Showing papers in "School Effectiveness and School Improvement in 2012"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the developmental changes of teacher-student interpersonal relationships as well as that of academic motivation among first-grade secondary school students, and investigated the link between teacherstudent interpersonal behaviour and academic motivation across the school year.
Abstract: The present study explored the developmental changes of teacher–student interpersonal relationships as well as that of academic motivation among first-grade secondary school students. In addition, the link between teacher–student interpersonal behaviour and academic motivation across the school year was investigated. The data were collected 5 times within a school year, from 566 students of 20 mathematics and English classes, from 3 secondary schools in The Netherlands. Multilevel growth curve modelling was applied. Analysis of within-year changes in teacher–student interpersonal relationships revealed that the quality of relationships decreased over time. The decrease was more pronounced for Proximity than for Influence. Moreover, students' controlled motivation increased slightly, while autonomous motivation decreased systematically over time. Teacher–student interpersonal relationships are significant predictors of autonomous motivation. Several determinants like subject taught, class type, teacher gen...
158 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined the extent to which school improvement capacity develops over time in a sample of elementary schools in The Netherlands and found that improving leadership may be an important first step in the process of building school-wide capacity.
Abstract: Education policies for greater accountability of schools assume that schools are capable of building their capacity for continuous improvement. While policy-makers, scholars, and practitioners acknowledge the importance of building school-wide capacity for continuous improvement, empirical evidence to this effect remains thin. In this study, we examine the extent to which school improvement capacity develops over time in a sample of elementary schools in The Netherlands. Leadership practices, school organizational conditions, teacher motivation, and teacher learning were used to measure school-wide capacity for improvement. Mixed-model analysis of longitudinal data from 1,010 teachers of 32 Dutch elementary schools showed that schools are capable of building school-wide capacity, and that sustaining a high level of capacity seemed to be more difficult. The findings suggest that improving leadership may be an important first step in the process of building school-wide capacity
153 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study of a high school implementing data-driven educational reform is presented, where the actions of the principal, teachers, students, and district personnel are simulated through simulation models of principal leadership.
Abstract: The expectation that educators will use data in the service of school improvement and planning is a major feature of national and local reform agendas. Prior research has found that the principal plays a critical role in making policymakers’ visions for data use a reality at the school and classroom levels. Most prior studies, however, have not fleshed out how the principal functions as a key agent in influencing other key players in data use. This article will illustrate the actions of the principal, teachers, students, and district personnel through simulation models of principal leadership that we developed based on a case study of a high school implementing this reform. We use these models both as a framework for understanding our findings and as a way to enhance understanding of the processes by which educational reform is co-constructed through the simultaneous mediation of the multiple agents involved in the system.
137 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors leverage the research on organizational improvement and data use to discuss three specific organizational areas in which these districts may improve: establishing common understandings, professional learning for using data, and computer data systems.
Abstract: In the United States, effective data use is proving to be a vexing problem. In response, scholars have recently begun viewing this as a systemic problem, believing there are actions a school district may take to make data use more efficient and tenable throughout the organization. In this article, we add to the knowledge of how school organizations can more effectively use data for educational improvement. Through the lens of the Data-Informed District, we leverage the research on organizational improvement and data use to discuss 3 specific organizational areas in which these districts may improve: establishing common understandings, professional learning for using data, and computer data systems.
117 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the literature on Chinese principalship written in English and Chinese between 1998 and 2008 and identified three core patterns from the empirical pieces: imported frameworks, indigenous investigations, and contextual influences.
Abstract: This article reviews the literature on Chinese principalship written in English and Chinese between 1998 and 2008. The first sections discuss the rationale for the research, the review process, and the state of education research in mainland China. The review findings are presented as a set of core patterns and contributory subpatterns, which flow from either the empirical or non-empirical literature. Two core patterns are identified from the non-empirical pieces – prescriptions and commentaries. Prescriptions focus on telling principals what they need to do to be successful, especially in the present reform environment. Commentaries focus on the key concerns and problems confronting principals. Three core patterns can be discerned from the empirical pieces – imported frameworks, indigenous investigations, and contextual influences. The final section offers a number of conclusions that look within and across the core patterns and pose questions to guide further research.
