Educators usually recognise the value of drama-in-education, but hesitate to use it with unpredictable diverse groups that have limited communication and social understanding. This article evaluates a professional development initiative in an all-age special school (3-19 years) in eastern England as a whole-school improvement strategy to promote…

The relationship between master's thesis work and teachers' professional development has rarely been explored empirically, yet. Drawing upon a larger study, this paper investigates how teachers who were studying for or who have recently graduated from Master of Education programmes offered in five countries -- Poland, Portugal, England, Latvia,…

The psychological environment of schools is a powerful determinant of staff well-being and educational outcomes for children. The work reported here explored teachers' Collective-Efficacy (CE) and well-being. Staff in a sample of schools completed a survey of their CE. A sub-sample of teachers was interviewed to elicit views about the relationship…

The need for computing education in the K-12 curriculum has grown globally. The Republic of Korea is not an exception. In response to the need, the Korean Ministry of Education has announced an outline for software-centric computing education in the K-12 system, which aims at enhancing the current computing education with software emphasis. In…

When faced with a multitude of tasks, any opportunity to "kill two birds with one stone" is welcome. Drama has always excited the author: as a child performing in plays, later as a student and now as a teacher directing performances and improvising within lessons. The author was lucky enough to have inspirational teachers during his…

The purpose of the present review of literature and research is to examine the benefits the arts provide as enhancements for teaching and learning provided for both educators and students in PK-12 school settings. The relationship between exposure to the arts and student achievement within the academic disciplines such as mathematics,…

Workforce Remodelling in England has been presented as a means to enhance the development of teachers and promote rising educational attainment. Through a re-examination of roles, schools are presented with an opportunity to review their ways of working to improve the quality of their practices. This paper looks at the ways in which the…

Outlines certain aspects of the Government's grants scheme that provides funds for information technology in schools. Discusses allocation of funds, National Council for Educational Technology involvement, how schools are using their grants, and meeting training needs. (JRH)

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in the United States is not equivalent to a national curriculum; however, it does set forth some conditions essential for enhancing student achievement at scale (e.g., curriculum standards, assessment standards, and expectations of compliance). The missing component within these conditions is support for…

Preservice teachers' (N=200) ideas about links between vehicle emissions and global environmental issues were studied using a graphic questionnaire. Results indicated that most students understood that cars contributed to global warming, though many had misconceptions about certain specifics. It is recommended that environmental education be given…

Offers a critical evaluation of how school leaders are using web-based conferencing. It asks if it is being used effectively, and how it could be developed. Takes an evaluation of the Information and Communication Technology component of the Leadership Programme for Serving Heads, and looks at planned use, actual use, and the views of the…

The literature profiles few schools that have determined to democratize their existing, primarily authoritarian structures. This article discusses reasons for democratization and summarizes participant responses in two schools in England and South Africa that have attempted such changes. Both studies explore the role of pupil participation in…

Literature on independent schools in Great Britain and the United States describe four major functions of the independent school: (1) providing an academic education with higher standards; (2) providing more desirable peer group associations, (3) providing status validation, and (4) enhancing opportunity for pursuing higher education. For journal…

Presents the results of a survey on the teaching of textile arts in the secondary schools of England and Wales. Results showed that teachers favored the establishment of more effective links between textiles departments and art departments with hope of improving instruction and enhancing the position of textile arts in the secondary school…

The need to recruit and retain teachers and improve morale has focused attention on the status of teaching as a profession. The generic term "status" has three relatively independent components: prestige, official status, and esteem. Enhancing teachers' professional status could improve their esteem without affecting their public…