and other whole school capacity-building activities. Respondents predict a greater partnership with parents, for whom they will provide advice and links to other services. They foresee their reduced involvement in direct teaching, and an intensification of their work in other ways, especially in terms of paperwork associated with pupil tracking and other accountability measures. These changes are anticipated against a backdrop of resource cuts, requiring SENCOs to show increasing self-reliance and imagination.
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Educational Management Administration & Leadership, Mar 2015
This edited collection explores the phenomenon of global education policies (GEPs) and is central... more This edited collection explores the phenomenon of global education policies (GEPs) and is centrally concerned with why policymakers in developing countries ‘buy into’ GEPs, such as school-based management and learner-centred education. The editors (Chapter 1) argue that ‘it is not always clear whether GEPs work or not, or under what conditions they do so’ (p. 19), and direct attention to the processes through which policymakers come to perceive GEPs to work. While GEPs are adopted by governments around the world, low-income countries are particularly susceptible to the agendas of well-resourced international organisations such as the World Bank, donor agencies and NGOs, which influence educational priorities and strategies at the national level.
In such contexts, Verger, Novelli and Altinyelken emphasise international organisations’ capacity to promote policies through high profile launch events, briefs and reports, in which policies are framed in technical, ostensibly neutral terms within the ‘common sense’ neo-liberal discourse of cost-effectiveness and efficiency gains (p. 20). An example of this is school-based management, which for the last two decades has been advanced by the World Bank as a means to ‘improve educational outcomes and increase client satisfaction’ (Barrera-Osorio et al., 2009 …
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Thesis by Rafael Mitchell
This study provides an account of the agendas, participation and influence of management, teacher... more This study provides an account of the agendas, participation and influence of management, teachers, students and parents at a primary school in Tigray, Ethiopia. A literature review revealed gaps in the knowledge of these stakeholders’ involvement in school leadership structures in the current national policy context. A broader review of the major traditions of school research informed the design of this ethnographic case study. Fieldwork at ‘Ketema School’ took place over an eight-month period in 2014, and involved participant observation, informant-led interviews, and the collection of institutional documents. Data collection focused on the meetings of various bodies, and the activities of a single class in Grade 6 and 7. Inductive analysis of the case data was supported by Atlas.ti.
The study reveals a convergence of understandings about the purposes and processes of the school consistent with the state-authorised model of schooling for national development. Structures and processes of surveillance and control incentivise and normalise compliance with government directives. These include positions of distributed leadership and mechanisms of mutual surveillance and internal accountability through which teachers and students share responsibility for supervising peers and colleagues. For example, the student leaders of the ‘one-to-five’ networks perform an academic support and behavioural control function in relation to their peers; and gim gima is a practice of public critique used for exposing misconduct. Meetings and other participative spaces enable members of the school community to share their views on conditions in school according to their interests and priorities; however, these forums are dominated by management agendas, and school-level decisions are restricted by a strong external policy context.
This study extends knowledge of school leadership practices in Ethiopia and informs wider debates around community participation, accountability and school autonomy in developing countries. Recommendations are made for sharing and strengthening democratic practices and for future research.
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Research reports by Rafael Mitchell
This literature review provides an account of inclusive education (IE) with a special focus on su... more This literature review provides an account of inclusive education (IE) with a special focus on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) for the purpose of orienting and informing the 2016-2017 Enable-Ed/Uganda Society for Disabled Children study: ‘Inclusive education in Uganda: examples of best practice.’
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Transcript for a podcast reporting on the ecological ethics of ethnographic fieldwork at a school... more Transcript for a podcast reporting on the ecological ethics of ethnographic fieldwork at a school in Tigray, Ethiopia.
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This report presents my reflections from a 5-day visit to the Faculty of Education (FoE) of a gov... more This report presents my reflections from a 5-day visit to the Faculty of Education (FoE) of a government university in Egypt in March 2015 with a team from the School of Education, University of Leicester, UK, as part of the European Commission’s TEMPUS Project: Capacity Development of Faculties of Education in International Approaches to Teacher Education. Based on institutional visits, presentations and interviews with people working in the sector, I will sketch my understanding of the past and present status of the TEMPUS Project focal issues – Practicum, Teacher Professional Development and Action Research – before considering challenges and potential ways forward.
