Pupil Attainment Research Articles

What do French school staff know about young carers? A qualitative study about their perceptions

AbstractYoung carers (YCs) are children and adolescents who provide a significant help to family member(s) with a disease or a disability. They often remain hidden, especially in France where awareness levels and policy responses regarding YC are just emerging. Several studies show that YC often have difficulties at school because of their situation. However, school staff seems to have difficulties to identify and support YC. The aim of this study was to explore schools teachers and other professionals' levels of awareness and their perceptions of the potential impacts of caring on pupil attainment, achievement, and wellbeing. Thirty‐three professionals working with pupils from 6 to 18 years old (primary, secondary, and high schools) took part in a semi‐structured interview and in a short phone interview. The results showed that almost all had already met a YC. Despite knowledge and perceptions of potential impacts for their pupils, few undertook actions to support them. Healthcare professionals and school counsellors seemed more aware of these situations than teachers and more prone to offer support. These results underline the need to enhance all school staff's knowledge about YC and help them develop appropriate support.

Early-Years Multi-Grade Classes and Pupil Attainment

Early-Years Multi-Grade Classes and Pupil Attainment

Avances y retrocesos en políticas educativas dirigidas a la población migrante en Chile: El caso del “identificador provisorio escolar”

A la luz de varias políticas educativas que no lograron garantizar la inclusión escolar del estudiantado inmigrante en las escuelas de Chile, en enero del 2017 se implementa el “identificador provisorio escolar”, cuyo fin es asegurar los derechos de los estudiantes migrantes con respecto a su ingreso y permanencia en los establecimientos escolares. Dada la falta de información respecto a la eficacia de esta política educativa, el presente estudio explora cómo esta normativa ha sido implementada en los establecimientos chilenos. Siguiendo un enfoque cualitativo descriptivo, el artículo está basado en ocho entrevistas semi-estructuradas con los directores y los encargados administrativos de cuatro escuelas de Santiago de Chile. Los resultados indican que generalmente la normativa es efectiva, asegurando el ingreso y permanencia de los estudiantes inmigrantes, lo que representa un avance hacia su igualdad de derechos. Sin embargo, destaca la falta de una política educativa que oriente sistemáticamente a los establecimientos en su labor con el estudiantado migrante en cuanto a la adaptación curricular, la nivelación inicial y los planes de acogida.

Teacher Allocation and School Performance in Italy

Italy’s secondary school system has faced funding constraints for many years which limits availability of new permanent job slots for teachers. When permanent posts do arise they are allocated mostly on seniority while merit only plays a small role. Thus, the age distribution of teachers in schools reflects older teachers’ preferences which include the amenity of being close to urban centres. Using schools’ distance from main urban centres and population size in the school’s vicinity to instrument for non-random exposure of schools to older teachers, we show older teachers are detrimental to pupil attainment in secondary schools. The effect is large: a six-year increase in the average age of teachers (roughly similar to the increase that has occurred in the last 20 years) leads to a one standard deviation reduction in the mean graduation mark. The findings suggest there may be value in altering the way teachers are allocated to secondary schools in Italy.

Implications of autonomy and networks for costs and inclusion: Comparing patterns of school spending under different governance systems

Policy reform around the globe has increased the autonomy that schools enjoy in spending on resources. This reform assumes that schools face strong incentives to use their resources to maximise pupil attainment and that they know best how to spend their money to achieve this aim. This study provides evidence of the relationship between governance and how schools choose to spend their money. It uses data for all state-funded secondary schools in England for the academic years 2009/10, 2011/12 and 2015/16. This enables a comparison of schools operating under three forms of governance: local authority maintained schools (LAMs); schools operated as a single ‘academy’ trust outside local authority control (SATs); or those in a network of academy schools governed by a multi-academy trust (MATs). The data provide no support for claims that academy schools will spend less on administration or that networks of schools will enjoy economies of scale. The data do show that academy schools spent proportionately less on teacher salaries and educational support, and more on back office costs, after taking account of pupil characteristics.

