Martin Scanlan and Rebecca Lowenhaupt
Demographic changes across the United States have led to dramatic shifts in the composition of public school enrollments. While these shifts are manifest across multiple…
Abstract
Demographic changes across the United States have led to dramatic shifts in the composition of public school enrollments. While these shifts are manifest across multiple dimensions of diversity, the influx of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students is particularly pronounced. As the numbers of CLD students rapidly grow across all geographic regions, from rural to suburban to urban, school leaders face the daunting responsibility of responding to ensure that these students receive equitable opportunities to learn. Some guiding principles for accomplishing this generalize across settings, yet ultimately this leadership needs to be context-specific. In this chapter we discuss these guiding principles and apply them narrowly to the context of medium and small urban districts. We argue that school leadership – particularly district and school administration – plays a crucial role in supporting the design and delivery of supports for CLD students and their families, who constitute a “new mainstream” in many of these settings.
Rebecca Lowenhaupt and Todd D. Reeves
Changing immigration patterns in the USA have led to a growing number of “new immigrant destinations.” In these contexts, opportunities for teacher learning are crucial for…
Abstract
Purpose
Changing immigration patterns in the USA have led to a growing number of “new immigrant destinations.” In these contexts, opportunities for teacher learning are crucial for developing the school capacity to serve the academic, linguistic and socio-cultural needs of immigrant students. In response, the purpose of this paper is to examine how schools in Wisconsin provided both formal and informal teacher learning opportunities to develop the instructional capacity to support recent immigrants, specifically Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs).
Design/methodology/approach
Using descriptive analyses of teacher and administrator survey and interview data, this study examined the focus and within-school distribution of formal professional development, as well as teacher collaboration as a mechanism for informal learning.
Findings
Most commonly, professional development focused on concrete strategies teachers might enact in their classrooms, rather than developing broader understandings of the needs of immigrant students. In addition, formal professional development commonly targeted particular groups of teachers, rather than faculty as a whole. Finally, general education-ELL teacher collaboration was most often deployed “as needed” and focused on particular student needs, rather than systematically.
Research limitations/implications
Future work might address the limitations of this study by examining teacher learning opportunities in new immigrant destinations in other locales, the quality and effectiveness of such opportunities, and other mechanisms for the distribution of expertise.
Originality/value
Findings suggest the need for more systematic and integrated approaches to teacher learning in new immigrant destinations, with an emphasis on pushing beyond the short-term need for instructional strategies to develop more holistic, collaborative approaches to integrating ELLs into schools and classrooms.
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Describes the use of flow chart techniques or ′clinical pathways′ by health care organizations who aim to use TQM to increase patient satisfaction. Acknowledges the fact that…
Abstract
Describes the use of flow chart techniques or ′clinical pathways′ by health care organizations who aim to use TQM to increase patient satisfaction. Acknowledges the fact that measurement of clinical processes is a complex task, involving input from many areas. Gives a case example of continuous improvement in one process of health care, with the result that quality of medical care improved.
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Hayley Weddle, Mariko Yoshisato and Megan Hopkins
Although schools across the United States are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, many teachers remain underprepared to work with students classified as…
Abstract
Purpose
Although schools across the United States are becoming increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse, many teachers remain underprepared to work with students classified as English learners (ELs), especially at the secondary level. Acknowledging the importance of developing systems of support for teachers of ELs, this paper examines the district- and school-level factors shaping secondary teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning in one large urban school district.
Design/methodology/approach
To examine teachers' access to EL-focused professional learning, the authors draw on 49 in-depth interviews with district leaders and staff from nine secondary schools. Data analysis was guided by a structure, culture and agency theoretical framework.
Findings
Findings revealed that decreased structural support, in terms of both fiscal and human resources, constrained teachers' access to EL-related professional learning. Further, the district culture was characterized by limited understanding of ELs' backgrounds and assets. While some school leaders exercised agency to bolster EL-focused professional learning for teachers, such supports were rare.
Practical implications
Findings help to contextualize secondary teachers' feelings of unpreparedness to serve ELs, illuminating several factors that district and school leaders should attend to in order to bolster the development of professional capital for teachers of ELs at the secondary level.
