Teachers’ unions and school performance: Evidence from California charter schools

We examine the impact of unions on the quality of educational production by studying a wave of unionization among California charter schools and administrative data on student achievement. We first present new data showing that unions are much more prevalent among charter schools than suggested by previous studies. Using a difference-in-differences identification strategy, we find that unionization increases achievement in mathematics and has no statistically significant impact on English test scores.     

Cognitive style and educational performance. The case of public schools in Bogotá, Colombia

This study analyses the relationships among educational performance, field dependence-independence cognitive style and factors traditionally associated with performance and style, to build a comprehensive model of factors associated with the levels of education performance of students in Bogotá. A total of 3003 students, of grades 8 and 10, from 62 public schools of the city of Bogotá, Colombia participated in the study. An analysis of multiple correspondences and a path analysis were carried out. A relationship between cognitive style and educational performance was found: field-independent students are more likely to obtain high-performance levels both in standardised tests and in teachers’ evaluations. The path analysis shows that there are two directions in the association: a direct path leads to a positive association: higher levels of field independence produce better performances; an indirect path leads to a negative association: higher levels of field independence produce indiscipline and, consequently, lower performances.     

Two moments of school architecture in São Paulo: Ramos de Azevedo and his republican pioneering schools/Hélio Duarte and the ‘educational agreement’

There are two peculiar moments in the history of the ‘struggle for national education’, which, specifically in the city of São Paulo, capital of the State of São Paulo, one of the major and richest cities in Brazil, produced very interesting results in school architecture. The first moment happened in the period called the ‘First Republic’ (1889–1930), when the country abandoned the ‘Imperial’ era. The old and poor city had been practically rebuilt by initiative of the republican government, assuming a European appearance. In this context, the public education service became a motive of the paulistanos (the citizens of São Paulo), which is well illustrated by the set of public school buildings erected at that time. There was a great name related to the reshaping of the city and the construction of public schools: Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo (1851–1928), architect and head of Ramos de Azevedo Technical Office, where most of the large‐scale public projects of the city were designed at that time. Among the huge amount of projects he carried on in his prestigious professional career, there were at least seven school buildings that illustrate his capacity to create a symbolic architectonical image for public education, and where, at the same time, he could employ his personal concepts regarding the theme. Three of them were built in the period ranging from 1890 to 1898, amazing the citizens and launching new paradigms for school architecture in São Paulo at that time. The second peculiar moment occurs during a period of strong industrialization in Brazil, which ranges from 1930 to approximately 1964. São Paulo greatly extended its limits, with the creation of numerous new neighborhoods. In terms of school architecture in the city, the interval between 1949 and 1954 has special meaning. It was during these years that the ‘Educational Agreement’ was in force under the leadership of the Architect Hélio Duarte (1906–1989). This ‘Agreement’, celebrated between the state government and the municipality of São Paulo, allowed the construction of dozens of schools in the city, in an attempt to meet the demands of a growing population in a growing city. Behind each school project conceived within the context of this program there was the vision of Duarte, an idealistic professional who had a close connection with important names in Brazilian education of that period, especially Anísio Teixeira. Duarte had a consistent educational background and a commitment to the ideals of Modern Architecture, a conjunction that resulted in schools that made a very strong architectonic mark and had a precisely delineated functional program distributed in their spaces.     

The role played by courts in promoting equal educational opportunity reforms: New York and São Paulo cases

The aim of the current study is to analyze the right to education in Brazil and in the United States, based on the role played by courts in promoting educational reforms to provide equal educational opportunities. The research investigated two selected cases: New York, U.S., and São Paulo, Brazil. With respect to the use of courts as policymaking mechanism, it is essential highlighting that courts are one of the institutions used to demand rights; however, it is not the only or best way because it has high cost and takes long time to produce the desired effects.     

The impact of school culture on schools’ pupil well-being policy-making capacities

Pupil well-being has been an important topic in educational research for some time. Differences between schools in their influence on the well-being of their pupils are attributed to the policy-making capacities of the school. Little is known about schools’ policy-making capacities with regard to pupil well-being, and the impact of school culture on these policy-making capacities. This study addresses these questions using a quantitative research approach. The results show that teachers rate the policy-making capacities of their school, with regard to pupil well-being, in largely positive terms and that these policy-making capacities are mainly affected by flexible perspectives of effectiveness within the culture of schools.     

Do student migrations affect school performance? Evidence from Wisconsin's inter-district public school program

This paper examines the competitive effects of a unique school choice program implemented in the late 1990s, Wisconsin's open enrollment program, which allows families to send their children to schools outside their home district. In contrast to other school choice programs, districts not only face negative consequences from losing students and state funding, but they also stand to gain in the event of student emigration from other districts. The identification approach exploits differences in the number of schools in bordering districts, which affects inter-district ease-of-transfer. Estimates produce three main conclusions. First, districts that experience student out-migration produce higher standardized test scores in the subsequent year. Second, these effects are most evident among districts for which out-migration, expressed as a percentage of enrollment, falls in the upper quartile of all districts under consideration. Third, districts do not appear to respond to in-migration, indicating that districts place more emphasis on (and have more control over) preventing out-migration, as opposed to encouraging in-migration. These findings provide evidence that schools respond to competitive forces by improving quality.     

