T T ünde Kovacs ünde Kovacs - - Cerovic Cerovic Serbia, State Secretary for education Serbia, State Secretary for education Education and social change
Jan 02, 2016
TTünde Kovacsünde Kovacs--CerovicCerovic
Serbia, State Secretary for educationSerbia, State Secretary for education
Education and social change
Content A couple of truisms Education in an imperfect
context– Educational perspective– System perspective– Parents’ perspective
Added value for education policy making Use some data on Serbia, some
on the SEE region – no PISA
Education policy and society
Education is not an isolated system, it both reflects the societal dynamics and contributes to them
Education has a transformative role – it shapes the future, but in order to shape it in the right way, it needs to be responsive to problems and needs
Equity, quality and efficiency – core elements of education policy and vital for its contribution to social change
Policy makers in SEE face similar challenges – a valuable opportunity for cooperation and mutuallearning
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1. Educational perspective
Create the best context for human learning and development
Educationalists try to maximize the frequency of learning and minimize contextual “intrusion”
But School learning and motivation is
situated in an imperfect context
Educational attainment of population older than 15
Decline of number of students in secondary education
Annual average decrease more than 2 %
Annual average decrease between 1,5 % and 2 %
Annual average decrease between 1% and 1,5%
Annual average decrease between 0,5% and 1%
Annual average increase between 0 and 0,5%
Projections of decline in secondary school students until 2023/2024
Teachers’ age – comparative view
uneven distribution of public investment
Level of investment – comparative view
Percentage of early school leavers – comparative view
2. System perspective
Education reforms
2001-20042008-2011
Threefold priorities 2008:Equity, Quality, Efficiency
EquityEquity==
InclusiveInclusiveeducationeducation
EquityEquity==
InclusiveInclusiveeducationeducation
Quality=
quality improvement:educational and social
Quality=
quality improvement:educational and social
Efficiency=
Fiscaldecentralization
and EIS
Efficiency=
Fiscaldecentralization
and EIS
Priorities of
education policy
AREAS OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS
QA, self-evaluation,
external evaluation
maturaAnti-discrimination measures, Violence prevention
Outcomes and standards New curricula
Quality of teachers (36 ECTS)
Capitation formula
EIS
Clearer roles of schools, parents,
students
Extended preschool Inclusion of marginalized groups Individual education plansRoma pedagogical assistantsFree secondary edu.Recognition of prior learning
Current moment
Formulating priorities 2008 Legislative acts 2009 2010 Implementation from 2010 Monitoring and fine-tuning 2011 Long-term strategy development 2012-
2020
Good timing: Independent assessment very important
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Current moment
Monitoring and fine-tuning 2011 (equity and quality)
Good timing for reflection: why not easier?
Deeper layers of imperfect context
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Imperfect context
1. Huge system - covers about 20% of the population in the country, but is fragmented into small and dispersed units
example of country of 6mil
No of schools
No of facilities
No of classes
No of teachers
No of students G1-G12
1.800 4.500 40.000 70.000 1.100.000
Imperfect context
2. Perceived as major mechanism for social/economic promotion –high motivation, high incentives
Imperfect context
3. Huge system of human interactions: interests, negotiations, conflicts, clans – all aspects of human nature present
4. Asymmetric relationships in its core: student-teacher, child-parent, parent-teacher (lack of voice, protectionism)
Imperfect context
Imperfect context
Parents excluded (Roma parents even more excluded) – recent OSI study
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Imperfect context: motivation?
Rare event
Schools are expected to be Places of intimate experience:
– Learning – Deep understanding– Motivation – Creativity – Respect – Values
Places of development of the Self-concept:– Self-regulation– Self-efficacy– Self-esteem – Self-description/attribution
Can they easily become that?23
Attended ...
Listened ...
Heard ...
Understood ...
Remembered ...
Will apply ...
Learning can become a reallyrare event
Imperfect context: INTES
Niches of corruption in education can diminish all the reform effects – Education is human capital development– Corruption creates the opposite – waste of human capital
Social benefits
Personal benefits
teachers
efficient
equitable
accountable
regulated
participatory
textbooks curriculum
financing managementassessment evaluation
SCHOOL
Research
Development Policies
2025
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Potential niches fi
nan
cin
g
Allocation of resources:Leakage in money flow
Private use of resourcesGhost teachers
Creativity of deception
Procurement:construction,refurbishing, maintenance,
equipmentschool materials
utility bills
Allocation of allowances, stipends, places in dormitories
Decentralized distribution of funds, many transfer steps, many actors (tracking the funds needed)
BOR
Potential niches
assessm
en
t
evalu
ati
on
Assessing students•Examinations frauds (entry/exit)
•Grading•Promotion based on bribes
•Selling diplomas
Evaluating institutionsmanipulating external evaluations
inspection
Accrediting institutions, programs
Major frauds: cases in Serbia:Law School University of Kragujevac + Ministry, 2007
JanuaryEnrolment exam for secondary education, 2008 June
Potential niches te
ach
ers
Teacher management: • Hiring/firing
•Deployment•Licensing
•Promotion•Training
Teachers’ responsibilities distorted:•undue reporting•private tutoring
•absenteeism, use of sick leaves•accepting extra fees, gifts
•biased grading
New regulations, but still low salaries, strong teacher unions (case of June 2011
legislation)
Potential niches
man
ag
em
en
t
eth
os
Who is managing and overseeing the schools?•Appointment of principals/deans/rectors
•Appointment of school boards• selecting the Inspection
Use of information systems:•Withholding information,
•changing, manipulating data, •not producing data..
