Ian Hardy – författare

School Reform in an Era of Standardization explores how teachers and school-based administrators navigate the processes of accountability and standardization in schooling systems and settings. It provides clear insights into how the work and learning of teachers and students in schools have been dramatically reconstituted by increased pressures of external, political scrutiny and accountability. The book reveals in detail the nature and effects of standardization processes upon schools and schooling systems. Specifically, it shows how curriculum development, teaching and assessment practices have all been recalibrated under conditions of increased external scrutiny of teacher and student work and learning, and how such processes are manifest in curriculum dominated by attention to literacy and numeracy, more ''scripted'' pedagogies and standardized testing.

However, the research not only elaborates the detrimental effects of such processes, but also how those responsible for educating in schools – teachers, heads of curriculum, deputy-principals and principals – have responded proactively by interpreting, interrogating and challenging these conditions. In this way, it provides resources for hope – evidence of what are described as more ‘authentic accountabilities’ – and at the same time it provides a clear portrait of the difficulty of fostering substantive curriculum, teaching and assessment reform during an era of increasingly reductive accountability processes. It will be an invaluable resource for understanding and enhancing practices in schools and school systems in the decades to come, and for giving hope to educators in the ongoing work of rebuilding trust in public education.

School Reform in an Era of Standardization explores how teachers and school-based administrators navigate the processes of accountability and standardization in schooling systems and settings. It provides clear insights into how the work and learning of teachers and students in schools have been dramatically reconstituted by increased pressures of external, political scrutiny and accountability. The book reveals in detail the nature and effects of standardization processes upon schools and schooling systems. Specifically, it shows how curriculum development, teaching and assessment practices have all been recalibrated under conditions of increased external scrutiny of teacher and student work and learning, and how such processes are manifest in curriculum dominated by attention to literacy and numeracy, more ''scripted'' pedagogies and standardized testing.

However, the research not only elaborates the detrimental effects of such processes, but also how those responsible for educating in schools – teachers, heads of curriculum, deputy-principals and principals – have responded proactively by interpreting, interrogating and challenging these conditions. In this way, it provides resources for hope – evidence of what are described as more ‘authentic accountabilities’ – and at the same time it provides a clear portrait of the difficulty of fostering substantive curriculum, teaching and assessment reform during an era of increasingly reductive accountability processes. It will be an invaluable resource for understanding and enhancing practices in schools and school systems in the decades to come, and for giving hope to educators in the ongoing work of rebuilding trust in public education.

This book is a unique primer for school professionals, educators and policymakers to develop a solid understanding of the domains essential to cultivating and sustaining successful schools. It also provides essential reading for researchers interested in these issues more broadly.

In response to various sensationalist discourses around schooling that dominate both mainstream and social media, the authors draw upon both long-standing and up-to-date research from around the world to present a more accurate, holistic, and optimistic approach. The book identifies the key domains that are necessary to address concerns in equity, leadership and teaching for enhanced student learning and wellbeing. Specifically, these domains relate to: (1) system-wide approaches to enhance school performance; (2) building teacher capability for student learning; (3) educational leadership as a vehicle for leading learning; and (4) building community ‘infrastructures’ for equitable, place-based learning. The book can be used in several ways: each chapter can be read as a stand-alone overview of key areas for school improvement. The broad topics are important jigsaw puzzle pieces that are necessary to ‘see the whole picture’ of a successful school/system. Each chapter includes ‘Key messages’ and ‘Ways forward’ and closes with extension questions to further guide thinking through the ‘big ideas’ presented in each chapter and how they are relevant to different schooling and policy contexts.

Grounded in research into productive and proactive system and school practices from around the world, this book ensures professional educators are equipped with the latest research and practice, without being overwhelmed by the detail.

This book is a unique primer for school professionals, educators and policymakers to develop a solid understanding of the domains essential to cultivating and sustaining successful schools. It also provides essential reading for researchers interested in these issues more broadly.

