december 2007 operations of schooling review. 2 a dynamic network of research and policy leaders,...

December 2007

Operations of Schooling Review

2

A dynamic network of research and

policy leaders, working together to

create, analyse and implement ideas

to build a better future, locally,

nationally, globally

Associate Professor Juhani Tuovinen

Professor Tania Aspland

Dr Bill Allen

Dr Leanne Crosswell

Dr lisahunter

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Current Project

Progress Towards a Human Capital Indicators Project

Question: Can we share data to collaboratively develop indicators of human capital in the smart state

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Operations of Schooling Overview

Operations of Schooling Review 3/12/7

• Summary & recommendations

• Definitions

• Methodology

• Summary of results

1. Bill Allen - School size

2. Tania Aspland - Campus composition

3. Leanne Crosswell - Classroom groupings

4. Juhani Tuovinen - Flexibility of attendance

• Implications and indications for DETA

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Schooling for Tomorrow:

Addressing the Issue of Disadvantage


To ensure a world-class education for all young people in Queensland the management and resourcing of the operations of schooling need to be reviewed

Current practices are largely underpinned by assumptions which include:

• Teacher-student ratios remaining fixed at approximately1 : 25-28

• Schools based on rigid step-lock patterns by student age

• Schools functioning from 9am to 3pm only, for 39 weeks of the year

• Traditional rigid pedagogies contained within an inflexible primary/secondary divide

• Schools often acting as holding patterns limiting student growth and development

If these assumptions continue to shape the operations of schools, they will sustain an educational crisis that currently exists in schools, the crisis of widening advantage and disadvantage

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Operations of Schooling


Advantages:

Larger schools with higher SES students can create a positive critical mass, enjoying broader and deeper curriculum choices and greater teacher specialisation

Heterogeneous grouping of students preserve the benefits of the currently dominant groups e.g. boys in Mathematics; girls in English

Fixed attendance schedules and timetabling allow those who are socially and financially independent to work comfortably within normative frameworks

High quality, well-maintained campuses exist in schools serving higher SES communities who have the capacity to garner resources to ensure these

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Operations of Schooling

Disadvantages:

Large schools with students from lower SES backgrounds generate negative critical masses resulting in poorer academic, social and behavioural outcomes

Heterogeneous groupings preserve the conditions for lack of achievement – such as girls in science classes, boys in English classes, and high ability children in mind-numbing classes pitched at a level below what challenges them

Inflexible attendance and timetabling schedules prevent students who have commitments in other areas like work and family, or Indigenous students observing traditional customs and practices, from studying and working at times that best suit them

Poor quality classrooms and buildings consolidate feelings of hopelessness and despair and reinforce anti-social behaviours

Lack of identity and belongingness exist among students who most need it


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Recommendations - Structured Flexibility


Conceiving of schools as precincts

• Physical or virtual

• Multiple phases of schooling

• ‘Schools within a school’

• Fluidity and flexibility to create student groupings to meet the needs of different groups

• Fluidity and flexibility to develop attendance patterns and timetable

• Designed to incorporate the best architectural features and that are pedagogically sound and technologically rich, and are maintained as such

• Savings from larger, more efficient, predictably urban precincts are transferred to the higher-cost, smaller schools and virtual precincts that will necessarily exist in the rural areas of Queensland

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Defining Questions


• To what extent do the operational aspects of schooling, especially school size and composition, student grouping in classrooms, especially in terms of sex and ability and the flexibility of attendance, influence student outcomes?

• What are the mediating and moderating relationships between the operational aspects of schooling (in terms of the above-named variables) and other school environmental factors, e.g. socio-economic, teacher-child engagement, etc?

• What evidence is there to suggest that the findings can be generalised to Queensland schools?

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Definitions

The operational aspects of schooling, including campus composition, the size of school campus, grouping of students and flexibility of attendance have often been the subject of educational research.

Student outcomes can include:

1. Academic achievement, measured by results in public examinations or standardised tests;

2. Behavioural indicators such as attendance, violent behaviour, drop-out rates, involvement in extra-curricular activities; sense of belongingness; measures of student self-concept, self esteem, self-efficacy.


