Education and social
change
Tünde Kovacs-Cerovic
Serbia, State Secretary for education
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 mutual
learning
3
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 decre
ase more than 2 %
Annual average decre
ase between 1,5 % a
nd 2 %
Annual average decre
ase between 1% and
1,5%
Annual average decre
ase between 0,5% an
d 1%
Annual average incre
ase between 0 and 0,
5%
Projections of decline in secondary
school students until 2023/2024
290000
280000
270000
260000
250000
240000
230000
220000
210000
200000
Teachers’ age –
comparative view
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
Teachers aged >50
40%
Teachers aged 40-49
30%
Teachers aged 30-39
20%
Teachers aged < 30
10%
0%
uneven distribution of publi
c investment
Level of investment –
comparative view
Percentage of early school
leavers – comparative view
2. System
perspective
 Education reforms
2001-2004
2008-2011
 Threefold priorities 2008:
Equity, Quality, Efficiency
Priorities of
education policy
Efficiency
=
Equity
=
Inclusive
education
Fiscal
decentralization
and EIS
Quality
=
quality improvement:
educational and social
AREAS OF CURRENT
DEVELOPMENTS
Outcomes and standards
New curricula
Quality of teachers (36 ECTS)
Clearer roles of sch
ools, parents, studen
Anti-discrimination measures,
ts
Violence prevention
Capitation formula
EIS
Extended preschool
Inclusion of marginalized groups
Individual education plans
Roma pedagogical assistants
Free 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 developmen
t 2012-2020
 Good timing: Independent
assessment very
15 important
Current moment
 Monitoring and fine-tuning 2011
(equity and quality)
 Good timing for reflection: why
not easier?
 Deeper layers of imperfect
context
16
Imperfect context
1. Huge system - covers about 20% of the po
pulation 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 intera
ctions: interests, negotiations,
conflicts, clans – all aspects of
human nature present
Imperfect context
4. Asymmetric relationships in its core: student
-teacher, child-parent, parent-teacher (lack
of voice, protectionism)
Imperfect context
 Parents excluded (Roma parents even
more excluded) – recent OSI study
21
Imperfect context:
motivation?
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
Školska
anksioznost
Vanškolski status Obrazovanje je
Osećanje
je važniji od škole
važno
pripadnosti školi
Bazična
motivacija
Samoefikasnost Obmanjivanje se
dopušta
Anksiozni i nezainteresovani (42%)
Neanksiozni, motivisani i samoefikasni (17%)
Anksiozni i zainteresovani (22%)
Neanksiozni i nezainteresovani (19%)
Rare event
 Schools are expected to be
 Places of intimate experience:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Learning
Deep understanding
Motivation
Creativity
Respect
Values
–
–
–
–
Self-regulation
Self-efficacy
Self-esteem
Self-description/attribution
 Places of development of the Self-concept:
 Can they easily become that?
23
Learning can become a really
rare event
Attended ...
Listened ...
Heard ...
Understood ...
Remembered ...
Will apply ...
Imperfect context: INTES
 Niches of corruption in educati
on can diminish all the reform
effects
– Education is human capital development
– Corruption creates the opposite – waste of
human capital
2025
SCHOOL
regulated
teachers
textbooks
Personal
benefits
Social
benefits
curriculum
equitable
financing
management
assessment
evaluation
Research
participatory
accountable
efficient
Development
Policies
26
financing
Potential niches
Allocation of resources:
Leakage in money flow
Private use of resources
Ghost teachers
Creativity of deception
Procurement:
construction,
refurbishing,
maintenance,
equipment
school materials
utility bills
Allocation of allowances, stipends, places in dormitories
Decentralized distribution of funds, many transfer steps,
many actors (tracking the funds needed)
BOR
 assessment
 evaluation
Potential niches
Assessing students
•Examinations frauds (entry/exit)
•Grading
•Promotion based on bribes
•Selling diplomas
Evaluating institutions
manipulating external evaluations
inspection
Accrediting institutions, programs
Major frauds: cases in Serbia:
Law School University of Kragujevac + Ministry, 2007
January
Enrolment exam for secondary education, 2008 June
Potential niches
Teacher management:
teachers
•
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
 management
 ethos
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 students
Major area of protectionism: student placements
– each September
School principals PE teachers
3. Parent
perspective
Imperfect context
PARENT PARTICIPATION IN SEE
Teachers’ and parents’ perceptions:
Gray area between cooperation and conflict
Teachers
Parents
The origin of unsatisfactory teacher-parent communication is perceived to lie wit
hin the school who should initiate the collaboration being more responsive to pa
rental and children’s needs (Lawson, 2003)
The study
10
countries
Albania
B&H
Bulgaria
Croatia
Two
Principals’ perspective
perspectives
Kosovo
Macedonia
Montnegro
Moldova
Romania
Serbia
Parents’ perspective
Two
methodologi
es
Qualitative – focus groups
Quantitative - survey
Two
levels
Individual level: all data
School level: parent representatives,
means for parents, principals
Four
angles
Mainstream
parents
Parent
representati
ves - MSP
Excluded
groups
parents
Parent
representati
ves - EGP
Sample
Principals
Total
Mainstre Exclud Parent Excl
am
ed
repr
parent
rep
Principals of all schools where from the
sample was drawn
Schools 311
Parents of children 7-15
urban
rural
total
9076
491
1359
124
11127
Parents’ Questionnaire
Based on:
1.Literature review:
1. Epstien’s (1987) six dimensions of parental inv
olvement
2. Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (2
007) model of the parental involvement process
.
