The majority of universities and four-year colleges in the USA currently offer first-year seminars in at least one format. These programs often pride themselves in recruiting from among their institutions' best teachers to lead the seminars. In reality, this process of recruitment to teach in the program, as well as retention of faculty members…

In this article, the aim is to explore some of the key themes to emerge in the journal during the past two decades. Each selected theme will be reviewed in the light of issues raised in particular papers. The aim of this approach is, first, to facilitate reflection upon the contribution of the journal as its subject matter has moved from a concern…

The role of expertise has been considered as an important feature in EU governance processes, not least in the context of soft governance and policy coordination. This article focuses on how an advisory group can, over a short period of time, acquire a high degree of stability and legitimacy in a sector where joint action falls under the…

This article explores organisational routines introduced in schools and preschools in a Swedish municipality and analyses the relationship between ostensive and performative aspects of improvement work. We take our theoretical point of departure in organisational psychology and an organisation development (OD) perspective by integrating the…

Various constellations of school-university partnerships (SUPs) have long been part of the initial teacher education (ITE) landscape in Ireland. This situation is especially true in the context of ITE school-based work. While SUPs have been largely informal and unsystematic, recent policy changes have introduced structured roles and…

This paper examines the establishment and operation of a number of new bodies -- variously called councils, boards, collaboratives, groups, forums and panels -- concerned with the development of Scottish education. What were the intentions behind their creation during the period 2016-20? Do they amount to a significant reshaping of the policy…

This study aims to reveal what the principals' experience of being a principal means to them. Phenomenological research design was used in the study. The study group of the research selected by the maximum diversity sampling consists of 37 principals. The findings of the study show that the most time-consuming tasks of school principals are…

This study is a historical investigation of the state education grants and loans system in Denmark during the period 1950-2000. Since 1952, Danish students enrolled in higher education programmes have been subsidised under a unified public financial aid scheme, with varying degrees of general coverage. During the first decades of the state support…

This article presents the results from a survey investigating 708 Swedish and 1583 Finnish teachers' perceived autonomy with a focus on the teachers' perceptions of who makes the most important decisions in school. Teacher autonomy is seen as exercised at different levels; by teachers individually in the classroom or by teachers as a collective in…

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: What changes in central office systems are likely to support principals in leading for…

Expectations from higher education institutions and systems are constantly increasing at both national and global levels. In addition to the variety of services provided by higher education institutions, the rise in expectations makes management of these institutions more difficult. However, while formations such as mission differentiation,…

This study utilises an institutional logic perspective to explore the dynamics and complexity of academic personnel system reforms at leading Chinese universities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 participants from 10 highly ranked universities; these interviews obtained the views of key observers on four main reform initiatives:…

In this paper, we aim to advance the understanding of the institutional mechanisms that have shaped the teacher education environment in England over the last forty years. Based on the analyses of policy documents and elite interviews rooted in a neo-institutionalist analytical framework, we argue that the changes from a laissez-faire policy in…

This paper presents findings from qualitative research which examines school principals' understandings of digital technologies policies for Australian schools during the period of the Digital Education Revolution (2008-2013). The concepts of 'steering at a distance' and policy enactment are used as a conceptual lens from which to position and…

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are becoming increasingly important participants in educational programmes and implementing education policy. This study explores governmental policymakers' perceptions and reactions to NGO involvement in the implementation of education policy. We applied a qualitative research method, conducting in-depth…