The poverty-related attainment gap is an issue for every school and every local authority in Scotland. There are many different ways to tackle it, from greater parental involvement, to improving teacher retention and quality, to pedagogical and curriculum change, to school and authority-wide management measures. Successful change will be informed by research evidence of 'what works'. This IPPI Policy Brief distills research evidence into an "at a glance" guide to reducing poverty-related attainment gaps. Its aim is to inform teaching professionals, school and education leaders, policy makers, politicians, parents and citizens about the issue

Ellis, Susan

Sosu, Edward

University of Strathclyde Institutional Repository

Strathprints Institutional RepositoryEllis, Susan and Sosu, Edward (2015) Closing Poverty-Related Attainment Gaps in Scotland's Schools : What Works? [Report] , This version is available at http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/54123/Strathprints is  designed  to  allow  users  to  access  the  research  output  of  the  University  of Strathclyde. Unless otherwise explicitly stated on the manuscript, Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Please check the manuscript for details of any other licences that may have been applied. You may  not  engage  in  further  distribution  of  the  material  for  any  profitmaking  activities  or  any commercial gain. You may freely distribute both the url (http://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/) and the content of this paper for research or private study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. Any  correspondence  concerning  this  service  should  be  sent  to  Strathprints  administrator: strathprints@strath.ac.uk    &ORVLQJSRYHUW\UHODWHGDWWDLQPHQWJDSV LQ6FRWODQG¶VVFKRROVZKDWZRUNV"      3URIHVVRU6XH(OOLVDQG'U(GZDUG6RVX 6FKRRORI(GXFDWLRQ 8QLYHUVLW\RI6WUDWKFO\GH    0DNLQJDGLIIHUHQFHWRSROLF\RXWFRPHVORFDOO\QDWLRQDOO\DQGJOREDOO\      32/,&<%5,()               7KHYLHZVH[SUHVVHGKHUHLQDUHWKRVHRIWKHDXWKRUV DQGQRWQHFHVVDULO\WKRVHRIWKH ,QWHUQDWLRQDO3XEOLF3ROLF\,QVWLWXWH,33, 8QLYHUVLW\RI6WUDWKFO\GH                       8QLYHUVLW\RI6WUDWKFO\GH       University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            1 &ORVLQJSRYHUW\UHODWHGDWWDLQPHQWJDSV LQ6FRWODQG¶VVFKRROVZKDWZRUNV"  Professor Sue Ellis and Dr Edward Sosu, University of Strathclyde    Poverty-related attainment gaps are an issue for every school and every local authority in Scotland.  There are many different ways to tackle this issue, from greater parental involvement to linking schools and authority-wide measures.  However, to be successful, WKH\DOOQHHGWREHXQGHUSLQQHGE\WKHHYLGHQFHRIµZKDWZRUNV¶  This IPPI Policy Brief distilOVWKHHYLGHQFHWRSURYLGHDQ³DWDJODQFH´JXLGHWRZKDWZRUNVWRUHGXFHSRYHUW\-related attainment gaps.  Its aim is to inform teaching professionals, school and education leaders, policy makers, politicans, parents and citizens more widely.   Schools, teachers and education and local authority policy makers can help address the poverty-related attainment gap but they need to better understand the geography and profile of poverty in Scotland.  The reality is that:  x Most Scottish pupils in poverty do not OLYH LQ µSRRU¶DUHDV.  Directing all resources at schools ZLWKµSRRU¶FDWFKPHQW areas will only impact on 41% of children in Scotland (unlike in the US and (QJODQGZKHUHVFKRROLQJLVPRUHµ]RQHG¶E\LQFRPH In Scotland, poverty is an issue that EVERY school and EVERY local authority needs to address.  x Addressing attainment in the early years is necessary but not sufficient.  A good early years¶education does not innoculate children against low attainment in their post-nursery stages.  We need interventions to poverty-proof schooling against low attainment at every age and stage ± nursery, primary, secondary and college/university.  x In Scotland today most children in poverty have a parent in work.  However, the work is low paid and often part-time and / or intermittent.  x Poor families do NOT lack high aspirations for their children.  What they lack is the practical know-how and networks to help them navigate and overcome barriers as and when they arise.  x Families in poverty give their children just as much homework help as middle-class families, but their help is less well-informed because the parents may not have sufficient knowledge themselves, and may not have social networks with such knowledge.  x Political and professional leadership is vital.  Professionals need reliable data on pupil attainment and they need it in a form that allows them to track the progress of low-income pupils to ensure the system is serving these pupils well.  Professional conversations prompted by the data need to be informed by advice about the interventions that are most likely to work at pre-school, early years, primary, secondary and college / university levels.  The intervention µmix¶ needs to fit the context, be applied persistently and consistently, and its impact tracked and adapted as necessary.  Professionals should adopt proven and / or promising interventions before they adopt new or unproven interventions.   University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            2 An µat a gODQFH¶VXPPDU\RIthe key features of proven and promising interventions  1.  