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While violence by boys towards girls is readily recognized as being gender-based, Mills (education, U. of Queensland, Australia) argues that all violence of boys in schools is gender-based, for example contending that the common notion of "bullying" is an example of "boundary policing, usually with a homophobic edge, which serves to normalize particular constructions of masculinity while also determining where a boy is positioned within a hierarchical arrangement of masculinities." Drawing on insights of feminist scholarship, he attempts to analyze the possible development of strategies and programs that seek to challenge the existence of gender-based violence in schools. After discussing the theoretical underpinnings of such work, he moves to an exploration of the curriculum and pedagogy issues in relation to challenging dominant notions of masculinity that lead to violence. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

An epic tale of wartime. The book tells the story of two young people from Gdansk, parted by the outbreak of war. It is a record of their journey, which saw them on opposite sides of the conflict. Yet, there are many characters in the novel, whose stories are introduced to the reader through the adventures of the book's main characters. It is also, if not primarily, a testimony to the past, told in the language of those who survived the war. Many of the events quoted in the book really happened, and these are the actual accounts of the author's parents (who lived through the war) and other family members, these are also testimonials of soldiers of the past interviewed by the author and all this has been braided into a story woven in the writer's imagination.

Persistently cheeky, disruptive, even aggressive boys can be found in classrooms everywhere, as can the victims of bullying. These boys' behaviours often pose a problem to themselves as well as to others. As the hotly contested debates about boys' education swirl around them, what can teachers actually do to improve boys' performance in the classroom? Teaching Boys provides a practical framework for teachers to improve boys' education in ways that are appropriate for their school context and also sustainable. Drawing on intensive research in classrooms where innovative teachers are achieving good outcomes with boys, Keddie and Mills show how other teachers can learn from their success. They acknowledge that there are no simple solutions, but show that what teachers do in the classroom really does matter. They emphasise the importance of understanding the impact of dominant and subversive masculinities at all levels of schooling, on both boys and girls. 'What is original about this book is that it marries theory and practice in a way that speaks to the everyday realities and concerns of teachers who work with boys in schools' Associate Professor Wayne Martino, The University of Western Ontario 'What is impressive about Teaching Boys is the way in which Keddie and Mills pull together the best research on boys and schooling with the best research on pedagogies.' Professor Bob Lingard, The University of Edinburgh

This book provokes a conversation about what supportive schooling contexts for both students and teachers might look like, and considers how schooling can contribute to a more socially-just society. It takes as its starting point the position of the most marginalised students, many of whom have either been rejected by or have rejected mainstream schooling, and argues that the experiences of these students suggest that it is time for schools to be reimagined for all young people. Utilizing both theory and data, the volume critiques many of the issues in conventional schools that work against education, and presents evidence ‘from the field’ in the form of data from unconventional schooling sites, which demonstrates some of the structural, relational, curricular and pedagogical changes that appear to be enabling schooling for education for their students. It will be essential reading for students and researchers in the fields of education, sociology and social work, and will also be of great interest to practising teachers.

* How can we understand and theorise school leadership? * How can school leadership work towards enhancing student learning? * What are the constraints and possibilities for school leadership at the beginning of a new century? This title is relevant to anyone concerned with improving schooling and enhancing the professional practices of educators. The authors focus on leadership for enhancing student outcomes, both academic and social. While recognizing the significance of the principal or headteacher in school leadership, the authors argue a strong case for the dispersal of leadership: * Based on extensive research conducted within schools * Focuses on leading learning across the school * Theoretically sound; reflects the theories of Bourdieu and Foucault * Politically aware; discusses the context of leadership within school communities, educational systems, global pressures, new policy directions Current, topical and thoughtful, Leading Learning is key reading for principals or headteachers, teachers, and other school leaders, policy makers and for students studying educational administration.

Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice provides an account of recent developments in English state education, with a particular focus on the ‘academisation’ of schooling. It examines how head teachers, teachers and others working in diverse education settings navigate the current policy environment. The authors provide readers with insight into the complex decision-making processes that shape school responses to current educational agendas and examine the social justice implications of these responses. The book draws on Nancy Fraser’s social justice framework and her theorising of neoliberalism to explore current tensions associated with moves towards both greater autonomy for and accountability of state schooling. These tensions are presented through four case studies that centre upon 1) a group of local authority primary schools, 2) an academy ‘chain’, 3) a co-operative secondary school and 4) an alternative education setting. The book identifies the ‘emancipatory’ possibilities of these approaches amid the complex demands of autonomy and accountability seizing English schools. Informed by a consideration of market parameters and social protectionist ideals, this examination provides rich insights into how English schools have emancipatory capacity. Autonomy, Accountability and Social Justice makes a major theoretical contribution to understandings of how the market is working alongside the regulation of schooling and the implications of this for social justice. By drawing on the experiences of those working in schools, it demonstrates that the tensions associated with autonomy and accountability within the current education policy environment can be both productive and unproductive for social justice.

Exploring the limitations of current approaches to addressing boys' education, this study illustrates how initiatives such as single-sex classes and schools for boys, the boy friendly curriculum and the call for more male teachers as role models have the potential to exacerbate rather than ameliorate the problems that boys are supposedly experiencing in schools. The book demonstrates that such approaches to boys' education have failed to acknowledge the significant impact of masculinity on both boys' and girls' lives and in turn have failed to address equity issues experienced by both minority boys and girls in schools. This study argues for new policies and a pedagogical reform agenda that engages with a more nuanced understanding of what constitutes good teaching and effective learning in schools for all students, while simultaneously interrogating the constrains imposed by dominant or stereotypical constructions of masculinity.

In many English-speaking countries, teachers are encouraged to differentiate their classrooms, and in some cases, through various policy mechanisms. This encouragement is often accompanied by threats and sanctions for not making the grade. By exploring the ways in which one education system in Australia has mandated differentiation through an audit of teacher practices, this book provides a timely engagement with the relationship between differentiated classrooms and social justice. It covers tensions, for instance, between providing culturally-appropriate classrooms, including constructing engaging and relevant curricula, and lowering expectations for students who have traditionally been marginalised by schooling. The data for this book has been collected from the same group of teachers over a period of three years, and offers detailed insights into how a particular politics of differentiation has played itself out in the context of a ‘global reform movement’ that has focused on improving student outcomes.

The first official account of the iconic record label.