The role of local labour market conditions and pupil attainment on post-compulsory schooling decisions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of local labour market conditions and pupil educational attainment as primary determinants of the post-compulsory schooling decision. Design/methodology/approach Through the specification of a nested logit model, the restrictive independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) assumption inherent in the multinomial logit (MNL) model is relaxed across multiple unordered outcomes. Findings The analysis shows that the factors influencing schooling decisions differ for males and females. For females, on average, the key drivers of the schooling decision are expected wage returns based on youth educational attainment, attitudes to school and parental aspirations, rather than local labour market conditions. For males, higher local unemployment rates encourage greater investment in education. Originality/value The contribution of this paper to the existing literature is threefold. First, a nested logit model is proposed as an alternative to a MNL. The former can formally incorporate the structured and sequential decision-making process that youths may engage with in relation to the post-compulsory schooling decision, as well as relaxing the restrictive IIA assumption inherent in the MNL across multiple unordered outcomes, an issue the authors discuss in more detail in the Methodology section below. Second, the analysis is based on extremely rich socio-economic data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, matched to local labour market data and administrative data from the National Pupil Database and Pupil Level Annual School Census, which provide a broad set of unusually high-quality measures of prior attainment. The authors argue that such high-quality data and an appropriate model specification allows identification of the determinants of the post-compulsory decision in a more detailed manner than many previous analyses. Third, the data have the scale necessary to consider whether the determinants of post-compulsory schooling decisions vary by gender, a particularly important issue given the differential education participation rates of males and females (e.g. in this cohort, females are about 10 percentage points more likely to go on to higher education in the UK than males), and the gendered choices of occupation (see, e.g. Bertrand, 2011). The work will, therefore, provide recent empirical evidence from England on gender differences in the determinants of education choices.

Professional learning communities of teachers: Israeli principals’ perceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on professional learning communities (PLCs) run for and by teachers to achieve their ongoing professional development and greater pupil attainment. The paper examined principals’ perceptions of how such PLCs influence teachers, teacher learning and school processes, and their own involvement in PLCs operating in their schools.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 of 97 principals from three of the four educational districts participating in a pilot programme to achieve in-service teacher professional development through supported PLCs.FindingsMost of the participating principals considered PLCs to influence not only the teacher-leader, but also PLC members and other teaching staff and processes. Principals perceived PLCs as influencing pedagogical processes for both teachers and students, as well as staff leadership processes. Principals reported facilitating the operation of PLCs in their schools by providing the necessary conditions or participating in PLC meetings.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough nearly 20 per cent of principals involved in the pilot agreed to participate, it was not possible to ensure a representative sample. Self-selection bias cannot be ruled out. Most participants were interviewed individually, with a minority later interviewed as a group to obtain a deeper understanding. Thus, the research should be regarded as exploratory.Originality/valueThe study provides a detailed description of how principals perceive and engage with PLCs. Its findings are relevant to international efforts to understand and leverage teacher PLCs for the purposes of teachers’ professional development and pupil attainment.

Constrained optimisation? Teacher salaries, school resources and student achievement

Should schools increase teachers’ salaries to improve pupil attainment? We study the potential implications of an individual school offering higher teacher salaries from within a fixed budget by exploiting a natural experiment that forces some schools within a local area to pay teachers according to higher salary scales, but does not offer any extra funding. We show schools follow this regulation and pay their teachers more. The characteristics of teachers are largely unaffected, but teachers at high pay schools are less likely to be absent. Teacher and assistant numbers are largely unchanged. Instead, schools balance their budgets by making sizeable reductions in other expenditures, particularly spending on equipment and services, amounting to around 4% of non-instructional spending. There is no evidence of any overall effect on pupil attainment, however. It is likely that positive effect of the natural experiment through teachers is almost exactly countered by the negative effects of reductions in other expenditure.

Collaborative teaching: exploring the impact of co-teaching practices on the numeracy attainment of pupils with and without special educational needs

ABSTRACT Education specialists are strongly advocating the use of collaborative teaching (co-teaching) approaches to facilitate the inclusion of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in mainstream settings. The current study analysed the impact of co-teaching on the numeracy attainment of students in two, mixed-gender Irish primary classes (N = 45; 4th Class: 9–10 years old) where there was a high incidence of SEN (e.g. autism, specific learning difficulties etc.,). After participating in co-taught numeracy classes for seven months, a standardised Mathematics test was administered. These scores were compared to the pupils’ scores from the previous year when co-teaching was not the primary mode of instruction. A significant increase in pupils’ overall standardised test scores was noted (p = .002). Scores for pupils with SEN in relation to numeracy (n = 12) also experienced a significant increase (p = .032) as did the scores for pupils without SEN (n = 30; p = 0.23). Based on these preliminary results, co-teaching appears to be an effective mode of instruction for meeting the needs of pupils with, and without, SEN in mainstream settings

Religion, religiosity and educational attainment: evidence from the compulsory education system in England

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the effect of religion on the educational attainment of pupils in their final year of compulsory education in England. The results show that pupils that identify with any religion have better academic performance than other pupils, after controlling for various family, parental and neighbourhood characteristics. The outperformance is reinforced by previous attendance at religious classes but there is no similar effect from considering religion to be very important to their life. Allowing for religion-specific effects shows that Muslim pupils outperform Christian pupils although the performance of the latter group is boosted by attendance at religious classes.

