What we have learned from 20 Years of School Effectiveness and School Improvement Research, and what this means for schools and teachers Tony Townsend.

What we have learned from 20 Years of School Effectiveness and School

Improvement Research, and what this means for schools and teachers

Tony TownsendFaculty of EducationMonash University

Tomorrow’s Teachers: Success through StandardsMarch 31 - April 1, 2002

Zayed University

Perception

Our view of the world is a product of what we are looking at, where we are standing when we are looking at it and how we feel about ourselves and the thing we are looking at.

Perception

Our view of the world is a product of what we are looking at, where we are standing when we are looking at it and how we feel about ourselves and the thing we are looking at.

We can, however, change people’s perceptions of the world by providing them with new information.

...this one most vital area of our national life - public education - has not undergone the process of revitalising change. In our economic and social life we expect change, but in the public schools we have clung tenaciously to the ideas and techniques of earlier decades and even previous centuries.

Gerstner et al., 1994: 3

Schools are still modelled on a curious mix of the factory, the asylum and the prison... We are glad to see the end of the traditional factory; why should we expect the school modelled on it to be welcome to children?

Hargreaves, 1994: 43-44

Hood, 1998:3Structurally the curriculum is much the same as it has been for the last 50 years, as is how teachers approach the curriculum. Students are still divided into classes of about the same number, primarily based on age. The day is rigidly fixed within specific timeframes and divided by inflexible timetables. Teachers teach subjects, and front up each hour to a different group of students. Classrooms are designed and used as they were 50 years ago, even though the décor might have changed. Assessment of learning is still dominated by national external examinations.

From 2nd to 3rd Millennium Schools

Focus Scope of an

of delivery effective

education

From 1000 to 1870 Individual few

From 1870 to 1980 Local some

From 1980 to 2000 National many

Townsend, 1998: 248

We have conquered the challenge of moving from a quality education system for a few people to a quality education system for most people. Our challenge now is to move from having a quality education system for most people to a quality education system for all people.

From 2nd to 3rd Millennium Schools

Focus Scope of an of delivery effective

education

From 1000 to 1870 Individual few

From 1870 to 1980 Local some

From 1980 to 2000 National many

From 2000 Global all

Coleman et al., 1966:325

Schools bring little influence to bear on a child's achievement that is independent of his background and general social context... this very lack of an independent effect means that the inequalities imposed on children by their home, neighbourhood and peer environment are carried along to become the inequalities with which they confront adult life at the end of school. For equality of educational opportunity must imply a strong effect of schools that is independent of the child's immediate environment, and that strong independence is not present in American schools.

Edmonds, 1978:3

I define an effective school as being instructionally successful for all children excepting those of certifiable physical, emotional or mental handicap. Specifically, I require that an effective school bring the children of the poor to those minimal masteries of basic school skills that now describe minimally successful pupil performances for the children of the middle class.

Possible Goals for Effective Schools Literacy Numeracy Other Academic Goals (eg science, history) Behaviour Attendance Self-concept Citizenship Employment Other Educational Goals (eg values, attitudes) Community Goals (eg involvement, safety)

Townsend, 1994: 37

Possible goals for schools

L N OA B A SC C E OE Com

Mortimore et al, 1988: 176

The study of fifty English junior schools, sought to ‘find a way of comparing schools' effects on their pupils, while acknowledging the fact that schools do not all receive pupils of similar abilities and backgrounds’.

Value Added and Mediating Effectiveness

Value Adding


Value Adding


Value Adding

Mediating


Value Adding

Mediating


Value Adding

Mediating

Townsend, 1994: 46

Techniques for measuring effective schools

OUTCOME BASIS

VALUE-ADDED BASIS

Townsend, 1994: 42

Techniques for identifying effective schools

STANDARDISED TESTING

REPUTATIONAL APPROACH

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

SCHOOL REVIEW AND EVALUATION

Townsend, 1994: 47

Model for recognising effective schools

L N OA B A SC C E OE Com

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

SCHOOL REVIEW AND EVALUATION

REPUTATIONAL APPROACH

STANDARDISED TESTING

VALUE

A

D

DED

OU

TCOM

ES

Edmonds, 1979

Townsend, 1994:48

An effective school is one that develops and maintains a high quality educational programme designed to achieve both system-wide and locally identified goals. All students, regardless of their family or social background, experience both improvement across their school career and ultimate success in the achievement of those goals, based on appropriate external and school-based measuring techniques.

McGaw et al. (1992:174)

School effectiveness is about a great deal more than maximising academic achievement. Learning, and the love of learning; personal development and self-esteem; life skills; problem solving and learning how to learn; the development of independent thinkers and well-rounded, confident individuals; all rank as highly or more highly in the outcomes of effective schooling as success in a narrow range of academic disciplines.

Townsend, 1994The core-plus curriculum ensures that both:

The CORE areas, those areas identified by the state as being so important that every child should learn and know them,

ANDThe PLUS areas, those areas identified by the school

community as being important to their children, are given the time, attention and resources necessary for those skills, attitudes and knowledge to be planned for, learned and evaluated.