Originality/value
While prior research outlines the importance of designing systems of support for EL-focused professional learning, this study highlights specific structural and cultural factors shaping such systems.
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Martin Scanlan, Minsong Kim and Larry Ludlow
As the demographic landscape in the USA becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), schools must build educators’ professional knowledge and skills to better serve…
Abstract
Purpose
As the demographic landscape in the USA becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), schools must build educators’ professional knowledge and skills to better serve students whose mother tongues are not English. The purpose of this paper is to report on the formation of a network of schools collaboratively transforming their approaches to teaching and learning in order to meet the educational needs of this changing student population.
Design/methodology/approach
To determine how relational networks in this network affect the learning of educators to implement the bilingual education model, the authors drew from three data sources: a social network survey, semi-structured interviews and archival documents.
Findings
The schools in this study are engaged in a dramatic restructuring, moving from monolingual English schools to a network of two-way immersion bilingual schools. The evidence from this study revealed different information sharing structures within the relational networks. The authors found organizational structures of interactive spaces and teams supporting the relational networks that created communities of practice, and these communities of practice fostering all three aspects of profession capital (human, social and decisional).
Research limitations/implications
The analysis points toward the complicated nature of organizational learning within networks of schools. While some relational networks were strong, the authors also note gaps and disconnections in the network interactions, despite the structures promoting connectivity. Hence, this study sheds light on both the power and the limitation of networked learning within and across school striving to improve the teaching and learning for CLD students.
Originality/value
This original analysis lays the foundation for future investigations of networked learning.
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The purpose of this paper is to predict Twitter satisfaction by healthcare professionals through integrating constructs of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory, quality dimensions and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to predict Twitter satisfaction by healthcare professionals through integrating constructs of Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory, quality dimensions and usefulness.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey responses of 108 physicians from a variety of specialisations in the United Arab Emirates have been validated and analysed by means of partial least squares-based structural equation modelling method using smartPLS software.
Findings
Service quality has emerged as the most influential quality dimension that positively impact flow state and perceived usefulness of Twitter, while information quality, surprisingly, does not show any effect. The findings also indicate that flow state plays a significant role in shaping physicians’ satisfaction with Twitter. The study also enhances our understanding concerning the effects of perceived usefulness on flow state and satisfaction.
Research limitations/implications
Understanding factors that influence Twitter satisfaction can help healthcare managers construct appropriate intervention strategies for maximising professional benefits of social media and minimising user resistance. This is important because top managers usually ratify traditional practices that are only of limited effect. Also, the findings help vendors to accentuate user’s concerns in addition to system functionalities in social media applications.
Originality/value
The paper is an early attempt to propose a model for social media success in a professional context in general and healthcare in particular. It also one of first studies that examine social media satisfaction through integrating contemporary information system success and acceptance models with flow theory.
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Junaid Aftab, Huma Sarwar, Nabila Abid, Muhammad Ishtiaq Ishaq and Fahad Aftab
The severity of global competition and vast hostile challenges is compelling the information and communications technology (ICT) industry to focus on internal organizational…
Abstract
Purpose
The severity of global competition and vast hostile challenges is compelling the information and communications technology (ICT) industry to focus on internal organizational factors to excel in performance. This study investigates the influence of shared responsibility, perceived identifiability and workplace spirituality on employees’ performance through work engagement. In addition, the moderating influence of work orientation on the relationships between shared responsibility, perceived identifiability and workplace spirituality with employee performance was also investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
Time-lagged and multisource data were acquired from 267 followers and their 69 immediate supervisors/managers of ICT firms. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.
Findings
The findings reveal that the impact of shared responsibilities, perceived identifiability and workplace spirituality on performance (e.g. extra-role and in-role) is mediated by work engagement. Additionally, the positive association of perceived identifiability and workplace spirituality with work engagement is more pronounced when work orientation is high, indicating a positive moderation of work orientation.
Originality/value
This is among the initial studies that examine the impact of shared responsibility, perceived identifiability and workplace spirituality on overall employee performance through work engagement. The moderation of work orientation in these proposed relationships has not been previously examined. This study suggests novel theoretical and managerial implications for the ICT industry based on the results.