Accountability to students, parents•Student placements
•Manipulating school boards•Manipulating parent councils
•Not including studentsMajor area of protectionism: student
placements – each SeptemberSchool principals PE teachers
3. Parentperspective
Imperfect contextPARENT PARTICIPATION IN SEE
Teachers’ and parents’ perceptions: Gray area between cooperation and conflict
The origin of unsatisfactory teacher-parent communication is perceived to lie within the school who should initiate the collaboration being more responsive to parental and children’s needs (Lawson, 2003)
The study
10 countries
AlbaniaB&H
BulgariaCroatia
KosovoMacedonia
MontnegroMoldova
RomaniaSerbia
Two perspectives
Principals’ perspective Parents’ perspective
Two methodologies
Qualitative – focus groups Quantitative - survey
Two levels
Individual level: all data School level: parent representatives, means for parents, principals
Four angles
Mainstream parents
Excluded groups parents
Parent representatives - MSP
Parent representatives - EGP
Sample
Mainstream
Excluded
Parent repr
Exclparent
rep
Total
Principals Principals of all schools where from the sample was drawn
Schools 311
Parents of children 7-15 9076
491 1359 124 11127
urban
rural
total
Parents’ Questionnaire
Based on:1.Literature review:
1. Epstien’s (1987) six dimensions of parental involvement
2. Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (2007) model of the parental involvement process.
2.Results of focus group discussions in the 10 SEE countries3.Results of 2008 cross national study of school principals
Consisting of 3 parts:1.Q for mainstream parents (used for all samples)2.Q for excluded parents (additional part)3.Q for parent representatives (additional part) 35
Questionnaire
Background variables
Child characteristics(age, gender, achievement etc)
Family context(wealth, employment, etc)
Mother characteristics
(education, aspirations)
Dimensions of participation
school meetings
information from school
Supporting learning at home
volunteering in school
decis. making
school-community coop
Mediating variables
motivation for participation in school life
perception of school openness
perception of pr’s
beliefs about school-parents partnership
Outcome variables
satisfaction re child well-being, progress in school
satisfaction re communication with school
satisfaction with influence
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How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola inicira roditeljski sastanak:
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Škola inicira individulani sastanak:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola šalje informaciju o detetovom uspehu:
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Škola šalje informaciju o školskom radu:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola šalje školski informator:
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Škola inicira volontiranje oko sportskih/kult. aktivnosti:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola inicira volontiranje u razredu/nastavi:
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Škola inicira volontiranje u biblioteci, dvorištu…:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko školskih događaja:
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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko bezbednosnih odluka:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko ekstrakurikularnih odluka:
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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko finansijskih odluka:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko organizacije šk rada:
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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko obrazovnih pitanja:
How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Schools do not invite parents (%)
never 1 2-3 3+
To meetings
- class 3 9 34 54
- individual 50 14 18 19
To volunteer
- infrastructure 70 17 9 4
- extracurricular 66 16 13 5
- curricular 86 7 5 2
- additional (library, lunch) 85 9 4 245
How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Schools do not invite parents/cont (%)
never 1 2-3 3+
To give opinion on
- financial management 79 8 8 5
- extreacurricular activities 66 16 13 6
- organization of school event 45 25 21 8
- health safety issues 58 20 15 8
- school management shifts, merger
82 9 6 3
- education issues 75 10 10 5
- violence 65 15 13 7
In Roma sample “never” is around 90%In Roma sample “never” is around 90%
Parents think their contribution is beneficial
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Parents think they are capable of contributing
2. How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Systematic difference between parents’ and principals’ perception
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3. How does parent-school cooperation happen?
Problem attributed more to parents than schools. Parents are perceived as motivated and competent to participate
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4. Outcomes of parent-school cooperation ?
Parents are least satisfied with their possibility of influence
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Conclusions
Trends are expected, but their pervasiveness is striking – Discrepancy between the mainstream and the
excluded sample– Discrepancy between parents’ and principals’
perception– Lack of opportunities for cooperation and partnership– Opportunities even less present for those who need it
most
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Conclusions/cont.
• Individual parent level mediating variables do not predict outcomes strong enough - it seems that individual parental motivation, attitude, belief does not matter much
• Main factor - parent representative: if interested, capable, effective, parents are participating more
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Recommendations
1. Parent representatives in school:1. Careful choice2. Training and support
2. Embrace and cultivate all dimensions of parent participation
3. Parent participation on ”higher” levels 1. Municipal parent councils2. National association of municipal parent councils
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Conclusions
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Added value of 1, 2, 3.
Confirmation of vulnerable areas from independent angle (important for fine-tuning)
Assistance in understanding bottlenecks in the system (important for strategy)
Assistance in “labeling” risky practicestrengthening the reform agenda
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Based on impressions Based on evidence
lowquality
high quality
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Added value general:Evidence for policymaking
LEARNING OF STUDENTS
LEARNING OF TEACHERS
LEARNING OF SCHOOLS
LEARNING OF THE SYSTEM
Added value general: Contributing to education for social change
Research and
monitoringEducation
Developmental priorities
(equity and efficiency)
Legal instruments
Stakeholders
participation
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Joke or warning?
Thank you for your attention
(PS the slides used proved useful for communicating education
reform priorities and processes to the wider public in Serbia)
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