Abstract/Notes: In the face of rising demand for private schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, a lack of affordable schooling options, monopolistic behavior of private education providers, and unpredictable government regulations have created a complex and unequal education sector. This research employs a mixed methods comparative approach to explore the ways in which private education providers navigate the regulatory schooling environments and assess the impact on education stakeholders in the UAE and Qatar. The study finds that there are considerable socioeconomic differences in terms of who has access to schooling and that a growing for-profit education sector may be deepening existing inequities in both countries, leaving poorer expatriate families only able to access low-quality education or in the worst cases, unable to access education at all. The promise of non-profit providers as a viable alternative to ensure access is explored.

Language: English

DOI: 10.18275/fire201603021076

ISSN: 2326-3873

Abstract/Notes: Abstrakt Przedmiotem przeprowadzonych badań była realizacja idei podmiotowego traktowania rodziców dzieci uczęszczających do przedszkoli publicznych i niepublicznych opartych na koncepcji pedagogicznej M. Montessori. Ich celem było zdiagnozowanie aktualnej sytuacji dotyczącej współpracy przedszkola z rodzicami w wymiarze instrumentalnym i decyzyjnym oraz przepływu informacji. Problemem głównym stało się pytanie: W jaki sposób montessoriańskie przedszkola publiczne i niepubliczne realizują podmiotowe podejście we współpracy z rodzicami dzieci? Pytanie to zostało uszczegółowione o kwestię: oceny form i sposobów komunikowania się z rodzicami przez nauczycieli, możliwości współuczestnictwa decyzyjnego i instrumentalnego. W celu zebrania opinii rodziców zastosowano sondaż diagnostyczny z techniką ankiety. Badaniami objęto rodziców dzieci, które uczęszczały do przedszkola przynajmniej przez jeden rok, w czterech celowo wybranych placówkach wychowania przedszkolnego, realizujących koncepcję edukacyjną opracowaną przez M. Montessori. Wśród nich były dwie placówki niepubliczne i dwie publiczne z trzech miast: z Krakowa, Białegostoku i Tychów. Badania zostały przeprowadzone w roku szkolnym 2014/2015. Otrzymane wyniki wskazują, że w badanych przedszkolach realizowane są kryteria partycypacji rodziców w pracy placówek. Są oni informowani o koncepcji filozoficznej, pedagogicznej i organizacyjnej przedszkola. Pozytywnie ocenili przepływ informacji na temat rozwoju dzieci. Kwestia współdecydowania o pracy przedszkola jest regulowana statutem przedszkola. W niektórych sprawach nauczyciele powinni bardziej konsultować się z rodzicami oraz uświadamiać ich o swoich działaniach wychowawczych w celu wypracowania jednolitego oddziaływania na dziecko i budowania zaufania.

Language: Polish

DOI: 10.14632/eetp.2016.11.40.151

ISSN: 1896-2327, 2353-7787

Abstract/Notes: There is now a well developed literature on the impact of high stakes testing on teaching approaches and student outcomes. However, the student perspective has been neglected in much research. This article draws on a mixed method longitudinal study of secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of two sets of high stakes examinations on student experiences. The analyses are based on surveys completed by 897 lower secondary students and 748 upper secondary students, along with 47 lower secondary and 53 upper secondary group interviews with students. Findings show the presence of impending high stakes exams results in increased workload for students, with many reporting pressure and stress. Throughout their schooling career, students clearly favour active learning approaches. However, for some students, particularly high-aspiring middle-class students, these views change as they approach the terminal high stakes exam, with many showing a strong preference for a more narrowly focussed approach to exam preparation. This article highlights how students shift from a position of critiquing exam-focused teaching methods as inauthentic to accepting such methods as representing ‘good teaching’.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1007/s11092-012-9154-6

ISSN: 1874-8600, 1874-8597

Abstract/Notes: According to Montessori, children learn more effectively when they discover knowledge on their own, through spontaneous exploratory learning and experiential approach to knowledge, focusing primarily on trusting the child and respecting his exceptional capabilities and skills. The Montessori educational approach was implemented in a public preschool setting in North Greece. Two years after the implementation of the Montessori approach, parents were invited to participate in focus groups interviews. According to parents’ views, children gained confidence in mathematics and reading stories by their own, cooperated more easily and resolved problems with maturity. The data indicates that in such an environment, the classroom becomes productive and the children individually give their personal interpretation of the information offered to them.

Language: English

DOI: 10.1080/03004279.2020.1849344

ISSN: 0300-4279, 1475-7575

Abstract/Notes: We examined whether kindergarten teachers' ratings of children’s prosocial skills, an indicator of noncognitive ability at school entry, predict key adolescent and adult outcomes. Our goal was to determine unique associations over and above other important child, family, and contextual characteristics.Methods. Data came from the Fast Track study of low–socioeconomic status neighborhoods in 3 cities and 1 rural setting. We assessed associations between measured outcomes in kindergarten and outcomes 13 to 19 years later (1991–2000). Models included numerous control variables representing characteristics of the child, family, and context, enabling us to explore the unique contributions among predictors.Results. We found statistically significant associations between measured social-emotional skills in kindergarten and key young adult outcomes across multiple domains of education, employment, criminal activity, substance use, and mental health.Conclusions. A kindergarten measure of social-emotional skills may be useful for assessing whether children are at risk for deficits in noncognitive skills later in life and, thus, help identify those in need of early intervention. These results demonstrate the relevance of noncognitive skills in development for personal and public health outcomes.

Language: English

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302630

ISSN: 0090-0036, 1541-0048

Abstract/Notes: Although technically open to all, charter schools often emphasize distinctive missions that appeal to particular groups of students and families. These missions, especially ones focusing on ethnic, linguistic, and cultural differences, also contribute to segregation between schools. Such schools raise normative questions about the aims of education. Are they a troubling retreat from an integrated public school system? Or are they new public spaces relevant to the needs of certain communities? Through a case study of one potentially counterpublic school, I describe how this school embodied aspects of public-ness. I argue that a counterpublic framework—in emphasizing shared decision making, expanded discursive space, and a publicist orientation—offers resources for considering under what circumstances distinctive schools might serve public goals.

Language: English

DOI: 10.3102/0002831216658972

ISSN: 0002-8312, 1935-1011

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Abstract/Notes: Students of color comprise a majority in public Montessori school enrollments around the United States, and practitioners are often asked for evidence of the Montessori Method’s benefits for these students. This article examines the relevant literature related to the experiences of students of color in public Montessori schools. Research finds Montessori education offers both opportunities and limitations for students of color in attending diverse schools, developing executive functions, achieving academically, accessing early childhood education and culturally responsive education, minimizing racially disproportionate discipline, and limiting overidentification for special education. Public Montessori education’s efficacy with students of color may be limited by several factors: the lack of diversity of the teaching staff and culturally responsive teacher education, schools that struggle to maintain racially diverse enrollments, and the challenge of communicating Montessori’s benefits to families with alternative views of education. The review concludes with directions for future research.

Language: English

DOI: 10.17161/jomr.v3i1.5859

ISSN: 2378-3923

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X