We have come a long way from the heady days of the Great Society, when most people seemed to believe that education would solve all of our problems, both intellectual and social The Coleman Report in 1966 cast the first doubts, and Jencks ( Inequality ) and Averch ( How Effective is Schooling? ) in 1972 seemed to make it official: nothing that schools do really makes any difference Considering that we spend more on schools than most other state and local governmental functions combined, this is indeed a dreary state of affairs Fifteen Thousand Hours has the temerity to question our present conventional wisdom It is a study of what things do make a difference in pupil outputs in 12 London inner-city secondary schools In many ways, it is a substantial improvement, methodologically, over previous studies First, it studies not just one output (which has usually been the score on some standardized test),

Fifteen Thousand Hours: Secondary Schools and Their Effects on Children

Review of:
Strauss, Anselm; Corbin, Juliet (1998) Basics of Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (2nd edition). Sage Publications: London.

Review of Basics of Qualitative Research Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory (2nd edition)

At a time when the schools are a matter of political debate, Gerald Grace, Professorial Research Fellow at the Institute of Education, University of London, has written a valuable book on Roman Catholic schools in England and Wales. He begins with theory, moves to historical, cultural and research contexts and then gives details of  eldwork in three English cities. All this is tied together by a practical engagement with contemporary education. The opening chapters introduce two theoretical frameworks. The  rst is drawn from the work of the French intellectual Pierre Bourdieu from whom are taken the notions of ‘legitimation’ and ‘habitus’. Legitimation concerns the validity of Catholic schooling, its right to exist, and its consequent relationship with society and culture. It also concerns, in this case, the impact of parental choice upon the functioning of Catholic schools since, when the market was opened up as a force in educational practice, Roman Catholic parents, in some numbers, disagreed with the position taken by their bishops. Thus the legitimation of Catholic schools occurs in two ways: by the historic mission and theology of the Roman Catholic Church and by the consumer-driven choice of assertive parents. The habitus of Catholic education is its ‘cultural unconscious’ that represents the consolidated tradition of Catholic schooling worldwide over many years. The habitus is the rigid pattern of prayers and masses, of symbols and retreats, of typical attitudes and procedures for character formation. Indeed, Grace has an interesting historical account of the habitus of Catholic schools taken from literary descriptions in novels and autobiographies. The most famous of these is found in James Joyce whose Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man paints a sharp and ultimately hateful picture of the disciplines of Irish education and the theological terrors they held for his generation. Since Vatican 2 this habitus has been largely revised so as to be more receptive of secular culture and more pluralistic in its intentions. The new diocesan comprehen-

Catholic Schools: Mission, markets and morality

Since the enactment of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act in New Zealand in 1975, leadership in Catholic schools has become increasingly complex. Under the legislation Catholic schools are required to develop and maintain the special character of the school. In recent times the position of Director of Religious Studies (DRS) has become a prominent leadership position with a key responsibility to ensure the structural transmission of the special character of the school. Financial or State-aid is dependent upon each school’s ability to develop and maintain its special character. The challenges and demands placed on DRSs to develop and maintain the special character of the Catholic school has impacted perceptions of the role of the DRS to the point where it has become necessary to reconceptualise the role. This study provides insights into the central responsibilities and characteristics of the DRS which are vital to any considerations pertaining to reconceptualising the DRS role for contemporary leadership.

Reconceptualising the preservation of special character in Catholic secondary schools: An investigation of the role of the Director of Religions Studies in Catholic secondary schools in the Hamilton Diocese, Aotearoa New Zealand.

This paper considers the way in which Christian Religious Education (RE) teachers articulate the difficulties and challenges they experience both in school and with their peers as they navigate their way through their Initial Teacher Education. The paper offers a unique exploration of the relationship between elements of the three discourses of faith identity, emerging professional identity and the requirements of a performative teacher training context. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 184 student RE teachers across three universities. It became clear that all students interpreted the Standards and policy guidelines ambiguously, as being value-laden or value-free. The idea of the ‘good teacher’ as someone who was, by very definition, neutral and objective immediately made the faith position of students problematic. This is a key point in relation to the notion of performativity and education and the disproportionate impact it made on Christian students. It appeared as though many ...

