Think tanks, policy networks and education governance: The rising of new intra-national spaces of policy in Portugal

This article focuses on the role of think tanks in education governance in Portugal, We are interested in contributing to a literature that discusses the emergence of new intra-national spaces of policy, and examines how the actors operating in those spaces work and influence education policy. This article is based on an empirical study conducted by EDULOG, a think tank for education that has been operating since 2015. We mapped EDULOG’s activities, the information generation activities, organizations, and actors connected to EDULOG using a network ethnography and social network analysis. This study shows that a) this organization articulated a network of actors from different sectors, including the academy, business and government agencies; and b) EDULOG acts as a space of social and cognitive intermediation, committed to developing knowledge geared towards policy decision and problem solving.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Policy Networks, Philanthropy, and Education Governance in Portugal: The Raise of Intermediary Actors

This article focuses on an emerging phenomenon in Portugal: the most visible and frequent presence of new collective actors in public policy processes. Often linked to philanthropic foundations, these actors call themselves to influence the educational agenda, and even the educational practices, and are highly dependent on expert knowledge. They are intermediary actors who perform cognitive and social operations that connect ideas, individuals and technical devices involved in policy processes. The article analyses the emergence of these intermediary actors and their attempts to influence and reshape the governance of education, through new political networks. Based on earlier empirical-based research inspired by network ethnography, and grounded on the political sociology of public action, the article presents a proposal for mapping these emerging intermediary actors, according to a) the spaces of collective action they use/create; b) their targets; c) their autonomy in the production of expert knowledge for policy. And depicts two trends related to their agency: the use of a more cognitive (rather than normative) regulation, more intensive and knowledge-based, converging to a new interactive and intuitive ways of knowledge dissemination; an increasingly intertwined regulation, involving several different social worlds, promoting and establishing new policy networks and the spread of the new philanthropy reasoning.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

THREATS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT: SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT SHORTCOMINGS

The goal of this research is to explore threats to performance measurement in public transportation using a pragmatic approach that displays the author’s broad set of research methods. The first paper addresses how rural public transportation systems measure success and whether this measurement is consistent with their stated goals. The research uses a qualitative analysis of success plans created by coordinated community transportation providers in North Carolina to understand the types of performance metrics they selected to measure themselves with and how well these metrics align with their stated mission, vision, and goals. In most plans, rural public transportation desires to be safe, reliable, and provide great customer service whereas their performance metrics are related to financial health and operational efficiency. The second paper concerns the impacts of a significant state policy change related to Medicaid transportation. Using a case study methodology, this research analyzes the initial impacts of North Carolina’s Medicaid Transformation on coordinated community public transportation. With such a substantial change in the Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT), the public transportation industry in North Carolina was concerned the introduction of private for-profit transportation brokers would reduce NEMT trip volumes and revenues. This research documents the initial experiences of Medicaid Transformation in North Carolina from the public transportation perspective using a case study approach. The final paper asks where and when buses experience recurring congestion and how impactful is this congestion. This research develops a methodology to locate where public bus routes experience recurring delay from roadway congestion and quantify the costs of the congestion by hour, mode, and roadway segment. Just as the roadway network performance degrades with predictable, recurring congestion, so does transit and school bus performance. The methodology created with this research will help public and school planners locate and quantify the service degradation, but also allow them to reroute or plan for technological or infrastructure enhancements to alleviate the delay.Doctor of Philosoph

The Productivity Consequences of Pollution-Induced Migration in China

Migration and pollution are two defining features of China\u27s impressive growth performance over the last 30 years. In this paper we study the migration response to pollution in Chinese cities, and its consequences for productivity and welfare. We document a robust pattern in which skilled workers emigrate more in response to pollution than the unskilled. Their greater sensitivity to air quality holds up in cross-sectional variation across cities, panel variation with individual fixed-effects, and when instrumenting for pollution using distant power-plants upwind of cities, or thermal inversions that trap pollution. Pollution therefore changes the spatial distribution of skilled and unskilled workers, which results in higher returns to skill in cities that the educated migrate away from. We quantify the loss in aggregate productivity due to this re-sorting by estimating a model of demand and supply of skilled and unskilled workers across Chinese cities. Counterfactual simulations from the estimated model show that reducing pollution would increase productivity through spatial re-sorting by approximately as much as the direct health benefits of clean air. Physical and institutional restrictions on mobility exacerbate welfare losses. People\u27s dislike of pollution explains a substantial portion of the wage gap between cities

