Closing the attainment gap through evidence-informed teaching - Raising standards and attainment through evidence-informed teaching Inside ...
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Closing the attainment gap through evidence-informed teaching Raising standards and attainment through evidence-informed teaching Inside Government 9 May 2019 Julie Nelson, Senior Research Manager Restricted
Persistence of the attainment gap
The challenge of the attainment gap is well known
• It begins in the early years and increases through a
child’s school career
• The gap between disadvantaged children and their non-
disadvantaged peers is 9.5 months by the end of primary
school, and almost two years (19.3 months), by the end
of secondary school
• It is a persistent challenge
While the attainment gap has reduced a little over the
past decade, it remains significant. The current slow
progress in narrowing the gap means it will persist for
decades’ (EEF, 2017, p.2)
Restricted 2What potential does evidence-informed
teaching (EIT) have to close the gap?
• Some limited evidence that EIT helps schools to improve (Mincu,
2014; Cordingley, 2015; Greany, 2015). But a causal link yet to be
established
• This can be a problem in making a case for change with busy
school and system leaders
• However, multiple studies have shown a variety of benefits for
schools that engage with evidence, including:
− encourages teachers to engage with information beyond their day
to day environments; to innovate and to experiment
− supports a culture of professional development and continuous
improvement
− Helps schools identify promising approaches (so aiding school
improvement, esp. for schools in challenging circumstances)
Restricted 3Ways of achieving this – working
with teachers to close the gap
Teacher quality directly
impacts on outcomes for
disadvantaged pupils
(Mincu, 2014). So improving
teacher quality should
contribute to closing the gap
Evidence-informed
Research engagement is a continuing professional
characteristic of high quality development (CPD) can
teaching (Earl and make a positive difference to
Timperley, 2008) teacher quality (Cordingley
et al, 2015)
Restricted 4Research engagement as a characteristic of high quality teaching Research-engaged teachers/schools: • continuously develop their knowledge (pedagogic + subject-specific) by engaging with research and ‘what works’ evidence • adopt a reflective/critical approach to their own development (having an ‘enquiry habit of mind’ that draws on research evidence and blends with professional expertise and enquiry) • take a disciplined approach to innovation (having a process for systematically testing new ideas/approaches within the school/partnership/area) • have systems in place to implement new interventions or approaches (including monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness) Restricted 5
The contribution of CPD to high quality teaching Evidence-informed CPD is: • evidence-informed in content – introducing teachers to approaches which are: − robust and based on high-quality research evidence − most likely to improve pupil outcomes, esp. for disadvantaged pupils • evidence-informed in style – delivered in a way to maximise development impact: − high intensity and sustained − endorsed, modelled and resourced by senior leaders − linked to school priorities and day-to-day practice − including regular follow-up and support activities Restricted 6
How close are we to achieving this? EIT is the ideal end goal of a complex process in which: • there is an accessible bank of relevant, high quality synthesised research, tailored to schools’ needs • teachers know how to access, sift and interpret the research (or are helped to do so by intermediaries) • teachers trust and value the research and have the leverage to encourage engagement within their institutions • School leaders diagnose needs effectively and support the implementation, monitoring and review of evidence- based approaches/interventions A complex chain of supply and demand – easy to see how the process can break down! Restricted 7
Our research on teachers’ research use – what do we know? Restricted 8
There is still some way to go!
NFER teacher research use survey, Nov 2017 (N=1,670).
Respondents could give more than one response, so percentages do not sum to 100.
Restricted 9What can ‘providers’ do to make a difference? All quotes taken from current NFER/EEF school improvement study, 2019 Restricted 10
What factors help and hinder
progress at school level
School leaders in the most challenging schools often struggle with:
• effective diagnosis of need (e.g. they focus on big challenges like
attendance; white working-class boys; pupils’ mental health).These are
essential building blocks if a school is to progress (Macleod et al. 2015), but
are all schools ‘ready’ to engage in evidence-informed approaches?
• a tendency to jump to an available solution before the challenge itself
has been properly defined (e.g. a partner school has said that X is a really
good phonics package, so the school decides to use it)
• a scattergun approach to school improvement (see below):
‘What you often see with school leaders in difficult situations is that they will try
lots of different things in the hope that something works. Whereas we know what
works in school improvement is identifying the right thing for your context and
implementing in a really judicious way, and giving it the time to implement and
have an impact, and not abandoning it right away’ [System leader, 2019].
Restricted 11What can schools do to make a
difference?
Messages for schools/partnerships/MATs
1. Start with precise diagnosis of need (providers can help schools to break
down big challenges into actionable research questions) e.g. ‘from a focus on
white working-class boys to questions like ‘how can I help my students
become more independent learners’? [CPD provider]
2. Identify evidence/approaches that can help to address the need (e.g.
EEF guidance; evidence-based interventions)
3. Consider whether current approaches would benefit from change
4. Have a system for monitoring and reviewing the change:
‘The important bit is the trialling, testing and tweaking’ [CPD provider]
5. Recognise that there are few ‘quick fixes’: ‘An evidence-informed
approach is a long-term approach to sustained school improvement: ‘It’s not
about the ‘shiny new thing’’ [System leader]
Restricted 12Conclusions
The attainment gap is persistent. Many strategies are needed.
• EIT is just one contributor, but can help teachers to:
− continuously develop and apply new knowledge
− adopt an enquiring approach to their professional practice
− adopt systematic approaches to innovation and implementation
• Improved teacher quality has the potential to benefit disadvantaged students
and narrow the gap
• We know a lot about good practice, but it is difficult to achieve. Decentralised
education system contributes!
Put bluntly, mobilising knowledge in 20,000 individual schools is not an easy
task! (Campbell and Levin, 2013)
• So, a system-wide approach is essential, with partners working together
• Key system brokers have an important role to play (e.g. Research Schools;
Chartered College of Teaching; EEF; ResearchED)
Restricted 13References Campbell, C. and Levin, B. (2013). Building the capacity to use research in education requires a sustained strategic and systematic effort’, LSE Impact Blog. Available online: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2013/05/29/building-capacity-to-mobilise-knowledge-and-use- research-to-improve-education/ [accessed 2 May 2019] Cordingley, P., Higgins, S., Greany, T., Buckler, N., Coles-Jordan, D., Crisp, B., Saunders, L., Coe, R. (2015). Developing Great Teaching: Lessons from the international reviews into effective professional development. Teacher Development Trust. Education Endowment Foundation (2017). The Attainment Gap. Available online: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/evidence-summaries/attainment-gap/ [Accessed 2 May 2019] Greany, T. (2015). ‘How can evidence inform teaching and decision making across 21,000 autonomous schools? Learning from the journey in England’, in Brown, C. (Ed), Leading the use of Research & Evidence in schools (pp. 11-29), London: IOE Press. Macleod, S., Sharp, C., Bernardinelli, D., Skipp, A. and Higgins, S. (2015). Supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils: articulating success and good practice. DfE research report: London Mincu, M. (2014). ‘Inquiry paper 6: teacher quality and school improvement – what is the role of research?’ In BERA/RSA (Eds), The Role Of Research In Teacher Education: Reviewing The Evidence. Available online: https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/BERA-RSA-Interim-Report.pdf [accessed 2 May 2019] Restricted 14
Evidence for excellence in education © National Foundation for Educational Research 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without prior written permission of NFER. The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berks SL1 2DQ T: +44 (0)1753 574123 • F: +44 (0)1753 691632 • enquiries@nfer.ac.uk www.nfer.ac.uk @Nelson_Julie_A
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