Transcript SYSTEM LEVEL REFORM AT POST PRIMARY: FUTURE STEPS

SYSTEM LEVEL REFORM AT POST
PRIMARY: FUTURE STEPS
Dr. Paul Downes
Director, Educational Disadvantage Centre
Senior Lecturer in Education (Psychology)
St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.
NPAVSCC 25th Annual Congress
Sheraton Hotel
Saturday 13th March 2010
1.Investment in Education
The Irish Santa in Education
Myth
OECD 2008: EDUCATION AT A
GLANCE
EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS AS A % OF GDP:
IRELAND 2005: 4.6%
OECD AVERAGE 2005: 5.8%
IRELAND 2000: 4.5%
IRELAND 1995: 5.2%
JOINT 20TH OF 29 COUNTRIES FOR
PRIMARY/SECONDARY/POSTSECONDARY
/NONTERTIARY
‘Equality in Education ?’
Sean Flynn - The Irish Times – November 6, 2009
100 million euro for private schools from taxpayer
St. Andrew’s Booterstown, Dublin – over 5 million
euro
Blackrock – 4.2 million plus 114,000 for building
Wesley College – 3.7 million plus 359,000 for capital
works
17 fee paying schools – additional 2.1 million for
capital or building works
BUILDING ON STRENGTHS
DO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO STAY ON AT SCHOOL
UNTIL THE LEAVING CERTIFICATE?
Primary Pupils: 5th/6th Class
Number of
Primary Schools engaged in studies: 18
Total: 750 yes
80 no 2 probably
15
don’t know. 15 no answer
Number of Post Primary Schools engaged in
studies: 9
Questionnaires returned:
Primary Schools: 862;
Total: 1,539
Secondary Schools: 677
Focus Groups 57
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.-
Investment in Education
Students’ Experience of Post
Primary
Students and Transition
Emotional Support Needs
NBSS Reform
Parents’ Experience of Post
Primary
Benefits of After School Projects
2. Students’ Experience of Post
Primary
*Developing school climate at post-primary
level
*No sunlight ! Not money !………..
*NDP ………………………………..
*Transition – not merely a problem
of the individual
*H.Dip……………………………….
CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS FOR TEACHERS Downes &
Maunsell (2007)
* Perceptions of being treated unfairly by teachers were
exceptionally high at 50% of student responses in the fifth year
group of one school, with 29% who stated that they were
treated fairly by teachers being an exceptionally low figure.
* The finding, in the US, of MacIver et al (1991) is relevant in
this context, namely, that external pressure did bring increased
motivation among middle school students but not among high
school students.
* Perceptions of being treated unfairly by teachers were
particularly high in the school which was observed to have a
particularly high proportion of 5th year students who stated
that they did not want to stay on at school until the Leaving
Certificate.
– Quinlan (1998a) observed that one of the
interviewed teachers in Blanchardstown referred
to alienation of young people from an
authoritarian educational system.
– Teacher-student relations was also a pervasive
theme in Fingleton’s (2003) interviews with eleven
early school leavers in the Canal Communities
Area of Dublin. These interviews highlight their
alienation from the school system as well as the
desire of many for further paths to education
though not through traditional routes.
Downes and Maunsell (2007)
Responses from students who perceived that they were not treated fairly by
teachers include the following:
“No some think they own the school”
“The students aren’t treated fairly, I don’t know why, they just don’t and it’s
very clear”
“No they pick on certain students”
“Fairly by some but teachers that hated another family member they think
you’re like them when you’re not”
“Most of them are very, very nice but there is just 1 or 2 that I don’t like one bit’
“Mainly yes but 1 or 2 can be discouraging towards me. I am a good student
and do my work mostly so they shouldn’t have a reason to be unfair”
“No some teachers would talk to you rashly & then act so sweet in front of your
parents”
“No they pick on certain students”
“No cause some teachers are bullies towards the students”
“I’m leaving after the Junior because I hate it”
Would change “the way the teachers treat the students”
“I can’t wait to leave, I would leave tomorrow if I had the choice because I get
picked on by a teacher”
·
US adolescents cite a sense of isolation and lack of
personally meaningful relationships at school as equal
contributors to academic failure and to their decisions to
drop out of school (Institute for Education and
Transformation 1992; Wehlage & Rutter 1986).