Performativity, Faith and Professional Identity: Student Religious Education Teachers and the Ambiguities of Objectivity.

Drawing on empirical data, this paper explores the Catholic leadership experiences of newly qualified teachers in Scotland and the impact this had on their faith and professional development. Set within the context of a longitudinal study that was carried out over a three-year period tracking the faith development needs of teachers, this paper is concerned with 20 teachers in their probationary year, from a mix of both primary and secondary Catholic schools in Scotland. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of the participants’ first full year teaching. The findings suggest that particular leadership styles have the ability to powerfully impact on the faith of individuals and contribute to enhancing their overall professional development, giving them a clear sense of identity and purpose within a Catholic education environment.

Catholic school leadership: exploring its impact on the faith development of probationer teachers in Scotland

This article is concerned with 26 primary and secondary student teachers' early perception of themselves as Catholic educators in Scotland. It analyses their perspectives on what it means to be a Catholic teacher, what is expected of them by the Church and what motivated them to choose this particular career path. Discussion of these issues reveals an astute awareness of their role in the Catholic sector but a deep apprehension about their ability to succeed in fulfilling this. Their religious biographies and identities highlight much about the Scottish context of which they are a part, yet their responses to faith indicate differing levels of confidence in teaching, particularly with regard to the content of the Religious Education curriculum which they are expected to implement. The challenge these students present to the major stakeholders in Scottish education is to provide them with adequate support in developing their own faith—and knowledge and understanding of it—in order to enable them to carry o...

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Student teachers' perception of their role and responsibilities as Catholic educators

Drawing on empirical data, this article explores the experiences of newly qualified Roman Catholic teachers in Scotland as they enter the classroom. Set within the context of a longitudinal study that was conducted over a 3-year period tracking the experiences and development needs of Catholics new to the profession, this particular article is concerned with twenty teachers in their probationary year (first year of teaching), from a mix of both primary and secondary Roman Catholic schools in Scotland. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted at the end of the participants' first full year teaching. The findings suggest that the culture and leadership style existing within such schools can have a powerful impact on the behavior and personal convictions of the individual teacher.

From Theory to Practice: The Experiences of Catholic Probationary Teachers.

This article examines Scottish Catholic school managers’ perceptions of continuing professional development (CPD), and in particular their views of CPD for the purpose of faith formation of Catholic teachers in their schools. Set against the background of the major CPD reforms that are currently taking place in Scotland as a result of the McCrone Agreement, the article uses interview source material to probe head teachers’ underlying views about the necessity of CPD of this nature, draws them together and analyses them in a critical manner. Issues emerged including the practicalities of engaging staff in such CPD experiences, control of CPD, the quality of opportunities and the place of distinctively Catholic CPD activities, similar to those recently launched by the Scottish Catholic Church, within the wider political CPD agenda. The paper considers the Church’s position on the role of the Catholic teacher, yet reflects on the lack of CPD opportunities for the purpose of faith formation that some Catholic...

Faith formation in the context of continuing professional development for Catholic teachers: understanding the views of the managers

Catholic schools enjoy a unique position within the Scottish education system. While the state maintains the schools and employs those teaching within them, the Catholic Church has statutory jurisdiction over the appointment of teachers, ensuring they are suitable in terms of ‘belief and character’. The Church also determines the content of the Religious Education curriculum to be taught in Catholic schools. In 2011 the Church launched This Is Our Faith (Scottish Catholic Education Service, This is our faith. Glasgow, 2011), a dynamic, doctrinally sound and comprehensive Religious Education syllabus which has arguably repositioned the subject in Catholic Schools and which demands new levels of catechetical competence on the part of the Catholic teacher.

Roisín Coll

Papers

Catholic school leadership: exploring its impact on the faith development of probationer teachers in Scotland

Student teachers' perception of their role and responsibilities as Catholic educators

From Theory to Practice: The Experiences of Catholic Probationary Teachers.

Faith formation in the context of continuing professional development for Catholic teachers: understanding the views of the managers

Catholic Religious Education in Scotland: Bridging the Gap Between Teacher Education and Curriculum Delivery