Governance in Higher Education Institutions: a glimpse from the US

All over the world, higher education (HE) is perceived to be crucial and strategic for the development of regions and nations. In this aspect, the United States (US) higher education plays an important role, and it is recognized for several enduring features that make it distinct from other HE systems throughout the world. The US higher education is diverse and dynamic, with a commitment to academic freedom and cutting-edge research, and a wide range of institutions and programs are available to students. The enormity of the system exceeding 4,000 institutions and serving around 20 million students is clearly one feature. Its emphasis on access and availability is another. In recent times, one might wish to add its, perhaps, overzealous affinity for a market-driven philosophy. Finally, the mechanism of control through governing boards consisting of citizen-trustees that has endured since its beginning at Harvard College must be highlighted. The aim of this article is to present an overview on governance of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the US. We attempt to describe the main parameters around governance of public higher education, and we offer critical insights through a comparison with the private sector in the US and its European counterpart

Giving voice to problems faced by school leaders in Portugal

Worldwide, leadership stories are narratives of principals facing very different problems. The purpose of this study was to identify the current problems faced by Portuguese school principals, through these actors' voice. Nineteen public school Portuguese principals participated in this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed, coded, and categorised using Nvivo11 Pro. The analysis revealed that Portuguese principals have the same problems as their colleagues worldwide, but there are problems specifically related to the Portuguese educational system: problems from the process of school clustering and the leader-centred system of school management of this country. A framework to analyse the emerged problems and practical recommendations are proposed for school leaders, researchers, and policymakers to improve educational leadership

Higher Education governance and policy in Spain

The knowledge society of the 21st century is undergoing important changes in the field of information, communication, and globalization, which has led Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to play a leading role in its sustainable development, based on three fundamental pillars: social, economic, and environmental, which go beyond its traditional role based on training students to obtain a professional degree. The need to address these significant changes and improve the quality and efficiency of HEIs has led to a reassessment of their governance structures, which require a more agile governance system that includes professionalized management. The most recent analyses on governance agree that the current mechanisms and systems of participation and decision making must be modified to guarantee greater effectiveness, and an improvement in transparency and accountability with the aim of contributing to promoting the role of the university in society, highlighting its contribution to innovation, research, generation and transmission of knowledge, and fostering collaboration with the business environment to promote the socioeconomic development of the surrounding area. This article analyses the role of the governing bodies in Spanish universities, highlighting the challenges and threats, and providing critical insights that result in improved self-governance

As relações entre o PISA e o movimento STEM education no Brasil

In this article, we explore the fact that, far beyond obvious effects such as the ranking of educational systems and the construction of model countries, the narratives built by PISA also indirectly support the emergence of technicist educational trends such as the STEM education movement (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which has occupied significant space in the Brazilian educational agenda and is already part of government policies. Based on the theoretical reference in sociology of education, we analyze how the arguments built around STEM education, not by chance, similar to OECD perspectives: the solution to the challenges of the economy through education, throwing the bill of economic successes (and failures) to the school and the teacher. We have established a critical analysis of how STEM education has been presented as a universal solution, supported by being a trend imported especially from the United States, and given as a norm in Brazil. We have observed that the STEM movement is a product of globalizing practices, a byproduct of the performance and competitiveness policies that the OECD establishes on education systems worldwide.En este artículo, exploramos el hecho de que, mucho más allá de efectos obvios como la clasificación de los sistemas educativos y la construcción de países modelo, las narrativas construidas por PISA también apoyan indirectamente la aparición de tendencias educativas como el movimiento educativo STEM (Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas), que ha ocupado un espacio significativo en la agenda educativa brasileña y ya forma parte de las políticas gubernamentales. Partiendo de la referencia teórica en la sociología de la educación, analizamos cómo los argumentos construidos en torno a la educación STEM, no por casualidad, se acercan mucho a las perspectivas de la OCDE: la solución de los desafíos de la economía a través de la educación, pasando por la cuenta de los éxitos (y fracasos) económicos para la escuela y para el profesor. Hemos establecido un análisis crítico de cómo la educación STEM se ha presentado como una solución universal, apoyada por ser una tendencia importada especialmente de los Estados Unidos, y dada como norma en el Brasil. Hemos observado que el movimiento STEM es un producto de las prácticas globalizadoras, un subproducto de las políticas de rendimiento y competitividad que la OCDE determina a los sistemas educativos de todo el mundo.Neste artigo, exploramos o fato de que, muito além de efeitos evidentes como o ranqueamento dos sistemas educacionais e a construção de países-modelo, as narrativas construídas pelo PISA também sustentam indiretamente o surgimento de tendências educacionais como o movimento STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), o qual tem ocupado significativo espaço na agenda educacional brasileira e já faz parte de políticas de governo. Partindo do referencial teórico em sociologia da educação, analisamos como os argumentos construídos em torno do STEM education, não por acaso, são muito próximos das perspectivas da OCDE: a solução para os desafios da economia através da educação, jogando a conta dos sucessos (e fracassos) econômicos para a escola e para o professor. Estabelecemos uma análise crítica sobre o modo pelo qual o STEM education tem sido apresentado como uma solução universal, respaldada por ser uma tendência importada especialmente dos Estados Unidos, e dado como uma norma no Brasil. Observamos que o movimento STEM é um produto das práticas globalizantes, é um subproduto das políticas de desempenho e competividade que a OCDE determina nos sistemas educacionais mundo afora