·
Meier (1992) cites personalized, caring relationships
with teachers as a prerequisite for high school-level
reform
3. Students and Transition
Downes, P., Maunsell, C., Ivers, J. (2006). A
holistic approach to early school leaving and
school completion in Blanchardstown. BAP
The responses to the question: ‘If you had a
problem with your schoolwork would you tell
your teachers(s) about it ? Why/Why not ?’
SECONDARY
YES
NO
MAYBE
N/A
122
27
8
6
While a large majority of students (approximately 75%) do feel
comfortable in raising a problem with their schoolwork with their
teachers, it must be acknowledged that a sizeable minority do not or
are not sure if they do (more than 20%)
PRIMARY
YES
NO
210
18
MAYBE
1
N/A
1
Sharp Increase in Students who perceive that they are
not treated fairly in Secondary School compared to
Primary School
It is of concern that:
- there is a sharp increase in 1st year compared to 6th class
responses in those students who are not willing or are not sure if
they would tell a teacher about an academic problem – from 8%
(Primary) to more than 20% (Secondary)
- there is a sharp decrease in 1st year compared to 6th class
responses in those students who are willing to tell a teacher
about an academic problem – from approximately 91% (Primary)
to 75% (Secondary)
- these differences between primary and secondary level are
statistically significant ones
The responses to the question: ‘Are you treated
fairly by teachers in school ? Why/Why not ?’
were as follows:
PRIMARY: 6th Class
YES. DON’T KNOW/NO ANSWER.
170
3
36
NO.
YESBUT.
21
SECONDARY: 1st Year
YES.
90
DON’T KNOW/NO ANSWER. NO.
10
YES BUT.
41
21
Approximately 74% of pupils at primary level (6th class)
state that they are treated fairly by teachers in school
- Approximately 55% of students at secondary level (first year)
state that they are treated fairly by teachers in school
- Approximately 15% of pupils at primary level (6th class) state
that they are not treated fairly by teachers in school
- Approximately 25% of students at secondary level (first year)
state that they are not treated fairly by teachers in school
*These differences between 6th class primary and 1st year
secondary are statistically significant i.e., there is a statistically
significant increase in perception of being treated unfairly by
teachers in secondary school compared to primary school.
4. Emotional Support Needs
Stokes (2009) survey of reported difficulties of Youthreach
participants:
37% Dysfunctional family background
22% Need for sustained psychological support
20% Substance misuse problems
23% Literacy and numeracy problems
13% Specific learning needs
School Matters (2006) P 35 “Many of the behaviours ‘acted out’ in the
classroom are linked to events happening outside of the school itself,
including family relationships, alcohol and drug use or mental health
issues”.
THE NEED FOR COMMUNITY BASED
EMOTIONAL SUPPORTS
Would you talk to an adult working in the school
about your problems?
Yes Primary
240
No Primary
300
Maybe/depends Primary
25
Don’t know Primary 6 No Answer Primary 46
Yes Secondary 131
No Secondary
312
Maybe/depends Secondary
23
Downes and Maunsell (2007) Suicide risk
• There is an urgent need for increased provision of emotional support services
locally which target young people.
