School effectiveness and school improvement

My School, Education, and Cultures of Rating and Ranking

by Remy Low

co-authored with Guy Redden in Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 34:1-2

On January 28, 2010 the Federal Government of Australia introduced a much-vaunted website designed to give parents and... more On January 28, 2010 the Federal Government of Australia introduced a much-vaunted website designed to give parents and policy makers information about the educational performance of Australian schools.

Our aim is to raise critical questions about the appropriateness of My School and NAPLAN by arguing that they arise more from a framework of normalized neoliberal assumptions that model public goods on market transactions, than from any evidence that they actually provide mechanisms to foster better education.The use of metrics to rate quality and comparative ranking through league tables are understood as specific techniques of neoliberal reform that introduce market-like accountabilities into education. The very rationale of My School and similar performance media presupposes that in response to information that acts like market data, actors who have a stake, such as parents, teachers, and administrators, undertake ‘‘positive’’ behavior modifications to ensure that the values measured increase.

Radford primary school: las claves de una escuela inclusiva

by Ines Gil-Jaurena

Published in 2005 in Revista Electrónica Iberoamericana sobre Calidad, Eficacia y Cambio en Educación (REICE), 3, 1. ISSN 1696-4713. Pp. 617-628

Can school incentives and accountability improve skills in the Middle East and North Africa? The cases of Jordan and Tunisia

by M. Najeeb Shafiq

School based assessment methods: Development and implementation

by Gavin Brown

This is a brief paper introducing the possibility of using tests for educational improvement. It was presented at the  First International Educational Conference on Assessment organised by The Central Board for Secondary Education, India (CBSE) & The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in New Delhi in January 2011. This version is the author pre-published version.

Citation:
Brown, G. T. L. (2011). School based assessment methods: Development and implementation. Journal of Assessment Paradigms, 1(1), 30-32.

The Black Box Revelation: In Search for Conceptual Clarity Regarding Climate and Culture in School Effectiveness Research

by Dimitri Van Maele

Van Houtte, M. & Van Maele D. (2011). Oxford Review of Education, 37, 4, 505-524.

You can contact the author for a draft of the full paper: dimitri.vanmaele@ugent.be

From the seventies on, school effectiveness research has been looking for process-variables filling the black box... more From the seventies on, school effectiveness research has been looking for process-variables filling the black box between mainly structural school features and cognitive outcomes in students. Two concepts came here to the fore: school climate and school culture. Both concepts are currently used interchangeably, although it is a point of discussion whether both are actually the same or not. Because of the way culture and climate are defined and subsequently measured, we propose school culture is a better frame from which to study school effectiveness. This article goes through the premises of perceptual measurement usually overlooked in climate research, and we demonstrate empirically by means of very basic and simple methods and techniques that perceptual measurement and measurement based on assumptions are different approaches and might yield totally different results on an aggregated level. We conclude by demonstrating how culture can be probed and integrated in the models traditionally used in school effectiveness research in an advantageous and theoretical sound way.

The black box revelation: in search of conceptual clarity regarding climate and culture in school effectiveness research

by Mieke Van Houtte

Mieke Van Houtte & Dimitri Van Maele in Oxford Review of Education (2011)

Since the 1970s, school effectiveness research has looked for process-variables filling the black box between mainly... more Since the 1970s, school effectiveness research has looked for process-variables filling the black box between mainly structural school features and cognitive outcomes in students. Two concepts came to the fore: school climate and school culture. Both concepts are currently used interchangeably, although it is open to debate whether both are actually the same thing. Because of the way culture and climate are defined and subsequently measured, we propose school culture is a better frame from which to study school effectiveness. This article goes through the premises of perceptual measurement usually overlooked in climate research, and we demonstrate empirically by means of very basic and simple methods and techniques that perceptual measurement and measurement based on assumptions are different approaches and might yield totally
different results on an aggregated level. We conclude by demonstrating how culture can be probed and integrated in the models traditionally used in school effectiveness research in an
advantageous and theoretically sound way.

School effectiveness research: a review of criticisms and some proposals to address them

by Andres Sandoval-Hernandez

Published in Educate~

Based on Lakato’s notion of research programmes, the paper analyses the structure of the School Effectiveness Research... more Based on Lakato’s notion of research programmes, the paper analyses the structure of the School Effectiveness Research (SER) programme and reviews the main criticisms that have arisen, stressing those regarding its objectivity and theoretical limitations. Then, some proposals are made to address these criticisms, namely: to adopt a critical realist approach to the study of SE and an Abductive Theory of Scientific Method that lead to the development of sound theory in the field. Based on this analysis the paper concludes that, in terms of Lakatos, a movement towards a new research programme is needed in order to ensure that the main objectives originally set for SER can be eventually reached.

Class Writing

by Nick Owen MBE

Co-authored with Paul Munden, NAWE

This NAWE project set out to research the effectiveness of writers working in schools. It involved the placement of... more This NAWE project set out to research the effectiveness of writers working in schools. It involved the placement of writers in nine schools across England (four primary and five secondary) over nine academic terms between September 2006 and July 2009.
Despite the wealth of informal feedback regarding the success of writers’ residencies, it had become clear over the years that potential funders are reluctant to commit significant financial support without hard evidence of the differences being made by such interventions. Consequently, NAWE took on the task of researching how the employment of writers in schools has a direct impact on children’s attainment, achievement, and attitude to education.
The ambition of the project was unique, in that other evaluative work had either been related to shorter interventions or submitted for more routine purposes. In this case, there was a varied intervention over a full three years, and whilst some of the findings relate to any writer’s visit, they come across here more starkly. There are, in addition, many other issues arising that are specific to this more developmental type of work, its length and complexity. These relate in particular to the sequencing of writers, incorporating the writer’s input into ongoing curriculum work and maintaining creative momentum.
The planned programme of residencies provided a rich contribution to each school’s schedule, with some remarkable individual outputs and achievements documented. This report is grounded in evidence of those achievements, with attention to exactly what went on in each school. Considerable space has been given to the individual case studies, which represent the database of what took place and with what results: the extraordinary variety of work that was enjoyed and proved profitable; the comparison in progress between pupils who participated and others who did not; and the challenges faced by teachers in embedding and maintaining the effects. The case studies are, however, relatively brief accounts of what was documented overall, and further material can be found on the NAWE website and in Writing in Education, Nos. 39-45.

RESEARCH PLAN: A School Ethnography: Documenting the process of Standard Language Ideology construction in the classroom and teachers’ values regarding linguistic diversity pedagogy.

by Rebecca Campbell

Protecting the development of 5-11 year olds from the impacts of early disadvantage: The Role of Primary School Academic Effectiveness

by James Hall

submitted (2011) to the Journal of School Improvement and School Effectiveness
Co-authored with Professor Pam Sammons

Whether or not more effective schools can successfully mitigate the impacts of early disadvantage upon latter... more Whether or not more effective schools can successfully mitigate the impacts of early disadvantage upon latter educational attainment remains uncertain in both the Educational Effectiveness and Risk and Resilience research traditions. Here, both fields are drawn upon in a prospective longitudinal investigation of 2,664 children between the ages of 6-11 years who had their academic skills in English and maths along with self regulation measured at ages 6, 7, and 11 years. Experiencing a greater number of early disadvantages between birth to age 5 was found to strongly impair self regulation and academic attainment throughout primary school. However, attending a more academically effective primary school for just a single year was found to partially protect reading, maths, and self regulation outcomes at age 6 from the adverse impact of early disadvantage. Further, more academically effective primary schools were also found to offer an additional longer-term form of protection - they significantly lessened the extent to which earlier abilities in reading, writing, and self regulation predicted these same abilities at age 11 by boosting later attainment and self regulation. As such, although more academically effective primary schools cannot remove the impacts of disadvantage, the results shown they can make a significant difference to the ultimate academic attainment and self regulation of primary school children who experienced more disadvantages before the start of school and so mitigate their negative consequences.

Faculty Trust and Organizational School Characteristics: An exploration across secondary schools in Flanders

by Dimitri Van Maele

Van Maele, D. & Van Houtte, M. 2009. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45, 4

You can contact the author for a draft of the full paper: dimitri.vanmaele@ugent.be

Purpose: Teachers trusting other groups of actors in their school enhances a school’s functioning. Research relating... more Purpose: Teachers trusting other groups of actors in their school enhances a school’s functioning. Research relating teacher trust to school context has proven scarce, however. This study explores the extent to which teachers from a same school share a level of trust. Organizational value culture, size,
and group composition are associated with faculty trust in students, parents, colleagues, and the principal.
Research Design: Data were gathered via anonymous surveys completed by 2,104 teachers in 84 secondary schools in Flanders in the 2004-2005 school year. Measures for individual teachers’ trust were based on the scales developed by Hoy and Tschannen-Moran. To explore the existence of faculty trust, an index of mean rater reliability based on the intraclass correlation coefficient from a one-way analysis of variance
was used.
Findings: Faculty trust exists within Flemish secondary schools
and is composed of four dimensions relating to four separate referents of trust. Organizational value culture, size, and composition affect the level of organizational trust in schools. Socioeconomic school composition heavily determines staff trust. Trust in colleagues is higher in private schools than in
public schools. A high proportion of immigrant students lowers teachers’ trust in parents.
Conclusions: Relating a staff’s academic culture and students’
study culture to teacher trust is advisable. For a successful implementation of reform initiatives, schools with the described characteristics should adopt programs to enhance teacher trust. Principals and leaders should be aware of organizational characteristics affecting trust in schools.
Keywords: trust; teacher; organization; secondary school; culture

ICT integration in the classroom: Challenging the potential of a school policy

by Jo Tondeur

Co-authored with Van Keer, H., van Braak, J. & Valcke, M. (2008). Computers & Education, 51, 212-223

Despite the assumption that the integration of ICT influences the entire school system, research focusing on ICT in... more Despite the assumption that the integration of ICT influences the entire school system, research focusing on ICT in schools is generally limited to the study of variables at classroom level. In contrast to these studies, the present research explores ICT integration from a school improvement approach. More particularly, it examines the local school policy with respect to ICT integration from both the principal’s perspective and perceptions of teachers. Furthermore, it studies the relationship between school policies and the actual use of ICT in the classroom. To answer the research questions, a representative sample of 53 primary school principals was interviewed. In addition, the interview data were supplemented with survey data of 574 teachers from the same 53 schools. What emerged from the analyses was that school-related policies, such as an ICT plan, ICT support and ICT training have a significant effect on class use of ICT. In addition, the findings from the interviews indicate that school policies are often underdeveloped and underutilised. The discussion section focuses on challenges to improve the potential of an ICT school policy.

A multidimensional approach to determinants of computer use in primary education: teacher and school characteristics.

by Jo Tondeur

Co-authored with Valcke, M., & van Braak, J. (2008). Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 24, 494-506.

The central aim of this study was to test a model that integrates determinants of educational computer use. In... more The central aim of this study was to test a model that integrates determinants of educational computer use. In particular, the article examines teacher and school characteristics that are associated with different types of computer use by primary school teachers. A survey was conducted, involving 527 teachers from 68 primary schools. A separate questionnaire was administered to ICT coordinators from the same schools to gather additional information about cultural and contextual school characteristics. The combined impact of both teacher and school characteristics was explored through a multilevel analysis. Besides the importance of school characteristics, the results point to differential effects on specific types of computer use.

The Keys for ICT Integration in K-12 Education: Teachers’ Perceptions and Usage

by Yuksel Goktas

Goktas, Y., Yildirim, Z. & Yildirim, S. (2008). The Keys for ICT Integration in K-12: Teachers Perceptions and Usage. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 34, 127-139.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of K-12 teachers’ Information and Communication... more The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of K-12 teachers’ Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) perceptions and ICT usage in their courses. The researchers used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches within data collection and analysis section. Quantitative data were collected with a questionnaire from 1429 K-12 teachers in 92 K-12 schools at 35 provinces of 12 different regions in Turkey through a representative convenience sampling method. Qualitative data were collected, through open-ended items in the questionnaire from the same participants and through interviews with 6 K-12 teachers. The results provided some evidence that there are positive perceptions about the integration of ICT into K-12 schools. The results also showed that at least one-fourth of the K-12 teachers used computer laboratories and integrated ICT into their courses. The remaining teachers either do not integrate ICT into their courses or they lack of sufficient ICT facilities.

[Bu çalışmanın amacı, ilköğretim ve ortaöğretim okullarındaki öğretmenlerin Bilişim Teknolojileri’ne (BT) karşı algılarını ve derslerinde BT’yi kullanımlarıyla ilgili var olan durumu ortaya çıkarmaktır. Araştırmacılar veri toplamada ve verilerin analizinde nitel ve nicel yaklaşımları birlikte kullanmışlardır. Nicel veriler, 12 bölge, 35 il ve 92 okuldaki 1429 öğretmenden uygun örnekleme tekniği kullanılarak anketler yoluyla toplanmıştır. Nitel veriler ise aynı anketlerdeki açık uçlu sorularla ve 6 öğretmenle yapılan görüşmelerden elde edilmiştir. Bulgular, öğretmenlerin BT’nin ilk ve orta öğretime bütünleştirilmesi konusundaki algılarının olumlu olduğunu göstermektedir. Öğretmenlerin %25’i bilgisayar laboratuarlarını kullanmakta ve derslerine BT’yi bütünleştirmektedir. Diğer öğretmenler ise ya BT’yi derslerinde kullanmamakta veya yeterli BT kaynaklarına erişememektedirler.]