1,128 research outputs found
Exercising instructional leadership (by the headteacher): what we know and don't know about leadership and school effectiveness
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Centralised provision: pitfalls and possibilities. Lessons from the English approach to developing school leaders
No full textMethodological change in school effectiveness and improvement research
No full textSchool Effectiveness and School Improvement have played an important part in developing and refining methods in educational research. However, we would hypothesize that this development has also led to a certain crystallization of these methods, to the extent that it is now possible to talk of a methodological orthodoxy in both effectiveness and improvement research. To test this hypothesis, we looked at articles published in 'School Effectiveness and School Improvement' between issue 1 of 2005 and issue 2 of 2010. Results show that both quantitative and qualitative studies are dominated by a limited range of data collection methods. Over 80% of qualitative studies reported on are case studies, with the remainder being other interview methods. Of quantitative studies, almost 60% are survey studies, and just under 23% use secondary data, such as international studies and national or local accountability data sets. Almost 16% of studies used quasi-experimental designs. In terms of data analysis, in quantitative studies almost 50% of papers use multilevel methods, while a further 35% use 'traditional' statistics, such as regression and parametric or non-parametric tests. In qualitative methods the vast majority of studies used some form of thematic analysis. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are provided
The quality of schools in Malaysia
No full textThe paper examines Malaysia’s effort to provide good quality primary education by 2015, responding to the second Education for All (EFA) goal. The basic characteristics of an effective school in terms of input and process factors are applied here: educational resources, school leadership, school climate, and parental involvement. A survey was conducted in 123 primary schools. Responses were received from 1367 urban and 1183 rural school teachers. Multilevel modelling analysis indicates that 19.4% of the total variance in the educational quality score is explained at school level and that overall quality tends to be slightly lower in rural schools. Emerging factors transpired from the open-ended item. The results and the implications of the study are discusse
Changing classroom practice
No full textWhile a lot of research has focussed on schools in terms of their overall performance and the factors that influence this at the school level (such as leadership), all the evidence suggests that if we want to make a real difference to students we need to concentrate on classroom processes, and in particular on what teachers do. Change is clearly necessary here, traditional practices need to be reviewed in the light of both different required outcomes such as developing lifelong learning skills, and the emerging evidence from cognitive neuroscience.In this chapter we will explore the best current evidence on what needs to change, concentrating in particular on the need for change to be evidence based rather than dependent on educational fads. In particular, we will explore innovative evidence-based approaches to introducing classroom change, such as small scale experimental work that will allow innovations to be introduced and tested within a school context and co-construction of interventions between researchers and practitioners<br/
Teacher leaders in teach first: can recent graduates help lead school improvement?
No full textThis study aims to explore the leadership of Teach First teachers in schools during their second year, in terms of both impact on leadership in and outside the classroom. Teach First is an alternative certification program in England based on Teach for America. A mixed methods approach, employing surveys of participants and headteachers, case studies of 16 participating schools and analysis of documentary evidence was used. It was found that Teach First teachers are making a strong contribution to informal leadership in their schools. They are seen as eager to take initiatives and as making a positive contribution to school culture. There are mixed views regarding their contribution to the formal leadership of their school
Federations and student outcomes: a study of the impact of school-to-school collaboration on school improvement
No full textThis study adopted a quantitative methodology involving a matched sample of federated and non-federated schools and utilising multi-level modelling techniques to explore the impact of federations on student outcomes. The sample involves a total of 50 Local Authorities (school districts) and 264 schools. These are grouped into 122 Federations. 264 comparator schools were selected to match these. 88.1% of schools in the sample belong to a two-school Federation, 8.5% were part of a three-school Federation, with the remainder being part of larger Federations. The study has identified six broad and sometimes overlapping categories of federations (Size Federations, Cross-Phase Federations, Performance Federations, Faith Federations, Mainstreaming Federations and Academy groups). The most popular category of federation in the sample is cross-phase federation and the least popular category is Academy groups. The findings suggest there is evidence of impact on overall performance, in that while Federation and comparator schools perform similarly at baseline, Federation is positively related to performance in the years following Federation. There is evidence to suggest that impact is strongest in Performance federations. There is no relationship between Federation and Ofsted judgements (grades). There is no evidence of differential impact on students from different socio-economic settings, differences in gender or with special educational needs. In conclusion, reflects on the implications of these findings for future research, policy and practic
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