A large majority of the two focus groups who raised the issue of suicide prevention
had personal acquaintance with people aged 16-18 who had committed suicide. Only
2 out of 14 people between ages 16-18 knew no one who had committed suicide:
- “Why do you think some people are dying ? Because there is no one to talk to”
- “fellas wouldn’t tell about their problems, wouldn’t use counsellors”
- “we should do more personal development”
- “girls slit their wrists”
- “girls take tablets and slice their wrists”
- “girls sleeping around to hurt themselves, other ways instead of slitting wrists”
Cont.,
“6 committed suicide one summer coming up to the Leaving Cert results, 1
owed money for drugs, 1 wanted by 1 other fella, 2 of the 6 were girls”
- “about 7 my age or younger [killed themselves]”
- “about 2 committed suicide, a dozen who’ve threatened to”
- “know a couple on the verge of doing it”
- “In Clondalkin 40 people hung themselves, mostly fellas”
- “because of depressions and being on your own, feel like no one pays
attention and if no feeling inside you and you can feel pain you’re going to
do it”
- “know 6, all girls, tablets and slitting wrists, 1 fella who hung himself ”
- “3 close friends and a guy who hung himself ”.
-
• An explicit link between suicide of young people and owing money
for drugs was raised by a number of respondents and is a matter of
extreme concern:
- “a couple of my friends killed themselves because they were in debt
to drugs”
- “drug related 2 or 3, mainly owing money”
- “they kill themselves because they owe money for drugs”.
• The need for clearer information locally about emotional support
services for young people is evident:
- “suicide support not made public enough, only know the Samaritans”
- “no information about counselling services”
- “would go if they were encouraged to use them”.
Kaplan et al’s (1994) North American study of 4,141 young
people tested in 7th grade and once again as young adults
which found a significant damaging effect of dropping out of
high school on mental health functioning as measured by a
10-item self-derogation scale, a 9-item anxiety scale, a 6-item
depression scale and a 6-item scale designed to measure
coping.
This effect was also evident when controls were applied for
psychological mental health as measured at 7th grade. The
significant damaging effect of dropping out of school was also
evident even when controls were applied for gender, father’s
occupational status, and ethnicity
5. N B S S Reform
Key Strength: Alternatives to
Suspension
ALTERNATIVES TO SUSPENSION
* Suggestions for alternatives to suspension in secondary
schools made by a range of local services strongly resonate
with recommendations made at a national in-service of
School Completion Programme to ‘improve the climate for
teaching and learning in classrooms’ included at the ‘school
systems’ level’:
‘Requirement for alternative needs based individual
curriculum with elements of youth work approach’
* Behaviour support classrooms – School Matters (2006)
* INTO (1993) Discipline in the Primary
School:
“To focus on the pupil alone is to ignore the
interactive nature of human relationships and
the very special context that exists in schools
and classrooms. The quality of relationships
and the nature of the social context created
are vital elements in the whole process of
control and discipline”
* The issue of perceptions of being treated fairly
or otherwise in school needs to move beyond
‘blame’ and an individualised focus on the
individual teacher or student to a systems’ level
analysis.
* Barnardos ‘Make the Grade’ (2006): H.Dip and
In-service focus on Teachers’ Conflict Resolution
Skills
School Matters (2006)
P 59 There are individual teachers whose classroom management
skills need to be improved or modified in ways that support the
smooth functioning of lesson presentation...It can also be that there
are some teachers whom students perceive to be partisan and not
even-handed in their interactions with all students.
P 98 There were repeated calls for professional development in
areas that could help to diffuse some of the anger and frustrations
that some young people in our schools exhibit. Suggested areas
include Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Restorative Practices,
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy etc. The Task Force considers these calls
are well grounded and advocates that these themes form the focus of
future CPD initiatives
Though there are extremely important issues highlighted, there
are significant limitations to School Matters (2006) pointing to
the need for a wider mental health strategy than the NBSS
•No direct empirical data (see s.2.10)
•No unmediated voices of students and parents
•Sleep, Hunger needs more focus re: misbehaviour
•A wider focus needed on students’ experience and not simply their
behaviour
•Substance abuse and reasons for engaging in this beyond ‘hedonism’
and ‘a lack of personal responsibility’ – intervention through a
preventive approach examining students’ life experiences and searches
for meaning
•Trauma/Stress related experiences (bereavement, suicide, rape,
sexual abuse, bullying, divorce etc) conflated with Emotional and
Behavioural Disorders
Cont.,
The ‘Care Team’ (Level 4) is not a care team with emotional
counselling training !!
