"In crystalline text steeped in cold rage, Sayer takes aim at the REF's central claim, that it is a legitimate process of expert peer review. He critiques university and national-level REF processes against actual practices of scholarly review as found in academic journals, university presses, and North American tenure procedures. His analysis is damning. If the REF fails as scholarly review, how can academics and universities continue to participate? And how can government use its rankings as a basis for public policy?" - Tarak Barkawi, London School of Economics "Sayer makes a compelling argument that the Research Excellence Framework is not only expensive and divisive, but is also deeply flawed as an evaluation exercise. Rank Hypocrisies is a rigorous and scholarly evaluation of the REF, yet written in a lively and engaging style that makes it highly readable." - Dorothy Bishop, University of Oxford Few decisions are as consequential for the funding and reputation of Britain's universities as those of REF panels. Not only do REF rankings determine the levels of research funding universities receive from the state. They equally affect institutions' ability to attract external grants, top-flight faculty, and graduate students. Whatever benefit the UK's periodic research assessment exercises may have brought to research productivity, the REF has been widely criticized for its enormous costs in taxpayers' money and academics' time, its discouragement of innovative (and especially interdisciplinary) research, and its negative effects on collegiality and staff morale. Derek Sayer extends these arguments, notably through his discussion of the questionable staff selection processes used in REF2014 within his own university. Where Rank Hypocrisies goes beyond previous critiques is in its open challenge to the REF's claim to provide 'expert review of the outputs' - the very heart of its legitimacy. Examining the composition and operation of REF disciplinary subpanels in forensic detail, Sayer paints a picture in which overburdened assessors assign vaguely defined grades in fields that are frequently not their own while ignoring all external indicators of the academic influence of the publications they are appraising, and then shred all records of their deliberations. Judged against international norms of peer review, the REF is an elaborate charade - and an insult to the core values of the academy.
The demands on school business managers, and those who manage the finances on behalf of the school, have increased immeasurably in recent years due to the demand for greater and more transparent accountability. Best practice now involves joined-up leadership, with Headteachers, business managers and governors aware of their responsibilities for ......
Supporting Low-Income Students Through the Transition to College
Under increasing pressure to raise graduation rates and ensure that students leave high school college- and career-ready, many school and district leaders may believe that, when students graduate with college acceptances in hand, their work is done. But as Benjamin L. Castleman and Lindsay C. Page show, summer can be a time of significant ......
How to Plan and Write Successful Grant Applications
Writing high quality grant applications is easier when you know how research funding agencies work and how your proposal is treated in the decision-making process. The Research Funding Toolkit provides this knowledge and teaches you the necessary skills to write high quality grant applications. A complex set of factors determine whether research projects win grants. This handbook helps you understand these factors and then face and overcome your personal barriers to research grant success. The guidance also extends to real-world challenges of grant-writing, such as obtaining the right feedback, dealing effectively with your employer and partner institutions, and making multiple applications efficiently. There are many sources that will tell you what a fundable research grant application looks like. Very few help you learn the skills you need to write one. The Toolkit fills this gap with detailed advice on creating and testing applications that are readable, understandable and convincing.
How to Plan and Write Successful Grant Applications
Writing high quality grant applications is easier when you know how research funding agencies work and how your proposal is treated in the decision-making process. The Research Funding Toolkit provides this knowledge and teaches you the necessary skills to write high quality grant applications. A complex set of factors determine whether research projects win grants. This handbook helps you understand these factors and then face and overcome your personal barriers to research grant success. The guidance also extends to real-world challenges of grant-writing, such as obtaining the right feedback, dealing effectively with your employer and partner institutions, and making multiple applications efficiently. There are many sources that will tell you what a fundable research grant application looks like. Very few help you learn the skills you need to write one. The Toolkit fills this gap with detailed advice on creating and testing applications that are readable, understandable and convincing.
A how-to manual for achieving excellence despite budget cuts How do you stay focused on increasing student learning when budget cuts threaten everything you are striving for? This book offers a comprehensive framework to enhance student achievement in good times and in bad. School reform expert Allan R. Odden outlines a school improvement action plan focused sharply on student learning and then shows how to target resources to implement each strategy in that plan. More than just a "theory" book, this text describes concrete, specific actions that can be taken immediately. Key strategies include Using data to support boosting student performance Focusing on effective instruction Setting goals to drive resource allocation priorities Establishing priorities for situations that require budget cuts Hiring top teachers and providing ongoing professional development Providing needed technology resources Educators will find a wide range of real-life examples of schools and districts that have implemented these strategies and significantly improved student learning. Also included is research-based guidance for optimizing teacher and principal talent, teacher recruiting and hiring, online learning, and more. This book successfully communicates many years of work and offers well- grounded advice that will help educators move from financial frustration to effective action.
The pressure to win funding to do research is felt by nearly all academics worldwide. This book details strategies that you might adopt to get your research projects funded. It also explains how to manage your research projects once they are funded. It explains how generic university research funding mechanisms work so that you will be better equipped to navigate your way through the financial maze associated with various funding sources.
`The book provides an excellent wide and stimulating set of readings and would be useful to anyone taking forward Unit 3 or the Accelerated Route of SQH' - SQH Newsletter `This is a useful addition to the literature on finance and resource management in education.... Those whose work involves managing resources and finance in schools and ......
Grantwriting From Start to Finish, Including Project Management and Internet Use
"The authors introduce very valuable ideas and strategies with tips and guidelines that can make every grant proposal successful." -Joen Hendricks-Painter, Educational Consultant "There are helpful tips throughout the book. The documentation included was very useful, as was the comprehensive listing of sources and Internet sites." -Sharon Weber, Principal Punxsutawney Area School District, PA Find the money you need for research and programs that count! Grantwriting can be frustrating and exasperating, or it can be a fulfilling part of the school funding process. In this fifth edition of their bestseller, nationally-recognized experts Ernest W. Brewer and Charles M. Achilles put their $150 million in grantwriting experience to work for all educators. An in-depth resource with an easy-to-understand format, Finding Funding brings the reader up-to-date with 120 newly researched Web sites to help grant seekers be more efficient and effective at writing successful government, foundation, and private grants. The authors focus on four main phases of grantwriting and administration: exploring grants, writing proposals, implementing programs and managing acquired funds, and closing out funded projects. Their winning formula can help you surpass the competition by: Finding people and organizations with money Targeting proposals effectively Meeting the requirements of funding agencies to obtain the funding you need This comprehensive guide offers educators and administrators proven ideas, resources, and valuable data to use in finding grant money for schools, community agencies, districts, or even classrooms!