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Process/Methodology


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Methodology


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Databases


• A+ (includes AARE)

• ERIC (includes AERA)

• CAUL online theses

• Google scholar

• ACER

• Reference follow up

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Methodology


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Complex Model


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Complex Model


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Campus Composition


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Campus Composition


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Campus Composition


Findings

• Few hits

• Multiple orientations

• Quality of school buildings correlated with student performance and SES

• Quality matters

• Acoustics & spatial configurations on mood, wellbeing, concentration and performance

• Optimal age/grade boundaries inconclusive

• Vertical stages of schooling inconclusive

• Transition proves difficult across sectors

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Campus Composition


Implications for future

• Support variety of learning styles

• Integrate technology

• Small school culture

• Neighbourhood communities

• Comfortable

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School Size


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School Size


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School Size


Student outcomes

Two measures in the literature:

• Student achievement - measured by student scores in common examinations or standardised test scores

• Other student outcomes - mainly behavioural: e.g. daily attendance;drop out rates; graduation rates; anti-social behaviours and ‘discipline’

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School Size


School size and student achievement

Evidence suggests that student outcomes are better in large schools:

• Evidence principally from the UK, but supported by studies in the USA where controls for other variables are removed

• All studies show that the relationship is U-shaped with a threshold size posited by different studies

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School Size


School size and student achievement

1. Curriculum offerings broader and deeper

2. Teacher specialisation more likely – especially where teachers can teach at highest levels

3. Evidence shows that presence of post-compulsory years in secondary schools has a positive effect

4. Positive ‘critical mass’

Major reasons put forward for this:

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School Size


School size and other outcomes

Evidence strongly shows that school size is negatively related to other student outcomes - i.e. smaller schools do better

Studies are principally from the USA

Findings have spawned the ‘small schools movement’; particularly in urban areas and now actively supported by the US Federal Government

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School Size


School size and other aspects of schooling

School size and efficiencies are positively related

School size and curriculum offerings (breadth and depth positively related - but breadth not incrementally so, and student uptake of curriculum offerings not in proportion to those offerings

Some evidence shows that student achievement can be higher in schools with limited range of curriculum offering - focus on achievement in a narrower range of subjects

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School Size


Impact of socio-economic status

A significant number of US studies (Howley, 1996; Bickel & Howley 1999; Stevenson 2006) find that SES accounts for the greatest variations in correlation between school size and student outcomes

Principal finding is that students from lower SES do much better in smaller schools

Other studies (UK and Australian) find that controls for SES do not affect correlation between school size and student achievement

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School Size


School Size and SES

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. (Matthew 13:12)

Howley and Howley & Bickel ‘ The Matthew Principle’ - school consolidation plans and its impact on different SES groups:

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School Size


Role of ‘critical mass’ and school size

Explaining variations between school size, student outcomes and SES in Australian contexts e.g: Lamb et al. (2004)

Cohorts of higher SES students in large schools create a ‘positive; critical mass which leads to higher levels of outcomes

By implication, a critical mass of lower SES students who are disengaged will have a negative effect on student outcomes

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School Size


Role of schools with in a school (SWAS)

Attempts to ‘break up’ larger schools and create ‘sub-schools’ either horizontal or vertical

Fouts (1994,1995) Eichenstein (1991) and Wasley (2000) show positive impacts of such actions

These findings suggest a compromise for the organisation of large schools

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School Size

Summary of findings - a graphical representation

High

Academic achievement

Behavioural outcomes

Efficiency

Curriculum offerings

Low Small Large


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School Size


Implications

1. SWAS in physical campuses

2. smaller schools connected through a network/virtual campus

From a human capital perspective: larger schools are better

From a citizen/social justice perspective: small schools may be better

Compromise? Meeting the best of both worlds through

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Student Groupings


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Student Groupings


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Student Groupings


Geographical grouping by disadvantage is of increasing concern

Accepted ‘norm’ of grouping by chronological age is not challenged or investigated in research

Literature

Key Strategies:

• Grouped by sex

• Grouped by ability

Alternative approaches:

• Grouping of multiple grades

• Grouping students considered to be ‘at risk’

• Grouping students with similar cultural or ethnic background

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Student Groupings


Relationship to Student Outcomes

- Contention within the literature

- Evidence that supports gains for affective and academic outcomes – specifically in curriculum areas of mathematics, science and English

- Effective in-class group is 3-4 students

- Outcomes depends on ‘level’ student grouped with.

- Contention within literature

- Gifted students benefit academically but may experience a negative emotional impact

- Average students experience a slight positive benefit

- Lower ability students experience a slight to significant negative impact

• Single sex classes:

• Ability grouping within class:

• ‘Setting’ - ability grouping in curriculum areas:

•‘Streaming’ - ability grouping in full programs:

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Student Groupings


Addresses some of the recognised needs of middle years students.Male classes present challenges unless curriculum and pedagogy are flexible and responsive to their needs.