Townsend, 1994The core-plus school gives attention to both:

Its CORE responsibility, namely, the education of the children in its care,

AND

Its PLUS activities, namely, the development of processes, programs and practices that will assist the local community to identify and resolve the educational needs of its members.

McGaw, Banks &Piper, 1991: 15

There is no definitive how of effective schools and so there can be no one recipe for every school to try.

Schooling is too complex a business for a recipe.

Codding, 1994: 5

Schools must do the job well and be held accountable for results. But there is also the growing feeling nationally that schools cannot do it alone. Children attend school for about one day of every two during the year and then for only 7 or 8 hours a day. For the rest of the time our American children are subject to the influence of the family, the neighborhood, the streets, the peer culture, and the media. We all create the conditions in which children learn and grow. And there is a growing belief that if we wish them to learn and grow well, we must attend to the quality of these conditions.

School and Class EffectsPercent of Variance in Value-Added Measures of English and Mathematics Achievement Accounted for by School and Class

Effects

Class (%) School (%)

EnglishPrimary 45 9

Secondary 38 7

MathematicsPrimary 55 4

Secondary 53 8

Peter Hill, 1997: 9

A world class school a clear vision, underpinned by a set of

values which will guide its policies, procedures and practices;

a strong focus on the student outcomes to improve both curriculum and teaching practices;

a professional learning community which adopts knowledge-based practices based on continuous self-evaluation in the pursuit of excellence;

HK SBM Consultation Document, 1999

A world class school a strong alliance of stakeholders,

including parents, teachers and community members, working in partnership to develop the potential of each and every student to the fullest extent;

school management which is open, transparent and publicly accountable for its educational achievements and proper use of public funds.

HK SBM Consultation Document, 1999

Stoll & Fink (1997)

Effective

Ineffective

Improving Declining

Moving

Struggling Sinking

Cruising

Strolling

What school is your school?

Moving (effective and improving) Cruising (effective but declining) Strolling (OK but not going anywhere) Struggling (not effective but getting better) Sinking (not effective and getting worse)

What school is your school? Student achievement Staff-student relationships Student welfare Literacy attainment Numeracy attainment Balanced curriculum Student responsibility School facilities and environment Parent involvement School leadership Professional development Fund raising Marketing the school Staff-administration relationship Communication to parents

Relations with the wider community Extra curricular activities Sporting achievement Staff health and well-being Student attendance Staff involvement in decisions Financial management Student behaviour School ethos and climate Curriculum development Assessment of student progress Reporting to parents Relations with region/department Staff cooperation Inducting new staff Student group learning Celebrate achievement

2nd Millennium and 3rd Millennium Thinking

Second Millennium Thinking

Important learning can only occur in formal learning facilities.


Second Millennium Third Millennium Thinking Thinking

Important learning People can learn can only occur in things from many formal learning sources.facilities.



Everyone must learn a common ‘core’ of content.



Everyone must Everyone must learn a common understand the ‘core’ of content. learning process

and have basic learning skills.



The learning process is controlled by the teacher. What is to be taught, when it will be taught and how it should be taught all be determined by a

professional person.



The learning process is The learning process is controlled by the teacher. controlled by the What is to be taught, learner. What is to be when it will be taught and taught, when it should be how it should be taught taught and how it should all be determined by a be taught will all be

professional person. determined by the learner.



Education and learning are individual activities. Success is based on how well learners learn as individuals.



Education and Education and learning learning are are highly interactive individual activities. activities. Success is Success is based on based on how well how well learners learners work together learn as individuals. as a team.



Formal education prepares people for life.



Formal education Formal education prepares people is the basis for for life. lifelong learning.



Once you leave formal education, you enter the ‘real world’.



Once you leave Formal education formal education, provides a range of you enter the ‘real interactions between world’. learners and the world

of business, commerce and

politics.



The more formal qualifications you have the more successful you will be.



The more formal The more capability qualifications you and adaptability you have the more have the more successful you successful you willwill be. be.



Basic education is funded by government.



Basic education is Basic education is funded by funded by both government. government and

private sources.



The terms ‘education’ and ‘school’ mean almost the same thing.



The terms ‘School’ is only one ‘education’ and of a multitude of‘school’ mean possibilities on the almost the same education journey.thing.

Challenges for the Future

How do technological developments impact on the school?

Townsend; 1997: 20

We need to deal with the possibility, that somewhere in the future, that we will have virtual classrooms, with students plugging their helmet and gloves into their computer at home to become virtually surrounded by their classmates and the teacher. Or we could have students walking out their front door onto the Steppes of Africa or the ice of Antarctica. Such developments are no more or less feasible than the internet would have been to the scientists of the 1940s who would walk for five minutes to get from one end of their computer to the other.

Townsend; 1997: 20


Townsend; 1997: 20


Townsend; 1997: 20


Thomas Watson, Chairman, IBM

I think there is a world market for maybe 5 computers

1943



Are schools cost effective in terms of their accessibility and client

base?

The 20/20 school serves about 20% of the population (children) for about 20% of the time (61/2 hours per day, 5 days per week, 40 weeks per year).