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Marla Israel, Nancy Goldberger, Elizabeth Vera and Amy Heineke
The purpose of this paper is to describe a university-multi-school district partnership that positively affected the lives of P-12 immigrant, migrant and refugee students and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe a university-multi-school district partnership that positively affected the lives of P-12 immigrant, migrant and refugee students and their parents through an iterative collaboration of talent and resources among institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a case study describing a university-school partnership grant-funded program detailing the processes, products, and implications for policy and practice.
Findings
University faculty and public school educators must work through intentional, contextually informed partnerships. It is through these partnerships that scarce resources of time, talent, and funds can be used wisely to build sustainable systems to educate students in K-12 schools and prepare future leaders for this work.
Research limitations/implications
This is a case study limited to the suburban Chicagoland area. Generalities to other communities cannot be directly made.
Originality/value
This study builds on the extant literature of university-school district partnerships and sustainable leadership theory by exploring the processes for creating iterative and individualized structures that benefit both university and public school districts. This study implores universities to re-examine priorities and purpose, especially within schools and colleges of education, in order to remain viable, relevant institutions for positive school improvement.
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Rebecca Lowenhaupt, Whitney Hegseth, Gabrielle Oliveira and Betty Lai
This paper presents a case study of a school district–university partnership to co-design a Children’s Cabinet, a cross-sector initiative bringing together institutional and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a case study of a school district–university partnership to co-design a Children’s Cabinet, a cross-sector initiative bringing together institutional and community leaders to address youth well-being in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a vibrant, immigrant-serving community in the Northeast United States, the partnership was initiated by district leaders in Spring 2021 after pandemic disruptions led to a youth mental health crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
Our descriptive, qualitative case study focuses on the structure and emerging design principles of the research–practice partnership, which established a Children’s Cabinet comprised of educational, government and community leaders along with researchers. From Spring 2021 through Spring 2024, we collected and analyzed member and youth interviews, ethnographic observations and artifacts from all meetings and process interviews with key partners.
Findings
We describe the structure of the partnership, including how researchers and district leaders collaborated on meeting facilitation and how researchers conducted and shared applied research. We then discuss three design principles that guided the work, including centering relationships, sustaining focus on key goals and embedding applied research.
Originality/value
As embedded research partners, our team is uniquely situated to narrate the nature and structure of the partnership and reflect on the design of our cross-sector initiative. Increasingly, universities are partnering directly with districts on school improvement initiatives. Our work shows how engaging in RPPs to bring together school, community and research partners can facilitate local leadership and collaboration to address complex, cross-sector goals such as increasing youth well-being.
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Sookweon Min, Marsha E. Modeste, Jason Salisbury and Peter T. Goff
The purpose of this paper is to examine what school leadership practices are associated with a school’s level of instructional collaboration among school professionals and also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine what school leadership practices are associated with a school’s level of instructional collaboration among school professionals and also investigates what school characteristics are linked to the level of instructional collaboration in a school.
Design/methodology/approach
This study drew data from the Comprehensive Assessment of Leadership for Learning (CALL) survey. CALL is a multi-source measure of distributed leadership, comprised of five domains of school leadership practices. Responses from 3,767 teachers and 167 administrators working at 129 schools were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression analysis.
Findings
The findings show that there are significant relationships between school leadership practices and the extent of instructional collaboration taking place within schools, both in terms of quantity and quality. In particular, school leadership practices that are closely related to facilitating instruction and allocating resources are associated with a school’s instructional collaboration, whereas a leadership practice related to environmental factors tends not to be significantly correlated with a school’s collaborative culture. This study also found that leadership perspectives on instructional collaboration are an important predictor of both quantity and quality of collaboration among school professionals.
Originality/value
This study clarifies the importance of school leadership in a collaborative culture and also provides empirical evidence of what specific practices of school leadership predict the frequencies of professional collaborative activities in school as well as their quality. In addition, this study demonstrates how schools’ contextual factors are related to the level of instructional collaboration among professionals.