SYSTEM LEVEL REFORM AT POST PRIMARY: FUTURE STEPS

1. 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

2. 1.Investment in Education The Irish Santa in Education Myth

3. 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

4. ‘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

5. BUILDING ON STRENGTHSDO 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: 9Questionnaires returned:Primary Schools: 862; Secondary Schools: 677Total: 1,539 Focus Groups 57

6. - 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

7. 2. Students’ Experience of Post Primary

8. *Developing school climate at post-primary level *No sunlight ! Not money !……….. *NDP ……………………………….. *Transition – not merely a problem of the individual *H.Dip……………………………….

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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”

12. ·        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

13. 3. Students and Transition

14. 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

15. 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 MAYBE N/A 210 18 1 1

16. 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

17. 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. NO. YESBUT. 170 3 36 21   • SECONDARY: 1st Year • YES. DON’T KNOW/NO ANSWER. NO. YES BUT. 90 10 41 21

18. -         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.

19. 4. Emotional Support Needs

20. 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”.

21. 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

22. 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”

23. 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 ”.

24. • 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”.

25. 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

26. 5. N B S S ReformKey Strength: Alternatives to Suspension

27. 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)

28. * 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”

29. * 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

30. 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 inareas 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

31. 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

32. 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)

33. 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

34. 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 ?

35. 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

36. 6. Parents’ Experience of Post Primary

37. FAMILY INVOLVMENT IN EDUCATIONIN 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.

39. Cont.,

41. Figure 3.10: Proportion of Parents ‘Happy and Satisfied’ or ‘Somewhat Happy but Could be Improved’ on Verbal Communication with School/ Preschool/Childminder 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’.

42. 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

43. 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) ??

44. Table 3.5: Level of Happiness of Parents with Parent-Teacher/Parent-Childminder Meetings

45. 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)

46. Table 4.1: Attendance by Parents at School Activities and Events (No. of Parents)

47. 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)

48. 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.”

49. 7. Benefits of After School Projects

50. 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.