2.Results of focus group discussions in the 10 SEE co
untries
3.Results of 2008 cross national study of school princ
ipals
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
Mediating
variables
Child
characteristics
(age, gender,
achievement etc)
school
informat
meetings ion from
school
motivation for
participation in
school life
Outcome
variables
satisfaction with
satisfaction re child satisfaction re
well-being,
communication with influence
progress in school school
Background
variables
Dimensions
of
participation
Family context
(wealth,
employment, etc)
Supportin
g learning
at home
perception
of school
openness
Mother
characteristics
(education,
aspirations)
decis. schoolmaking commun
ity coop
volunte
ering in
school
percepti beliefs about
school-parents
on of
partnership
pr’s
37
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola inicira roditeljski sastanak:
Škola inicira individulani sastanak:
38
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola šalje informaciju o detetovom uspehu:
Škola šalje informaciju o školskom radu:
39
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola šalje školski informator:
Škola inicira volontiranje oko sportskih/kult. aktivnosti:
40
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola inicira volontiranje u razredu/nastavi:
Škola inicira volontiranje u biblioteci, dvorištu…:
41
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko školskih događaja:
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko bezbednosnih odluka:
42
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko ekstrakurikularnih odluka:
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko finansijskih odluka:
43
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko organizacije šk rada:
Škola konsultuje roditelje oko obrazovnih pitanja:
44
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Schools do not invite parents (%)
never
1
2-3
3+
- class
3
9
34
54
- individual
50
14
18
19
- infrastructure
70
17
9
4
- extracurricular
66
16
13
5
- curricular
86
7
5
2
- additional (library, lunch)
85
9
4
To meetings
To volunteer
45
2
How does parent-school
cooperation happen?
Schools do not invite parents/cont (%)
never
1
2-3
3+
- 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
To give opinion on
In Roma sample “never” is around 90%
Parents think their contribution is beneficial
Parents think they are capable of contributing
47
2. How does parent-school cooperation
happen?
Systematic difference between parents’ and
principals’ perception
48
3. How does parent-school cooperation
happen?
Problem attributed more to parents than
schools.
Parents are perceived as motivated and
competent to participate
49
4. Outcomes of parent-school
cooperation ?
Parents are least satisfied with their
possibility of influence
50
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
51
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
52
Recommendations
1. Parent representatives in school:
1. Careful choice
2. Training and support
2. Embrace and cultivate all dimensions
of parent participation
3. Parent participation on ”higher” levels
1. Municipal parent councils
2. National association of municipal parent councils
53
Conclusions
54
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 practice
strengthening the55reform agenda
Added value general:
Evidence for policymaking
high
quality
Based on impressions
Based on evidence
low
quality
56
Added value general:
Organizing the learning niche
LEARNING OF STUDENTS
LEARNING OF TEACHERS
LEARNING OF SCHOOLS
LEARNING OF THE SYSTEM
Added value general: Contributing to
education for social change
Legal instruments
Researc
h and
monitori
ng
Educ
ation
Develop
mental p
riorities
(equity a
nd efficie
ncy)
Stakeholders
participation
58
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)
60