Contributions from the school that affect student achievement

1. Contributions from the school that affect student achievement Amanda Haney SPE 503 University of Alabama

2. “Konstantopoulos (2005) found that a substantial proportion of the variation in student achievement lies within schools and not between schools.”

3. “All the evidence that has been generated in the school effectiveness research community shows that classrooms are far more important than schools in determining how children perform at school.” (Muijs & Reynolds, 2001)

4. “Rowe and Rowe (1993) stated that on the basis of our findings to date it could be argued that effective schools arer only effective to the extent that they have effective teachers.”

5. Teachers • Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling. • Many factors contribute to a student's academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighborhood experiences. But research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership. • Nonschool factors do influence student achievement, but they are largely outside a school's control. • Some research suggests that, compared with teachers, individual and family characteristics may have four to eight times the impact on student achievement. But policy discussions focus on teachers because it is arguably easier for public policy to improve teaching than to change students' personal characteristics or family circumstances. Effective teaching has the potential to help level the playing field. • Effective teachers are best identified by their performance, not by their background or experience. • Despite common perceptions, effective teachers cannot reliably be identified based on where they went to school, whether they're licensed, or (after the first few years) how long they've taught. The best way to assess teachers' effectiveness is to look at their on-the-job performance, including what they do in the classroom and how much progress their students make on achievement tests. This has led to more policies that require evaluating teachers' on-the-job performance, based in part on evidence about their students' learning. • Effective teachers tend to stay effective even when they change schools. • Recent evidence suggests that a teacher's impact on student achievement remains reasonably consistent even if the teacher changes schools and regardless of whether the new school is more or less advantaged than the old one (Rand Education, 2013).

6. Finances • The relationship between an educational expenditure and student achievement and showed that there was a minimal relationship between the two, and the most positive relationship related directly to the cost of instruction (Childs & Shakeshaft, 1986). • “It is not the amount of money spent that is important, but how it is spent.” (Hattie, 2009)

7. class size • Effects of reducing class size may be higher on teacher and student work-related conditions, which then may or may not translate into effects on student learning (Hattie, 2009). • “There is a voluminous literature that does not support the claim that learning outcomes are enhanced when class sizes are reduced (Hattie, 2009).

8. Principals and school leaders • School leaders that promote challenging goals, and then establish safe environments for teachers to critique, question, and support other teachers to reach these goals together have the most effect on student outcomes (Hattie, 2009). • “School leaders who focus on students’ achievement and instructional strategies are the most effective.” ( Hattie, 2009)

9. Mainstreaming • Carlberg and Kavale (1980) found small but positive advantages for mainstream over special classes, and more specifically, for achievement, and for social/personalities outcomes. • Wang and Baker (1985) found similar effects across various grades.

10. Retention • There are negative effects for students who are retained, and there are more positive effects in the long term for promoted students than for retained students (Hattie, 2009). • “Retention has been found to have a negative effect on academic achievement in language arts, reading, mathematics, work-study skills, social studies, and grade point average.” (Hattie, 2009) • Promoted students score better than retained students on social and emotional adjustment, and behavior, self concept, and attitude towards school (Hattie, 2009).

11. Acceleration • “Accelerated instruction enables bright students to work with their mental peers on learning tasks that match their abilities” (Kulik & Kulik, 1984). • Borman and D’Agostino (1995) claimed Accelerated Learning had “highly promising evidence of effectiveness”. • These programs involve high expectations, specified deadlines for meeting educational requirements, stimulating instructional programs, planning by all staff, and using all available community resources (Hattie, 2009).

12. Enrichment • Activities meant to broaden the educational lives of some groups of students (George et al., 1979). • “Wallace (1989) reported that enrichment was stronger in mathematics and science than in reading or social studies.” • Teachers with more years of teaching gifted students had greater effects than those with no or limited experience (Hattie, 2009).

13. References Hattie, John. (2009). Visible learning a synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement; Routledge; New York Konstantopoulos, S. (2005). Trends of school effects on student achievement Evidence from NLS;72, HSB;88, and NELS;92 (No. 1749). Bonn, Germany: Institute for the Study of Labor. Muijs, D., & Reynolds, D. (2001). Effective teaching: Evidence and practice. London: Paul Chapman Teachers matter: Understanding teachers' impact on student achievement. (2013, Feb). Retrieved from www.rand.org Childs, T.S., & Shakeshaft, C. (1986). A meta-analysis of research on the relationship between educational expenditures and student achievement . Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, D.C.. Carlberg, C., & Kavale, K. A. (1980). The efficacy of special versus regular class placement for exceptional children: A meta-analysis. Journal of Special Education, 14(3). 295-309. Kulik, J. A., Kulik, C.L., & Cohen, P.A., (1980). Effectiveness of computer-based college training: A meta-analysis of findings. Review of Educational Research, 50(4), 525-544.