Mexican Perspectives on Mexico-U.S. Immigration:Implications for Adult Education in the U.S. & Mexico

Mexican immigration has spawned a public discourse about the private motivations and experiences of immigrants and their families that is shaped by U.S. political and economic interests. This study sought to recover Mexican immigrants’ stories about their experiences and to imagine how adult educators can address this transnational phenomenon

Culturally Responsive Leadership in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse School: A Case Study of the Practices of a High School Leader

The purpose of this study was to describe how a culturally responsive leader conducts her leadership role with teachers, parents and students in a culturally diverse high school. Surveys and interviews in the preliminary study helped to select a leader who best exemplified culturally responsive leadership (CRL) from a pool of ten leaders. The participants in the primary study included six teachers, nine parents, and the leader from a high school in Central Texas. In the primary study, I collected data through focus group interviews with teachers and parents, and additional interviews with the leader (Faith). I also shadowed Faith three times and observed participating teachers three times each. During the shadowing sessions and classroom observations I collected artifacts related to both CRL and culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) respectively. Follow-up interviews after classroom observations and shadowing sessions helped clarify information collected. Examination of all the qualitative data from the participants revealed that Faith‘s culturally responsive leadership was influenced by the context, her understanding of CRL, and her philosophy of education. Her CRL included six themes: (a) building positive relationships, (b) being persistent and persuasive, (c) modeling cultural responsiveness, (d) being present and communicating, (e) fostering cultural responsiveness among others and (f) caring for others. Faith performed these leadership behaviors through relating to people, promoting culturally responsive curriculum, and creating a culturally responsive school environment. Findings also revealed that Washington High School is undergoing a process of change leading toward a culturally responsive system. Noted outcomes included students‘ academic, social, and personal growth and development. These findings support the conclusion that creating positive institutional relationships is crucial to effective leadership in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. Recommendations for further study include replicating this study with a number of culturally responsive leaders and their students.Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psycholog

The Impact of School Head and Teacher Relations: How Relationships Shape Teachers’ Attitudes towards Work in Schools

This qualitative study used a purposefully selected sample and some interviews to generate data. The data revealed strategic instructional leadership and classroom practices used by school heads to influence teachers to use relationships that facilitate effective instruction to implement the competence-based school curriculum. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) theory formed the framework for understanding management of curriculum implementation. Throughout data generation, I asked participants to describe best practices appropriate for implementing the competency-based curriculum. Participants revealed best practices applicable to the Zimbabwean context. Key findings revealed that project-based learning best promotes student-to-student relations that guarantee safe social conditions for learners to share ideas. I concluded that implementing competency based instruction requires instructional leadership modelled around project-based learning (child-centred) as opposed to teaching (teacher-centred) instruction. Facilitation includes developing trust, active listening skills, leaner-grouping and relationships among teachers and learners. Sustained school-based professional development is critical for the success in implementing the competency-based curriculum