Exclusive consumers: The discourse of privilege in elite Indian school websites

This chapter undertakes a study of how elite schools in India have a historical, colonial legacy while incorporating global, market oriented, international agenda to fit in with present times. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notion of elite schools and Foucault’s theory of discourse, a qualitative analysis is undertaken of 21 elite schools. The primary argument advanced is that the websites of the schools contain the discourses of privilege and distinction along with the discourses of inclusion and exclusion, market ideology and individual merit with the aim being to promote a local, global elite ascendancy.

Organizational rhetoric in the prospectuses of elite private schools : unpacking strategies of persuasion

Schools have seldom been examined by scholars in studies of organizational sites. Yet schools and the educational context in which they operate, offer potentially important insights into how organizations use rhetoric in their communications to persuade audiences and leverage advantage in the marketplace. This study, which utilises rhetorical analysis to examine the persuasive, yet ambiguous strategies used in 65 school prospectuses in Australia, revealed six strategies consistently used by schools to leverage competitive advantage and persuade internal and external audiences: identification, juxtapositioning, bolstering or self-promotion, partial reporting, selfexpansion and reframing or reversal. As well as illustrating how schools operate in the context of marketisation and privatization discourses in 21st century education, the organizational theory and methods utilised for the research demonstrates how rhetorical strategies draw on, as well as reproduce, socio-political and cultural discourses around economic and social privilege.

Organizational rhetoric in the prospectuses of elite private schools: unpacking strategies of persuasion

The way in which private schools use rhetoric in their communications offers important insights into how these organizational sites persuade audiences and leverage marketplace advantage in the context of contemporary educational platforms. Through systemic analysis of rhetorical strategies employed in 65 ‘elite’ school prospectuses in Australia, this paper contributes to understandings of the ways schools’ communications draw on broader cultural politics in order to shape meanings and interactions among organizational actors. We identify six strategies consistently used by schools to this end: identification, juxtapositioning, bolstering or self-promotion, partial reporting, self-expansion, and reframing or reversal. We argue that, in the context of marketization and privatization discourses in twenty-first-century western education, these strategies attempt to subvert potentially threatening discourses, in the process actively reproducing broader economic and social privilege and inequalities.

Gender relations in elite coeducational schools

Coeducational schools have long been regarded as ‘risky’ environments for girls. This ethnographic study of three elite coeducational schools in Melbourne, Australia found that while gender relations continued to be complex, girls and boys worked together as colleagues and friends and the traditional gender hierarchies were disrupted at many points.

Increased allowances for food and clothing for children at Indian schools : Hearing before the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, Seventy-first Congress, second session, on increased allowances for food and clothing for children at Indian schools [held] February 27, 1930.

Mode of access: Internet.

The influence of British rule on elite Indian menswear: the birth of the Sherwani

‘The Influence of British Rule on Elite Indian Menswear: The Birth of the Sherwani’ is a study of the influence of politics on fashion and the resulting development of new garments. This research is designed to demonstrate the effect on elite Indian menswear of the two centuries of British rule in India. It is an effort to understand how the flowing garments worn by elite Indian men in the 18th century gradually became more tailored and fitted with the passage of time. The study uses multiple sources to bring to light lesser known facts about Indian menswear, the evolution of different garments and especially of the sherwani. The sherwani is a knee-length upper garment worn by South-Asian men, and is considered to be India’s traditional menswear. My study highlights the factors responsible for the birth of the sherwani and dispels the myth that it was a garment worn by the Mughals. Simultaneously, this study examines the concept and value of ‘tradition’ in cultures. It scrutinises the reasons for the sherwani being labelled as a traditional Indian garment associated with the Mughal era, when in fact it was born towards the end of the 19th century. The study also analyses the role of the sherwani as a garment of distinction in pre- and post-independence India.

The impact of managers' characteristics on the use of public relations strategy : an exploratory study in Queensland schools

