Kindra+Pinnace

[|PBL - Stucture for Improvement and Reform.docx]

Article 1: **Linking the Central Office and Its** //Schools// **for** //Reform//

Purpose: This study investigates how linkages between a central office and its //**schools**// served as administrative controls while fostering professional accountability and organizational learning. Method: Using qualitative data sources (interviews, focus groups, observations, field notes, and document reviews), the study examines how resource, structural, communication, relational, and ideological linkages interacted in response to three //**reform**// efforts as perceived by 45 //**school**// leadership team members, 5 principals, and 10 central office leaders. Findings: Attending to relational linkages was central to initiating //**reform**//. Introducing external resources served to link central office leaders and //**schools**// enhancing relational and communication linkages but also increased controls. Initially, teachers viewed many of the structural linkages as constraining their ability to provide good instruction, and there was a lack of ideological agreement on instructional approaches. Central office leaders, principals, and //**school**// leadership teams recognized the important role that teams, with professional development, could play in supporting the district's efforts to improve teaching and learning. Conclusions: A major contribution of this research is that it begins to clarify how linkages need to be coordinated and which ones may need to be in place for //**reform**// success. Relational and ideological linkages are essential for enhancing commitment and professional accountability and for ensuring a coherent instructional focus and organizational learning. In contrast, the structural linkage was the primary vehicle used by the district to exert control, complete organizational tasks, and enforce desired changes. The communication and resource linkages can be seen as boundary spanners between these two //**theories**// of organizational change. (Contains 1 figure, 4 tables and 2 notes.) (As Provided)

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Article 2: **Technology Integration Barriers: Urban School Mathematics Teachers Perspectives**

Despite the promise of technology in education, many practicing teachers face several challenges when trying to effectively integrate technology into their classroom instruction. Additionally, while national statistics cite a remarkable improvement in access to computer technology tools in schools, teacher surveys show consistent declines in the use and integration of computer technology to enhance student learning. This article reports on primary technology integration barriers that mathematics teachers identified when using technology in their classrooms. Suggestions to overcome some of these barriers are also provided.

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Article 3: Cultivating Teachers’ Beliefs, Knowledge and Skills for Leading Change in School

Abstract: Australian policy initiatives and state curriculum //**reform**// efforts affirm a commitment to address student disengagement through the development of inclusive //**school**// environments, curriculum, and pedagogy. This paper, drawing on critical social //**theory**//, describes three Australian projects that support the cultivation of teachers' beliefs, knowledge and skills for critical reflection and leading change in //**schools**//. The first project reports on the valued ethics that emerged in pre-service teacher reflections about a Service-learning Program at a university in Queensland. The second project reports on a //**school**// -based collaborative inquiry approach to professional development with a focus on literacy practices. The final project reports on an initiative in another university in Victoria, to operationalise pedagogical change and curriculum renewal in Victoria, through the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PoLT). These case studies illustrate how critical reflection and development of beliefs, knowledge and skills can be acquired to better meet the needs of //**schools**//. (Contains 2 figures and 1 footnote.) (As Provided)

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Article 4: **Supporting the digitally able beginning teacher**

This article reports on research which explored the experiences six digitally able beginning teachers during their first year in secondary schools. Using a complexity theoretical framework, the barriers and enablers that influenced the integration of digital //**technologies**// into teaching practice were examined. The findings indicate that context influences the ability of beginning teachers to apply their knowledge and experience of digital //**technologies**// to their teaching practice through: school policies and structures which encourage and allow access to digital //**technologies**//, encouraging beginning teachers to develop their sense of agency, and the support of a mentor with relevant pedagogical content expertise. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

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