Do trainee teachers harm pupil attainment? Isolating the effect of pre‐service teachers on contemporaneous pupil performance in ‘high‐stakes’ tests

The prevalence of ‘pre‐service’ or ‘trainee’ teachers in schools is rising in England, driven by the expansion of school‐led routes to qualified teacher status and increasing demand for newly qualified teachers. This may have important implications for schools, which have historically been concerned with the impact of trainee teachers on their pupils’ attainment. There are, however, confounding factors which affect both the decision to host a trainee teacher and pupil attainment. We empirically model the impact of trainee teachers on contemporaneous pupil attainment in ‘high‐stakes’ exams, exploiting unique data combining national administrative data on pupil test scores with a survey of schools’ involvement with initial teacher training over multiple academic years. We use school fixed effects to account for time‐invariant school factors which may determine both schools’ teacher training decisions and pupil attainment. Counter to schools’ concerns, we find that pupil attainment in high‐stakes assessments, on average, is not significantly affected by the number of trainee teachers. This is an important empirical finding, as it suggests that the rapid expansion of school‐led teacher training is not likely to have a detrimental effect on pupil attainment in England, conditional on the set of schools that choose to engage with initial teacher training remaining similar: trainee teachers may still affect pupil attainment in schools that do not currently participate in initial teacher training, as these schools are typically more constrained.

小学生の学力は「下がった」か?( 「物理教育は今」)

小学生の学力は「下がった」か?( 「物理教育は今」)

Supporting pupil attainment

Narrowing the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and better-off peers is a key challenge for leaders across all types of schools and one which Ofsted is keeping a close eye on, reports Jo Stephenson

Understanding teacher effectiveness to raise pupil attainment

Teacher effectiveness is the most important component of the education process within schools for pupil attainment. One estimate suggests that, in the US, replacing the least effective 8% of teachers with average teachers has a present value of $100 trillion. Researchers have a reasonable understanding of how to measure teacher effectiveness; but the next step, understanding the best ways to raise it, is where the research frontier now lies. Two areas in particular appear to hold the greatest promise: reforming hiring practices and contracts, and reforming teacher training and development.

What Does Leadership Look Like in Schools and Does it Matter for School Performance?

We consider the role played by school leaders in improving pupil attainment, going beyond previous studies by exploring the leadership roles of deputy and assistant heads and classroom-based teachers with additional leadership responsibilities. Using panel data for state-funded secondary schools in England for the period 2010/11-2015/16 we find academy schools typically employ more staff in leadership roles than community schools. Increases in the number of staff in leadership roles below headship level are associated, at least to some extent, with improved school performance in Single Academy Trusts, but this is not the case for schools that are part of Multi Academy Trusts. Our findings suggest that the potential benefits of distributing leadership within schools may only be realised when leaders have sufficient autonomy.

The Mathematics Teacher Exchange and ‘Mastery’ in England: The Evidence for the Efficacy of Component Practices

‘Mastery’ is central to current policy in mathematics education in England, influenced by East Asian success in transnational assessments. We scrutinise the prospects for mastery pedagogies to improve pupil attainment in English primary schools. The Mathematics Teacher Exchange (MTE)—an element of the mastery innovation—involves teachers visiting Shanghai and then hosting Shanghai teachers in their schools. Informed by programme evaluation, core component practices are analysed, which were implemented by schools belonging to the first cohort of MTE schools. These consist of: varied and interactive teaching; meaningful and coherent mathematical activity; and full curriculum access for all. These elements are supported, optimally, by collaborative, embedded, and mathematically focused professional development. Details of the implemented pedagogy and forms of professional development are reported. Differences from prevailing practice in primary mathematics in England are highlighted. Evidence is reviewed from quasi-experimental trials, reviews and meta-analyses, and rigorous observational studies of the efficacy of practices similar to the MTE mastery pedagogy components in order to assess the prospects for increases in pupil attainment. The analysis suggests that many of the specific practices, if considered individually, have the potential to improve attainment, though overall policy ambitions may not be realised. Based on the review, component practices are identified for which existing evidence justifies immediate implementation by schools and teachers. In addition, practices that would benefit from further testing and evaluation are highlighted.

Psychological distress among primary school teachers: a comparison with clinical and population samples.

