School Effectiveness: the primary school context

1983 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32
Author(s):  
Philip Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
School Context

(In)effective leadership? Exploring the interplay of challenges, goals and measures in the context of school improvement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Böse ◽  
Stefan Brauckmann-Sajkiewicz
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
School Effectiveness ◽  
School Quality ◽  
School Principals ◽  
School Context ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Government

PurposeThis study aims to explore the extent to which schools principals serving disadvantaged communities in Germany are able to set appropriate goals and choose suitable measures for improving their schools according to the specific challenges they face. The authors determine whether principals are able to identify their schools' challenges or whether they merely follow “universal recipes” of the school effectiveness research paradigm regardless of their particular school context. This effectiveness-driven accountability approach requires an in-depth evaluation of the school and its stakeholders and might lead to a new attitude toward failure that sees it as an essential part of developing effective school improvement plans.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted descriptive and correlative analyses as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using longitudinal data of 164 school principals. Through cross-sectional analyses, the authors investigated the connection among challenges, goals and measures and how they correlated with (self-reported) improvements.FindingsFrom a leadership perspective, priorities for school improvement should be aligned with the school-specific challenges they identify and the goals they set to address them.Research limitations/implicationsThe extent to which legislation concerning individual school quality development programs can translate into feasible and effective actions is unclear. Caution should be taken when interpreting the findings of this study, as they reflect school principals' self-selected evaluation measures and therefore might be biased.Practical implicationsIn future research, emphasis should be placed on school management processes, in particular, the development of strategic decision-making, structuring of target perspectives and derivation of steps in school improvement and instructional development. The authors recommend the government offer school principals appropriate and adequate training and support services to prevent them from overburdening their staff.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to a deeper understanding of processes concerning strategic leadership, as opposed to operative management, of schools by revealing context-sensitive considerations.

Food and nutrition education opportunities within Australian primary schools

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1291-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Love ◽  
Alison Booth ◽  
Claire Margerison ◽  
Caryl Nowson ◽  
Carley Grimes
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Local Level ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Setting ◽  
State Level ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Food And Nutrition

Abstract Schools are regarded as a key setting for obesity prevention, providing an opportunity to reach a large number of children, frequently and over a prolonged period, through formal and informal opportunities to learn about health behaviours. However, the low value placed on health versus academic achievement is a barrier to effective implementation of food and nutrition (F&N) education. This study used a qualitative exploratory approach to explore the views of teachers and key health and education sector stakeholders regarding opportunities for F&N education within the Australian primary school setting. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore this topic from the perspectives of state-level coordination and development through to local-level implementation and support within the Australian primary school context. Only 2.6% of the Victorian Curriculum related to F&N education, taught through two (of seven) learning outcomes: Health and Physical Education, and Technologies. While stakeholders considered child health a priority, and schools an ideal setting for F&N education, barriers included a lack of strategic policy alignment, limited leadership and coordination, a ‘crowded curriculum’ and poor availability of shelf-ready resources with explicit curriculum links. A cross-curriculum approach was considered essential for F&N education to become embedded as a core component of the curriculum.

Effect of a six-week dance-based physical education intervention on primary school children’s creativity: A pilot study

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-220
Author(s):  
Ross D Neville ◽  
Kyriaki Makopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
School Context ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Second Grade Students ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Post Assessment

There is international consensus that creativity is a fundamental outcome of schooling. Opportunities exist to enhance the creativity of schoolchildren, particularly in movement-based subjects such as physical education (PE). In this pilot study, we investigated the effect of a six-week dance-based PE intervention on children’s creativity in a primary school context. Forty second grade students participated in a controlled trial. One class ( n = 20) was assigned to the intervention and participated in dance-based PE lessons (10 girls, 10 boys; age 7–8 years). The other class ( n = 20) was assigned to the control condition and continued regular PE with no dance (10 girls, 10 boys; age 7–8 years). Pre–post assessment of creativity was obtained through an adapted version of Guilford’s (1967) Alternative Uses task. Data were analysed using linear mixed models, with adjustment made for children’s perceived dance ability and for baseline differences in creativity between groups. The overall effect of the intervention was small ( d = 0.36, 95%CI = –0.21 to 0.92), but not statistically significant ( p = 0.21). Post-hoc analysis revealed a large difference in the effect of the intervention between children with above and below-average baseline creativity ( d = 1.26, 95%CI = 0.14 to 2.39, p = 0.03). Children with above-average creativity at baseline benefitted more ( d = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.01 to 1.96, p = 0.047). This pilot study provides further support for the place of dance and creativity within the PE curriculum. However, particular attention should be given to students’ starting points.

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