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Conference presentations by Rafael Mitchell
This paper introduces student leadership and internal accountability mechanisms at a government p... more This paper introduces student leadership and internal accountability mechanisms at a government primary school in Ethiopia. The network system (also known as 'one to five') is a means of sharing responsibility with students for supporting the academic learning, and regulating the behaviour, of their peers. Another practice, gim gima, is a forum for public critique, whereby students, teachers and others in the school community evaluate the conduct of their peers and leaders, with a view to identifying misconduct, learning from mistakes, and making future improvements. This paper draws from ethnographic research undertaken for my PhD research.
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The Coalition Government has promised a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with Special Edu... more The Coalition Government has promised a systemic overhaul of services for pupils with Special Educational Needs (DfE 2011). Although the precise implications for SENCOs are not yet known, the draft proposal indicates the government’s intention for increased parental choice over provision and ‘sharper accountability’ in schools. Drawing on data from national surveys of SENCOs in 2007 and 2012, this presentation explores divergent aspirations and concerns about forthcoming changes to the role of SENCOs.
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Peer-reviewed articles by Rafael Mitchell
In such contexts, Verger, Novelli and Altinyelken emphasise international organisations’ capacity to promote policies through high profile launch events, briefs and reports, in which policies are framed in technical, ostensibly neutral terms within the ‘common sense’ neo-liberal discourse of cost-effectiveness and efficiency gains (p. 20). An example of this is school-based management, which for the last two decades has been advanced by the World Bank as a means to ‘improve educational outcomes and increase client satisfaction’ (Barrera-Osorio et al., 2009 …
Thesis by Rafael Mitchell
The study reveals a convergence of understandings about the purposes and processes of the school consistent with the state-authorised model of schooling for national development. Structures and processes of surveillance and control incentivise and normalise compliance with government directives. These include positions of distributed leadership and mechanisms of mutual surveillance and internal accountability through which teachers and students share responsibility for supervising peers and colleagues. For example, the student leaders of the ‘one-to-five’ networks perform an academic support and behavioural control function in relation to their peers; and gim gima is a practice of public critique used for exposing misconduct. Meetings and other participative spaces enable members of the school community to share their views on conditions in school according to their interests and priorities; however, these forums are dominated by management agendas, and school-level decisions are restricted by a strong external policy context.
This study extends knowledge of school leadership practices in Ethiopia and informs wider debates around community participation, accountability and school autonomy in developing countries. Recommendations are made for sharing and strengthening democratic practices and for future research.
Research reports by Rafael Mitchell
Conference presentations by Rafael Mitchell
In such contexts, Verger, Novelli and Altinyelken emphasise international organisations’ capacity to promote policies through high profile launch events, briefs and reports, in which policies are framed in technical, ostensibly neutral terms within the ‘common sense’ neo-liberal discourse of cost-effectiveness and efficiency gains (p. 20). An example of this is school-based management, which for the last two decades has been advanced by the World Bank as a means to ‘improve educational outcomes and increase client satisfaction’ (Barrera-Osorio et al., 2009 …
The study reveals a convergence of understandings about the purposes and processes of the school consistent with the state-authorised model of schooling for national development. Structures and processes of surveillance and control incentivise and normalise compliance with government directives. These include positions of distributed leadership and mechanisms of mutual surveillance and internal accountability through which teachers and students share responsibility for supervising peers and colleagues. For example, the student leaders of the ‘one-to-five’ networks perform an academic support and behavioural control function in relation to their peers; and gim gima is a practice of public critique used for exposing misconduct. Meetings and other participative spaces enable members of the school community to share their views on conditions in school according to their interests and priorities; however, these forums are dominated by management agendas, and school-level decisions are restricted by a strong external policy context.
This study extends knowledge of school leadership practices in Ethiopia and informs wider debates around community participation, accountability and school autonomy in developing countries. Recommendations are made for sharing and strengthening democratic practices and for future research.
Mitchell provide a national perspective on the role of the SENCO.