Leadership for school improvement: Regulations, training and practices. A study of school principals in Argentina

Esta investigación estudia la situación de los directores escolares en Argentina desde la perspectiva del liderazgo directivo como factor de mejora escolar. El estudio realizado en la Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, busca describir y analizar regulaciones, formación y prácticas de los directores. Los resultados muestran que en el país la normativa define un exceso de funciones (administrativas, pedagógicas y sociocomunitarias) sin que exista adecuada oferta formativa para la función pedagógica. En cuanto a las prácticas, en la muestra estudiada en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, se observa una brecha entre las capacidades propias del liderazgo pedagógico y las que los directores poseen y preponderancia en la realización de tareas administrativas. Concluimos en la necesidad de fortalecer el liderazgo pedagógico: redefinir sus responsabilidades, construir las competencias necesarias y convertirlo en una profesión atractivaThis research studies the situation of school principals in Argentina from the perspective of leadership as a factor of school improvement. The study carried out in the Torcuato Di Tella University aims to describe and analyze regulations, training and practices of the directors. The results show that in the country the regulations define an excess of functions (administrative, pedagogical and social) without adequate educational provision for the pedagogical function. As for the practices, in the sample studied in the City of Buenos Aires, there is a gap between the capacities of the pedagogical leadership and those that the directors possess and preponderance in the administrative tasks. We conclude on the need to strengthen pedagogical leadership: redefine its responsibilities, build the necessary competencies, and turn it into an attractive professio

Gestión “situada” de la mejora escolar: un estudio de caso en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

La ponencia recoge los aspectos centrales de una investigación realizada por la autora (tesis doctoral leída en 2006 en la Universidad Complutense de Madrid con dirección de Antonio Bolívar) en la cual se estudian 32 proyectos de mejora llevados a cabo por 15 escuelas secundarias públicas (con 2.000 docentes y 11.000 alumnos, aproximadamente) de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires que apuntan a producir la democratización y mejora de la calidad del servicio educativo. El propósito general del trabajo fue indagar acerca de formas emergentes de gestionar la mejora escolar, que no responden a la lógica centralizada de la reforma, sino que estarían en la línea del “cambio situado” con amplia participación de los actores escolares en su diseño e implementación. El estudio hace foco en dos cuestiones: los proyectos de mejora que desarrollan las escuelas y los procesos de acompañamiento y supervisión. Los objetivos principales del estudio fueron: a) Describir y analizar las características de los proyectos escolares de mejora en cuanto a su inicio, desarrollo y resultados, como así también las condiciones en que tuvieron lugar. b) Describir y analizar los procesos de asesoramiento que acompañaron el desarrollo de los proyectos y la modalidad de gestión seguida por la supervisión escolar. El diseño metodológico es el de estudio de caso. Se utilizó el método de profundización sucesiva, con una combinación de técnicas (entrevistas, cuestionarios, análisis documental y observación participante) y se acudió a la triangulación secuencial de la información

