System leadership for school improvement: A developing concept and set of practices

System'leadership'is'a'developing'concept'and'practice'increasingly'seen'as'a' tool'for' school' improvement,' as' policy'makers' switch'from'traditional'top?down' reform' to' professional' models' of' schools' working' collaboratively.' System' leadership' is' being' championed' by the' Scottish' College' for' Educational' Leadership' (SCEL),' but' is' still' in' its' infancy' in' Scottish' education.' Adopting' an' international'perspective'on'system'leadership,'but'with'reference'to'the'Scottish' context,'the'paper'aims'first,'to'clarify'the'concept and'its'various'connotations,' and'to'focus'on'the'notion'of'head'teachers'and'other'school?level'professionals' as'system'leaders.'Secondly,'it'goes'on'to'describe'the'range'of'roles'that'system' leaders'can'play'and'how'these'present'a'degree'of'choice'– and'a'trajectory'? for' head' teachers' in' choosing' appropriate' roles' that' reflect' their' expertise,' experience,'self'efficacy,'credibility,'and'interest.''Finally,'adopting'a'critical'stance' towards'the' concept'and'practice'of' system'leadership'– to'date'the'focus'has' been' more' on' roles' and' less' on' substantive' capacity' building' competences' required' by' system' leaders' for' school' improvement' ? the' paper' redresses' the' imbalance

Conceptualising the research–practice–professional development nexus: mobilising schools as ‘research-engaged’ professional learning communities

This paper argues the need for coherent, holistic frameworks offering insightful understandings as well as viable, connected and synergistic solutions to schools in addressing pressing problems arising from the acknowledged gaps between research, practice and professional development. There is a need to conceptualise a comprehensive conceptual framework that rationalises, constructs and connects salient professional development concepts and practices fit for purpose in twenty-first-century schools. Specifically, three themes conceptualise existing problems faced by schools and their possible solutions: first, bridging the research–policy–practice gap by mobilising knowledge more effectively through knowledge producers and consumers working collaboratively; second, valuing and integrating both tacit knowledge and academic coded knowledge; and third, raising the professionalism and reflectivity of teachers and leaders. However, a new organisational and human infrastructure is needed to enable these solutions to be realised in school practice. Arguably, three responses are critical to this challenge of knowledge mobilisation; all are achievable through the powerful unifying concept of the ‘research-engaged school’. The three responses are: research engagement on the part of all teachers and leaders; creating schools and school networks as professional learning communities; and adopting a workable methodology (namely, research–design–development) for teachers and leaders to put research into practice and tailor innovations to specific school contexts

Explaining the success of the world's leading education systems: the case of Singapore

International comparative data on student performance has led McKinsey & Company, among others, to suggest that education systems will inexorably converge in their developmental trajectories with principals and schools enjoying more autonomy. This article challenges these assumptions through referencing Singapore where schools and professionals are still tightly controlled in key resources, curricula and assessment, and where other key factors contribute to its success – thereby evidencing multiple pathways to success

Diabetes control and the influence of family functioning

Background: The link between glycaemic control of type 1 diabetes and family functioning is complex, with the existing literature largely focussing upon the association between clear patterns of disturbances in family functioning and suboptimal diabetic control. The more subtle changes to family function that might influence the degree of successful management of a child's diabetes have been less well studied. Methods: This study sought to explore whether suboptimal glycaemic control was associated with variations in family functioning that might not in themselves prompt concern in routine clinic review. The project focussed on families attending for routine follow-up in specialist paediatric diabetes clinics in the North East of England. Mother and child participants provided demographic information and completed the Family Adaptation and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), and the quality of their glycaemic control was assessed using the mean HbA1c value for each child over the last year. Families with clear emotional or family difficulties, or where the level of control was causing clear concern were excluded (as were families where there was major physical or a member with significant learning disabilities). The sample was divided into two groups; families whose children were in optimal glycaemic control of their diabetes, and families where the glycaemic control was suboptimal. Results: Whatever the degree of control, nearly all the mothers and index children reported functioning within the balanced range. The mothers of children with optimal glycaemic control reported their family to be more cohesive and expressed greater satisfaction with family life than mothers whose child's glycaemic control was suboptimal. The children with suboptimal diabetic control also tended to view their family life as more chaotic. Discussion: Despite the challenges most families cope reasonably well with the issues that managing type 1 diabetes in a child bring. However suboptimal control tends to be associated with some unhelpful family issues, and the implications for intervention are discussed. Conclusions: Suboptimal control, when it is present, prompts exploration of a wide range of factors. Assessment of family functioning should be part of this process, even if there is no evidence of major family difficulties because subtle distortions in functioning can significantly influence glycaemic control, especially in early adolescence

Selection of neutralizing antibody escape mutants with type A influenza virus HA-specific polyclonal antisera: possible significance for antigenic drift