This analysis explored the level of psychological distress among primary school teachers in the South West of England as compared with clinical and general population samples. Secondary analysis of data from the Supporting Teachers and Children in Schools (STARS) trial completed by up to 90 teachers at baseline, 9, 18 and 30 months of follow-up. We used the Everyday Feelings Questionnaire (EFQ) as a measure of psychological distress. Baseline data on teachers were compared with a population sample of professionals and a clinical sample of patients attending a depression clinic. Our teacher cohort experienced higher levels of psychological distress than comparable professionals from the general population, which were sustained over 30 months of follow-up. Levels of psychological distress were lower than those found in the clinical sample. Using a cut-point indicative of moderate depression, our data suggest that between 19% and 29% of teachers experienced clinically significant distress at each time-point. We detected high and sustained levels of psychological distress among primary school teachers, which suggests an urgent need for intervention. Effective support for teachers' mental health is particularly important given the potential impact of poor teacher mental health on pupil well-being, pupil attainment and teacher-pupil relationships.

Pupil Attainment in Secondary School Physics: The Case of Nigeria, Including Implications for Teachers and Teacher Educators

Despite the relevance of physics to many science and technological based careers, students’ attainment in the subject has been of concern in many countries including Nigeria. The study examined physics attainment among secondary school pupils and found that physics attainment is low in Nigeria and that teacher quality and resource availability and utilization are some factors that affect student attainment. To enhance students’ physics attainment, the study recommended that the content and curriculum of ITE programs be enhanced for the training and development of agency amongst teachers and the need for teachers to update their subject knowledge through regular participation in continuing professional development activities.

Pay for locally monitored performance? A welfare analysis for teacher attendance in Ugandan primary schools

To achieve the twin objectives of incentivizing agent performance and providing information for planning purposes, public sector organizations often rely on reports by local monitors that are costly to verify. Received wisdom has it that attaching financial incentives to these reports will result in collusion, and undermine both objectives. Simple bargaining logic, however, suggests the reverse: pay for locally monitored performance could incentivize desired behavior and improve information. To investigate this issue, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in Ugandan primary schools that explored how incentives for teachers could be designed when based on local monitoring by head teachers. Our experiment randomly varied whether head teachers' reports of teacher attendance were tied to teacher bonus payments or not. We find that local monitoring on its own is ineffective at improving teacher attendance. However, combining local monitoring with financial incentives leads to both an increase in teacher attendance (by 8 percentage points) and an improvement in the quality of information. We also observe substantial gains in pupil attainment, driven primarily by a reduction in dropouts. By placing a financial value on these enrollment gains, we demonstrate that pay for locally monitored performance passes both welfare and fiscal sustainability tests.

Is educational attainment associated with acute exposure to air pollution and pollen, and is it worse for pupils with asthma and seasonal allergic rhinitis?

IntroductionThere is a lack of evidence of the adverse effects of air pollution and pollen on cognition for people with air quality related health conditions. This study explored the effects of air quality and respiratory health conditions on educational attainment for 18,241 pupils across the city of Cardiff, United Kingdom.
 Objectives and ApproachAnonymised, routinely collected health and education data were linked at the household and school level with modelled high spatial resolution pollution data, and daily pollen measurements using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) databank. This created 7 repeated cross-sectional cohorts (2009-2015). Multilevel linear regression analysis examined whether exam performance was associated with health status and/or air quality levels averaged at school and home locations during revision and examination periods. We also investigated the combined effects of air quality and associations with educational attainment for pupils who were treated for asthma and/or Severe Allergic Rhinitis (SAR), and those who were not.
 ResultsThe cohort contained 9337 males and 8904 female pupils. There were 871 treated for asthma, 2091 for SAR, and 634 treated for both. Asthma was not associated with exam performance (p=0.700). However, SAR was positively associated with exam performance (p 2) was negatively associated with educational attainment (p = 0.002). Other indicators of air quality (pollutants: Ozone, Particulate Matter - PM2.5, and pollen) were not associated with educational attainment (p> 0.05). Exposure to NO2 was negatively associated with educational attainment irrespective of treatment for asthma or SAR. There was no combined effect of air quality on the variation in educational attainment between those who are treated for asthma and/or SAR and those who were not.
 Conclusion/ImplicationsIrrespective of health status, exposure to NO2 was negatively associated with educational attainment. Treatment seeking behaviour may be a possible explanation for the positive association between SAR and educational attainment. For a more accurate reflection of health status, health outcomes not subject to treatment seeking behaviour should be investigated.