Cellular Immune Response And Gene Expression Profiling In Crohn\u27s Dise

Despite the chronic debate in the etiology of crohn\u27s disease (cd), a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (ibd) closely related to ulcerative colitis (uc), an emerging interest in a possible mycobacterial role has been marked. Granuloma and pathologic manifestations in cd resemble aspects found in tuberculosis, leprosy and paratuberculosis. The latter, a chronic enteritis in cattle, goat, sheep and primates, which is similar to human enteritis, also known as cd, is caused by a fastidious, slow growing mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (map). Due to the similarities between cd and paratuberculosis, a mycobacterial cause in cd has been proposed. Recent discovery of a possible association between nod2/card15 mutations and risk of cd added support to microorganism-host interactions. In this study, a possible mycobacterial role in cd etiology has been evaluated by investigating the presence of map dna, the state of the cellular immune response and microarray gene expression profiling in peripheral blood and surgical tissue from cd, uc and healthy control subjects. Nested pcr detected map dna in tissue from 10/12(83%) cd patients compared to 1/6(17%) non-ibd subjects. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (fish) with the aid of confocal scanning laser microscopy (cslm) detected map dna in 8/12(67%) cd subjects compared to 0/6(0%) in non-ibd subjects. The detection of map dna by either technique in tissue from cd subjects is significant compared to non-ibd subjects (p \u3c 0.05). Map dna was also detected in both inflamed and non-inflamed tissue from patients with cd suggesting map infiltration in human tissue. Correlation of possible map presence and the function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (pmn) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) in 19 cd patients and 12 controls have been evaluated. Pmn phagocytosis of viable fitc-map was suppressed in 13/19(68%) cd patients compared to 0/12(0%) in healthy controls (p\u3c0.05). Pbmc phagocytosis of viable fitc-map was suppressed in 5/19(26%) of cd patients compared to 0/12(0%) of healthy controls (p\u3c0.05). The proliferative response of pbmc with t-cell majority from cd and controls subjects was evaluated against pha, candida albicans, pwm and map ppd. Dysfunctional proliferative response against pha was found in 8/19(42%) cd patients compared to 1/12(8.3%) in controls suggesting possible t-cell anergy. Pbmc from 11 cd subjects reacted normally to pha, 7/11(64%) reacted strongly to map ppd suggesting previous exposure to mycobacteria, and 3/11(27%) did not react with map ppd suggesting lack of pre-exposure to mycobacteria. From the seven mycobacterial pre-exposed samples, 6/7(86%) showed a normal ability to recall antigens by activated macrophages when exposed to c. Albicans, and all 7 samples had a normal pwm response. Finally, microarray-chip technology was employed to identify the expression profile of genes that have a role in the immune response of cd patients. Rna was isolated from fresh buffy coats from 8 healthy controls, 2 cd, and 1 uc patients. Chips with an estimated of 30,000 human genes were hybridized to cdna from these samples. We found that 17% of the total number of genes was differentially expressed. Over 200 genes were involved in the immune response, 7 genes where common to both forms of ibd (uc and cd), and 8 genes were found to be either downregulated in cd and upregulated in uc or viceversa. The ifngr1 gene, which encodes the ligand-binding chain of the ifn-gamma receptor, was found to be downregulated in 2/2(100%) of cd patients, but not in uc patients. It is known that defects in ifngr1 are a cause of atypical mycobacterial infection and bcg infection. Patients suffering from this deficiency have an immunologic defect predisposing them to infection with mycobacteria. This correlates with the proposed theory as map being the causative agent of cd. Furthermore, the results indicate a host susceptibility requirement for the establishment of mycobacterial infection in cd patients. Further characterization of ifngr1 using real-time pcr is underway. Collectively, detection of map dna in the majority of cd tissue and the alteration in pmn and pbmc to respond efficiently to map may be related to the fact that mycobacterial pathogens infect phagocytic cells of susceptible hosts and consequently the immune response is dysregulated. Furthermore, the fact that a gene linked to mycobacterial susceptibility was found to be downregulated in cd patients only, strengthens the mycobacterial etiology of cd. In general, the data suggest a possible role for a bacterial pathogen in cd pathogenesis

Household Livelihoods, Marketing And Resource Impacts: A Case Study Of Bark Products In Eastern Zimbabwe

An IES study.Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) represent a major contribution to rural communities in eastern Zimbabwe. In this area, baobab markets have prospered due to drought and rural poverty. This paper integrates information form related disciplines regarding the baobab ecology, and the baobab bark harvesting, processing, and marketing in the study area of Mutsiyo,. Nhachi and Gundyanga villages (42 km2). Baobab tree densities and size-class distribution were established (8.41 trees/ha), along with the extent of harvesting (99% of individuals sampled had evidence of bark harvesting), and maximum harvested heights (almost 50% of the trees had been harvested up to 2 m). Times of bark and fibre quality regeneration after harvesting were calculated after a 4-year experiment (6 and 10 years to restore pre-harvesting conditions, respectively). An equation was designed to calculate available volumes of and fibre quality of baobab bark, both coming from regenerated scars and non-harvested sections of trees. A discussion is presented regarding the sustainability of the baobab harvesting practice. Ideas for the sustainable use of the baobab bark resource are outlined, based on the concepts of adaptive and community based management.Funding for the study was provided by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Agroforestry Southern Africa project and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) People and Plants Initiativ

El cambio educativo y la mejora escolar como procesos de democratización. Una experiencia en las escuelas secundarias públicas de la ciudad de Buenos Aires

Este artículo presenta una experiencia de cambio y mejora en quince escuelas secundarias públicas de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires iniciada en 1998 y que aún continúa. El propósito que orienta dicha experiencia es el logro de más y mejores aprendizajes para todos los alumnos, y para ello es necesario transformar la concepción tradicional de escuela secundaria selectiva, sus estructuras y sus prácticas. Basada en el conocimiento reciente sobre los procesos de cambio educativo y mejora escolar, la experiencia presenta tres características innovadoras referidas a: la escala de trabajo, el modelo de gestión y los contenidos del cambio. La descripción de la experiencia contiene: características del contexto, propósitos, objetivos, evolución, estrategias, aspectos positivos y negativos e impactos. A modo de análisis, se identifican tensiones y visiones que atraviesan la experiencia, y que responden a las dimensiones política, pedagógica, social y cultural del cambio. Por último se recogen algunas de las lecciones aprendidas, que constituyen el conocimiento producido durante el proceso de cambio

La paradoja de la transparencia que opaca. Evaluación y mejora escolar: un análisis de la información oficial

