New publications

Aimed at leaders, practitioners, and policy makers, this book draws on the expertise and experience of 29 of Australia's educational academics and practitioners in order to examine the social, historical and cultural contexts within which educational leadership is understood and practised today. The book comprises four sections: Contexts and challenges facing educational leaders; Leadership issues and approaches; Professional learning and development for leaders; and Leadership in and for successful schools. Chapters include Confronting leadership challenges: major imperatives for change in Australian education; Intercultural leadership: strengthening leadership capabilities for Indigenous education; and Technology and the principal: implications for leadership. Adapted from publisher's description.

Aimed at those interested in assessment, policy and instruction, this book examines six key 'unlearned lessons' in education and reflects on how 'repeating history' can have an impact on schools, teachers and students. The text looks at how each of these six mistakes has persisted over time, gives examples of the author's encounters with these mistakes in the course of his professional career, and proposes solutions to mitigate these problems. Topics include: schools with too many curricular targets; the underutilisation of classroom management; the absence of effective assessment; overemphasis on the instructional process; and poor assessment literacy. Adapted from publisher's description.

This report draws on data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) to examine various forms of social disengagement among children between the ages of 14 and 16. Four types of engaged or disengaged young people were found. One group, comprising about 34% of students in Year 11, were engaged students who aspired to further study. The other engaged group, about 22% of respondents in Year 11, represented students who were engaged with school, but who did not aspire to further study. The other groups were those who were disengaged from school, but not from education; and those who disliked school, and had lower aspirations. This last group represented about 20% of students in Year 11. The majority of young people had either become engaged or disengaged by Year 9. Those who were white, male and from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to be disengaged. Factors such as parental involvement and aspirations, information and guidance, quality of relationships with teachers, extracurricular activities, and homework supervision affected engagement levels. The full report is available online.

This report examines the persistence of very low levels of literacy among a significant minority of Scottish school leavers, and how it may be addressed. It provides a number of recommendations, including the introduction of programs to compensate for the negative influence of low-SES on literacy. It also recommends a formal policy commitment to wiping out illiteracy in Scotland. Another focus for attention is early years and the transition to school. This would involve literacy-related pilot schemes, parental support programs, nurture groups, and professional development initiatives. The report also calls for schools to develop local literacy plans that are monitored and audited, and for the introduction of professional development initatives. National strategies should be set up to further support learners who have developed basic literacy. The full report is available online.

In recent years in the USA, the number of educational tests with high-stakes consequences, and the difficulty of these tests, has increased. Using several types of ethnographic study, including personal interviews, observations of the legislature in action, news broadcasts, and public documents from the legislature and Texas Education Agency, the author examines how a bill to address the impact of these tests on disadvantaged and minority learners was defeated. Chapters include: Statistical objectification, governmentality and race in high-stakes testing; Commodification, privatization and political economy of statistical discourse; and Statistical objectification, truth and hegemony. Adapted from publisher's description.

This text examines how US school boards can, in the context of current emphasis on accountability, maintain a focus on student achievement through district and school policies. It highlights effective practices that are common to school boards that are working successfully to improve teaching and learning. The book summarises research linking school board practices to student achievement, and features stories of 16 diverse school boards around the USA, and the policies and procedures they have employed to enhance student achievement. Also included is a resource section for those investigating successful school board policies and practices in more depth. Chapters include: Board practices that make a difference for children; Building a foundation for student success; and Staying focused on achievement. Adapted from publisher's description.