An Analysis of the Process of School‐Based Evaluation: A Critique of the IMTEC Programme

Five case-studies of mathematics departments in secondary schools in England are analysed. Three areas are studied closely: the horizontal integration of the mathematics curriculum, curriculum provision for the mathematically least able, and school-based, in-service training.     

Improving Schools Through School‐Based Management: An Examination of the Process of Change∗

Data from twenty‐two case studies of schools in four North American school districts are examined to assess the process and outcomes of reform through school‐based management (SBM). The analysis is guided by a theoretical model that describes the process through which SBM can lead to school improvement. This model suggests that the formal change in governance reflected in a shift to SBM must first generate improvements in the decision making processes utilized at the school. Better decision making will enable schools to implement needed strategic and operational changes, and these together will help build an effective school culture. An improved culture, along with the strategic and operational reforms implemented at the school, will lead to changes in the behavior of staff members, which is necessary for there to be improvement in various outcomes that serve as indicators of school quality. The analysis of the case studies indicates that schools in our sample most frequently exhibited positive changes in two areas, namely, decision making processes and school culture. Strategic and operational changes were less likely to undergo positive change, as were individual behavior and school quality. However, the overall pattern of findings provides reasonable support for the general validity of the model. Furthermore, the data from this sample of schools suggest that SBM has considerable potential to elicit positive changes in schools. To help insure that such potential is realized, the findings indicate that school leaders must insure that all constituents have an opportunity to participate in school level decisions, that a vision regarding desired outcomes should be utilized to guide the implementation of strategic and operational changes, and that the process of change should be monitored in order to better identify problem areas and allow corrective action to be taken.

     

An Evaluation of the New SEFC Textbook

IIntroductionInEnglishteaching,themostimportantthingistohelpthestudentstoobtaincompe-tenceinusingthelanguage.Therefore,muchmoreattentionshouldbepaidtodevelopstudents'fourbasic-skillsinEnglish-listening,speaking,readingandwriting.Theyarethebasicrequirments.However,formanyyears,theresultofELThas,byandlarge,beenunsatisfactory.Themainreasonforthisisthattheoldtextbookswerelargelybasedongrammartranslationandlackappropriatetasksdesignedtotrainstudents'listeningandspeakingskills.Fortunately,anewse…     

Days of the Week

Friend:Hi,John!Where’ve you been?John:I’ve just been to a football game.Friend:Oh,do you atways go on Fridays?John:Yes,Ido.You see,the games start at 6 o’c10ck when I’ve finished work.Friend."Do you still go swimming on Thursdays?John:No,I’ve changed(改变)to the day     

Towards the In‐College Evaluation of TEC Programmes

Abstract

The advent of the single European market has generated new demands for training and consultancy, and many further and higher education institutions have been anxious to exploit the commercial opportunities that have been created. In general, however, institutions have been more successful in providing training for the public sector than they have been for the private sector. A survey of FHE reveals the kinds of single‐market training that are on offer, and suggests that the training that is available needs to be more precisely geared to the requirements of business if colleges and universities are to make further inroads into the private sector. It is argued that much training is currently ‘supply led’ rather than ‘demand led’, and that institutions need to recognise important differences between information needs, skills needs and qualifications needs in the design of their single market provision. There are, however, examples of good practice, and institutions’ perceptions of their own needs in improving their European training are also discussed. The article concludes with some practical steps that institutions might consider in order to improve their single‐market training.

‘The training performance of industry and commerce in this country must be raised to meet the greater commitment and higher standards of other European countries.’