Separadores para o Canal180: a cor e o movimento como meio de comunicação de emoções

Relatório de estágioO presente documento descreve o processo de desenvolvimento do projeto final de mestrado realizado em contexto de estágio no Canal180, como também aborda teoricamente os seus temas. É feita ainda uma breve abordagem a todos os trabalhos realizados em estágio num contexto profissional. O projeto entra na área das emoções unindo a expressão corporal e a cor, dois temas que comunicam visualmente as emoções. Foram exploradas relações entre a cor e o movimento do corpo na dança fortalecendo a comunicação da emoção que ambas igualmente expressam. Recorrendo à animação performativa, os movimentos corporais foram digitalizados por meio de sensores através do sistema de motion capture Xsens gerando, posteriormente por meio de software, visuais para cada uma das emoções base. No final resultaram cinco animações correspondentes a cinco emoções (alegria, raiva, tristeza, medo e nojo). Sendo estas separadores televisivos, o seu propósito principal é comunicar as emoções do programa anunciado preparando de certa forma, a audiência do Canal180 para o programa seguinte, colocando-a num estado de espírito relacionado com o mesmo.This paper describes the process of developing the final master's project carried out in an internship context at Canal180, as well as theoretically addressing its themes. A brief approach is also made to all the work done in an internship in a professional context. The project enters the area of emotions by uniting body expression and color, two themes that visually communicate emotions. Relationships between color and body movement in dance were explored strengthening the communication of emotion that both equally express. Using performative animation, body movements were digitized by sensors through the Xsens motion capture system, generating later through software, visuals for each of the base emotions. In the end resulted five animations corresponding to five emotions (joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust). Being television separators, their main purpose is to communicate the emotions of the advertised program, preparing, in a way, Canal180's audience for the next program, putting them in a state of mind related to it

What about us? Teachers’ participation in schools’ strategic action plans

Schools in various parts of the world adopt plans or projects to improve the quality of school processes and students’ learning. Therefore, it is important to understand the processes of strategic planning such as teachers’ participation on decision making related to school plans. Apparently a limited number of studies have hitherto been conducted on teachers’ participation in strategic planning. The purpose of this paper is to examine teachers’ participation in decision making and strategic action planning in Portuguese schools. A survey employing self-administered scales was taken. Teachers' participation, other stakeholders’ participation, planning, and decision making, professional development, plans’ importance and validation, and ownership were the dimensions considered. Data were collected from 804 Portuguese teachers. Participants reported moderate to high levels of participation in strategic action plans, but they also reported moderate to low levels of participation in overall school decisions, plans’ importance and validation, sense of ownership and recognition of relevant opportunities for professional development. These results indicate that participation and collaboration are essential determinants of plan and action success in educational contexts. The participative nature of decision making and strategic planning seems to underscore the relevance, value and adequacy of schools’ plans from the perspective of teachers. However, differences in these dimensions related to teachers’ experience and professional roles also point to lower levels of participation from some teachers, which may hinder their involvement in school actions and improvement. This study suggests the need to explore the dominant types of participation and collaboration in Portuguese schools and to analyse the importance of other variables.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio