| Chapter 17 Notes for further reading |
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Notes for further reading The classic and outstanding guide to educational reform is:
Fullan and colleagues claim to provide ‘breakthrough’ concepts to help educators move towards personalised, high quality instruction and learning in the classroom to ensure continuous improvement.
For a book which aims to demystify the principles and practice of school improvement by demonstrating how successful classroom and school improvement occurs see:
A practical and easily read book, now in an updated second edition, which draws together the inter-related areas of research on school effectiveness, school improvement, teaching and learning is provided by MacGilchrist et al. Equally accessible and useful, and drawing particularly on their experience in Birmingham is Brighouse and Woods.
Similarly, the theme of Hargreaves' book is creating 'knowledge society' schools. Hargreaves, A. (2003) Teaching in the Knowledge Society. Abingdon: Open University Press. MacBeath and Mortimore’s (eds) first chapter is an excellent overview of school effectiveness and improvement. By linking the why, what and how of change, Stoll and Fink provide both a theoretical critique and practical advice to assist all those committed to changing and improving schools.
Joyce et al draw on research to generate a practical strategy for school improvement centred on the continuous study of pupil learning. Hopkins offers a strategy for change that focuses on pupil achievement and supporting teaching and learning. James et al offer a practical research-based book that describes the key approaches used by very effective schools. The insights offered by MacBeath et al. have relevance for all schools, not just those in challenging circumstances.
Teacher and distributed leadership feature in a number of books (and see also Durrant and Holden, and Frost and Durrant in section 3):
A sustained critique of school effectiveness and school improvement is offered through a collection of wide-ranging chapters in a book edited by Slee et al., while Wrigley both criticises the school effectiveness and improvement movement, and offers a new vision of school development. His latest book continues the theme.
Thrupp takes a look at school mix, school effectiveness, and the social limits of reform, and offers an alternative to managerial school improvement approaches, while Lunt and Norwich explore how far effective schools can be inclusive:
Listening to pupils is the theme of the following books:
A classic text on the learning organisation is:
Leithwood and Louis edit a collection of thirteen chapters of which Chapter 8 is a particularly useful chapter about learning about organisational learning:
Perkins writes in his distinctively engaging way on communication, collaboration and organisational structure:
MacBeath has written a number of books on evaluating schools, and his most recent looks at the relationship between inspection and self-evaluation in the context of the new arrangements in England.
For a readable and practical book which looks at the forms that self-evaluation in schools can take, see:
The first half of the next book is an engaging read with many insights into school self-evaluation taking the form of a story. The second part hasmany practical tools.
More practical tools are provided in:
School self-evaluation undertaken by an international team of school students in seven countries around the world is the theme for an engaging and practical book, much of it written by the students themselves:
Learmonth gives a good overview of inspection including its historical development and impact on schools in:
This theme is taken further by Jeffrey and Woods:
Earley’s edited collection includes a case study of OFSTED in a primary school and other chapters critiquing inspection:
In a book edited by Cullingford a number of distinguished academics critically assess the role, impact and effect of Ofsted.
Reading17.4 reviews some of the most significant features of policy for ‘system wide improvement’ and reveals the integrated elements of the accountability and inspection system in England. Reading 17.5 is a summary of Colin Richards’ reappraisal of OFSTED, in which he argues that it simply claims far more than it can deliver in terms of insight, accuracy and fairness.
Burke and Grossvenor provide a view of education from the people who know best, the children. Through essays, pictures, stories, designs and poems we are given an illuminating and challenging perspective.
Section 3: Continuing professional development For an engaging example of how the continuing professional development of a reflective teacher can influence her workplace, see:
Soler et al invite teachers to explore their own professional development and review their practice in schools:
Teachers as leaders of school improvement is the theme of books by Frost, Durrant, Holden and Gunter. These books provide practical guidance and support to school improvement through teachers’ actions and continuing professional development:
Campbell et al. also make the links between professional developkent and action research. Their book draws directly on the work of teachers, and makes the links between CPD and the current needs, demands and challenges of the 'modernised profession'. McPhee and colleagues focus on the social, cultural and political aspects of professional development, and explore issues of professional identity.
Reading 17.3 provides an opportunity to stand back and consider the nature of continuing professional development. A focus on the nature of teacher professionalism, the continuing professional development of teachers, and the contexts in which this occurs can be found in Day. Craft helps teachers to arrange their own continuing professional development needs and experiences.
Two books that help teachers take control of their professional and career development are:
Coaching is becoming increasingly recognised as an important part of CPD. Eldridge and Taylor offer practical guides, while Rogers argues that colleague support can make a difference to individual teachers and to whole school cultures. Bubb's book, drawing on research and practice, supports in-school CPD and includes proformas.
The chapters in the following edited book provide many illuminative and thought-provoking perspectives on continuing professional development.
Tomlinson's book is aimed at potential leaders as well as school leaders, and is a practial book which takes an alternative approach to personal and professional leadership development, considering for example emotional intelligence and work-life balance as well as drawing one evidence beyond educaiton to enhance education.
Reeves et al. provide an overview of some of the key issues in developing professional performance and includes a chapter tracing the development of continuing professional development in England, Wales and Scotland.
Day and Sachs bring together theoretical and empirical research on the purposes, policies and practices of continuing professional development in education over the last twenty years.
Earley and Bubb’s book summarises recent research on the management of CPD, provides an overview of CPD and a guide to best practice, and is aimed at APD co-ordinators, as is Kelly's.
The performance management regulations can be found at: Ted Wragg and colleagues monitored the introduction of performance pay, and present a critique based on the views and experiences of a large sample of teachers and headteachers.
The government’s information site for CPD can be found at: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/professionaldevelopment/ Additional references related to continuing professional development can be found in the notes for further reading for Chapter 2, and section 2 of the notes for further reading for Chapter 16.
Two important studies from the National Commission on Education set out how schools in disadvantaged areas can be effective and whether improvement can be maintained:
A principled polemic on how teachers and headteachers should work together to make change happen, is:
One of Michael Fullan’s books uses complexity theory to understand and suggest approaches to educational reform on different levels, including the school and community. This books combines practicality, links with theory, and moral purpose.
Leaton Gray's book has been acclaimed as a clarion call for teachers to galvanise their energies and remodel the teaching profession on their own terms.
Day and colleagues look at teachers' lives and work, and draw out messages for building and sustaining school and classroom effectiveness.
School improvement and continuing professional development, as with many otherthings in education, are not always tackled as rational as perhaps wethink they are. The dynamic relationship between reason and intuitionis explored in:
A unique book drawing together many perspectives, including those of A.S. Neill himself,makes fascinating reading and provides much food for thought: Vaughan, M., Brighouse, T., Neill, A.S., Neill Readhead, Z. and Stronach, I. (2006) Summerhill and A.S. Hill. Maidenhead: Open University Press. With so many education books available, help in making sense of them is to be welcomed. The first chapter of Wallace and Poulson's book is a guide to reading critically, while other chapters provide exemplary reports of small and larger scale research studies, useful as models and for the research they report.
Finally, Hedley Beare takes a fascinating look at the changes that a five year-old, Angelica, will see in her lifetime:
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