Carol A. Mullen

Christopher H. Tienken

Education Policy Perils provides educators and those interested in the future of public education with research-based and practical analyses of some of the foremost issues facing public schools today. The collection, written by experienced scholar-practitioners, offers insights that include nuanced descriptions of various challenges facing educators and recommendations for overcoming them with an eye toward more successful policy and better implementation. The authors apply their expertise to a range of issues from international testing to policy challenges related to curriculum on the state and national levels. This volume positions ongoing debates within the wider context of an education landscape struggling to displace junk-science ideology with empirical research. The scope and sequence combined with the expertise of the contributors make this volume a vital resource for educators at all levels during a pivotal time of major changes in education policy.

Tackling Tough Issues

Education Policy Perils

Here, Carol Mullen uncovers vital information about the needs of the nation's schools that can be reflected in program content and policy reform. She contends that in today's education climate there exists an urgent call for university faculty to take responsibility for reforming university preparation programs. Otherwise, the least effective of these programs could be eliminated, as has already occurred in North Carolina. This book should help principal preparation programs that are behind the times to move forward. Such programs can thus be expected to be aligned not only with the expectations of universities, policymaking bodies, and the public, but also with school districts and practicing school leaders.

The Socialization of Early Career Administrators

Climbing the Himalayas of School Leadership

W. Brad Johnson

This concise guide to writing is designed to help any academic become not only productive but truly prolific. It is a pithy, no-nonsense, no-excuses guide to maximizing the quality and quantity of scholarly output. Johnson and Mullen offer an accessible overview of the art of writing efficiently and effectively, provide a one-stop source for the nuts and bolts of success in getting things written and into print, and advise academics on how to navigate the turbulent waters of professional stress along the way. This is the first book that explicitly summarizes the key elements of prolific productivity in academic settings.

How to Become a Prolific Academic

Write to the Top!

Fire & Ice presents the educational inquiry process to school practitioners and aspiring leaders. The context for this study is unusual because it addresses inquiry learning at both the master's and doctoral level and within group settings. The picture that emerges illustrates ways for mentors to engage graduate students in learning, writing, and research through collaborative structures, with an emphasis on learning communities as the primary vehicle for growth and success. In the book, graduate students have served as research participants, focus group members, and survey respondents in their dual role as peer mentor. Because graduate education is being challenged to meet the changing needs of the twenty-first century, the influence of the professions on academic degrees has meant that students must develop as scholar practitioners instead of strictly intellectual academics. Metaphorically, the fire (possibility, desire, and content) and ice (restraint, structure, and form) of scholarly inquiry is used as a literary device to capture what it might mean for students to perform inquiry.

Igniting and Channeling Passion in New Qualitative Researchers

Fire & Ice

Curriculum Leadership Development is an up-to-date, user-friendly textbook offering unique approaches to help readers understand the complexity of curriculum leadership. It is grounded in current and relevant theory, research, legislation, and application in the closely related areas of curriculum leadership, development, and scholarship. The text solidifies the concepts of curriculum and leadership in experiential learning contexts, and promotes democratic action and critical thinking. Author Carol A. Mullen uses a descriptive, qualitative approach that integrates case study, data analysis, personal reflection, and lessons learned. Among the most important elements of the book are: *the inclusion of the voice and curricular experiences of the professional student who is a seasoned teacher or beginning adminstrator; *detailed illustrations of practitioners' experiences as curriculum makers and action researchers; *an articulation of the links among curriculum development, constructivist curricula, and mentoring scaffolds; and *practical exercises to accompany case studies. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students in education will find this textbook of value in their coursework, as will curriculum professionals who teach practicing teachers.

A Guide for Aspiring School Leaders

Curriculum Leadership Development

The Risky Business of Education Policy focuses commentary and analysis on some of the most pressing policy challenges facing public school educators and those invested in a healthy, vibrant public-school system. The book shares insights and makes recommendations from leading scholar-practitioners, namely from educational leadership and science education, on ways to ponder, navigate, and challenge serious policy issues. The chapters present important policy topics and critical analysis of the topics from the authorial perspective of experienced educators leading the preparation of future school leaders and teachers. Through fast paced, user-friendly chapters, contributors grapple with an education reform policy issue of the day, reflecting what is contentious territory while wading through it. These educational researchers also make evidence-informed practical recommendations for educators and policymakers on how to better approach the policy challenges presented, so public education can be improved for all children. Each chapter contains stimulating ideas, useful information, and practical tips for school practitioners, higher education faculty, and constituent groups.

The Risky Business of Education Policy

Creativity Under Duress in Education? introduces a new framework—creativity under duress in education. Leading creativity researchers and educational scholars discuss creative theory and practice from an educational lens that is provocative. Across international contexts, this book combines insights from creativity and educational research; rich illustrations from classrooms, schools, and other professional settings, and practical ideas and strategies for how anyone invested in education can support creative teaching and learning. Readers will encounter diverse perspectives from an international cast of authors exploring cutting-edge ideas for creativity and innovation as a foremost priority for economies in the new millennium. At the same time, they consider forces of authority, control, and constraint that impact creative education and innovation within educational systems, extending to the professions. Educators and those interested in the future of education are vitally important to this conversation around research-based and practical analyses of creativity in and beyond the classroom. Addressed are these major issues: (1) creativity frameworks of theory and action in education, (2) research investigations into creativity and education, and (3) applications of creativity theory in real-world practice. Dynamic, this book presents a bridge between draconian contexts of assessment and explosive creativity in diverse places. A key contribution of the volume is its validation and promotion of creativity and innovation for students, teachers, professors, leaders, employers, policymakers, and others seeking ways to profoundly improve learning and transform education. In tackling the seemingly irreconcilable issues of creativity and accountability in K–12 institutions, higher education, and policy circles, worldwide, this work offers a message that is both cautionary and inspiring. Book editor Carol A. Mullen, PhD, is Professor of Educational Leadership at Virginia Tech, Virginia, USA. A twice-awarded Fulbright Scholar to China (2015) and Canada (2017), she was honored with the 2016 Jay D. Scribner Mentoring Award from the University Council for Educational Administration. She is author of Creativity and Education in China (2017) and co-editor of Education policy perils (2016).

Carol A. Mullen

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