La convicción de que la escuela es "centro o unidad de cambio", lleva a investigadores y políticos a preocuparse por fortalecer la capacidad de gestión e incrementar la responsabilidad por los resultados de cada escuela. Ambas preocupaciones justifican la enorme importancia que ha asumido la evaluación en los últimos tiempos. Sin embargo, los procesos y metodologías desarrollados por las administraciones para la producción de información relevante sobre el desempeño del sistema, de las instituciones y de los individuos no necesariamente sirven a la mejora, por el contrario pueden estar al servicio de políticas inspiradas únicamente en el control y la sanción. En este sentido, la evaluación puede constituirse en un fenómeno paradójico de "transparencia que opaca". En este artículo se analiza el valor de la información producida por las administraciones centrales y la práctica de "devolución" de esa información a las escuelas como estrategia vinculada al cambio y la mejora. El análisis se realiza sobre un contexto específico de estudio: la información producida por la administración nacional y local para las escuelas secundarias de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Para el final se esboza una propuesta superadora de la paradoja analizada que se estructura en líneas de trabajo para el futuro, como la redefinición de las supervisiones escolares como ámbitos de asesoramiento y la autoevaluación y el aprendizaje institucional como camino hacia la mejora

Management of the knowledge, consulting and school improvement. “The case of the empty stairs”

The educative organizations are specific spaces of generation, management and transmission of the knowledge that confront new demands of the complex knowledge society, among them the strong demands of inclusion and quality (Tedesco, 2000). The challenge for the immediate future is to obtain good schools for all (Darling Hammond, 2001). Against this background, the schools in general and specially the secondary schools, requires to review deeply their notes of identity, their models of management and their practices of classroom in order to take care of the change. The management of the knowledge as perspective theoretical-practice is a line interesting and valuable to redefine the School Consulting like function associated to the identity conversion of the school, that we understand deals with a cognitive conversion. In this article, a study of case, extracted of one doctoral thesis, in which a model of work of tie consulting to improvement processes is applied. Some are considered implications of that model as they are: analysis and evaluation of processes of consulting, planning of consulting structures and formation of consulters. Work of consulting appears as a few routines and orthodoxies task, of conflicting nature, that from the edge unfolds a both friendly and critical glance, incomplete, although simultaneously valuable for the knowledge generation and internal capacities of the schools and that assumes, unfailingly, an ethical position political forehead to “the dramatic” transformation of the grammar of the schooling and the change

Management of the knowledge, consulting and school improvement. “The case of the empty stairs”

The educative organizations are specific spaces of generation, management and transmission of the knowledge that confront new demands of the complex knowledge society, among them the strong demands of inclusion and quality (Tedesco, 2000). The challenge for the immediate future is to obtain good schools for all (Darling Hammond, 2001). Against this background, the schools in general and specially the secondary schools, requires to review deeply their notes of identity, their models of management and their practices of classroom in order to take care of the change. The management of the knowledge as perspective theoretical-practice is a line interesting and valuable to redefine the School Consulting like function associated to the identity conversion of the school, that we understand deals with a cognitive conversion. In this article, a study of case, extracted of one doctoral thesis, in which a model of work of tie consulting to improvement processes is applied. Some are considered implications of that model as they are: analysis and evaluation of processes of consulting, planning of consulting structures and formation of consulters. Work of consulting appears as a few routines and orthodoxies task, of conflicting nature, that from the edge unfolds a both friendly and critical glance, incomplete, although simultaneously valuable for the knowledge generation and internal capacities of the schools and that assumes, unfailingly, an ethical position political forehead to “the dramatic” transformation of the grammar of the schooling and the change

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Service Life Design for Infrastructure (SLD4)

SLD4 is a conference on Service Life Design for Infrastructures which is jointly organised by Delft University and Tongji University as part of the RILEM week 2018 in Delft, The Netherlands. The conference builds on the success of the previous three events on this topic held in Shanghai (2006), Delft (2010) and Zhuhai (2014). Service Life Design for Infrastructure is a very broad topic involving aspects starting from the material properties and behaviour, via structural performance, serviceability and durability to integral design and asset management. All related topics from experimental research to modelling and from codes and standards to applications are welcomed to the conference. The conference consist of 3 key-note papers and 132 regular papers presented over 3 days. Parallel to the SLD4 Conference a symposium on Concrete Modelling (CONMOD2018) and a workshop honouring Professor Klaas van Breugel were organised with topics that are related to Service Life Design. In total more than 350 participants took part in the events organised during the RILEM week 2018

Proceedings of the Symposium on Concrete Modelling, CONMOD2018

CONMOD2018 is a symposium on Concrete Modelling which is jointly organised by Delft University and Ghent University as part of the RILEM week 2018 in Delft, The Netherlands. The symposium is the 5th in a series dealing with all aspects concerning modelling of concrete at various scales. The symposium consist of 3 key-note papers and 62 regular papers presented over 3 days. Parallel to the CONMOD2018 symposium a conference on Service Life Design (SLD4) and a workshop honouring Professor Klaas van Breugel were organised with topics that are related to concrete modelling. In total more than 350 participants took part in the events organised during the RILEM week 2018