Journal Articles

 

V. Darleen Opfer. Defining and Identifying Hard-to-Staff Schools: The Role of Attrition. Submitted to Educational Administration Quarterly (Accepted subject to revision, June 1, 2009).


V. Darleen Opfer (2008, December). Making Sense of the 'Spin': Jeffrey Henig's Spin Cycle and Its Contribution to the Media Effects Literature. Teachers College Record.


V. Darleen Opfer, Gary T. Henry, and Andrew J. Mashburn (2008). The District Effect: Systemic Responses to High Stakes Accountability. Journal of American Education, 114 (2), 299 - 332.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2007). A Research Agenda on the Media and Education. Peabody Journal of Education, 81 (1-2). 166-177.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2006). Evaluating Equity: A Framework for Understanding Action and Inaction on Social Justice Issues. Educational Policy, 20 (1), 271-290.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2002). The Politics of Elections and Education: A Question of Influence. Educational Policy 16 (1), 5-14. 

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2001). Charter Schools and the Panoptic Effect of Accountability. Education & Urban Society, 33(2), 201-215.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2001). Beyond Self-Interest: Education Interest Groups in the U.S. Congress.  Educational Policy, 15(1), 135 – 152. Simultaneously published in Hanne B. Mawhinney and Catherine A. Lugg (Eds.)  Interest Groups in United States Education: The Politics of Education Association Yearbook, 2001. New York: Corwin Press.

 

V. Darleen Opfer & Vicki Denmark, (2001). Sorting Out a Sense of Place: Principal and School Board Relationships in the Midst of Decentralization Rhetoric. Peabody Journal of Education, 76 (2), 102-118. 

 

Benjamin Baez & V. Darleen Opfer, (2000). Ideology and Educational Policymaking: An Analysis of the Religious Right. Educational Policy, 14(4), 582-599.

 

Abra Feuerstein & V. Darleen Opfer, (1998). School Board Chairmen and School Superintendents: An Analysis of Perceptions Concerning Special Interest Groups and Educational Governance. The Journal of School Leadership, 8(4) 373-398. 

 

Book Chapters, Edited Books, and Editorships

 

V. Darleen Opfer and B. Dominic Wyse (2009). A Rose without Thorns? The Development of Reading Policy in England. In Dominic Wyse, Richard Andrews and James Hoffman (Eds.), The International Handbook of English, Language and Literacy Teaching. London: Routledge - Taylor and Francis. In Press.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2009). Getting 'Critically Real' About the State of Education Politics and Policy Process Research. In Barbara Schneider, Gary Sykes, and David Plank (Eds.) The AERA Handbook on Educational Policy Research. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.


V. Darleen Opfer, Tamara Young  and Lance Fusarelli (2007). Politics of Interest: Interest Groups and Advocacy Coalitions in American Education. In Bruce Cooper, Lance Fusarelli, and James Cibulka (Eds.) Understanding the Politics of Education: A Handbook of Theory, Application and Research. New Jersey: Lawrence Earlbaum and American Educational Research Association. In Press.

 

Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin and V. Darleen Opfer (Guest Editors) (2007). The Politics of the Media and Education. Special Issue of Peabody Journal of Education, 81 (1-2).

 

V. Darleen Opfer (2005). Personalism of Interest Groups and the Resulting Policy Nonsense: The Cobb County School Board’s Evolution Debate.  In George J. Petersen and Lance D. Fusarelli (Eds.) The District Superintendent and School Board Relationship: Trends in Policy Development and Implementation. Westport, CT: Information Age Publisher, 61-91.

 

V. Darleen Opfer and Kenneth Wong (Eds.) (2002).  The Politics of Elections and Education: The Politics of Education Association Yearbook, 2002. New York: Corwin Press. Simultaneously published as a special issue of Educational Policy, 16 (1-2) New York: Corwin Press.

 

V. Darleen Opfer , (2000). The Religious Right as Paranoid Extremists: A Case of Mistaken Identity? In Susan Talburt & Shirley R. Steinberg (Eds.) Thinking Queer: Sexuality, Culture, and Education. New York: Peter Lang Publishers, 85-103. 

 

Research Monographs and Reports

 

Monographs and Reports for Government Agencies

 

Scottish Government, Minister of Education, Scotland

Recruitment and Retention of Headteachers in Scotland. With John MacBeath and Peter Gronn (April 2009). 103 pages.

Training and Development Agency for Schools, England

Schools and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in England - State of the Nation Research Project: Literature Review, Qualitative Research Summary and Survey Report. With Dave Pedder, Anne Storey and Robert McCormick (July/August 2008). 308 pages.

Turkish Ministry of Education, Turkish Education Foundation and Vodafone Foundation, Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey

Evaluating Teacher Professional Development in Turkey: The OPYEP Project. With David Frost and Ozgur Bolat. (August 2008). 32 pages.