Funding (QRWHVSHFLDOO\OLQNHGWRDWWDLQPHQWEXW« The best outcomes occur when there is / are:   x A clear focus on outcomes, not activities x A clear focus on improving attainment x Data is used to monitor impact of interventions x Collaboration between schools (if it is well selected, data-informed & planned) x Parental involvement x Intervention(s) guided by robust research The worst outcomes occur when there is / are:  x Reduced budgets / support in other areas  x Separate provision that stigmatises groups  x Broad goals set with no specific guidance on what to do x Short-WHUPH[WHUQDOVXSSRUWIRUWXLWLRQRUµKLWDQGUXQ¶LQWHUYHQWLRQVRUGHYHORSPHQWV x Interventions that rely on anecdotal evidence x No consistent monitoring of engagement or impact on attainment  2.  Parental Involvement The best outcomes occur from interventions around:  x Giving parents the skills they need to KHOSWKHLUFKLOGUHQOHDUQHJµ3DXVH3URPSW3UDLVH¶LQUHDGLQJ x Making space for homework at home x Enjoyable books and conversations x Sustained, group-based, persistent home-school relationships  x Incorporating other risk areas such as behaviour, positive parenting support (with professionals)  The worst outcomes occur when they only focus on:   x Expectation and parenting styles x Homework tasks  x Sending letters x Parental volunteering in class x School meetings 3.  School System Initiatives After-schools / outside-school activities for children in poverty must develop their confidence, widen knowledge and experiences and increase their motivation and engagement in schooling, but to deliver equity in attainment, they must also: x Focus directly on how the provision will specifically raise attainment in the target group, not on a general provision of activities or programmes x Incorporate academically-focused knowledge and skills into activities, for example, literacy, numeracy and study skills  x Have a clear focus on engaging children in poverty x Be sustained  Mentoring works when: x Mentors are well trained and the mentoring project tightly targeted x Mentors and pupils are carefully matched x Mentors and pupils  build quality relationships x Mentors and pupils set themselves targets and times to meet x There is a clear strategy that covers the lifespan of the mentoring arrangement     University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            3 4.  Early Years Works when: x Extended Early Years provision is of a high quality  x It is available to children from low income households at an earlier age  x It provides positive learning experiences; has clear learning objectives; an explicit focus on language, early-reading & number concepts, and focus on non-verbal reasoning x Staff are well-qualified x Pre-schools have children from a mix of socio-economic backgrounds  5.  Literacy Instruction Works when it promotes:  x Decoding using a range of cues x Comprehension ± of key text messages and their implications; links with personal experiences and knowledge of wider world x Engagement that promotes networks of readers, access to resources and time to read to develop: (i) identity as a reader (ii) value of reading x Diagnostic, timely intervention for those who struggle x High teacher aspirations and calm, analytic use of attainment data x Intellectually interesting and socially meaningful tasks x :HOOSODQQHGEXWUHVSRQVLYHWHDFKLQJZKHUHSXSLOVZRUNDWDOHYHORIµHDV\GLIILFXOW\¶DQGWHDFKHUVDUHDEOHWRµVHL]HWKHWHDFKDEOHPRPHQW¶ x For older pupils, literacy instruction is linked to the requirements of subject disciplines  6.  Curriculum Pedagogy Initiatives Peer and one-to-one tutoring outside lesson times works when there is:  x Training for tutors / volunteers x Active teacher involvement in organising groups and tutoring activities x Regular monitoring  x Support for tutors x Effective structuring of activities x It complements, but does not replace, teacher support  Metacognitive and self-regulation strategies work when: x Children are taught to understand and improve their own learning through an explicit focus on how to plan, monitor and evaluate their learning x Teaching strategy is well structured and focuses on raising attainment x Teachers receive intensive professional development and support on strategies that work, how to teach them and how to support their use x Teaching provides explicit opportunities for learners to try strategies out  Assessment and Feedback works when it: x Offers specific, accurate and clear guidance to learners on how to improve their work and directs attention to those issues that will give them the biggest payoff x Signals to the learner the difference between successful and unsuccessful work x Requires the learner and teacher to co-produce clear and challenging targets based on previous work/ attainment x Provides guidance at different points (before, during, after) and an overall mix that promotes independence x Emphasises effort and persistence    University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            4   6.  Curriculum Pedagogy Initiatives (continued) Structured group work / co-operative learning works when it: x Is taught and facilitated by teachers x Provides children with specific support to help them understand how to work successfully in groups x Encourages lower achieving students to articulate their thinking x Adopts mixed-ability rather than ability grouping x Involves on-going professional development for teachers  7.  Whole School Reform Approaches Work when they:  x Incorporate elements of effective pedagogy guided by strong evidence x Focus on closing the attainment gap x Use data to monitor impact on attainment of learners  x Provide quality professional development  - tailored to specific curricular areas, class contexts, pupils and groups  8.  