Rebuilding Our Schools From The Bottom Up

The aim of this book is to explore how teachers, students and parents can be given more of a say in the education system – in how schools are organised, and in what and how children learn. The book does not promote a specific view of education, but considers the means by which educational purposes and approaches can be conceived, agreed and enacted democratically – a precursor to a flourishing democratic society. Rebuilding Our Schools from the Bottom Up has been written in response to significant changes which have taken place in the education system over the past 30 years. In England at least, these changes have resulted in an increasingly centralised system in which the voices of those who teach, those who learn, and those whose children go to school have been marginalised. The book covers four main areas: Teacher voice: listening to the professionals Student voice: involving students as active participants in their education Parent voice: building a genuine home–school partnership School community voice: developing a shared vision With inspiring examples from around the UK and overseas and a range of resources that can be used by senior leaders, teachers and parents, the book aims to encourage and support transformative change so that schools can meet the needs of the communities they exist to serve.

Witnesses: Jeb Bush, Governor of the State of Florida; Richard W. Riley, Secretary, Department of Education; George V. Voinovich, U.S. Senator from the State of Ohio; Dwight Evans, a State Representative from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Virginia Markell, President, National PTA; John T. Walton, Co-Chairman of the Children's Scholarship Fund; and Rose Blassingame and Vermont White, Washington Scholarship Fund.

Teacher turned home-educator Anna Dusseau explores the purpose of education, how children learn and the benefits of home education. She addresses key questions and suggests activities and ways to start homeschooling.

This volume presents the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Research in Black Education and offers new directions for research and practice. It demonstrates a transformative role for research and a positive role for culture in learning, in the academy, and in community and cross national contexts.

Exploring practitioner research and the possibilities it creates for increasing student participation and developing inclusive practices in educational contexts, this insightful text presents a range of original and innovative approaches to Action Research, and highlights the critical relationship between educational theory, research and practice in transformative action. Focussing on social constructivist approaches to teaching and learning, Action Research for Inclusive Education offers first-hand insights from researcher-practitioners from international settings including Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Granada, Greece, Singapore and England. Chapters explore diverse participatory and collaborative research practices which draw on the strengths and contributions of teachers and support staff, pupils, and families to foster inclusive practices across the school community and strengthen the participation and independence of all students. Topics considered include collaboration in Participatory Action Research, friendships and the development of students’ social skills, student voice and the role of pupils as co-researchers and peer mentors. Making an important contribution to debates on inclusive education and the role of practitioners and students in bringing about change, this text will be key reading for students, teachers and educational researchers.

Do you want us to live better than we do now? Do you want to help make a better future for generations to come? If your answer is yes to both questions, this book is for you. What can we do to live more convivially and sustainably? You’ll find here questions, anecdotes, references to films, radio, internet media, literature, and research from a range of academic disciplines and areas of activity. This is about how we lead our daily lives at play, study, and work. It is about learning, resilience, trust, equality, decision-making, cooperation, and leadership.

Based on a selection of 30 election campaign speeches during Obama's first run for the American presidency in 2008, this book investigates the Democratic presidential candidate's much celebrated rhetoric from a cognitive semantics point of view.