A Tripartite Framework for Leadership Evaluation

The Tripartite Framework for Leadership Evaluation provides a comprehensive examination of the leadership evaluation landscape and makes key recommendations about how the field of leadership evaluation should proceed. The chief concern addressed by this working paper is the use of student outcome data as a measurement of leadership effectiveness. A second concern in our work with urban leaders is the absence or surface treatment of race and equity in nearly all evaluation instruments or processes. Finally, we call for an overhaul of the conventional cycle of inquiry, which is based largely on needs analysis and leader deficits, and incomplete use of evidence to support recurring short cycles within the larger yearly cycle of inquiry

An analytical framework for policy engagement: the contested case of 14-19 reform in England

This article attempts to construct an analytical framework to reflect upon the deeply contested area of 14-19 education and training policy in England following the publication of the Government’s White Paper ‘14-19 Education and Skills’. We argue that the evolution of 14-19 policy over the last fifteen years, culminating in the publication of the Tomlinson Final Report on 14-19 reform and then its rejection by the Government, might be better understood by looking at this area through the application of four related conceptual tools - political eras, the education state, the policy process and the operation of political space. These concepts or tools are used here both to narrate historical and recent 14-19 developments, to critique current policy-making in this area, and to identify opportunities and challenges facing researchers seeking to engage with the policy process. We suggest that this analytical framework might not only be applied to reform in the 14-19 phase but also to education policy more widely

The provision of financial education in Malta

It is becoming evident that preparation for life requires more than developing the ability to read and write, manipulate figures, and become technologically savvy. The provision of holistic education also entails developing other forms of literacies, amongst which is the ability to empower individuals to manage personal finances and understand corporate and public financial decisions and outcomes. In the absence of such a preparation, students emerge out of compulsory schooling vulnerable to scams and untrained to manage personal wealth and plan ahead. Given that little local research has so far been undertaken to investigate this area, this paper is an attempt to stimulate discussion on financial education in Malta. It takes a close look at the local educational system and investigates access and content in this area provided by compulsory schooling. This paper employs content analysis of local and international official documentation to bring to the fore the urgent need for local research on the requisites to enhance the provisions of financial literacy. Further research into the levels of school leavers’ financial literacy and the quality of financial education is deemed crucial by this study to shed further light on the subject. This study emphasizes the lack of research in this important area, notwithstanding the fact that financial education is of direct interest to policy-makers, educators, and the business community.peer-reviewe

A literature review of the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education

This review focuses on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Higher Education. It provides a synthesis of the research literature in the field and a series of illustrative examples of how these tools are being used in learning and teaching. It draws out the perceived benefits that these new technologies appear to offer, and highlights some of the challenges and issues surrounding their use. The review forms the basis for a HE Academy funded project, ‘Peals in the Cloud’, which is exploring how Web 2.0 tools can be used to support evidence-based practices in learning and teaching. The project has also produced two in-depth case studies, which are reported elsewhere (Galley et al., 2010, Alevizou et al., 2010). The case studies focus on evaluation of a recently developed site for learning and teaching, Cloudworks, which harnesses Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate the sharing and discussion of educational practice. The case studies aim to explore to what extent the Web 2.0 affordances of the site are successfully promoting the sharing of ideas, as well as scholarly reflections, on learning and teaching