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If you have ever asked yourself where the Golden Snitch came from, how the Bludgers came into existence, or why the Wigtown Wanderers have pictures of meat cleavers on their robes, you need Quidditch Through the Ages. This invaluable volume is consulted by young Quidditch fans on an almost daily basis. Now fully illustrated in brilliant color by award-winning artist Emily Gravett, this special new edition is a beautiful gift for Harry Potter fans and Quidditch enthusiasts alike.

An Intellectual History of School Leadership Practice and Research presents a detailed and critical account of the ideas that underpin the practice of educational leadership, through drawing on over 20 years of research into those who generate, popularise and use those ideas. It moves from abstracted accounts of knowledge claims based on studying field outputs, towards the biographies and practices of those actively involved in the production and use of field knowledge. The book presents a critical account of the ideas underpinning educational leadership, and engages with those ideas by examining the origins, development and use of conceptual frameworks and models of best practice. It deploys an original approach to the design and composition of an intellectual history, and as such it speaks to a wider audience of scholars who are interested in developing and deploying such approaches in their particular fields.

First published in 1979, this now classic text presents a major study of the development of educational systems, focusing in detail on those of England, Denmark, France, and Russia - chosen because of their present educational differences and the historical diversity of their cultures and social structures. Professor Archer goes on to provide a theoretical framework which accounts for the major characteristics of national education and the principal changes that such systems have undergone. Now with a new introduction, Social Origins of Educational Systems is vital reading for all those interested in the sociology of education. Previously published reviews: 'A large-scale masterly study, this book is the most important contribution to the sociology of education since the second world war as well as being a substantial contribution to the consolidation of sociology itself.' - The Economist 'I cannot improve on her own statement of what she is trying to do: 'The sociological contribution consists in providing a theoretical account of macroscopic patterns of change in terms of the structural and cultural factors which produce and sustain them'...Unquestionably, this book is an impressive work of scholarship, well planned conceptually and uniting its theoretical base with a set of four thoroughly and interestingly researched case-studies of the history of the educational systems of Denmark, England, France and Russia.' - British Journal of the Sociology of Education 'This magnificent treatise seriously explores many of the most recalcitrant questions about institutional systems.' - Journal of Curriculum Studies 'A gargantuan and impressive socio-historical enterprise.' - Encounter '...a major achievement.' - New Society

In The New Work of Educational Leaders, Peter Gronn provides a new framework for understanding leadership practice. The work of leaders will increasingly be shaped by three over-riding but contradictory themes: design, distribution and disengagement. These are the ′architecture′ of school and educational leadership. Designer-leadership is the use of mandatory standards of assessment and accreditation for school leaders, such as the NPQH (National Qualification for Headship) in the United Kingdon and the ISLLC (Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium) standards in the United States. Distributed patterns of leadership have developed in response to the intensification of school leaders′ work under policy regimes of site-based and school self-management. Disengagement describes a culture of abstention, in which school systems anticipate leadership succession problems, such as projected shortages and recurring recruitment difficulties.

Little research has targeted multiple-level barriers and facilitators in school-based parental support programmes. This qualitative study aims to describe barriers and facilitators, at organisational and personal levels, that teachers and parents in disadvantaged settings in Sweden perceived as influencing the implementation of the Healthy School Start II (HSS II) intervention. Data collection, analysis and interpretation were guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 14 parents and ten teachers within the HSS II trial. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis in a deductive step using the three CFIR domains-inner and outer setting, and personal characteristics-followed by an inductive analysis. The theme 'being on the same page-getting burdened teachers and parents to work on common ground' was found. Among teachers, barriers and facilitators were related to the structure of the schoolwork and curriculum, involvement from other staff and school management, the practical school workday, perception of high family needs but low parental interest, insufficient resources in the families, and teacher's personal knowledge, interests, and opinions about health and food. For parents, barriers and facilitators were related to the perceived family needs and resources, parents' health knowledge, consensus about healthy behaviours and ability to cooperate, and school involvement in health issues and the intervention. Interventions should facilitate parents' and teachers' work on common ground, with activities suitable for a stressful and burdensome workday and everyday life. This could be achieved by integrating evidence-based practices within school routines, and including activities that are practicable despite parents' stressful lives, and that increase parental consensus about promoting health. Strategies to increase involvement of parents in families with high needs are necessary. Also, this study suggests an expansion of the CFIR to capture the interface between different micro-level organisations, and account for several delivering/receiving organisations.

Background In an attempt to improve children’s physical activity levels governments have introduced policies specifying the minimum time schools are to schedule physical activity each week. Despite this, the majority of schools in many jurisdictions fail to implement these policies. This study will assess the effectiveness of a multi-component implementation strategy on increasing the minutes of planned physical activity scheduled by primary school teachers each week. Methods A cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted in 62 primary schools in the Hunter New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Schools will be randomly allocated to receive either a multi-component implementation strategy that includes; obtaining executive support, training in-school champions, provision of tools and resources, implementation prompts, reminders and feedback; or usual practice. The study will employ an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design, assessing both policy implementation and individual (student) behavioural outcomes. The primary trial outcome of mean minutes of physical activity scheduled by classroom teachers across the school week will be measured via teacher log-book at baseline and approximately 12 and 18 months post baseline. A nested evaluation of the impact of policy implementation on child physical activity will be undertaken of students in Grades 2 and 3. Analyses will be performed using an intention to treat framework. Linear mixed effects regression models will be used to assess intervention effects on the primary outcome at both follow-up periods. Discussion This study will be the one of the first well powered randomised trials internationally to examine the impact of an implementation strategy for a physical activity policy in primary schools and will address a fundamental research translation gap. Given the dearth of research, the findings will be important in informing future implementation efforts in this setting. Trial registration ANZCTR ACTRN12617001265369 version 1 registered 1st September 2017.