The teacher–learner relationship in the management of discipline in public high schools

Abstract

This article discusses data from a case study involving Grade 8–12 teachers in 14 classrooms. In all the schools that were identified, one teacher from each of the schools was identified for interviewing. After the interview the teacher was used as an ‘informant’ to identify other teachers who could provide additional information on the issue of classroom discipline in public high schools. Teachers are uncertain about how to relate to the learners and still maintain discipline in the classrooms. Reasons for the persistence of poor teacher–learner relationship include lack of knowledge regarding the effective use of alternatives to corporal punishment and the use of power to establish teacher authority. The results of the study showed that teachers, who are successful in managing misbehaviour in the classrooms, maintain good relations with the learners, encourage self-discipline and dignity, and involve the parents, learner peers as well as other teachers in the learning process. Involving all people who are close to the learner is essential in encouraging the learner to accept the teacher's authority and establish the required interpersonal classroom relationships.     

The impact of student composition on schools’ value-added performance: a comparison of seven empirical studies

In many countries, policy makers struggle with the development of value-added indicators of school performance for educational accountability purposes and in particular with the choice whether school context measured in the form of student composition variables should be included. This study investigates differences between 7 empirical studies that have looked at changes in value-added indicators through the inclusion of school composition variables. Differences were found in the strength of the association between Type A (student-level covariates) and Type B (student- and school-level covariates) school effect models in various regions, varying between 0.74 and 0.99 for secondary education. Important differences were found between the estimate of a school’s effectiveness by using a Type A or a Type B value-added model in secondary education in The Netherlands, Belgium, Chile, and Australia and in US and UK primary education. However, few differences were found in other cases.     

Does private school competition improve public school performance? The case of Nepal

Using data from the survey of the Ministry of Education, Nepal-2005 for school leaving certificate (SLC) exam, this paper attempts to estimate the impact of private school competition on public school performance for the case of Nepal. The study uses the number of private schools in the neighborhood as a measure of competition. The identification problem is that private school enrollment is likely to be correlated with public school performance. To address this, the study uses the existence of a motorable road within an hour's walking distance from the sample school as an instrument for number of private schools in the neighborhood. The OLS results show no significant relationship. In contrast, the IV method indicates a positive and significant impact of private school competition on public school performance, which holds true for the continuous and binary measure of private school competition.     

The impact of intensive ‘value for money’ performance auditing in educational systems

The starting point for this article is the authors' ongoing collaborative enquiry into professional practice, which primarily aims to improve and develop our roles in Staff and Educational Development in Higher Education (HE). Part of this action research cycle includes an empirical study carried out in the authors' institution to find out how academic colleagues view their work practices. They identify the major difficulties faced in supporting the professional development of these staff and argue that to be effective within a culture that encourages individualism, and that is driven by a disciplinary-research agenda, those who have responsibility for academic professional development should promote the idea of teachers as researchers. They argue that a research approach to development, centred on individual practice and learning, should be considered by those who engage in professional learning. Beyond these issues, the study also provides a snapshot of academic values in a research-led Higher Education Institution in Britain in the late 1990s.     

The impact of professional development training on teachers’ performance in Abu Dhabi Cycle Two and Three schools

This research study examined the impact of professional development on teachers’ performance in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cycle Two and Three private schools. The study employed a mixed-method research design developed in two phases which considered professional development (PD) for teachers from the combined perspectives of Adult Learning Theory and Desimone’s PD features. The quantitative findings of the research suggest that teachers improved their lesson planning, teaching methods, teaching tools, classroom management, and cooperation after the PD. However, the qualitative findings suggest that teachers had many concerns regarding the current PD program; thus, two features are added to Desimone’s framework especially if it is to be used in a country like the UAE.     

The effect of schools on school leavers’ university participation

ABSTRACT

This paper considers the role that schools have in determining whether school leavers participate in higher education or not. It examines the association between schools and university participation using a unique dataset of 3 cohorts of all young people leaving maintained schools in Wales. School “effects” are identified, even after controlling for individual-level factors, such as their prior attainment, socioeconomic circumstances, ethnicity, and special educational needs. Schools appear to have a particular “effect” on the likelihood that a young person enters an elite university. However, the findings suggest the concept of a school “effect” on higher education participation is not straightforward – schools appear to have different levels of effectiveness depending on the gender of the young people and the nature of their higher education participation. These findings are considered within the policy contexts of school effectiveness and widening access to higher education.     

The effect of international accreditations on students’ revealed preferences: Evidence from French Business schools

This paper evaluates how three different international accreditations for business schools (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA) affect student preferences, expressed via enrollment decisions. Focusing on the French context, we build a relative preference indicator to compare schools using data collected by the central clearinghouse that allocates students to schools. We observe that all three accreditations positively and significantly influence students, but that the impact of the AACSB accreditation is larger than the other two accreditations. Having an AACSB accreditation is equivalent to moving up four places in rankings by L’étudiant magazine, whereas the impact of having EQUIS or AMBA is similar to moving up two places. We also find a sizeable “triple crown” effect, meaning that the three accreditations tend to complement each other. Our results are robust to different ways of assessing potential self-selection into accreditation.     