Staples, 1989

The 20/20 school serves about 20% of the population (children) for about 20% of the time (61/2 hours per day, 5 days per week, 40 weeks per year).

The 100/100 school is open all the time for anyone who wishes to use it. Children, parents, community members all have access to the facilities of the school.

Staples, 1989



Are schools cost effective in terms of their accessibility and client

base? Are schools relevant?

Carr, 1942: 34

Many schools are like little islands set apart from the mainland of life by a deep moat of convention and tradition. Across the moat there is a drawbridge, which is lowered at certain periods during the day in order that the part-time inhabitants may cross over to the island in the morning and go back to the mainland at night. Why do these young people go out to the island? They go there in order to learn how to live on the mainland.

Carr, 1942: 34

Many schools are like little islands set apart from the mainland of life by a deep moat of convention and tradition. Across the moat there is a drawbridge, which is lowered at certain periods during the day in order that the part-time inhabitants may cross over to the island in the morning and go back to the mainland at night. Why do these young people go out to the island? They go there in order to learn how to live on the mainland.

Challenges for 3rd Millennium Schools

To develop a curriculum that is appropriate to a modern,

technological and culturally diverse society.

THE INTENDED CURRICULUM- expectations about learning outcomes

and standards to be achieved

- content and skills to be taught and learned




THE IMPLEMENTED CURRICULUM- what teachers do in classrooms- teaching and learning practices

- pedagogy




THE IMPLEMENTED CURRICULUM- what teachers do in classrooms- teaching and learning practices

- pedagogy

THE ATTAINED CURRICULUM- demonstration of learning outcomes by students

- actual achievement of students in

relation to standards

The Four Pillars of the Global Classroom

Education for Survival Understanding our place in the world Understanding community Understanding our personal

responsibility



technological and culturally diverse society.

To actively engage every student in their learning.

Gardner’s Intelligences

linguistic logical-mathematical spatial musical bodily-kinesthetic

naturalistic intelligence intrapersonal interpersonal existential

Learning Styles

Left style - Analytic logical thought

sequential approach to tasks

excel in language-centred activity

step-by-step towards the big picture

Right style - Global think in patterns and relationships

provide summaries and overviews rather than facts

from big picture to smaller detail

The RelationaLearning Model (Otero and Sparks, 2000)

RECOGNISINGAwareness

Facts for Forgetting

Isolated Learners

Engaged Learners

Global Self-regulatedLearners


UNDERSTANDINGAdaptability

Concepts for Analysing



Isolated Learners

Engaged Learners

Interactive/Introspective Learners



VALUINGInteraction

Ethics for Discussion





Isolated Learners

Engaged Learners




RELATINGInterdependence

Options for Positive Action

VALUINGInteraction

Ethics for Discussion





Isolated Learners

Engaged Learners



Survival Values in LearningAttitudes and feelings about subjects, studies, self

100%

80%

70%

50%

35%

10%

Thinking skills and processes

Motor skills

Conceptual schemes

Factual material

Nonsense syllables

Per cent of usefulness retained assuming 100% original effectivenss

Elapsed time (months)0 6 12



technological and culturally diverse society. To actively engage every student in their

learning. To provide the opportunity for everyone

in the school community to become a learner, a teacher and a leader in the third millennium.

From Effective Schools to Effective Teachers

Modern Teachers need to be developed as capable which is seen as moving ‘beyond’ initial competencies. The Capable Teacher is what we should be seeking to develop, encourage and honour as the hallmark of our profession.

Cairns, 1998: 1

Teacher Capability

Capability is…

having justified confidence in your ability to: take appropriate and effective action communicate effectively collaborate with others learn from experiences

in changing and unfamiliar circumstances.

Stephenson, 1993

Capability Learning Model

Three intertwined elements: Ability (describes both competence and

capacity) Values (the ideals that govern the use

of ability) Self-efficacy (the way people judge

their capability to carry out actions effectively)

Capability

tasks/problems

contexts/situationsfamiliar

unfamiliar

familiar problems infamiliarcontexts

novel problems infamiliarcontexts

unfamiliar problems inunfamiliarcontexts

familiar problems innovelcontexts

Nutrients for a hospitable teacher culture

being valued being encouraged being noticed being trusted being listened to being respected

Southworth, 2000

beliefs and understandings

General Design for Improving Learning OutcomesHill and Crevola 1997





leadership andcoordination




standardsand targets





monitoring and assessment





classroom teaching strategies


classroom teaching strategies






classroom teaching strategiesprofessional

learning teams


classroom teaching strategiesprofessional

learning teams






School and classorganisation classroom teaching

strategiesprofessional learning teams



strategiesprofessional learning teams







strategies

Intervention andspecial assistance

professional learning teams



strategies









strategies


home, school andcommunity partnerships





More informationIf you would like more details contact

Tony Townsend:

Phone: Int + 61 3 9904 4230

Fax: Int + 61 3 9904 4237

email: [email protected]

What we have learned from 20 Years of School Effectiveness and School Improvement Research, and what this means for schools and teachers Tony Townsend.

Documents

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