PurposeThe rapid digitalization and emergence of AI tools are transforming school organizations. However, limited research exists on how school leaders integrate these technologies into their leadership practices. This study focuses on the experiences of school leaders in Cyprus, exploring the benefits and challenges of adopting digital and AI tools in their roles. The research seeks to enhance understanding of these topics as they relate to the pandemic aftermath and the current emergence of cutting-edge technologies.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was used, with semi-structured interviews serving as the primary data collection method. The sample consisted of 43 school leaders from primary and secondary schools across five districts in Cyprus, who voluntarily participated in the study.FindingsThe findings reveal that while digital tools enhance communication and administrative efficiency, challenges associated with poor infrastructure and inadequate targeted training were disclosed. In addition, school leaders acknowledge the potential of AI to support their leadership practice, while also addressing the challenges of integrating these tools due to limited knowledge and understanding, lack of appropriate training and the need of an ongoing support.Practical implicationsThe study emphasizes the need for tailored professional development, better infrastructure and continuous support to help school leaders effectively integrate digital and AI tools into their daily leadership practices.Originality/valueThis research contributes uniquely to the field by focusing on the integration of digital tools, while also exploring, to some extent, perspectives on AI within school leadership in Cyprus, in an area that has been largely underexplored.

In \"Illuminate the Way: The School Leader's Guide to Addressing and Preventing Teacher Burnout,\" veteran teacher and instructional coach Chase Mielke outlines the three dimensions of burnout--exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy--and provides the methods to help foster agency, relatedness, and competence in your staff. School leaders have a responsibility to develop the skills, the strategies, and a school culture that emphasize resilience. Decades of psychological and organizational research have shown that we must eradicate the causes of helplessness, which leads to ineffectiveness, and instead promote the conditions of well-being and engagement. The best path to an effective educator is an affective educator who has: (1) A strong level of autonomy and an internal locus of control; (2) High self-efficacy in diverse teaching contexts; (3) Resiliency skills for tackling individual and group challenges; (4) Awareness of when and how to regulate diverse emotions; (5) Intrinsic motivation to grow oneself, one's students, and one's team; and (6) Positive relationships with students, their families, colleagues, and administration. Teacher burnout ripples out to the entire school system, and if we want to create thriving schools, we need to support thriving teachers. Help improve your teachers' well-being and illuminate the way to a more resilient and engaged school.

How state leadership determines effective higher education attainment. Although the federal government invests substantial resources into student financial aid, states have the primary responsibility for policies that raise overall higher educational attainment and improve equity across groups. The importance of understanding how states may accomplish these goals has never been greater, as educational attainment is increasingly required for economic and social well-being of individuals and society. Drawing on data collected from case studies of the relationship between public policy and higher education performance in five states—Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Washington— The Attainment Agenda offers a framework for understanding how state public policy can effectively promote educational attainment. Laura W. Perna and Joni E. Finney argue that there is no silver bullet to improve higher education attainment. Instead, achieving the required levels of attainment demands a comprehensive approach. State leaders must consider how performance in one area (such as degree completion) is connected to performance in other areas (such as preparation or affordability), how particular policies interact to produce expected and unexpected outcomes, and how policy approaches must be adapted to reflect their particular context. The authors call for greater attention to the state role in providing policy leadership to advance a cohesive public agenda for higher education and adopting public policies that not only increase the demand for and supply of higher education but also level the playing field for higher educational opportunity. The insights offered in The Attainment Agenda have important implications for public policymakers, college and university leaders, and educational researchers interested in ensuring sustained higher education attainment.

The Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) and Sport Education (SE) pedagogical models share several objectives and pedagogical processes. Despite this seemingly uncanny relationship, few studies have examined the efficacy of a hybrid TGfU/SE pedagogical model, particularly how a teacher's utilization of such a model impacts on student motivation. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect a hybrid TGfU/SE unit, in comparison to direct instruction, on students' perceptions of various aspects of their motivation to engage in physical education (autonomous motivation, basic psychological needs, enjoyment and intention to be physically active). A crossover design was utilized, using the technique of counterbalancing. One group experienced a hybrid SE/TGfU unit first, followed by a unit of direct instruction. A second group experienced the units in the opposite order. Participants were 55 students. The intervention was conducted over a total of 16 lessons. The hybrid unit was designed according to the characteristics of SE by using seasons, roles, persistent teams, etc. Learning tasks set by the teacher during individual lessons, however, were designed according to the pedagogical principles of TGfU. Student motivation data was generated using validated questionnaires. Results showed that regardless of the order of intervention, the two groups showed significant improvements in autonomy, competence and enjoyment when they were taught using the hybrid model. Instead, in the variables autonomous motivation, relatedness and intention to be physically active there were no significant improvements in one group. These results demonstrate that it is possible to design varied learning situations in which affiliation, leadership and trust are fostered, while tasks are adapted to the characteristics of the students. All this can cause greater autonomous motivation, and consequently, perceived competence in the student, a positive image of the sport to practice, and therefore greater enjoyment and to be physically active.