In response to various sensationalist discourses around schooling that dominate both mainstream and social media, the authors draw upon both long-standing and up-to-date research from around the world to present a more accurate, holistic, and optimistic approach. The book identifies the key domains that are necessary to address concerns in equity, leadership and teaching for enhanced student learning and wellbeing. Specifically, these domains relate to: (1) system-wide approaches to enhance school performance; (2) building teacher capability for student learning; (3) educational leadership as a vehicle for leading learning; and (4) building community ‘infrastructures’ for equitable, place-based learning. The book can be used in several ways: each chapter can be read as a stand-alone overview of key areas for school improvement. The broad topics are important jigsaw puzzle pieces that are necessary to ‘see the whole picture’ of a successful school/system. Each chapter includes ‘Key messages’ and ‘Ways forward’ and closes with extension questions to further guide thinking through the ‘big ideas’ presented in each chapter and how they are relevant to different schooling and policy contexts.

Grounded in research into productive and proactive system and school practices from around the world, this book ensures professional educators are equipped with the latest research and practice, without being overwhelmed by the detail.

The Politics of Teacher Professional Development: Policy, Research and Practice provides innovative insights into teachers’ continuing development and learning in contemporary western contexts. Rather than providing a list of "how-tos" and "must dos," this volume is premised on the understanding that by learning more about the current conditions under which teachers and other educators work and learn, it is possible to understand, and consequently improve, the learning opportunities teachers experience. Teacher professional development is not simply construed as an isolated series of events, such as day-long workshops marking the beginning of each school year or term, or individualistic "one-off" activities focused on new teaching approaches, curricula or assessment strategies. Rather, through application of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s understanding of social practices as contested, teacher professional development is revealed as a complex social practice which exists as policy, as a research product and process, and as an important part of teachers’ work. The book reveals how PD as policy, research and teachers’ work are inherently contested. An extended series of case studies of teacher professional development practices from Canada, England and Australia are employed to show how these tensions play out in complex ways in policy and practice.

The Politics of Teacher Professional Development: Policy, Research and Practice provides innovative insights into teachers’ continuing development and learning in contemporary western contexts. Rather than providing a list of "how-tos" and "must dos," this volume is premised on the understanding that by learning more about the current conditions under which teachers and other educators work and learn, it is possible to understand, and consequently improve, the learning opportunities teachers experience. Teacher professional development is not simply construed as an isolated series of events, such as day-long workshops marking the beginning of each school year or term, or individualistic "one-off" activities focused on new teaching approaches, curricula or assessment strategies. Rather, through application of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s understanding of social practices as contested, teacher professional development is revealed as a complex social practice which exists as policy, as a research product and process, and as an important part of teachers’ work. The book reveals how PD as policy, research and teachers’ work are inherently contested. An extended series of case studies of teacher professional development practices from Canada, England and Australia are employed to show how these tensions play out in complex ways in policy and practice.

This book provides a critical examination of the English-only policy of ASEAN, the Association of the ten Southeast Asian nations. It presents the ASEAN language policy and planning (LPP) journey through time:  rationalising English as the sole working language for ASEAN in the past, followed by a critique of the status quo considering regional complexities and dynamics, and finally exploring alternative linguistic futures for ASEAN and the Southeast Asian region. The book also offers methodological innovations in LPP research by utilising the largely underrepresented and undervalued agency of ''people with expertise''.

The authors argue for a multilingual commitment towards pursuing an agency of ''projectivity'' in co-constructing imagined LPP possibilities to reflect the region''s socio-historical context, socio-political intricacies, and socio-linguistic diversity. The way forward is a more inclusive, equitable, balanced, and responsible approach to LPP, both regionally and globally.

The book engages with both deconstructive and constructive paradigms, offering promising proposals for dealing with key language issues and contemporary challenges. This book will be interesting reading for language and education scholars, sociolinguists, historians, political scientists, policymakers, diplomats, language activists, media personnel, business leaders, tourism players and other language policy and planning actors operating at national, sub-national and supra-national levels.