A major educational reform of the primary and lower secondary schools started in the Czech Republic in 2007. Shortly after the launch of the reform, we studied the actual picture of teaching, learning, and instructional leadership in one Czech comprehensive school, using the design research of a case study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to describe the educational processes in the school – predominantly questioning, observation, and documentary analysis. Using qualitative data analysis we have sketched a narrative that highlights the role of structural factors – the small size of the school, the co-existence of primary and lower secondary schools within one organisation, as well as its unique history. The research results describe a case of schooling at the very beginning of educational reform, and guide the design of our next case studies of schools.
This paper is focused on peer review used by schools as a potential means of support for mutual learning and the development of staff professionalism. It is based on empirical material obtained from The Road to Quality Improvement1, a Czech national project designed to support self-evaluation in schools. Data from 32 schools were collected by questionnaire surveys, interviews, focus groups and document analysis. Main findings are as follows: (1) a prerequisite for successful peer review is previous experience of evaluation activities and work with data; (2) peer review develops participants’ sensitivity in terms of the need for the development of evaluation skills; (3) evaluation activities and work with data develop participants’ professionalism and their potential to contribute to school development.
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