Principal/Deputy P/Year Heads/Guidance
Counsellor/HSL/Chaplain
What are its procedures for confidentiality and how are they
communicated to students ??
Little focus on conflict resolution through promotion of
positive experiences in school (e.g., through arts and
emotional experience) and beyond, but more on avoiding
negative behaviours
Danger that the withdrawal strategy of Behaviour Support
Classrooms falls between two stools of a) not engaging
students where therapeutic help needed, b) not challenging
interpersonal dynamics but focusing simply on the individual
(see also INTO 1994 p.39 on exclusionary effects)
ASTI survey on Discipline in Schools 2004
– 67% and 28% of teachers strongly
agreed/agreed respectively that a Stress
Prevention Programme was necessary
for teachers
Lack
of strategic connection between the teacher
counsellor/support service and the NBSS
Reactive to misbehaviour rather than preventive of misbehaviour
Focusing on externalising behaviour and not on internalising
behaviour
Institution centered more than student centered
A potentially vital service to engage potential early school leavers
is narrowed to a focus on their behaviour
Limited role for evaluation of the interventions by students and
parents ?
10 Secondary schools
School Matters (2006) P 69 “The Task
Force sees the school as the centre,
nested in its unique ethos and culture… A
school is imbued with its own unique
ethos and culture”.
Statutory Committee on Educational
Disadvantage (2005): Make the school a
focal point of community education
QDOSS (Downes 2006): Arts, Sports and
Parental Involvement in Out of School
Services
Teacher conflict resolution skills,
understanding of local culture
6. Parents’ Experience of Post
Primary
FAMILY INVOLVMENT IN EDUCATION
IN BALLYMUN
(Ballymun Whitehall Area Partnership 2009)
Based on a survey of 40 mothers, 6 fathers and one female guardian
Questionnaires were completed for 16 children in preschool, 16 in primary school and 15 in
secondary school
The children of the parents interviewed attended 8 different preschools, 10 different primary
schools and 10 different secondary schools.
Table 2.7: Levels of Emotional Support Received by Survey Respondents from Different
People in relation to Raising of Child
Total
Applicable
Responses
Of Which …
A Large
Amount
Quite a
Bit
A
Certain
Amount
Not
much
Never
Your Mother
35
22
6
5
1
1
Your Father
31
12
4
6
3
6
Other Grandmother
(not your mother)
39
3
3
3
5
25
Grandfather (not
your father)
25
1
0
2
1
21
Partner
38
33
3
1
0
1
Child's Parent/Other
Parent
31
16
0
2
2
11
Your Sister(s)
40
14
10
6
4
6
Your Brother(s)
42
4
3
6
11
18
Cont.,
Child's Brother(s) or
Sister(s)
32
Work Colleagues
2
5
1
6
18
20
1
2
3
3
11
Neighbours
46
0
2
10
3
31
Friends
47
4
10
15
7
11
Social Worker
16
1
0
1
0
14
HSCL Coordinator
23
0
1
2
0
20
GP
45
2
2
3
4
34
Child’s Teacher
31
1
1
1
5
23
School Principal
31
0
0
3
4
24
Preschool Staff
15
0
0
1
4
10
Preschool Leader
15
0
0
1
4
10
Paid Childminder
2
0
2
0
0
0
Other
17
3
2
2
0
10
Table 3.1: How Parents Feel when Visiting Child’s
School/Preschool/Childminder
No. of
Responses
Extre
mely
Welco
me
Some
what
Welco
me
Somew Unwelc
hat
ome
Unwelc
ome
Presc
hool
16
14
(88%)
1
(6%)
0
(0%)
1
(6%)
Prima
ry
16
12
(75%)
4
(25%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
Secon
dary
15
7
(47%)
2
(13%)
6
(40%)
0
(0%)
Total
for all
Respo
ndent
s
47
33
(70%)
7
(15%)
6
(13%)
1
(2%)
%
Figure 3.10: Proportion of Parents ‘Happy and Satisfied’ or ‘Somewhat
Happy but Could be Improved’ on Verbal Communication with School/
Preschool/Childminder
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Preschool
Happy and Satisfied
Primary
Secondary
Somewhat happy but could be improved
Figure 3.10 shows that 88% of preschool parents were ‘happy and satisfied’
with their level of verbal interaction, with another 7% ‘somewhat happy’,
suggesting high levels of satisfaction in this regard. For primary level parents,
the equivalent figures are 69% and 31%, again suggesting a good level of
satisfaction. However, at second level, reflecting answers to previous questions,
the equivalent figures are 27% and 33%, with the data showing 27% ‘somewhat
unhappy’ and 13% ‘unhappy/dissatisfied’.