Optimal Patterns

• Most equitable and viable general grouping strategy is single sex groupings with differentiated curriculum and adapted pedagogical approaches

• Gifted learners benefit from access to some ability grouped activities

• Lower ability students benefit from learning in mixed ability groups

• Students considered ‘at risk’ benefit from tailored programs to enhance student agency, engagement and achievement

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Student Groupings


Mediating Factors

The Teacher

• Ability to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the cohort

• Must continually differentiate curriculum and pedagogy

• ‘The Hawthorn Effect’ – novelty of new strategies temporarily enhances outcomes

Socioeconomic status

• Socioeconomic disadvantage has a negative impact on academic results

• Grouping socioeconomically disadvantaged students together exacerbates social and educational issues for entire community

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Student Groupings


Implications

Grouping decisions need to be a school based response

Single-sex classes – flexible use may be beneficial

• Within class groupings – cautious occasional use of ability grouping may benefit average ability students, whereas lower ability students benefit from use of mixed ability groups

• Part-time, flexible activities should be considered for gifted students to enhance holistic development

• Tailored programs/interventions should be considered for ‘at-risk’ students to improve student engagement and long term outcomes

• Essential that teachers consulted and support grouping strategies.• Differentiation of pedagogy and the curriculum is critical.

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Flexibility of Attendance


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Dimensions of flexibility

• Annual

• Days/week

• Hours/day

• Sessions/day

• Sessions length

• Time subject

• Daily attendance

• Virtual schooling

• Location flexibility

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Caveats

Evidence is weak, but suggestive

Most evidence re flexibility - part of combined packages of factors

Findings

Longer and shorter school years advocated. Student outcomes evidence contradictory

Days/week & hours/day flexibility most relevant to groups of students, e.g. gifted & talented or low achieving students. Evidence not consistent

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Findings, cont

Block scheduling benefits not convincing re academic outcomes, but may provide better school climate.

Multiple age groups advocated (limited evidence) - implementation conditions often difficult.

High-risk students benefit from sessions/day & length of session flexibility.

Timetabling for teaching small groups by teams may help with curriculum coordination & pastoral care.

Extensive need for (NECTL, 1994) & multiple forms of timetable flexibility in practice (Middleton, 1999) - in major studies.

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Findings, cont

Daily attendance flexibility helpful for at-risk students & students with special responsibilities.

Virtual schooling viable component of attendance for students with poor access to schools or other school attendance difficulties.

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1. Good administration

2. Teacher professional development

3. Expert assistance

4. Teacher teams + time for joint planning

5. Strategic variety of teaching approaches

6. Attend to individual student needs

7. Application to students in transition & lower performing students

Relationships

Longer and shorter school years advocated. Many factors related, e.g. costs homework…

Days/week & hours/day flexibility most relevant to gifted and talented or low achieving students. Factors: program nature

Block scheduling not wholly convincing. Factors:

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1. Allowing students a say in curriculum & rules

2. Focus on real life learning activities

3. Experienced teachers

4. Teachers worked as a team

5. Senior teacher (DP) in teaching team.

6. Outside consultant (an academic) in the project

Relationships cont

Timetabling for teaching small groups of students by teams helps coordination of curriculum &pastoral care. Factors:

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Optimal Patterns

Special programs with flexibility of attendance beneficial for gifted & talented.

At-risk students benefit from flexibility of attendance.

Location flexibility suitable for particular groups of students.

Block scheduling, modular & intensive programs benefit students, short-term study targets & continuous time to study deeply, instead of disruption by movement & conflict.

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Environment & School

SES important external condition & suggests flexible programs needed for low SES.

Participation in community events: school flexibility + ensuring students do not fall behind.

Multi-age flexibility a broader curriculum for small schools.

Virtual schooling for students with special needs.

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Model 2


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Recommendations - Structured Flexibility


Conceiving of schools as precincts

Physical or virtual

Multiple phases of schooling

‘Schools within a school’

Fluidity and flexibility to create student groupings to meet the needs of different groups

Fluidity and flexibility to develop attendance patterns and timetable

Designed to incorporate the best architectural features and that are pedagogically sound and technologically rich, and are maintained as such;

Savings from larger, more efficient, predictably urban precincts are transferred to the higher-cost, smaller schools and virtual precincts that will necessarily exist in the rural areas of Queensland.

53


Implications and indications for DETA RESEARCH

Need for uniquely Australian/Qld studies

Extend dominant ideas of schooling

Collection and analysis of DETA data related to operations of schooling

School redesign network e.g. learning village

Re-analysis of literature with multiple indexed categories

Clearer definitions and questions re sustainability of outcomes

Establish extent causality

Longitudinal study

December 2007

Operations of Schooling Review

december 2007 operations of schooling review. 2 a dynamic network of research and policy leaders,...

Documents

operations of schools

operations of schooling

queensland schools

larger schools

student age schools

flexibility of attendance

large schools

conceiving of schools