Ten antisera were produced in rabbits by two or three intravenous injections of inactivated whole influenza type A virions. All contained haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody directed predominantly to an epitope in antigenic site B and, in addition, various amounts of antibodies to an epitope in site A and in site D. The ability of untreated antisera to select neutralization escape mutants was investigated by incubating virus possessing the homologous haemagglutinin with antiserum adjusted to contain anti-B epitope HI titres of 100, 1000 and 10000 HIU/ml. Virus-antiserum mixtures were inoculated into embryonated hen's eggs, and progeny virus examined without further selection. Forty percent of the antisera at a titre of 1000 HIU/ml selected neutralizing antibody escape mutants as defined by their lack of reactivity to Mab HC10 (site B), and unchanged reactivity to other Mabs to site A and site D epitopes. All escape mutant-selecting antisera had a ratio of anti-site B (HC10)-epitope antibody[ratio]other antibodies of [gt-or-equal, slanted]2·0[ratio]1. The antiserum with the highest ratio (7·4[ratio]1) selected escape mutants in all eggs tested in four different experiments. No antiserum used at a titre of 10000 HIU/ml allowed multiplication of any virus. All antisera used at a titre of 100 HIU/ml permitted virus growth, but this was wild-type (wt) virus. We conclude that a predominant epitope-specific antibody response, a titre of [gt-or-equal, slanted]1000 HIU/ml, and a low absolute titre of other antibodies ([less-than-or-eq, slant]500 HIU/ml) are three requirements for the selection of escape mutants. None of the antisera in this study could have selected escape mutants without an appropriate dilution factor, so the occurrence of an escape mutant-selecting antiserum in nature is likely to be a rare event

Insights into neutralization of animal viruses gained from study of influenza virus

It has long been known that the binding of antibodies to viruses can result in a loss of infectivity, or neutralization, but little is understood of the mechanism or mechanisms of this process. This is probably because neutralization is a multifactorial phenomenon depending upon the nature of the virus itself, the particular antigenic site involved, the isotype of immunoglobulin and the ratio of virus to immunoglobulin (see below). Thus not only is it likely that neutralization of one virus will differ from another but that changing the circumstances of neutralization can change the mechanism itself. To give coherence to the topic we are concentrating this review on one virus, influenza type A which is itself well studied and reasonably well understood [1–3]. Reviews of the older literature can be found in references 4 to 7

Do the students' preferred pedagogy relate to their ethnicity?

An increasing number of international students, whose culture of teaching and learning practices are very different from UK students, are studying at British universities. This study investigates multicultural students’ preferences using two different teaching approaches in the 2009/2010 academic year, which is explained in the framework of this study. The study sample was two groups, a total of 34 students who were studying Japanese as a non-credited module. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected using questionnaires. The results showed that students’ preferences in teaching and learning appeared to be altered and influenced by the British educational culture regardless of students’ previous educational culture. In addition, the sample participants’ preference of teaching and learning are categorised into three types based on the framework of the study. Those who are in the teaching profession in a multicultural learning environment are encouraged to take consideration of students’ previous educational culture. It is suggested to incorporate teaching and learning practices from non-Anglophone countries to the Anglophone originated teaching approach to capture different preferences of multicultural students, reflecting global international characteristics of teaching and learning environments

Re-conceptualising learning-centred (instructional) leadership: an obsolete concept in need of renovation

For more than thirty years, ‘instructional leadership’ has been at the forefront of research and practice in school effectiveness and improvement. Governments, employers, universities and professional developers, all see it as a mainstay of raising school and student performance. Wave-after-wave of educational policy reforms during this period have changed school environments, widening and deepening the (instructional) leadership roles and functions of principals and other school leaders. Terminology has changed – while Americans still use ‘instructional leadership’, others prefer ‘learning-centred’ and ‘leadership-for -learning’, disputing whether they encompass the same or different meanings. Yet curiously, the concept itself – as defined and measured by academic researchers and scholars - has changed relatively little since Hallinger and Murphy’s first seminal contribution in 1985. This paper argues the case for wholesale renovation of the concept if it is to maintain relevance going forward. The case is supported by important and powerful trends in policy and practice

Study of guidance techniques for aerial application of agricultural compounds

Candidate systems were identified for evaluation of suitability in meeting specified accuracy requirements for a swath guidance system in an agriculture aircraft. Further examination reduced the list of potential candidates to a single category, i.e., transponder type systems, for detailed evaluation. Within this category three systems were found which met the basic accuracy requirements of the work statement. The Flying Flagman, the Electronic Flagging and the Raydist Director System. In addition to evaluating the systems against the specified requirements, each system was compared with the other two systems on a relative basis. The conclusions supported by the analyses show the Flying Flagman system to be the most suitable system currently available to meet the requirements