Characteristics of Sustainable Changes for SchoolsThe article discusses some aspects of the concept of sustainable development and its educational manifestation - education for sustainable development. The concept of education for sustainable development is broadly accepted, but less attention has been paid to the extent to which innovations or changes are sustained over time, what characteristics or factors support their sustainability. The article introduces a model of six characteristics of sustainable changes in schools and changes concerning sustainable development in Estonian schools have been analyzed using qualitative research methods. The model consists of the following characteristics: depth, endurance, justice, diversity, conservation, and capital. According to the model, the positive changes in Estonian schools have been about the national curriculum, internal evaluation system as the basis for autonomy and self-management. The areas requiring greater change are justice or interdependence, diversity - respect for other people and the connections between formal and non-formal education as well as between schools and teacher training institutions.
Building Social Capital Through Home-School CooperationThe background to the study examines parental involvement in education as a form of social capital and focuses on how involvement may be developed through three dimensions of social capital: bonding, bridging, and linking. Both groups (students and parents) were surveyed using questionnaires. The data of two different studies have been used: a cross-sectional study carried out in sixty-five schools in Estonia and a study of a comprehensive school to introduce practical implementations of the findings. The results of the studies indicate a high degree of readiness for cooperation from both sides - parents and the school, even though their understanding of responsibilities slightly differ. Parents and teachers should have mutual power and influence regarding the child's education, although schools have to take the prime responsibility in organizing the cooperation process.
In our study we collected school leaders' and teacher's perceptions about the possible effects of applying a model of Innovation Schools. Data was collected by focus group interviews in three schools. Based on the findings of the study eleven different topics were pointed out that described the influence of applying the model of Innovation Schools on the level of a school, nine topics that described the influence on the level of a teacher, seven topics that described the influence on the level of students and five topics that described influence on the level of student teachers and their studies. These topics support educational practitioners and teacher education institutions in building successful partnerships for sustainable teacher education.
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