School-Based Curriculum Development in Scotland: Curriculum Policy and Enactment

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), in common with with developments elsewhere, is said to herald a new era of teacher autonomy. The Highland Council has been at the forefront of enacting CfE; teachers, in collaboration with external agencies, have developed innovative new models to meet the demands of the new curriculum. Difficulties inherent in the translation of central curriculum policy into practice have been well-documented. Teacher mediation of policy and conflicting policy imperatives often produce an 'implementation gap' between policy intentions and classroom practice. CfE and the Highland Framework offer an interesting context for re-examining these issues, especially as the renewed extension of autonomy to teachers may amplify these issues, leading to greater variation in practice and potentially increasing the 'implementation gap' further. Our research employs a case study approach, drawing from interviews and focus groups within three types of teacher network. It analyses the processes that take place when teachers engage with complex policy of this type. Findings suggest the importance of facilitative leadership and generative dialogue stimulating transformational changes in teachers' thinking and practice. However, our research also points to the existence of tensions within teachers' work and aspects of teacher autonomy, as inhibitors in this process

Developing Curriculum for Excellence in Highland Schools: A report on the qualitative findings for the Highland Council and the Scottish Government

Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is generally viewed as a landmark development in Scottish education, hailed by its architects as ‘one of the most ambitious programmes of educational change ever undertaken in Scotland’ (Scottish Government, 2008, p. 8).i It is radical in that it calls for a shift in classroom practices towards more pupil centred approaches to education. This is accompanied by a renewed view of teachers as professional developers of the curriculum and agents of change, and a new emphasis on flexible, local planning. Despite the far-reaching implications of this innovation, there has been little research to date on the new curriculum. The research reported in this briefing partially fills this gap, primarily exploring teachers’ views of the new curriculum, and the nature and extent of implementation. The briefing summarises the findings from research conducted in tandem with a Scottish Government funded partnership project, established between a Scottish local authority and the School of Education (termed the Stirling Project by participating teachers). The project contributed to the development of CfE within the authority by providing explicit support for curriculum development to a number of different networks of practitioners. These development activities provided an opportunity to undertake research into teachers’ enactment of CfE. The research aimed to: identify effective practices of curriculum implementation and teachers’ professional learning in the context of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE); produce insights to inform sustainable, large-scale curriculum change and teachers’ professional learning

Developing Curriculum for Excellence: Summary of findings from research undertaken in a Scottish local authority

Introduction: Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is generally viewed as a landmark development in Scottish education, hailed by its architects as ‘one of the most ambitious programmes of educational change ever undertaken in Scotland' (Scottish Government, 2008, p. 8).1 It is radical in that it calls for a shift in classroom practices towards more pupil centred approaches to education. This is accompanied by a renewed view of teachers as professional developers of the curriculum and agents of change, and a new emphasis on flexible, local planning. Despite the far-reaching implications of this innovation, there has been little research to date on the new curriculum. The research reported in this briefing partially fills this gap, primarily exploring teachers' views of the new curriculum, and the nature and extent of implementation. The briefing summarises the findings from research conducted in tandem with a Scottish Government funded partnership project, established between a Scottish local authority and the School of Education (termed the Stirling Project by participating teachers). The project contributed to the development of CfE within the authority by providing explicit support for curriculum development to a number of different networks of practitioners. These development activities provided an opportunity to undertake research into teachers' enactment of CfE. The research aimed to:- identify effective practices of curriculum implementation and teachers' professional learning in the context of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE);- produce insights to inform sustainable, large-scale curriculum change and teachers' professional learning

Curriculum for Excellence: 'A brilliant idea, but. . .'

Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence typifies many international trends in curricular policy, through its emphasis on generic skills and competencies, its focus on pedagogy and its apparent extension of autonomy to teachers as agents of change. Such curricula pose considerable challenges to school systems, where prevailing practices are often at odds with policy aspirations. This article draws upon empirical research conducted in a Scottish local authority to explore how teachers make sense of the new curriculum. It differentiates between first order engagement – most teachers welcome Curriculum for Excellence in principle – and second order engagement, which relates to the extent to which the new curriculum is congruent with teachers’ deeper conceptions about knowledge, learning and assessment

Where to study and where to live? Young people's higher education decisions in Scotland and the role of family, finance and region

