A focus on quality of teaching in schools increases students’ progress of attainment. Evidence from English secondary schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the relationship between school-level factors associated with school quality and progress in student attainment in English secondary schools. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between frequency of classroom observation of teaching (by school leaders or by fellow teachers) in English secondary schools and progress in student attainment. It details findings of a quantitative phase of analysis within a broader mixed-methods study with the purpose of informing best practice in school development in Austria. Results suggest that students attending schools in which leaders and teachers perceive a greater emphasis on policy concerning quality of teaching tend to achieve greater progression in attainment relative to peers. Whilst frequency of classroom observation by leadership staff does not appear to be associated with progress in student attainment, students attending schools in which classroom observation is undertaken by fellow teachers with greater frequency tend to achieve greater progress in attainment relative to peers.