107 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a 3-year longitudinal study of principal activities and student performance was conducted to determine the degree to which principals' activities were associated with student performance at baseline, and changes in student performance over time.
Abstract: Although a substantial amount of research on school leadership has focused on what principals may do to improve teaching and learning, little of this research has explored how principals' time spent on leadership activities may relate to and possibly affect student performance. This article presents results from a 3-year longitudinal study of principal activities and student performance. A 3-level HLM growth model (with test scores nested within students, and students nested within schools) was employed to determine the degree to which principals' activities were associated with student performance at baseline, and changes in student performance over time. Results suggest that principals' activities are remarkably variable over time, that specific leadership activities are more prevalent in some school contexts, and that specific changes in leadership activities over time (e.g., increasing time on instructional leadership) do not predict changes in student performance in a consistent manner across schools.
103 citations
TL;DR: The authors employed a 2-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) to analyze data on 5,927 principals in 34 societies drawn from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 and found that principal time use and allocation varies substantially across societies and these patterns of behavior are influenced by economic, sociocultural and institutional features of their societies.
Abstract: This study examines the impact of macro-context factors on the behavior of school principals. More specifically, the article illuminates how a nation's level of economic development, societal culture, and educational system influence the amount of time principals devote to their job role and shape their allocation of time to instructional leadership, administration, and management of relationships with parents and community. The study employed a 2-level hierarchical linear model (HLM) to analyze data on 5,927 principals in 34 societies drawn from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006. The results support the proposition that principal time use and allocation varies substantially across societies and that these patterns of behavior are influenced by economic, sociocultural and institutional features of their societies. The study contributes to a growing body of research that seeks to understand how the practice of school leadership is shaped by the organizational and cultural co...
94 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the importance of data-based decision making is discussed, its purposes, the use of data at different levels of the educational system, and possible promoting and hindering factors of effective data use.
Abstract: This editorial article briefly examines the importance of data-based decision making. It discusses the definition as well as rationale for data-based decision making, its purposes, the use of data at different levels of the educational system, and possible promoting and hindering factors of effective data use. It also examines the effects of data use, intended effects (e.g., increased student achievement), as well as unintended consequences (e.g., cheating with tests). We end with suggestions for new research priorities.
78 citations
TL;DR: The special theme issue of School Effectiveness and School Improvement examines trends in thinking about how school leadership makes a difference in schools around the world as mentioned in this paper. But it does not discuss the role of teachers.
Abstract: This special theme issue of School Effectiveness and School Improvement examines trends in thinking about how school leadership makes a difference in schools around the world. The introduction to this special issue first places this topic and the relevant articles in a historical context. Then the editors offer brief descriptions of the articles highlighting their contributions to the overall theme.
78 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the Learning Schools Model (LSM) was used to improve reading comprehension levels in 7 poor urban multicultural schools serving indigenous and ethnic minority communities, where critical discussions of achievement and teacher observation data to develop specific and contextualized content for fine-tuning instruction.
Abstract: Intervention models based on data use can be effective in raising student achievement. This article presents 3 studies of one such model which had reported improved reading comprehension levels in 7 poor urban multicultural schools serving indigenous and ethnic minority communities. The intervention (the Learning Schools Model) used a process comprising critical discussions of achievement and teacher observation data to develop specific and contextualized content for fine-tune instruction. The reliability and generality of the effects of the model were tested in a cluster of “like” schools and a cluster of “unlike” schools. The growth models showed similar effects to the original schools, with gains of between 3 to 4 months additional progress per year over 3 years. The replications show that models that use data to design local program content can be reliably and generally effective, but also there is a need to examine differential effects.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this article, Bert P.M. Creemers, Leonidas Kyriakides, and Pam Sammons, Abingdon, UK, Routledge, 2010, 362 pp., £30.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-41...
