TTünde Kovacsünde Kovacs--CerovicCerovic

Serbia, State Secretary for educationSerbia, State Secretary for education

Education and social change

Content A couple of truisms Education in an imperfect

context– Educational perspective– System perspective– Parents’ perspective

Added value for education policy making Use some data on Serbia, some

on the SEE region – no PISA

Education policy and society

Education is not an isolated system, it both reflects the societal dynamics and contributes to them

Education has a transformative role – it shapes the future, but in order to shape it in the right way, it needs to be responsive to problems and needs

Equity, quality and efficiency – core elements of education policy and vital for its contribution to social change

Policy makers in SEE face similar challenges – a valuable opportunity for cooperation and mutuallearning

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1. Educational perspective

Create the best context for human learning and development

Educationalists try to maximize the frequency of learning and minimize contextual “intrusion”

But School learning and motivation is

situated in an imperfect context

Educational attainment of population older than 15

Decline of number of students in secondary education

Annual average decrease more than 2 %

Annual average decrease between 1,5 % and 2 %

Annual average decrease between 1% and 1,5%

Annual average decrease between 0,5% and 1%

Annual average increase between 0 and 0,5%

Projections of decline in secondary school students until 2023/2024

Teachers’ age – comparative view

uneven distribution of public investment

Level of investment – comparative view

Percentage of early school leavers – comparative view

2. System perspective

Education reforms

2001-20042008-2011

Threefold priorities 2008:Equity, Quality, Efficiency

EquityEquity==

InclusiveInclusiveeducationeducation

EquityEquity==

InclusiveInclusiveeducationeducation

Quality=

quality improvement:educational and social

Quality=

quality improvement:educational and social

Efficiency=

Fiscaldecentralization

and EIS

Efficiency=

Fiscaldecentralization

and EIS

Priorities of

education policy

AREAS OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS

QA, self-evaluation,

external evaluation

maturaAnti-discrimination measures, Violence prevention

Outcomes and standards New curricula

Quality of teachers (36 ECTS)

Capitation formula

EIS

Clearer roles of schools, parents,

students

Extended preschool Inclusion of marginalized groups Individual education plansRoma pedagogical assistantsFree secondary edu.Recognition of prior learning

Current moment

Formulating priorities 2008 Legislative acts 2009 2010 Implementation from 2010 Monitoring and fine-tuning 2011 Long-term strategy development 2012-

2020

Good timing: Independent assessment very important

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Current moment

Monitoring and fine-tuning 2011 (equity and quality)

Good timing for reflection: why not easier?

Deeper layers of imperfect context

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Imperfect context

1. Huge system - covers about 20% of the population in the country, but is fragmented into small and dispersed units

example of country of 6mil

No of schools

No of facilities

No of classes

No of teachers

No of students G1-G12

1.800 4.500 40.000 70.000 1.100.000

Imperfect context

2. Perceived as major mechanism for social/economic promotion –high motivation, high incentives

Imperfect context

3. Huge system of human interactions: interests, negotiations, conflicts, clans – all aspects of human nature present

4. Asymmetric relationships in its core: student-teacher, child-parent, parent-teacher (lack of voice, protectionism)

Imperfect context

Imperfect context

Parents excluded (Roma parents even more excluded) – recent OSI study

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Imperfect context: motivation?

Rare event

Schools are expected to be Places of intimate experience:

– Learning – Deep understanding– Motivation – Creativity – Respect – Values

Places of development of the Self-concept:– Self-regulation– Self-efficacy– Self-esteem – Self-description/attribution

Can they easily become that?23

Attended ...

Listened ...

Heard ...

Understood ...

Remembered ...

Will apply ...

Learning can become a reallyrare event

Imperfect context: INTES

Niches of corruption in education can diminish all the reform effects – Education is human capital development– Corruption creates the opposite – waste of human capital

Social benefits

Personal benefits

teachers

efficient

equitable

accountable

regulated

participatory

textbooks curriculum

financing managementassessment evaluation

SCHOOL

Research

Development Policies

2025

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Potential niches fi

nan

cin

g

Allocation of resources:Leakage in money flow

Private use of resourcesGhost teachers

Creativity of deception

Procurement:construction,refurbishing, maintenance,

equipmentschool materials

utility bills

Allocation of allowances, stipends, places in dormitories

Decentralized distribution of funds, many transfer steps, many actors (tracking the funds needed)

BOR

Potential niches

assessm

en

t

evalu

ati

on

Assessing students•Examinations frauds (entry/exit)

•Grading•Promotion based on bribes

•Selling diplomas

Evaluating institutionsmanipulating external evaluations

inspection

Accrediting institutions, programs

Major frauds: cases in Serbia:Law School University of Kragujevac + Ministry, 2007

JanuaryEnrolment exam for secondary education, 2008 June

Potential niches te

ach

ers

Teacher management: • Hiring/firing

•Deployment•Licensing

•Promotion•Training

Teachers’ responsibilities distorted:•undue reporting•private tutoring

•absenteeism, use of sick leaves•accepting extra fees, gifts

•biased grading

New regulations, but still low salaries, strong teacher unions (case of June 2011

legislation)

Potential niches

man

ag

em

en

t

eth

os

Who is managing and overseeing the schools?•Appointment of principals/deans/rectors

•Appointment of school boards• selecting the Inspection

Use of information systems:•Withholding information,

•changing, manipulating data, •not producing data..

