International Trends in Principal Autonomy

This study explores international trends in principal autonomy. As national education systems are responding to the pressures of globalization by introducing reforms to enhance the efficiency of schooling, the role of the principals is becoming widely recognized as a key component in the efforts to reshape education for the 21st century. Giving school leaders greater autonomy to manage resources, personnel, and instructional programs has been linked to improvements in student outcomes in different countries. The availability of internationally comparative data has reinforced the trend to implement reforms which promote enhanced principal autonomy as a means to improve student outcomes. This study fills a gap in the research related to the global spread of notions of best practice in educational leadership and the impact of recent reform efforts on the changing role of the school principal. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the role of school principal is becoming increasingly similar across countries, regardless of culture, in response to a growing global understanding of best practice by national education systems worldwide. The study used a sequential mixed methods design consisting of a quantitative analysis of data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) as well as a series of semi-structured interviews to shed light on how the lived experiences of secondary principals in a German `Gymnasium\u27 reflect changing expectations linked to international trends regarding the role of the principal. The findings broadly confirmed the underlying hypothesis that educational leadership reforms are often based on global notions of best practice and that these changes have resulted in 1) an increase in principal responsibilities related to instructional ( pedagogic ) leadership; and 2) an increase in homogeneity of the role of principal across countries

Compassion Focused Approaches to Working With Distressing Voices

This paper presents an outline of voice-hearing phenomenology in the context of evolutionary mechanisms for self- and social- monitoring. Special attention is given to evolved systems for monitoring dominant-subordinate social roles and relationships. These provide information relating to the interpersonal motivation of others, such as neutral, friendly or hostile, and thus the interpersonal threat, versus safe, social location. Individuals who perceive themselves as subordinate and dominants as hostile are highly vigilant to down-rank threat and use submissive displays and social spacing as basic defenses. We suggest these defense mechanisms are especially attuned in some individuals with voices, in which this fearful-subordinate – hostile-dominant relationship is played out. Given the evolved motivational system in which voice-hearers can be trapped, one therapeutic solution is to help them switch into different motivational systems, particularly those linked to social caring and support, rather than hostile competition. Compassion focused therapy (CFT) seeks to produce such motivational shifts. Compassion focused therapy aims to help voice-hearers, (i) notice their threat-based (dominant-subordinate) motivational systems when they arise, (ii) understand their function in the context of their lives, and (iii) shift into different motivational patterns that are orientated around safeness and compassion. Voice-hearers are supported to engage with biopsychosocial components of compassionate mind training, which are briefly summarized, and to cultivate an embodied sense of a compassionate self-identity. They are invited to consider, and practice, how they might wish to relate to themselves, their voices, and other people, from the position of their compassionate self. This paper proposes, in line with the broader science of compassion and CFT, that repeated practice of creating internal patterns of safeness and compassion can provide an optimum biopsychosocial environment for affect-regulation, emotional conflict-resolution, and therapeutic change. Examples of specific therapeutic techniques, such as chair-work and talking with voices, are described to illustrate how these might be incorporated in one-to-one sessions of CFT.CH-M was supported by a Medical Research Council Clinical Research Training Fellowship (MR/L01677X/1) to investigate Compassion Focused Therapy for Psychosis

Negro settlement in British Columbia, 1858-1871

This is a study of the negro migration to British Columbia in the mid-19th century. It is the story of the early coloured pioneers who came to the colony from California to escape oppression. Here is a glance at the early history of the Canadian west coast from the standpoint of one of the many minority groups who once settled there. The first of the negro immigrants arrived in Victoria, Vancouver Island in April of 1858, when the gold rush to the Fraser River was just beginning. While many preferred to try their luck at the diggings, others remained in the town where they prospered as merchants, barbers, restaurant and saloon keepers and ordinary labourers. Not wishing to live in segregation as they had been forced to do in California, they fitted themselves into the life of the settlement to a remarkable degree. The coloured townspeople were particularly active in colonial politics, and when they voted en bloc, they could, and sometimes did control the outcome of elections, a situation which aroused antagonism toward them. Several negroes ran as candidates in colonial and municipal elections and one of them, Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was not only elected to the City Council, but later on leaving the colony became the first negro Judge in the United States and was eventually appointed United States Consul to Madagascar. The first volunteer military unit on Vancouver Island, the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps was composed entirely of coloured men. After much discouragement at the hands of the whites, the negro soldiers disbanded, but at least they deserve the credit for being the first to volunteer and to prepare themselves for the defence of the colony. Other important centers of negro settlement were on Salt Spring Island, where they established themselves as farmers and ranchers, and in the gold fields where they panned the bars of the Fraser River and the creeks of the Cariboo country. While it is doubtful if many became wealthy as miners, some became prosperous business men supplying the economic needs of the pioneer settlements. The coloured people had not entirely escaped prejudice by their northward migration however, for it followed them from California on every gold rush steamer, and even the British settlers were not entirely blameless. Attempts were made in Victoria to segregate them in the churches and theatres, and to exclude them from the public bars. On Salt Spring Island the situation appears to have been somewhat different, for on the fringe of settlement, any neighbour, regardless of his colour, was a decided asset, and in the mining country men were generally judged by the amount of money in their pockets rather than by the colour of their skin. By the mid-1860’s the gold excitement had almost died away bringing a period of depression to Vancouver Island. In the United States the Civil War had come to an end and slavery had been abolished. Now it was no longer necessary for the coloured people to continue their self-imposed exile and many decided to return to the United States. As this movement progressed, the race problem in the colony diminished, and in time the fact that there had ever been an extensive settlement of negroes in British Columbia was forgotten.Arts, Faculty ofHistory, Department ofGraduat

Research and practice for ultra-high risk for psychosis : a national survey of early intervention in psychosis services in England

Background: Evidence from meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials show interventions for young people at ultra-high risk (UHR) of developing psychosis are effective both clinically and economically. While research evidence has begun to be integrated into clinical guidelines, there is a lack of research on the implementation of these guidelines. This paper examines service provision for UHR individuals in accordance with current clinical guidelines within the National Health Service (NHS) in England. Method: A self-report online survey was completed by clinical leaders of early intervention in psychosis (EIP) teams (N = 50) within the NHS across England. Results: Of the 50 EIP teams responding (from 30 NHS trusts), 53% reported inclusion of the UHR group in their service mandate, with age range predominantly 14 to 35 years (81%) and service provided for at least 12 months (53%). Provision of services according to NICE clinical guidelines showed 50% of services offered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis, and 42% offered family intervention. Contrary to guidelines, 50% of services offered antipsychotic medication. Around half of services provided training in assessment by Comprehensive Assessment of At Risk Mental States, psycho-education, CBT for psychosis, family work and treatment for anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Despite clear evidence for the benefit of early intervention in this population, current provision for UHR within EIP services in England does not match clinical guidelines. While some argue this is due to a lack of allocated funding, it is important to note the similar variable adherence to clinical guidelines in the treatment of people with established schizophrenia

Breaking the chain Men working with boys in trouble

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:99/37904 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo