Andrew Pollard

Bio: Andrew Pollard is an academic researcher from University of the West of England. The author has contributed to research in topics: Primary education & Entitlement. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 5 publications receiving 63 citations.

Teachers and education policy: Roles and models

Abstract: Four models are outlined for describing and analysing the role of teachers in the formulation of educational policy and the resulting processes of change. The model of teachers as partners in education policy making draws on a pluralist view of political processes and an assumption of a degree of autonomy for teachers and schools. A model of teachers as implementers of change draws a sharp distinction between the processes of policy making and policy execution and excludes teachers from an involvement in the former. A model of teachers as resisting change has been put forward both by those most opposed to and those most supportive of current educational policy developments. Finally, a model of teachers as policy makers in practice is proposed to describe the way in which the reality of teaching situations can lead to the independent actions of individual teachers having systematic policy effects. The applicability of these models is considered in the context of contemporary educational changes dr...

Some Sink, Some Float: National Curriculum assessment and accountability

Abstract: This article considers the Government's stated aims of introducing to British primary schools an assessment process which would be simultaneously criterion‐referenced, formative, moderated, related to progression and evaluative. Accountability, which has provided the main rationale for the process, presupposes reliability. In 1991, as part of the Bristol Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience (PACE) research, the same Standard Assessment Task (SAT) was observed in use in three Year 2 classrooms in different local education authorities (LEAs), providing a case study through which the reliability of the system is assessed. It is suggested that the variations in the circumstances and experience of teachers and children were so marked that the system is seriously flawed. The SAT discussed, Science 1 (Sinking and Floating), was dropped from the 1992 programme after severe criticism: the article questions whether this was the right response and discusses some of the wider issues raised.

Still Carrying the Can: Primary-School Headship in the 1990s.

Abstract: The heads of twelve schools in the primary sector in an English county town were interviewed as part of a study of the influence of markets and market ideologies on the management of small‐service providers. Overall, the heads felt that their responsibilities were as great or greater than ever. There was considerable variation in the extent to which new approaches and business‐derived management discourse had been consciously adopted, but many of the practices were consistent with aspects of this discourse, although there was also a desire to retain traditional features of primary headship.

Social Class, Educational Opportunity and Equal Entitlement:

Abstract: Through a comparison of the beliefs, goals and teaching methods adopted by primary school teachers working in areas of disadvantage in England and France, this paper considers how the education systems of the two countries resolve the dilemmas involved in providing educational opportunities to children of all social class backgrounds. Traditionally, the centralised French system, strongly influenced by a republican ideological tradition, has adopted a policy of equal entitlement and equal treatment for all, while the English system has enshrined the notion of differentiated teaching according to the perceived needs of the child. In research carried out before recent reforms, significant differences were found in the goals which inner city teachers set themselves in the two countries. Recent follow-up research indicates the continued central importance of teachers' values in the light of strong external pressure to change.

Pupils’ Learning, Identity and Social Context: the case of Mary∗

Abstract: This paper provides an analysis of social factors which influence the sense of identity and approach to learning of young children. The analysis is set in the context of a critique of national education policies which fail to appreciate the importance of the engagement of learners in learning processes. However, it focuses at a more detailed level on the social dynamics between children and parents, siblings, peers and teachers and the ways in which these evolve over time and influence identity. A model of key factors and processes is presented which draws on both symbolic interactionism and social constructivism and its use is illustrated through a detailed case study of the learning of one child over a three‐year period. ∗ © Andrew Pollard, 1994 [1] Andrew Pollard initiated this longitudinal project in 1987 and was the sole researcher for the first four years of data‐gathering. This paper and the first project book is based on this work (Pollard with Filer, 1995). Thanks to support from the Lev...

Trusting teachers’ judgement: research evidence of the reliability and validity of teachers’ assessment used for summative purposes

Abstract: This paper summarizes the findings of a systematic review of research on the reliability and validity of teachers’ assessment used for summative purposes. In addition to the main question, the review also addressed the question ‘What conditions affect the reliability and validity of teachers’ summative assessment?’ The initial search for studies meeting the explicit inclusion criteria of relevance found 431potentially relevant studies. This number was gradually reduced, through the systematic review procedures, to 30 studies, which specifically addressed the review questions. These studies were subject to in‐depth data extraction conducted independently by two researchers, followed by reconciliation of any differences of interpretation. This procedure was also used to judge the weight of evidence provided for the review by each study so that greater emphasis could be given to findings from the most relevant and methodologically sound research. The findings of the review by no means constitute a ringing en...

Education Reform and Managerialism: Comparing the Experience of Schools and Colleges.

Abstract: This paper explores the organizational and management consequences of the changing policy environment facing public sector education in England and Wales over the past 10 years. In particular it considers how far arguments about the replacement of older ‘bureau-professional’ forms of organizational order by more ‘managerialist’ forms in the public sector in general can be applied to the specific case of education. The paper begins by reviewing the major policy changes that have affected schools and colleges since 1988. Drawing on published studies from these sectors, it then considers a number of themes: changing roles of senior and middle managers; changes in managerial and organizational culture; and changes in specific aspects of management. Emphasizing the tentative nature of the evidence, the paper identifies some common trends which imply a movement towards managerialism in many institutions. However, it also identifies areas where the position is less clear and suggests a number of factors which ma...

A Systematic Review of the Evidence of Reliability and Validity of Assessment by Teachers Used for Summative Purposes

Abstract: This work is a review of the Assessment and Learning Research Synthesis Group (ALRSG). The author of this report is Wynne Harlen, who conducted the review with the benefit of advice from the members of the ALRSG and with the active participation of the members indicated below. * Members who were actively involved at certain parts of the review. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This review was carried out with funding from the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) and followed the methodology developed by the EPPI-Centre. The help and advice of the EPPI-Centre staff who were linked to the review is gratefully acknowledged: Kg Kindergarten (usually for children aged 4 – 5 in the UK, 5 – 6 in the USA) KS Key stage. Used to identify stages of school education England and LD Level description (specifically the description of a level in the National Curriculum) LEA Local Education Authority (term used in England) NA Numerical ability NC National Curriculum (in England). The curricula and their titles are different in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. NCA National Curriculum Assessment NFER National Foundation for Educational Research in England and Wales (producer of tests) NUT National Union of Teachers iii 'O' level National external examination usually taken by 16 year-olds in England and Wales PAT Progressive achievement test QCA Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, overseeing the curriculum and assessment in England SAT Standard assessment task/test SCAA Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority (predecessor of QCA) SD Standard deviation SEN Special educational needs SES Socioeconomic status SRA Science Research Associates TA Teachers' assessment (see page 12) UCCA University Central Council on Admissions VR Verbal reasoning WRT Word recognition test WSS Work sampling scheme Y (1, 2, Year 1, 2, etc. Refers to years of school in England and Wales (Y1 – 5 etc.) years, Y2 – 6 years, etc.) This report should be cited as: Harlen W (2004) A systematic review of the evidence of reliability and validity of assessment by teachers used for summative purposes. In: hold the copyright for the text of their reviews. The EPPI-Centre owns the copyright for all material on the Website it has developed, including the contents of the databases, manuals, and keywording and data-extraction systems. The Centre and authors give permission for users of the site to display and print the contents of the site for their own non-commercial use, providing that the materials are not …

Italian and French teachers faced with pupil’s Academic Failure: The “Norm of Effort”

Abstract: 115 Italian and French teachers of high school and junior high school participated in a study aimed at investigating the impact of causal attribution on judgments of responsibility in case of academic failure of their pupils. Results support the attribution theory as conceptualized by Weiner (1986, 1995) and confirm the predictive utility of the theoretical model in Italian and French schools: Effort causal attribution of failure give rise to punitive strategies and ascription of responsibility to the pupils. The data therefore document cross-cultural differences concerning the responsibility ascription and behavioral consequences in terms of student’s assessment. Results are also discussed in terms of the role of social norms in school context.