leading schools in challenging times of learning... · times and sunday times ‘league tables ......

Spreagadh-March 28th’12

The variables influencing a child’s life chances

and well-being-excluding gender, disability and

ethnicity.

Family ,Social Capital ,Social Class, Poverty

Resilience, Readiness, Motivation, Ability

School

Social Personal School

13%

7%

40% 40%

The variables influencing a child’s life chances, well being and educational success:-

School leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on pupil learning.

Leithwood,K.(2002) Seven Strong Claims about Successful School Leadership NCSL.

‘Amongst the most prominent of the project’s

early findings was the unsurprising one that the extent of its influence in the schools was directly linked to the quality and amount of the energies put into its various initiatives by the school leaderships’. Hogan, P. (2007) Learning Anew, Final Report of the Research and Development Project, Teaching And Learning for the 21st Century.

Core

Values

Vision/Mission

Policies

Principles

Practices Living

expression of

value system

Locally-MLL/ DEIS Scale/Self-evaluation

Nationally- Examination Results/ESRI/ERC

Internationally-Pisa

WSE

MLL

Self

Evaluation

Key role of Teacher Leaders

LAOS

Context-water you are swimming in!

How do Principal and Deputy Principal lead learning?

How do they ensure highest quality T&L?

Recommendations from previous inspections been implemented?

◦ Retention

◦ Attendance

◦ Literacy

◦ Numeracy

◦ Examination attainment

◦ Educational progression

◦ Partnership with parents

◦ Partnership with others – schools, community, external agencies

Before beginning the process of

development, teachers need to develop a

sense of collective awareness, best achieved

through systematic data gathering.

DRIP effect-data rich and information poor!

Considerable debate about how best to use data on schools

Construction of ‘league tables’; criticised for ignoring differences in student intake; Irish Times and Sunday Times ‘league tables’

Use for improving practice: ◦ ‘Value added’ analysis of student performance

◦ Within-school analysis: year groups, departments, cohorts; different student groups (gender etc.)

◦ Tracking other outcomes, e.g. attendance, early school leaving; attitudes and engagement

Where are we now? Performance

Provision

Where do we want to be? Targets

How do we get there? Action Plan

What data is out there and how do we compare? Concentrate for today on Longitudinal Study and what it tells us.

What do you do to ease the academic transition from 6th class to first year?

Mismatch

Irish, English, and Maths between P. and P.P.

Familiarity with P. curriculum

Only half of P.P. teachers

Taster subjects

No negative impact on student progress

Streaming

Higher streams - longer to settle

Lower streams less progress in reading and writing

Teaching methodologies –generally traditional

Test scores - in Reading and Mathematics

do not improve for majority in 1st yr of PP. Student attitude to school- less positive

Learning support – helped but would like help with homework.

All Girls Voluntary Secondary School

Gaelcholáiste

DEIS

Vocational

School

Critical year for student engagement-template for Leaving Certificate performance?

How do you maintain student engagement in second year?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

1st year

(September)

1st year

(May)

2nd year JC year 5th year LC year

Positive Negative

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

1st year

(Sept)

1st year

(May)

2nd year JC year 5th year LC year

Liking school Liking teachers

Negative interaction with teachers and misbehaviour

Academic self-image: capacity to cope with school-work (from 2nd year)

Educational aspirations

Time spent on homework/study

Outside school (social life, part-time work)

Student engagement and disengagement as longer term processes

Potential for intervention to prevent early leaving and promote achievement

Emergence of at-risk groups – gender and social class background

Support in coping with schoolwork

Quality of teacher-student relations

What can be done to address the challenge of 2nd Year?

Subject levels in 3rd year ?

Junior Certificate Results-what do we use them for?

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Mixed ability Higher

stream

Middle

stream

Lower stream

How do you help students maximise the opportunity of Senior Cycle?

Decisions.....decisions...

Transition Year or not

Senior cycle programmes (LCE, LCVP, LCA)

Senior cycle subjects

Post-school options

CRITICAL STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT

SPACE TO GROW & MATURE

RECOGNISES THAT THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO BE ‘SMART’

MORE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT LEAVING CERT.

SOLID SKILLS FOUNDATION FOR LEAVING CERTIFICATE

LIFE SKILLS

ENGLISH IRISH MATHS EUROPEAN LANGUAGE Importance of Remediation and

Compensation cannot be over-emphasised-it is a golden opportunity to look at previous learning experiences and address the problems/difficulties identified.

Greater number of students in Transition Year (up from 16% in 2000 to 24% in 2009) completed the assessment.

Students in Transition Year achieved significantly higher reading and science scores than students in all other grade levels

Largest drop in mathematics occurred in TY – insufficient maths periods in TY / lower student engagement?

457.6

505.4

540.1

550.1

41.9

26.0

16.3 15.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

400

420

440

460

480

500

520

540

560

Don't read 30 mins or less 31-60 mins >1 hour

Mean

Score

Percent

of

Students

A change you have made?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Friends

Liked teacher

Good marks

Easier

Good job

Interesting

For education

Liked subjects

%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Tutor/year head

Friend

Guidance Counsellor

Subject teacher(s)

Father

Mother

%

V. impt

Impt

Teacher

Curriculum

Continuous

Professional

Development

R

E

A

D

I

N

E

S

S

C A P A C I T Y

PUPPIES

SLOTH BEARS

4 1

3 2

DOLPHIN

LOW

HIGH

HIGH

Time and

attendance

1.Absenteeism

2.Punctuality

3.Escaping

from the

classroom

In the

classroom

1.Ill prepared

2.Curriculum

delivery issues

3.Learner

engagement

4.Issues re

assessment

5.Course not

delivered at

appropriate

level

Disciplinary

issues

1.Excessive noise

2Disciplinary

referrals

3.Disorganisation

Personal

issues

1.Laziness

2.Not involved

in professional

development

3.Burnout

4. Not liking

Children

5. Lack of

interest in

children

6. Teacher

happiness

Examination

results

1.Exam.

results

2.The issue

of private

tuition

Underperformance Issues

C

Circle of concern

Circle of

influence

The choices- information of family and friends-50% and 33% respectively with Career Guidance~10%. However, the lower the socio-economic grouping the more critical the school in guiding the student.

The percentage of 15 year olds in the years 2000

and 2006, who report that their parents discuss how

well they are doing at school, at least once a week.

43

Family Pupil School / Teacher

No. of books in home

++++ Academic expectations

+++ DEIS points – – –

SES +++ Self-concept maths +++ % employed parent +++

Parent confidence

+++ Speak “another” language at home

– – – % Lone parent – –

Traveller Com’ty – – – TV in bedroom – – Attendance rate ++

Employed parent

++ Value/enjoy reading ++ % EAL pupils –

Educational Resources

++ Self-rating on Reading/Maths

++ Teaching experience

+

Lone parent – Moderate internet/games usage

+

Extra qualification +

Family size – Teacher confidence +

Public library + Tablebooks (math) –

Quiet study place

+ Worksheets (read) –

Parent reading habits

+

Majority of Parents of nine-year olds expect them to stay on to third level.

However,

Lack resources

Insider knowledge