This thesis is concerned with young people’s higher education (HE) decisions in Scotland, particularly how school leavers make decisions about where to study and where to live while studying. Using a mixed methods approach, it explores how these decisions are made within the context of the family, and considers the role of family background, finance and region in shaping young people’s horizons for action (Hodkinson et al., 1996) and how this serves to limit/expand HE options. These factors remain under-researched in Scotland, where free tuition has tended to frame how most people view the funding of HE and issues of fair access, despite the Scottish system being predicated on the idea of student maintenance loan debt, and policy assumptions that parents will contribute to their children’s HE costs. Statistical modelling (binary logistic regression) of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student records data from 2014/15 was used to predict the likelihood of Scottish-domiciled students 1) living at home and 2) attending a local university. This was complemented with 17 qualitative case studies, recruited from two Scottish secondary schools (one located in Edinburgh and the Lothians and the other in the Strathclyde region). Longitudinal semi-structured interviews (71 in total), undertaken with young people and their parents at the end of S6 and again during their second year of HE, tracked the evolution of young people’s HE decision making. Family background and region heavily influenced HEI destinations and term-time accommodation decisions at both the macro and micro levels. The statistical models found that even after controlling for personal characteristics, parental education, school factors and type of HEI, students from working class backgrounds were more likely than those from higher managerial and professional backgrounds to live at home and study locally. The effect of region was pronounced among students from Strathclyde region who behaved differently to those from Edinburgh and the Lothians, irrespective of their social class background. Students from all social class groups in Strathclyde were more likely to live at home, and study locally, than those from the same groups in Edinburgh and the Lothians. This evidence confirms the continued existence of a Strathclyde regional effect, demonstrating how strongly Scottish students’ HE destinations and accommodation decisions are shaped by where they live. These social class and regional inequalities were replicated in the case studies. All of the young people from West High lived at home and commuted to local institutions, while the East Academy students travelled considerable distances for study (just one lived at home, and two studied locally). The young people’s HE decisions were socially and culturally embedded (Hodkinson et al., 1996). The extent to which they felt financially and culturally able to move away from the parental home and how this influenced institutional decisions was bounded by students’ horizons for action, that is, their beliefs of what options were available to them. This in turn was shaped by their parents and their own habitus and dispositions. While students benefitted from living at home in terms of reduced costs, local employment options and supportive family relations, there was also evidence of students limiting their HE options by virtue of local study. The findings point to the enduring effect of family background and region in influencing young people’s HE decisions as to where to study and where to live. That social class continues to play such a defining role in these decisions directly challenges the narrative of a fair and egalitarian Scotland in which access to HE is based on the ‘ability to learn rather than the ability to pay’ (Scottish Government, 2010). Instead, these findings show how unequal access to HE remains in Scotland and how family background, region and other aspects of a young person’s context broaden and constrain horizons for action. Even in a system of free tuition, finance matters. The rhetoric of the policy focus on free tuition obscures the reality of student debt for most of Scotland’s students, whose decisions are further shaped by the nature of the student support system. Without more effective policy designed to counter inequalities, Scotland risks having a two-tiered system whereby only the children of the most affluent families feel able to leave home and attend institutions further afield

Teachers' and Pupils' Views on the Proposed Redevelopment of Lochwinnoch RSPB Centre & Reserve

The RSPB aims to enhance the firsthand experiences of wildlife for young people, encourage growth in young people’s membership, and build its contacts and work with schools (RSPB, 2007). In order to achieve its goals, the RSPB is cognisant of the role of nature reserves and the need to ensure that educational provisions support this work. The RSPB Lochwinnoch Reserve is a nature reserve and visitor centre located in Renfrewshire close to Glasgow, attracting about 35 thousand visitors per year. Facilities available for educational use include the visitor centre with classroom space, observation tower, nature trails and hides, shop, toilets, and an outdoor picnic area. Currently, the centre buildings are in need of substantial refurbishment. Before any redevelopment plans are finalised, this research, among other submissions, has been commissioned to determine what current and prospective use requirements might be, and how best to encourage better and greater educational use of the centre and reserve

Scaling Dual Enrollment in Rural Communities: A Case Study of Three Rural Texas High Schools

Dual enrollment is a powerful mechanism to support college readiness and success for high school students across the country. Rural schools provide unique advantages but face distinct challenges in creating effective dual enrollment opportunities for students. This case study examines how three rural schools in Texas addressed three challenges rural schools face: overcoming distance to higher education partners, supporting students in navigating the college environment, and building staff capacity to support dual enrollment