The words belong to the then Minister for Further and Higher Education, Robert Jackson, and were spoken in 1990 at the launch of the Department of Education and Science‐funded PICKUP Europe Unit ‐‐ an initiative designed to help further and higher education (FHE) to meet the training needs of industry and business in anticipation of the changes heralded by the single European market (SEM). Helping industry and business to respond to the challenges of the enlarged European market fitted well into the PICKUP scheme, which was intended to encourage FHE institutions to make their expertise and resources available for the purposes of updating and reskilling the labour force. It reflected the Government's desire to build a stronger link between education and wealth creation, and to foster competence‐based, as well as knowledge‐based, aspects of educational provision. The 282 measures associated with completion of the single market have made it increasingly important that workers at all levels are familiar with the new Europe in which they will produce goods and services, but just how effectively are further and higher education institutions facing up to their own challenge, and providing the ‘training for Europe’ that is considered so important in ensuring that British businesses exploit the opportunities of the single market?     

Prejudice Reduction in Schools: the value of inter‐racial contact

This paper is centrally concerned with criticism of inter‐racial contact as a means of improving race relations. It aims, amongst other things, to highlight the damaging implications of the criticism on practices hitherto thought useful in combating racial prejudice. The main focus of the paper is the charge that a reduction in prejudice towards individual members of a group does not transfer to the group as a whole. It is argued that whilst there is much evidence to support this charge, the acquisition of positive attitudes towards an entire racial or ethnic group is not an aim that educationalists should seek to realise.

In the light of this objection, an alternative view of the purpose of inter‐racial contact is proposed such that the value of contact be judged in terms of whether it helps diminish the tendency to indulge in unsupported generalisations. To promote this goal it is urged that wherever practicable, inter‐racial contact, under specified conditions, should form part of a programme that emphasises the nature, and particularly the dangers, of generalisation. It is acknowledged, however, that there are some children and some forms of prejudice that will remain impervious to the potential benefits of any form of contact.     

Public Accountability and the Academic Effectiveness of Grant‐Aided Catholic Schools

This paper is offered as a contribution to a debate about the public accountability of church‐affiliated schools grant‐aided by the state. The paper provides an account of two parallel secondary school systems in Northern Ireland, popularly described as ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’, in effectiveness terms. The outcome measure is academic performance in public examinations taken by pupils at the end of the period of statutory schooling. The paper extends earlier work of the author by focusing on Catholic schools in the light of access to a second and more up‐to‐date data set and to recent Scottish findings. Having indicated ‘raw’ performance differences between the two sectors, a value‐added approach to performance measurement is presented. Doubt is cast on aspects of the received wisdom concerning the superior academic performance of Protestant‐educated pupils.     

The Success of Schools in Implementing Eight Restructuring Designs: A Synthesis of First‐Year Evaluation Outcomes

In the UK there has been strong governmental pressure on schools to adopt a technicist‐rational approach to management. This paper reports an investigation of the relationship between the efficiency of resource management and school effectiveness using data from 117 secondary school inspection reports undertaken by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). School effectiveness is assessed in terms of qualitative and quantitative measures of the quality of learning and teaching reported by inspectors. Quantitative indicators of the extent to which schools are assessed as ‘efficient’ in managing resources were derived. Statistical analysis suggests a positive association between school effectiveness and rational management practice.     

An examination of the role of values in working‐class students' career decision‐making

The literature suggests that members of the working class value informal (‘hot’) information rather than formal (‘cold’) information. They are also said to lack a future orientation; have a fatalistic (and pessimistic) attitude to life; and have low aspirations. These values should influence the way students from working‐class backgrounds approach career decision‐making. Thirty in‐depth interviews with full‐time undergraduates in their final year of study were carried out to find out if this was the case. The research found that students from working‐class backgrounds did not possess many of the values indicated in the literature. They did, however, show a reluctance to make use of formal sources of information from places like the university careers service. Their failure to utilise such sources appears to be a key factor contributing to significant gaps in the students' knowledge and understanding of the graduate labour market. It also means they are inadequately prepared for making the transition into graduate employment. The article concludes by suggesting that the provision of better careers information is not enough. There is a need to make university careers services more welcoming so that they become a source of ‘hot’ information. The article also suggests that students should be encouraged to reflect critically on how they undertake career decision‐making and planning. By getting students to engage in activities that challenge their taken‐for‐granted assumptions and biases, they are more likely to develop alternative approaches to career decision‐making.