While previous positive and normative studies have focused on the role public relations should play in organisations and the need for management in all organisations to attend to public relations (Cutlip et al., 2006), there has been little discussion in the public relations literature on why or how managers choose to enact public relations strategies for their organisations. If the discipline of public relations is to cement itself as a management function, then researchers must gain a better understanding of managers themselves given that they are the ones who decide if and how public relations strategies should be employed in the organisation. This study has sought to explore evidence of a relationship between management characteristics and their impact on decisions managers make when choosing which public relations strategies to adopt in response to changes in the organisation’s operating environment. This exploratory research study has been conducted within a specific context of schools in Queensland, Australia. Queensland schools have been facing a number of changes within their operating environment due to changes in Federal funding models in Australia’s education system. This study used an exploratory, qualitative approach to understand the management characteristics demonstrated by managers in schools and how these have impacted on the selection of public relations strategies for responding to their changing and increasingly competitive environment. The unit of analysis for this research study was principals in State (government) schools and in non-government schools. Ten principals were interviewed from four different types of schools in Queensland – the more traditional, elite, private schools (GPS Schools); other Independent Schools; Catholic Schools; and State (or public) schools. These interviews were analysed for quantitative comparisons of the managers’ characteristics across the different schools (in terms of the number of principals in each age bracket, those holding postgraduate qualifications, years of experience etc.); and for qualitative data to provide a greater sense of their understanding of public relations. The 10 schools were selected within a geographic area from Brisbane’s inner city to its outer western suburbs to include an element of competition amongst those managers being interviewed. A detailed review of government, school and other public documents was also conducted to gain an insight into the environment in which principals made decisions about public relations strategy to respond to increasing competition. This study found support for the literature on the relationship between management characteristics and strategy. However, there was also variation in findings warranting further investigation of the literature on the relationship between management characteristics and strategy in a school setting. Key relationships found in this study were between: management characteristics themselves; age and the use of public relations strategies; and gender and the use of public relations strategies. There was also evidence of support for the literature linking the impact that the combination of managers’ age, education and experience had on the use of public relations strategies. While this study was exploratory in nature, it did reveal a number of areas that require further investigation to gain a deeper understanding of how and why managers choose public relations strategies as a response to changes in their operating environment. It also provided a different framework to gain a better understanding of managers’ understanding and support of public relations in schools, which, in conjunction with an analysis of their management characteristics, will hopefully allow public relations scholars and practitioners alike gain an understanding of how and why managers use public relations strategies.

Classing schools

School prospectuses and promotional videos appeal to parents by presenting idealised images of the education a school provides. These educational idealisations visually realise the form of discipline a school is expected to provide, depending on the social habitus of the parents. This paper presents a content analysis of the images used in 33 sets of marketing materials from a maximally diverse sample of schools from the state of Victoria. These images are interpreted using the lenses of Bernstein's control and Bourdieu's habitus and cultural capital. The promotional images are found to vary systematically in terms of content and form depending on the perceived social class of the students which the schools attract.

Food environment and policies in private schools in Kolkata, India

School food policies and services have the potential to influence the food practices and eating behaviours of adolescents which in turn may affect their lifestyles and health in adulthood. The aim of this qualitative investigation was to describe the opinions of adolescents, their parents, nutrition educators and school principals about the prevailing food environment and canteen policies in Indian schools. Fifteen adolescents aged 14–15 years, 15 parents, 12 teachers and 10 principals from 10 private schools in Kolkata, India participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview questions were primarily based on the existing literature related to school food environments and policies. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and assessed thematically. Throughout the 52 interviews, a number of inadequacies of the school food environment and policies were revealed. These included the absence of written food policies, the widespread supply of unhealthy foods, inadequate provision of healthy foods, misleading messages about food communicated by school authorities, lack of cleanliness in the school canteen and the high cost of canteen food. Current school food environments do not appear to promote healthy eating among adolescents. Therefore, it is important to upgrade the quality of food services in Indian schools through adoption of healthy eating policies.

Modelling environmental effects on phenology and canopy development of diverse sorghum genotypes

The ability to predict phenology and canopy development is critical in crop models used for simulating likely consequences of alternative crop management and cultivar choice strategies. Here we quantify and contrast the temperature and photoperiod responses for phenology and canopy development of a diverse range of elite Indian and Australian sorghum genotypes (hybrid and landrace). Detailed field experiments were undertaken in Australia and India using a range of genotypes, sowing dates, and photoperiod extension treatments. Measurements of timing of developmental stages and leaf appearance were taken. The generality of photo-thermal approaches to modelling phenological and canopy development was tested. Environmental and genotypic effects on rate of progression from emergence to floral initiation (E-FI) were explained well using a multiplicative model, which combined the intrinsic development rate (Ropt), with responses to temperature and photoperiod. Differences in Ropt and extent of the photoperiod response explained most genotypic effects. Average leaf initiation rate (LIR), leaf appearance rate and duration of the phase from anthesis to physiological maturity differed among genotypes. The association of total leaf number (TLN) with photoperiod found for all genotypes could not be fully explained by effects on development and LIRs. While a putative effect of photoperiod on LIR would explain the observations, other possible confounding factors, such as air-soil temperature differential and the nature of model structure were considered and discussed. This study found a generally robust predictive capacity of photo-thermal development models across diverse ranges of both genotypes and environments. Hence, they remain the most appropriate models for simulation analysis of genotype-by-management scenarios in environments varying broadly in temperature and photoperiod.

FORMAÇÃO E ATUAÇÃO DAS PROFESSORAS INDÍGENAS DA ALDEIA PIAÇAGÜERA

O presente trabalho investiga a formação e a atuação das professoras indígenas da Escola Estadual Indígena Tupi-Guarani Ywy Pyaú, localizada no município de Peruíbe, Litoral Sul do Estado de São Paulo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que assume a perspectiva narrativa na medida em que recorram à história oral dos sujeitos envolvidos, contemplando aspectos significativos para a sua formação profissional que venham ajudar a compreender sua prática cotidiana. a presente pesquisa evidencia que apesar do aporte legal emanado a partir de 1988, o direito à educação escolar indígena - específica e diferenciada - ainda não está garantido. Através das entrevistas e nas visitas efetuadas na escola da aldeia Piaçagüera pude observar a existência de demandas que merecem e necessitam de soluções eficazes e urgentes por parte do poder público, pois se constituem em entraves significativos para a consecução do projeto político pedagógico das escolas indígenas. Além disso, a condição do professor indígena como portador da tradição do grupo e ao mesmo tempo como representante do saber instituído coloca paradoxos à formação e ao exercício da profissão docente. Estas questões devem ser equacionadas a partir da visão dos povos indígenas numa perspectiva de autonomia e respeito à diversidade.