Abstract: Methodological advances in educational effectiveness research, by Bert P.M. Creemers, Leonidas Kyriakides, and Pam Sammons, Abingdon, UK, Routledge, 2010, 362 pp., £30.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-41...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored whether local education agencies (districts) have an impact on student learning and found that local district effects on learning would be largely indirect, mediated by how teachers work together in schools and the quality of instruction that is provided.
Abstract: This article addresses an issue that has not been well explored in empirical research, namely whether local education agencies (districts) have an impact on student learning. We assumed that local district effects on learning would be largely indirect, mediated by how teachers work together in schools (in professional communities) and the quality of instruction that is provided. Based on the literature, we also assumed that promoting data-driven decision making was an insufficient stimulus for student learning, and we therefore chose to examine another current policy strategy that is being widely adopted by local authorities: the development of networks for learning among schools. Using survey data and structural equation modeling, our results suggest that the development of networks has a positive relationship with instruction and subsequent learning, while district emphasis on learning targets and data use has a negative relationship. The discussion offers a number of interpretations of the findings, an...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyzed if schools cheat on tests and reshape their test pool in responses to the Dutch (risk-based) school inspections and found that 5.5% of the schools do not comply with the guidelines for administering the test; one third of the students exclude one or more students from the test.
Abstract: School inspections are expected to have an impact on data use and improvement of schools. Schools are expected to generate data (e.g., self-evaluation reports and student achievement results) as part of the inspection process. This process, in turn, also generates data (e.g., inspection reports) for school improvement. The high-stakes context in which both types of data are generated however has been known to lead to strategic responses of schools. In this study, we analyzed if schools cheat on tests and reshape their test pool in responses to the Dutch (risk-based) school inspections. We found that 5.5% of the schools do not to comply with the guidelines for administering the test; one third of the schools exclude one or more students from the test. These responses, however, do not appear to be related to specific measures in the Dutch school inspections or prior performance of schools on these measures.
TL;DR: This article explored the implications of applying the concept of distributed leadership in a Chinese context and outlined a research agenda for future work in this area, focusing specifically on teacher leadership in early childhood education in Hong Kong as an illustrative case.
Abstract: In recent years, the Western discourse on distributed leadership has attracted increased attention in Chinese societies that have traditionally relied on highly centralized administrative systems in which power is located in the person of the school principal or other unit leader. This article explores the implications of applying the concept of distributed leadership in a Chinese context and outlines a research agenda for future work in this area. The article focuses specifically on teacher leadership in early childhood education in Hong Kong as an illustrative case. It suggests that change agentry, collaboration, collegiality, power, and authority are key aspects of discourse on teacher leadership in a Chinese, policy-driven context. It is argued that existing studies of leadership have failed to recognize the complexity of employing teacher leadership in hierarchical, policy-driven, high power distance, collectivist cultural contexts.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the discrepancy between school and central examination grades for different groups of students and found that the discrepancies for some student groups are too high, and the results show that final examination results are underutilized and that schools rarely investigate discrepancies for certain student groups.
Abstract: At the end of secondary education in The Netherlands, students have to pass a final examination, consisting of an internal school-based assessment and an external national assessment. According to the Dutch inspectorate, to ensure the quality of final examinations, the discrepancy between both assessments must be less than 0.5 points (on a scale from 1 to 10). In the first part of this study, we demonstrate that these examination results are a rich source of data schools can use. We investigated the discrepancy between school and central examination grades for different groups of students and found that the discrepancies for some student groups are too high. The second part of this study focuses on the use of examination results as an important source of data in improvement planning. The results show that final examination results are underutilized and that schools rarely investigate discrepancies for certain student groups
TL;DR: Te Kotahitanga as discussed by the authors is an iterative research and development programme that supports teachers to implement a relationship-based pedagogy in their classrooms in order to improve Maori students' achievement in mainstream secondary schools.