Table 2.8: Extent to Which ‘A Large Amount’ of
Emotional Support in relation to raising their child is
received by Parents from Different People
People from whom at least
75% of parents receive ‘a
large amount’ of emotional
support
People from 50-75% of
parents receive a large
amount of emotional
support
Partner (70%)
People from whom 25-50%
of parents receive a large
amount of emotional
support
Respondent’s mother (47%), Child’s other parent
(34%), Respondent’s sister(s) (30%), Respondent’s
father (26%)
People with whom under
25% of parents receive a
large amount of emotional
support
Brother(s) (9%), Friends (9%), Other grandmother
(6%), Child’s brothers or sisters (4%), Work
colleagues (2%), Social worker (2%), Child’s teacher
(2%), Other grandfather (2%), GP (0%), HSCL
Coordinator (0%), Preschool staff (0%), Preschool
leader (0%), Paid childminder (0%), Neighbours
(0%), Child’s school principal (0%)
•Illustrates the outreach gap in family therapeutic services
Need for multidisciplinary community based psychology teams for
outreach and emotional support for families and children – prevention
and early intervention multidisciplinary teams (see Familiscope,
Ballyfermot www.familiscope.ie)
•This sample can be presumed to be easier to reach than others who
did not participate
•Where is the professional support for those experiencing trauma
(bereavement, suicide, bullying, substance misuse etc) depression and
life stressors (divorce etc) ??
Table 3.5: Level of Happiness of Parents with ParentTeacher/Parent-Childminder Meetings
No. of
Respons
es
Happy and
Satisfied
Somewhat
Happy
but Could be
Improved
Somewhat
Unhappy
Unhappy/
Dissatisfied
Preschool
9
9
(100%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
0
(0%)
Primary
16
14
(88%)
1
(6%)
1
(6%)
0
(0%)
Secondary
15
5
(33%)
7
(47%)
2
(13%)
1
(7%)
Total for all
Respondents
40
28
(70%)
8
(20%)
3
(8%)
1
(3%)
Note: Seven parents of preschool children did not answer this question as they indicated that the question was
not applicable to them, presumably because there were no parent-teacher meetings organised in their
child’s preschool
However, there were also some less positive experiences and comments, which
included the following:
“The meetings need to be better organised” (Primary school parent)
“They are not very private. Conversations can be overheard” (Secondary school
parent)
“Parent-teacher meetings are too negative; they do not support or encourage my son.
I felt intimidated as though I were the child” (Secondary school parent)
“In the hall, parents have to queue. I could be hours waiting to see one of my
children’s teachers” (Secondary school parent)
“Meetings are not frequent enough and could be more constructive” (Secondary
school parent)
“I didn’t have a wholly positive experience at meetings. Some teachers weren’t
accessible. The school took my name and number but the teachers never called me. I
queued a few times and then the line was closed and left without seeing the teacher”.
