Assignment 2: A Case Study

Incomplete

A Study of Ireland’s Participation in the European Union Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in School Education at Second Level

Introduction

This case study of a European Pilot Project on school self-evaluation will feed into a wider study on the use of the professional portfolio as a self-development tool for teachers.

Case Study Overview

This paper undertakes an examination of the Irish participation in a European Union multi-national study, Evaluating Quality in School Education. The objectives are:

To provide a critical overview of the EU project.

To outline the role and contribution of Irish schools to the project.

To determine first-hand perspectives of some of the individual participants in the project.

To assess the contribution of the study to the promotion of critical-reflective practice in teaching.

Background to the European Union Pilot Project

The final report of the The European Union Pilot Project on Evaluating Quality in School Education at Second Level can be examined at http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/poledu/contex.html [1]

At a meeting of EU Ministers of Education in May 1996, a decision to support the launch a pilot-project to assess the quality of school education was taken. This approach received additional support at the Conference of Prague in June 1998 where the establishment of a number of educational benchmarks or indicators to aid the evaluation of educational systems was proposed. It was intended that the project would:

1. Encourage information exchange, analysis and sharing of good practice across European countries;
2. Enrich and extend current approaches to evaluation;
3. Inform the process of educational decision-making from the classroom to system-wide policy making;
4. Promote a culture of critical reflection and systematic evaluation.[2]
5. A Steering Group prepared a number of documents to assist school and National Committees:
6. Participation Criteria - setting out criteria for the selection of participating schools
7. The School Dossier - containing a framework of the pilot project, providing interested
8. Schools with initial information; detailed description of what schools would need to do in order to participate fully in the Pilot Project, an application profile for interested schools to complete.
9. Guidelines for participating schools - taking schools step by step through the
10. Implementation phase of the pilot project.
11. Questionnaire 1 - designed to provide a baseline picture of the schools at the point of entry to the pilot project. It explores the school’s experience of internal and external evaluation-quality of the organisation as a whole, of departments, of teaching and learning, of individual subjects, or of individual teachers.
12. A practical guide to self-evaluation. The practical guide to self-evaluation provides schools with methods of self-evaluation.
13. An interim report on the pilot project. The interim report reviews the state of the art of the pilot project and comments on findings so far.
14. A second questionnaire, which was distributed to schools at the end of the project to evaluate the impact of the project at the individual school.
15. Three newsletters (EVA 1-3), where schools were encouraged to share their experiences.
16. A final report.

A total of 101 schools from 18 European countries were involved in the project. Schools were selected to participate by a National Steering Committee.

Top

Participation by Irish Post-primary schools

The context for the involvement of Irish schools is set firmly within the framework of the development of School Plans as part of an overall school development. The Report refers to the Education Act 1998, which requires school Boards of Management to make arrangements for the preparation of a School Plan; it is anticipated that self evaluation by schools will constitute an important part of the preparation of a School Plan.[3]

The Irish National Steering Committee was chaired by an assistant chief inspector of the Department of Education & Science and included three inspectors from the DES as well as an educational researcher from the Educational Research Centre at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra.[4] Schools were invited by the Department of Education & Science to submit application for inclusion in the EU Pilot Project. Five schools were selected, each deemed to be representative of a particular sector in the Irish educational system. The schools, therefore, include an all-boys secondary school, an all-girls secondary school, a co-educational secondary school and a co-educational vocational school. The schools were also considered to represent ‘a balance in terms of socio-economic background and geographical distribution.’[5] Schools were also advised, where practicable, to appoint a ‘critical friend’ from outside the school. The ‘critical friend’ would act as an ally to the school while at the same time challenging the school practices in a supportive manner.[6]

Schools had the option of participating in one of two sub-project groups. Sub-project 1 was intended for schools that had little or no previous experience of self-evaluation. Sub-project 2 catered for schools that had some previous experience of self-evaluation. Schools completed a Self Evaluation Profile at an early stage of the project. The profile was intended to identify areas of school activity that may be suitable for further in-depth examination.[7] A Practical Guide to Self-Evaluation[8] accompanied the Self Evaluation Profile.

1. The Practical Guide to Self Evaluation[9], twelve areas of the school for self-evaluation are described:
2. Academic Achievement
   The Guide identifies academic achievement as ‘one of the central purposes of the school’ and that academic effectiveness is widely used as a measure of school effectiveness. Academic achievement is seen as a ‘year on year measure of how well the school is doing its job.’
3. Personal & Social Development
   Personal and social development in schooling is ‘an end purpose of school education as well as the context within academic achievement makes sense to the individual pupil.’ Personal and social education is broader than the provision of an individual course or programme, encompassing values and skills that students acquire and demonstrate both inside and outside of school.
4. Pupil Destinations
   School education may also be evaluated on whether they have contributed to giving students a successful career or vocation.
5. Time as a resource for learning
   How time is used is in school as well as how students use time outside school is an important area for evaluation.
6. Quality of learning and teaching
   International research has identified ‘a focus on learning’ as consistent feature school effectiveness. Other characteristics such as formative feedback, teacher responsiveness, pace and variety of teaching, and the existence of clear criteria.
7. Support for learning difficulties
   The Guide suggests that ‘all pupils at some time experience difficulties with learning’, although in some instances these difficulties my be acute and sustained. The ability of the school to identify and respond to a range of learning difficulties experienced by students is a critical factor.
8. School as a learning place
   Central to the concept of the school as ‘a learning place’ is a belief concerned with success for all.
9. School as a social place
   The school is an important part of the social development of students. In school, students learn about independence and inter-dependence as well as about relationships with their peers.
10. School as a professional place
    It is necessary for the school to have in place procedures to enhance staff professional development as well as systems which assist the school in dealing with changes taking place both within and outside schools.
11. School and home
    Links between the school and the student’s home are important if what takes place in the school is to be enriched in the home. There is a onus on schools to keep parents informed about their child’s progress and to encourage parents to provide a supportive environment for the student.
12. School and community
    The Guide recognises that ‘schools exist within communities and draw their life from those communities.’ Schools must take cognisance of local community factors such as poverty, crime, and unemployment and attempt to respond to the demands.

Top

Teacher Self-evaluation

Teachers is four of the five Irish school involved in the project were reported as having participated in elelemts of school-evaluation. Teachers involved in the project hadparticipated in relatively little structured programmes of school self-evaluation.[10] In ech of the school, it is reported that ‘substantial numbers’ of teachers, ppils and parents competed the Self-evaluation Profile. In one school, members of the Board of Management also completed the profile.[11]

Each school took a decision to focus of a number of different areas of school activity as the focus for the evaluation project. These areas are indicated in Table 1.

The school used questionnaire and survey methods most frequently in evaluating their selected areas.

Some Views by Participants

To be completed

Conclusion

To be completed

References

To be completed