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The Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education provides non-partisan education research and information to policy-makers, education partners and the public. Our purpose is to encourage higher performance throughout Canada's public education system.
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Focused Teachers a Huge Benefit for Students
Study reveals that Catholic schools performed better when staff received more help
[ January 12, 2004 The Edmonton Journal, Rick Pedersen ] Edmonton Catholic schools discovered that by helping teachers do their jobs better, its students greatly benefited, says an academic study released on Sunday.
The 152-page study, called District Practices and Student Achievement, analysed four Alberta school districts where students consistently did better on provincial performance exams over a five-year period.
The goal was to learn what those districts were doing right.
"The leadership of the superintendent of schools was a key factor in keeping the district focused on its goals and keeping people accountable for their results," Calgary-based consultant Patrick Maguire concluded, in the study commissioned by the Society for the Advancement of Excellence in Education, a Canadian non-profit educational research organization.
Edmonton Catholic superintendent Dale Ripley took over the district almost five years ago. He said student achievement began improving as the board and administration concentrated more on helping classroom teachers.
"The rubber hits the road in the classrooms with the teachers," he said . "The results we have are a testament to their work."
For example, morale was poor among teachers in schools where many students, often from poor or immigrant families, lack language skills and are behind in school. No matter how hard the teachers worked, their students did not score well on provincial achievement tests. The schools also ranked low when the Fraser Institute put out its annual school ranking, based on provincial achievement tests.
Edmonton Catholic found a better approach based on a new evaluation system that determines where students, including those who are disadvantaged, stand at the beginning of the school year, Ripley said. The district checks to see how students progress. It found that teachers in disadvantaged schools make progress helping students.
That finding improved teacher morale, Ripley said. "Now they've got hard information that shows they are doing a good job."
The new approach also enables principals and district officials to analyse individual teacher performances and recommend areas of weakness that need to be improved.
"Our teachers have really rallied to this," Ripley said.
The Maguire study quotes an unnamed Edmonton Catholic teacher: "We might not be No. 1, but our schools radiate hope and joy and love because that core of who we are is very clear."
The other superior districts were the Horizon School District, Pembina Hills Regional and Chinook's Edge.
rpedersen@thejournal.canwest.com
DISTRICT NUMBERS
THE EDMONTON CATHOLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT :
- educates over 31,000 students in metro Edmonton;
- is the fourth-largest school district in Alberta;
- employs about 3,000 staff;
- runs 83 schools and four district buildings;
- and has an annual budget close to $217 million.
Ran with fact box "District Numbers", which has been appended to this story.
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