THE role of family and community involvement in the educational outcome of students is again being highlighted in a study conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Education/Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP) with grant funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
One of the findings of the research is that effective schools are almost four times more likely to have high levels of parental involvement than schools that are ineffective.
The findings of the study conducted last year will help the ministry to more accurately target its support to schools across the island.
The piece of research, which sought to, among other things, determine the characteristics of effective schools, was conducted by Trevor Hamilton & Associates and finalised by researchers Carol Watson Williams and Kristin Fox.
The work was commissioned initially to validate the key performance indicators (KPIs) used by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI). The study proved that these KPIs were in fact key indicators of school effectiveness.
An effective school is defined in the study as one that meets basic standards of education established by a particular society. While these standards are not all academic, the researchers maintain that academic results represent the single most important measure of effectiveness in the traditional school system.
Based on the analysis conducted by Williams and Fox, 50 per cent of the 96 primary and secondary schools in the sample were found to be ineffective.
Highlighting the role of parents and communities, the researchers noted that effective schools are characterised by active parental involvement, in which parents provide support to schools, students and teachers. They added that effective schools involve parents and the community of stakeholders as partners in performance reviews and in the school improvement planning process. This, they say, helps to build public confidence in a school.
The study also concluded that effective schools have clear and focused goals and aspirations and demonstrate high levels of collaboration and communication.
In addition, effective schools engage in focused professional development, conduct frequent monitoring of teaching and learning, and ensure that there is a supportive learning environment; where interactions are respectful, students are encouraged to think and ask questions, and learning sessions are inclusive. The study identified strong leadership as the cornerstone of an effective school.
While highlighting the existence of an adequately funded budget as a characteristic of an effective school, the data did not support the argument that funding within itself produces effective schools.
“It is important to note that there was no significant correlation between budgetary factors and student outcomes, underscoring the fact that variations in schools’ effectiveness is not linked to the level of financial resources available to the schools. Improvements in areas that require minimal financial investments can significantly affect the student outcomes,” said the study, which acknowledged that local schools are generally finding it difficult to provide adequate financial resources to support their operations, regardless of level of effectiveness.
The Ministry of Education, through the Education System Transformation Programme (ESTP) has made the report available to guide all new and emerging entities as they plan for support to schools. The report is particularly instructive in the area of School Improvement Planning and the support that the ministry will be able to provide. It will guide a more targeted approach to support schools in the context of limited resources (human and capital).
The Ministry of Education believes these efforts will go a far way in addressing public misgivings about the quality of education available to students and the high levels of underperformance at both the primary and secondary levels.
It has been acknowledged that this unacceptable level of underperformance exists alongside pockets of excellence, highlighting the extent of inequality among schools.
The ministry, through the ESTP, is committed to the implementation of sustainable corrective measures that will ultimately eliminate this achievement gap.
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