Contributing to National Reform in Turkey through Project-Based Learning: The OPYEP Project.With David Frost and Ozgur Bolat. (December 2007). 22 pages.

Ohio Department of Education, Columbus, Ohio

 
Teacher Workforce Vacancies in Ohio, 2005. With Jennifer Olejownik (September 2005), 112 pgs.
 
Conditions of Teaching in Ohio. Annual reports for 2004 (118 pgs.) and 2005 (113 pgs). With Jennifer Olejownik.
 
Conditions of Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Ohio. Annual reports for 2004 (59 pgs.) and 2005 (64 pgs.). With Jennifer Olejownik, & Joann Ellis.
Committee for the Joint Research Strategy for Integrated Schools, Belfast, Northern Ireland
 
Recommendations for Policy Research on Integrated Education in Northern Ireland. (June 2003), 21 pgs.
 
A Strategy for Research on Integrated Schools in Northern Ireland. (August 2002),18 pgs.
 
Issues for Developing a Comprehensive Research Strategy for the Integrated Schools in North Ireland. (December 2001), 24 pgs.
Georgia Department of Education, Atlanta, Georgia

 

An Evaluation of Georgia’s Charter Schools. With Malina Monaco & Brandee Krug (August 2003), 84 pgs.

 

United States Congress, Joint Committee on Title II Reauthorization (Teacher Quality Legislation), Regional Hearings, Atlanta, Georgia

 

Evaluating the Implementation of Georgia’s Teacher Quality Plan. (May, 2002), 48 pgs.

 

Georgia Board of Regents, Atlanta, Georgia

 

Teacher Quality in Georgia: Evaluating Title II. Annual Report for 2001 (94 pgs.) and 2002 (110 pgs.). With Cristina Stephens, Brandee Krug, Joy Mordica, & Marguerite Bryan.

 

Evaluations of Programs Funded by United States, Title II Legislation, for Teacher Quality Improvement:

A Report of the Evaluation of the Advanced Academies for Future Teachers Program. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Cristina Stephens, Marguerite Bryan (July, 2002), 36 pgs.

 

A Report of the Evaluation of the Schools Mentoring Schools Program. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Cristina Stephens, Brandee Krug (July 2002), 40 pgs.

 

A Report of the Evaluation of the Business to Teaching Program. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Joy Mordica, & Marguerite Bryan (July, 2001), 27 pgs.

 

A Report of the Evaluation of the Partner Schools Program. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Joy Mordica, & Marguerite Bryan (July, 2001), 48 pgs.

 

A Report of the Evaluation of the Middle Grades Math and Science Initiative. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Joy Mordica, & Marguerite Bryan (July, 2001), 41 pgs.

 

A Report of the Evaluation of the School Leadership Program Initiative. Including evaluation planning document and one interim report. With Joy Mordica, & Marguerite Bryan (July, 2001), 43 pgs.

 

Monographs and Reports for Funding Organizations

 

Gary Sykes, V. Darleen Opfer, Linda Skrla, and Charles Thompson (2006, January). A Study of Instructionally Effective School Districts: Interim Report to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. San Jose, California: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, 67 pgs.

 

William Driscoll, Howard Fleeter, and Darleen Opfer (2005, May 13). Key Findings from the Ohio Distribution of Teacher Characteristics Study, Stage 1: 2004 District Level Analysis. Washington, DC: The Education Trust, 32 pgs.

 

Gary T. Henry & V. Darleen Opfer (2003, November). Responses to High Stakes Accountability in the South. Chicago, IL: The Spencer Foundation, 108 pgs.

 

V. Darleen Opfer, Margaret H. H. Brackett, and Gary T. Henry (1999). The Georgia Prekindergarten Program and Its Impact on Kindergarten Through Third Grade Teaching Practices. Atlanta, GA: Council for School Performance, 42 pgs.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (1998). Public School and Local Government Collaboration, 1997: A Compendium of Existing Programs. Charlottesville, VA: Virginia Local Government Managers Association and Kraft Foods Foundation, 116 pgs.

 

Policy Issue Briefs

 

Dwan Robinson and V. Darleen Opfer (August 2005). Beyond the Numbers, Volume 3: The Retention and Experience of Teachers in Ohio’s Charter Schools. Columbus, OH: The Ohio Collaborative: Research and Policy for Schools, Children, and Families.

 

Jennifer Olejownik and V. Darleen Opfer (August 2004). Beyond the Numbers, Volume 2: The Impact of Levy Failure on Teachers and Instruction. Columbus, OH: The Ohio Collaborative.

 

V. Darleen Opfer (December, 2003). Beyond the Numbers, Volume 1: Teacher Production versus Demand in Ohio. Columbus, OH: The Ohio Collaborative and the Ohio Department of Education.