FORMAÇÃO E ATUAÇÃO DAS PROFESSORAS INDÍGENAS DA ALDEIA PIAÇAGÜERA

O presente trabalho investiga a formação e a atuação das professoras indígenas da Escola Estadual Indígena Tupi-Guarani Ywy Pyaú, localizada no município de Peruíbe, Litoral Sul do Estado de São Paulo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que assume a perspectiva narrativa na medida em que recorram à história oral dos sujeitos envolvidos, contemplando aspectos significativos para a sua formação profissional que venham ajudar a compreender sua prática cotidiana. a presente pesquisa evidencia que apesar do aporte legal emanado a partir de 1988, o direito à educação escolar indígena - específica e diferenciada - ainda não está garantido. Através das entrevistas e nas visitas efetuadas na escola da aldeia Piaçagüera pude observar a existência de demandas que merecem e necessitam de soluções eficazes e urgentes por parte do poder público, pois se constituem em entraves significativos para a consecução do projeto político pedagógico das escolas indígenas. Além disso, a condição do professor indígena como portador da tradição do grupo e ao mesmo tempo como representante do saber instituído coloca paradoxos à formação e ao exercício da profissão docente. Estas questões devem ser equacionadas a partir da visão dos povos indígenas numa perspectiva de autonomia e respeito à diversidade.

FORMAÇÃO E ATUAÇÃO DAS PROFESSORAS INDÍGENAS DA ALDEIA PIAÇAGÜERA

O presente trabalho investiga a formação e a atuação das professoras indígenas da Escola Estadual Indígena Tupi-Guarani Ywy Pyaú, localizada no município de Peruíbe, Litoral Sul do Estado de São Paulo. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que assume a perspectiva narrativa na medida em que recorram à história oral dos sujeitos envolvidos, contemplando aspectos significativos para a sua formação profissional que venham ajudar a compreender sua prática cotidiana. a presente pesquisa evidencia que apesar do aporte legal emanado a partir de 1988, o direito à educação escolar indígena - específica e diferenciada - ainda não está garantido. Através das entrevistas e nas visitas efetuadas na escola da aldeia Piaçagüera pude observar a existência de demandas que merecem e necessitam de soluções eficazes e urgentes por parte do poder público, pois se constituem em entraves significativos para a consecução do projeto político pedagógico das escolas indígenas. Além disso, a condição do professor indígena como portador da tradição do grupo e ao mesmo tempo como representante do saber instituído coloca paradoxos à formação e ao exercício da profissão docente. Estas questões devem ser equacionadas a partir da visão dos povos indígenas numa perspectiva de autonomia e respeito à diversidade.

Implicit metaphysis of the Visuddhimagga : assāsa-passāsa as a vital animating force

This research examines how assasa-passisa and its surrounding concepts are discussed in Buddhaghossa's 5th century Theravada work, the Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification) to determine if there is metaphysical use of the term in the text and to determine if the concept of assasa-passasa is similar to the better-known Indian concept of prana (metaphysical vital animating force), indicating whether Theravada Buddhism more closely resembles other Indian religions in terms of metaphysical content. Text analysis reveals how assasa-passasa is described in the Visuddhimagga as an animating vital force, suggesting that Theravada Buddhism has an implicit ontology similar to other Indian schools of philosophy. Secondarily, this paper argues that because assisa-passasa plays a similar role to prana in the Visuddhimagga, it is also operationally similar and could be functioning as the implicit intermediary between links in the chain of dependent co-arising-as the vehicle of paticcasamuppada.

Identity orientation and stakeholder engagement—the corporatisation of elite schools

Identity orientation provides a means to understand the social motivations of organisational relationships and organisational policy and practices. This study uses identity orientation to understand the highly marketised context of independent ‘elite’ schools in Australia and how they relate to stakeholders to straddle their roles as social institutions that are increasingly required to operate in a corporate manner. Interviews with managers in quite new school roles such as marketing communication and business management were conducted in non-government schools to understand the schools' external orientations, coveted internal member traits, and frames of reference. The study shows that, in contrast to existing literature on the rhetoric of schools as focusing on ‘the child’, there was a strong emphasis on individualistic orientations in schools that saw stakeholders in instrumental terms of resources and connections, saw teachers as providing an innovative and leading edge, and used other prestigious schools as their frame of reference. To a lesser extent, schools would also be interested in the relationships with families, teachers, and the community for their own means. There were very few instances where the identity orientation was contributing to society, instead, focusing on university and network outcomes for pupils. Using identity orientation provides a theoretical lens to connect organisational governance to stakeholder engagement by providing insights into an organisation's identity including practices and behaviours, in relation to others.