Abstract: Educational disparities between indigenous Maori students and those of the majority continue to be a major issue in New Zealand. Te Kotahitanga, an iterative research and development programme, which commenced in 2001, supports teachers to implement a relationship-based pedagogy in their classrooms in order to improve Maori students' achievement in mainstream secondary schools. This article addresses the question of how gains in Maori students' achievement can be sustained and expanded. Schools, from an earlier phase of the project, in their 6th and 7th year of the programme were examined, using a theory-based model designed to evaluate and promote dimensions necessary for effective institutional support of the teaching innovation. This article demonstrates that schools that have been the most effective implementers of the intervention have seen the greatest gains made by Maori students in the 1st year of national assessments. This article then discusses effective leadership for addressing problems school...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed the Reading Acceleration Programme to reduce the percentage of struggling readers in The Netherlands from over 28% to less than 6% by training teachers to improve their core instruction, to broaden their instruction for struggling learners and to implement special measures for pupils who do not respond sufficiently to these interventions.
Abstract: In The Netherlands, the percentage of struggling readers in the 1st year of formal reading instruction is about 25%. This problem inspired us to develop the Reading Acceleration Programme. To evaluate the effectiveness of this programme, a quasi-experiment is carried out. The teachers in the experimental group have been trained to improve their core instruction, to broaden their instruction for struggling learners, and to implement special measures for pupils who do not respond sufficiently to these interventions. A significant difference was found on the post-tests for measuring reading of single words and reading whole sentences, after correcting for pre-test, age, intelligence, socioeconomic status, and ethnic minority. Furthermore, the programme turned out to reduce the percentage of struggling readers in the experimental group from over 28% to less than 6%. In the follow-up study, the overall effects remained to a moderate degree.
TL;DR: This paper showed that omitting the classroom level inflates estimates of school-level variance, while at the same time underestimating the overall extent of variance related to schooling effects, using the relationship between reading achievement, opportunity to learn, and student composition.
Abstract: Statisticians have shown the theoretical extent of parameter distortion when the classroom level is ignored in multilevel analyses of schooling. This article illustrates the practical consequences of omitting the classroom for inferences drawn about the extent and mechanisms of schooling effects, using the relationship between reading achievement, opportunity to learn, and student composition. Findings indicate that omitting the classroom level inflates estimates of school-level variance, while at the same time underestimating the overall extent of variance related to schooling effects. Classrooms also moderate the effects of educational opportunities. Finally, compositional effects typically conceptualized at the school level may be best defined at the classroom level. Ignoring classroom nesting in the analysis thus not only underestimates the overall impact of schools but presents a distorted picture of the mechanisms through which the schooling environment influences student achievement. Special attent...
TL;DR: In this article, the guiding principles of sustainable education are introduced, starting from the observation that many education systems around the world have launched ambitious programs aiming to raise academic standards and to reconcile concerns for excellence with concerns for equity.
Abstract: This article introduces the guiding principles of sustainable education. It starts from the observation that many education systems around the world have launched ambitious programs aiming to raise academic standards and to reconcile concerns for excellence with concerns for equity. However, many of these programs have failed to reach their ambitious goals. Meanwhile, the rapid changes taking place in the globalising world call for major educational reform in which the needs of all students are taken into account, the natural resources of the educational environment are not depleted, and the young generation is optimally prepared to meet the demands of the future world. Concerted action, comprising policy measures with regard to curriculum design, teaching methodology, teacher training, and equity-enhancing programmes will be needed to raise the extent to which the educational domain produces sustainable output.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine and discuss school policies, expectations, and the current rate of internet use among administrators, teachers, and students from a representative sample of 350 schools in Catalonia (Spain).
Abstract: Beginning with a discussion of the latest findings in the information and communication technologies (ICT) and educational improvement field, this article develops a comprehensive strategy to analyse online community building. Far from offering a utopian or dystopian vision, we study the contribution of ICT appropriation as a tool for collaboration, participation, and co-responsibility in the everyday functioning of classrooms and schools. To do so, we examine and discuss school policies, expectations, and the current rate of internet use among administrators, teachers, and students from a representative sample of 350 schools in Catalonia (Spain). Our results show a sparsely connected education system, in which the integration of ICT does not appear to trigger a substantial revolution in established schooling practices. Our concluding statements defend the importance of ICT in education as the ultimate means of interaction that may enable community building to improve the processes of managing, teaching, ...