The impact of pre-school on adolescents’ outcomes: Evidence from a recent English cohort

This paper investigates the relationship between attendance at pre-school school and children's outcomes into early adulthood. In particular, we are interested in: child cognitive development at ages 11, 14 and 16; intentions towards tertiary education; economic activity in early adulthood; a group of non-cognitive outcomes such as risky health behaviour; and personality traits. Using matching methods to control for a very rich set of child and family characteristics, we find evidence that pre-school childcare moderately improves results in cognitive tests at age 11 and 14, and 16. Positive effects are especially noticeable for girls and children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Results for non-cognitive outcomes are weaker: we do not find any significant evidence of improvement in psychological well-being, petty crime involvement, or on almost all health behaviours. While the cognitive effects may well serve to reduce lifecycle inequalities there is no support here for other important social benefits.     

The impact of educational development workshops on teachers’ practice

Abstract

Workshops are common practice as a staff and educational development tool in higher education around the world, yet while it is common to seek participants’ immediate reactions there been little attempt made to measure their impact. This paper reviews the available literature on the effectiveness of workshops and reports the findings of a study in to the effectiveness of 33 workshops delivered by the Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development over a four month period. The study used questionnaires at the end of the workshops and four months later, and these were followed up by telephone interviews with a sample of participants. The study demonstrates that workshops can lead to changes in practice, and that these changes are themselves deemed to be successful by those involved. In addition, where at the end of a workshop participants report that they are likely to make changes this can be used as a reasonably accurate predictor of subsequent change. The features of workshops identified in end‐of‐workshop questionnaires which are linked with likelihood of subsequent change are also reported.     

The moral in Paulo Freire’s educational work: What moral education can learn from Paulo Freire

The Brazilian pedagogue Paulo Freire had a great influence on theory and practice of education across the world. Freire presented his theory and work as educational and political, not as moral. In this article, the legacy of Paulo Freire will be analysed from a moral education perspective. Nine pedagogical principles will be presented and the changes he contributed in different academic disciplines will be analysed. We conclude that in particular, his focus on social justice, empowerment and transformation can make moral education more linked to society, and more part of a process of humanisation.     

Envisioned and enacted practices: educational policies and the ‘politics of use’ in schools

ABSTRACT

It is widely known that there is a discrepancy between educational policy on the one side, and teaching and learning practices on the other. Most studies have been focusing on the sociocultural and micropolitical frames that shape teachers’ understandings and enactments of teaching, and that cause the vast diversity of classroom practices around the world. This article wants to draw attention to the ‘politics of use’ in teachers’ work: how teachers mobilize larger political narratives when implementing curriculum reform. Arguably, these narratives provide a shortcut between the central government and street-level actors, thus circumventing the logics of these actors’ immediate institutional environments.

In order to showcase the politics of use, the article uses the case of education for creativity as it is designed for and practiced at Chinese schools. The case reveals how education for creativity is compromised by requirements emanating from larger political programs when implemented in Chinese classrooms. The article challenges the view that educational policy necessarily moves through a trickle-down process, from higher to medium to lower-level actors. In cases of strong ideological alignment between street-level actors and central state actors, educational policy may in fact sidestep and hence neutralize important institutional actors.     

The effects of closing urban schools on students’ academic and behavioral outcomes: Evidence from Philadelphia

Urban districts throughout the country are increasingly closing schools in response to declining enrollment and academic underperformance. We estimate the impact of public school closings in Philadelphia on student achievement and behavioral outcomes. While school closures had no effect on the average achievement of displaced students, achievement increased among displaced students attending higher-performing schools following closure. The achievement of students attending receiving-schools, however, was negatively affected by the receipt of displaced students. School absences increased significantly for displaced students following closure. We also find that the achievement of displaced and receiving-school students declined as the fraction of displaced students attending a receiving-school increased, and displaced students missed more days of school and received more suspension days the farther they traveled to their new school following closure. These findings suggest that the academic and behavioral consequences of closing urban schools depend on the school settings displaced and receiving-school students experience in the wake of closures.     

The impact of on-site educational outreach on recreational users’ perceptions of aquatic invasive species and their management

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) present a great challenge to ecosystems around the globe, and controlling AIS becomes increasingly difficult when the potential vectors are related to recreational activities. An approach combining education and outreach efforts to control AIS may be the best course of action. A survey was designed to measure public perceptions, knowledge of, and attitudes towards AIS, as well as public support for various management actions. Surveys were administered during the summer of 2013 at two boat launches where one launch had active outreach the previous summer and one that did not. A total of 400 surveys were completed with a response rate of 89%. There was support for most proposed management options, and respondents understood the urgency of managing AIS. There was a difference between the launches in how people responded, highlighting that educational programming may need to be tailored for specific recreational uses and recreational settings.