An Investigation of Affirmative Action Policies and Practices of Recruiting, Hiring, Mentoring and Retention of African American Teachers and Administrators
The purpose of this study was to investigate the affirmative action policies and practices of recruiting, hiring, mentoring and retention of African American teachers and administrators throughout the State of Illinois. Since public elementary and secondary school systems provide numerous and varied jobs in virtually every community in the nation, it is assumed that if a quality education is to be attained, students must be exposed to the variety of cultural perspectives that represent the nation at large (American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education,
On Becoming a Superintendent: Contest or Sponsored Mobility?.
The highest professional, salaried position one may seek in the public school sector is that of superintendent. Traditionally, attainment of this position has depended to an appreciable extent on the help and information an aspirant received from professional contacts-the so-called "old boy network." A major aspect of this study was to determine the role of such professional contacts as consultants, mentors, and advisors in the selection and placement of Black public school superintendents. A school board has several issues to consider when it has a superintendency to fill. During the selection process, the board may use the professional advice and services of persons outside the district. This might include the hiring of a consultant and inviting nominations or accepting unsolicited nominations from knowledgeable persons. Of the many steps followed in the selection process, four are relevant to this study: hiring an outside consultant, inviting nominations, accepting nominations, and assuring equal employment opportunity. The persons from whom nominations are invited or accepted are referred to interchangeably as advisors, sponsors, or consultants. By definition, an "advisor" is anyone who counsels or gives recommendations. The term "consultant," however, connotes a formal contract with a person for professional advice and services. A consultant, by definition, is also an advisor. The term "sponsor" refers to anyone who promotes another person or otherwise acts on his behalf. Sponsors are also referred to as "encouragers." An advisor or consultant may act as a sponsor by promoting certain candidates. Persons who are invited to make nominations,
Historias de mi barrio: contemporary art in a community at high risk of social exclusion
Abstract Historias de mi barrio is a piece of pedagogic research aimed at highlighting the way art can articulate the relationship between the educational context and a neighbourhood at high risk of social exclusion. The starting point for this study was to ask whether this type of research, centred around the arts, was suitable in complex contexts and whether it might eventually lead to pedagogic improvement. The results gathered, and indeed the work carried out by the artists and university lecturers involved, together with pupils 6–12 years old and their instructors in a state school, provide evidence of a positive answer – and notably of the necessity of knowing about the socio-economic reality of the student cohort when planning learning projects and of the importance of the arts as a crucial element in education.