Accountability to students, parents•Student placements

•Manipulating school boards•Manipulating parent councils

•Not including studentsMajor area of protectionism: student

placements – each SeptemberSchool principals PE teachers

3. Parentperspective

Imperfect contextPARENT PARTICIPATION IN SEE

Teachers’ and parents’ perceptions: Gray area between cooperation and conflict

The origin of unsatisfactory teacher-parent communication is perceived to lie within the school who should initiate the collaboration being more responsive to parental and children’s needs (Lawson, 2003)

The study

10 countries

AlbaniaB&H

BulgariaCroatia

KosovoMacedonia

MontnegroMoldova

RomaniaSerbia

Two perspectives

Principals’ perspective Parents’ perspective

Two methodologies

Qualitative – focus groups Quantitative - survey

Two levels

Individual level: all data School level: parent representatives, means for parents, principals

Four angles

Mainstream parents

Excluded groups parents

Parent representatives - MSP

Parent representatives - EGP

Sample

 

  Mainstream

Excluded

Parent repr

Exclparent

rep

Total

Principals Principals of all schools where from the sample was drawn

Schools 311          

Parents of children 7-15 9076

491 1359 124 11127

 urban

rural

 total

Parents’ Questionnaire

Based on:1.Literature review:

1. Epstien’s (1987) six dimensions of parental involvement

2. Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (2007) model of the parental involvement process.

2.Results of focus group discussions in the 10 SEE countries3.Results of 2008 cross national study of school principals

Consisting of 3 parts:1.Q for mainstream parents (used for all samples)2.Q for excluded parents (additional part)3.Q for parent representatives (additional part) 35

Questionnaire

Background variables

Child characteristics(age, gender, achievement etc)

Family context(wealth, employment, etc)

Mother characteristics

(education, aspirations)

Dimensions of participation

school meetings

information from school

Supporting learning at home

volunteering in school

decis. making

school-community coop

Mediating variables

motivation for participation in school life 

perception of school openness  

perception of pr’s

beliefs about school-parents partnership

 Outcome variables

satisfaction re child well-being, progress in school

satisfaction re communication with school

satisfaction with influence  

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How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola inicira roditeljski sastanak:

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Škola inicira individulani sastanak:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola šalje informaciju o detetovom uspehu:

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Škola šalje informaciju o školskom radu:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola šalje školski informator:

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Škola inicira volontiranje oko sportskih/kult. aktivnosti:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola inicira volontiranje u razredu/nastavi:

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Škola inicira volontiranje u biblioteci, dvorištu…:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola konsultuje roditelje oko školskih događaja:

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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko bezbednosnih odluka:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola konsultuje roditelje oko ekstrakurikularnih odluka:

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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko finansijskih odluka:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Škola konsultuje roditelje oko organizacije šk rada:

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Škola konsultuje roditelje oko obrazovnih pitanja:

How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Schools do not invite parents (%)

never 1 2-3 3+

To meetings

- class 3 9 34 54

- individual 50 14 18 19

To volunteer

- infrastructure 70 17 9 4

- extracurricular 66 16 13 5

- curricular 86 7 5 2

- additional (library, lunch) 85 9 4 245

How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Schools do not invite parents/cont (%)

never 1 2-3 3+

To give opinion on

- financial management 79 8 8 5

- extreacurricular activities 66 16 13 6

- organization of school event 45 25 21 8

- health safety issues 58 20 15 8

- school management shifts, merger

82 9 6 3

- education issues 75 10 10 5

- violence 65 15 13 7

In Roma sample “never” is around 90%In Roma sample “never” is around 90%

Parents think their contribution is beneficial

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Parents think they are capable of contributing

2. How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Systematic difference between parents’ and principals’ perception

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3. How does parent-school cooperation happen?

Problem attributed more to parents than schools. Parents are perceived as motivated and competent to participate

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4. Outcomes of parent-school cooperation ?

Parents are least satisfied with their possibility of influence

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Conclusions

Trends are expected, but their pervasiveness is striking – Discrepancy between the mainstream and the

excluded sample– Discrepancy between parents’ and principals’

perception– Lack of opportunities for cooperation and partnership– Opportunities even less present for those who need it

most

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Conclusions/cont.

• Individual parent level mediating variables do not predict outcomes strong enough - it seems that individual parental motivation, attitude, belief does not matter much

• Main factor - parent representative: if interested, capable, effective, parents are participating more

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Recommendations

1. Parent representatives in school:1. Careful choice2. Training and support

2. Embrace and cultivate all dimensions of parent participation

3. Parent participation on ”higher” levels 1. Municipal parent councils2. National association of municipal parent councils

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Conclusions

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Added value of 1, 2, 3.

Confirmation of vulnerable areas from independent angle (important for fine-tuning)

Assistance in understanding bottlenecks in the system (important for strategy)

Assistance in “labeling” risky practicestrengthening the reform agenda

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Based on impressions Based on evidence

lowquality

high quality

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Added value general:Evidence for policymaking

LEARNING OF STUDENTS

LEARNING OF TEACHERS

LEARNING OF SCHOOLS

LEARNING OF THE SYSTEM

Added value general: Contributing to education for social change

Research and

monitoringEducation

Developmental priorities

(equity and efficiency)

Legal instruments

Stakeholders

participation

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Joke or warning?

Thank you for your attention

(PS the slides used proved useful for communicating education

reform priorities and processes to the wider public in Serbia)

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