TL;DR: This paper examined the effect of all-day kindergarten programs on the academic achievement of students from racial language minority and low socioeconomic class, and found that black and Asian dual-language-speaking students, when they attended all day kindergarten, displayed a significant gain in the growth of performances.
Abstract: This longitudinal study examined the effect of all-day kindergarten programs on the academic achievement of students from racial language minority and low socioeconomic class. The study employed a series of 3-level longitudinal multilevel analyses using a nationally representative database, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). The study showed that Hispanic dual-language-speaking students who attended all-day kindergarten narrowed the achievement gap from Hispanic English-only students during kindergarten. The results also showed that Black and Asian dual-language-speaking students, when they attended all-day kindergarten, displayed a significant gain in the growth of performances. The positive effects of all-day kindergarten were pronounced for Black and Asian language-minority students who were from low social classes. These results have implications for policy decisions and support the need for all-day programs for language-minority students.
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper used structural equation modeling (SEM) and LISREL software to study the effect of emotion, reason giving, and model behaviors on teachers' job performance.
Abstract: Chinese society is accustomed to using feelings, reasons, and institutionalizations to determine how to deal with events, which raises a number of questions. How can the directors of early education institutions incorporate feelings, reasons, and institutionalizations into their management? How can they enhance the job performance of teachers? This study sampled 1,058 subjects from public and private kindergartens, using structural equation modeling (SEM) and LISREL software. According to the results, public and private kindergarten teachers believed that the charismatic and persuasive behavior of directors could best promote teachers’ job performance; in other words, the use of reasons (reason giving) has great significance for job performance. Furthermore, empathy and model behaviors were shown to be conducive to the job performance of teachers in private kindergartens, while there was no significant effect on public school teachers. Clear reward and punishment behaviors were shown to have a slightly ne...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the importance of coaching and mentoring in all the stages of teacher development and the usefulness and necessity of continuing professional development for teachers, as well as the multiple restrictions concerning policy, purpose, and practice are stressed.
Abstract: This book, which is an addition to the Policy and Practice in Education Series, focuses on Scottish education, presenting the different approaches to professional development. Through the six chapters of the book, there is an attempt to indicate the importance of coaching and mentoring in all the stages of teacher development. In addition, the usefulness and necessity of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers, as well as the multiple restrictions concerning policy, purpose, and practice are stressed. The book is well structured, and the authors provide examples through the Scottish educational context in order for the readers to have a clear understanding of the practices concerning teacher CPD programs. Through the chapters of the book, the readers are provided with specific definitions which distinguish between the different forms of teacher professional development, such as mentoring, coaching, peer-supported learning, and professional learning communities. Teacher professional development has generally been given a lot of emphasis as it is thought to relate with student achievement (Johnson & Fargo, 2010), and as Hewton (1998) notes, ‘‘A staff development program is a planned process of development which enhances the quality of pupil learning by identifying, clarifying and meeting the individual needs of the staff’’ (p. 89). In addition, as it is mentioned by the authors, CPD programs are linked with most educational innovations as they prepare teachers for the upcoming changes in the system, such as changes in the curriculum and teaching methods. For this reason, researchers in the field of school effectiveness and school improvement will find this book useful, as it provides descriptions of the main approaches of teacher professional development. In the first chapter of the book, the purposes of teacher CPD as well as their practices are analyzed, while there is a clear support of the school-based in-service training instead of the external teacher training. As it is noted ‘‘It is here (in schools) where learning and teaching take place, curriculum and techniques are developed and needs and deficiencies revealed’’ (p. 2). School-based in-service training is widely supported, as it is considered that the individual development of teachers is associated with the school development (Fullan, 1991). However, there is a need to explain the distinctive features of school-based training, in comparison to external teacher training in order to get a clear picture of its beneficial results on teacher professional development. It is also supported that teachers’ role should be central and active in CPD. This is expected to contribute in increasing the feeling of School Effectiveness and School Improvement Vol. 23, No. 3, September 2012, 349–357