(Secondary school parent)
“No privacy as everyone is in a small hall. This is a problem if your child has
difficulties as everyone else can hear. Some teachers didn’t really know my daughter
– it was a ‘tick box’ exercise. As a middle of the road student she goes unnoticed
unlike an A student or a troublesome student’ (Secondary school parent)
“I was unhappy with what I felt was a teacher’s rude comment about my daughter”
(Secondary school parent)
Table 4.1: Attendance by Parents at School
Activities and Events (No. of Parents)
No. where
Activit
y
Happe
ns
Parent
Alway
s
Atten
ds
Parent
Sometimes
Attend
Parent
Does
n’t
Atten
d
Parent
Not
Invite
d
School plays/
musicals/concerts
34
24
1
2
6
Sports days or events
44
14
2
1
27
Open days
32
22
7
1
2
Fundraising activities
36
8
7
4
16
School trips
42
6
2
5
29
Family Involvement in Education in Ballymun (2009):
“There are particular issues in relation to parental
involvement in the education of second-level students
with parents finding this more challenging”.
Non threatening to overcome fear – fear of failure, also
fear of success (Ivers 2008)
This report (2009) concludes:
* “The relatively low number of parents receiving supports from
local community organisations may suggest scope for increased
awareness of available supports”.
* “Particular supports may be needed to support parents who
themselves have low levels of education or who are not in paid
employment”.
* “There is no system for early (i.e. the first five years)
identification of families at risk of educational or social isolation;
however, there are structures through which preventative and
support programmes could be mediated (assuming additional
resources were made available), the community-based public
health service being a case in point.”
7. Benefits of After School Projects
Morgan (1998) cites a study by Beacham (1980), which found that over
60% of high school drop-outs were not involved in any extracurricular
activities during their high school years – a level which is significantly
higher than any estimates of the overall number not participating in
such activities. This study arguably has much relevance also to the
primary school context.
McNeal's (1995) study in a US context examined whether certain
types of extracurricular activities were more influential than others in
preventing early school leaving.
From a database of over 20,000 high-school students, it was found
that participation in activities such as sports and fine arts significantly
reduced the risk of early school leaving, whereas participation in
academic or vocational clubs were seen to have less effect. The
beneficial effects of sport and fine arts remained even when
important factors like race, socio-economic status, gender and ability
were controlled. QDOSS recognises the centrality of the Arts in Outof-School Services in that the Arts helps both with employing
culturally relevant materials to improve literacy and with personal
expression to overcome fear of failure often associated with literacy
issues.
Participation in even one extracurricular school activity is
associated with a reduction in rates of early school dropout,
particularly for high-risk youth (Mahoney & Cairns 1997).
Mahoney (2000) defines participation as one or more years of
involvement in the extracurricular activity and states:
The participant is attracted to the activity and is likely competent
in that area or may even excel. Unlike preventive interventions
that attempt to correct academic or social deficits by remedial
work, extracurricular activities may foster a positive connection
between the individual and school based on the student’s
interests and motivations. The specific activity pursued may be
less important than the act of participation itself (p.503)
Priority Steps for Reform at Post Primary
1a)
1b)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Teachers’ Conflict Resolution Skills on H.Dip pre-service
courses
Teachers’ Conflict Resolution Skills - compulsory in-service
courses
Investment in emotional support services
Redevelop the strategy underlying the NBSS to focus on
emotional support services, teacher conflict resolution skills
and poverty related problems such as hunger affecting
behaviour in school
Redirect funding from private schools
Curricular reform including teacher professional development
on constructivist teaching methods, i.e., active learning
approaches related to students experiences
Investment in Afterschool clubs, drop-in centres, safe spaces
for young people to socialise
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– research study
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Stokes, D. (2009). One system, two modes: The role of the Youthreach programme in Irish education.
Presentation given in Dublin City University, January 2009
The Report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools (2006) School Matters
Wehlage, G.G & Rutter, R.A. (1986). Dropping out: How much do schools contribute to the problem?
Teachers College Record, 87, 374-392