School to School Networking Works when there is:  x Clear focus on attainment (with data to monitor improvement) x Clear identification of where success and expertise lies x A range of activities ± visits, data analysis, tutorials, demonstrations, discussion x Information flows in both directions 1%7KHµ/RQGRQ&KDOOHQJH¶PDGHDQLPSDFWRQDWWDLQPHQWDQGQDUURZHGWKHJDS,WZDVDdata-driven, nuanced, networking approach that benefited from external advisory groups and earlier literacy initiatives in the primary sector.  9.  Community Links Work best when schools focus on: x Identifying community capacities - local residents (their skills, talents, interests, stories), local organisations, universities and college expertise, public / private employers and not-for-profit organisations and charities x Forging relationships that drive connections and mobilsation for projects and pupil groups  x Impact by developing engagement, confidence and specific skills required for school and for employment, training or further / higher education x Creating practical applications of knowledge and skills, promoting engagement, networks and independence x Identifying specific outcomes for target groups and focus on attaining these     University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            5    10.  Wider Management Issues Work best where Councils have: x Clear priorities and actions relating to the poverty attainment gap, with short, medium and long-term goals for all staff and sectors  x Strategic planning systems in place that focus everyone on attainment and on the poverty gap x Sleek, easy-to-use systems that promote devolved data for tracking, analysis and intervention x Systems for ensuring teacher quality: o Recruitment systems that focus on core knowledge and proven competency o Support-and-challenge systems (for individual teachers and for schools) that are impact-focused and address poverty-linked attainment gaps o Staff development, monitoring and performance management that is pro-active, high-quality, outcome-focused, strategic, contextualised and tailored (where necessary) to individual teachers, managers or schools o Retention of good staff  through ethos, commitment and support for career development o Leadership development in place at every level  11. What will help? ± Smarter Data Works best when data systems focus on:  x &DSWXULQJOHDUQHUV¶H[SHULHQFHV- using focus group or other methods to select pupils rather than self-selected Pupil Councils x Developing a culture and ethos of understanding and interrogating data and of using it to inform everyday work x Organising attainment data to allow teachers and school managers to analyse it and use it to directly prompt professional conversations that feed teaching / management decisions x Promote professional judgement and research-informed knowledge in analysing data patterns and in the choice / design / monitoring of interventions µHigh-VWDNHV¶WHVWLQJLV127KHOSIXOEXWWUDFNLQJPRQLWRULQJDQGWDUJHWVRQDUDQJHRImeasures does help.  The interpretation of test data is all!     µEducation systems¶ are also important in closing the poverty-linked attainment gap.  6HHRYHUOHDI«   University of Strathclyde | International Public Policy Institute                                                                            Policy Brief June 2015                                                                                                                                                                            6    µEducation systems¶ are also important in closing the poverty-linked attainment gap.   What helps? ± Powerful Knowledge Mobilisation (GXFDWRUVQHHGUHOLDEOHNQRZOHGJHLIWKH\DUHQRWWRZDVWHWKHLURZQDQGWKHLUSXSLOV¶HIIRUWtime and hope on interventions that are unlikely to be successful in the proposed context.  This requires:  x Bespoke knowledge of what works, for whom, in which contexts, why, how much it costs and specific knolwedge and expertise on how to make it effective. x Educators to focus on those interventions most likely to give the biggest payoff, not those that sound most exciting or personally appealing x A focus on the quality of implementation and impact on the target group, not on mere provision  What helps? ± Well-planned Evaluation Models of good evaluation at school, local authority and national level should: x Be underpinned by a theory of change describing how a project will gain traction with the target group and achieve a specific impact  x Build evaluation into the project at the start and provide feedback during the project to inform its implementation  x Provide an explicit focus on attainment and on children in poverty x 3URGXFHGHWDLOHGµLPSOHPHQWDWLRQNQRZOHGJH¶DVWKHSURMHFWGHYHORSV x Collect systematic data on learner impact and experience ± before, during, final, and post-implementation (to assess longer-term maintenance of gains) x Be informed by knowledge of what is pertinent, and by past research to ensure they measure outputs that are directly important (Count beans but make sure they are the right beans!)     About the authors:   Professor Sue Ellis is Professor in the School of Education at the University of Strathclyde and Co-Director of the Centre for Education and Social Policy at the University of Strathclyde International Public Policy Institute (IPPI).  Her research interests include: literacy teaching and policy.  Dr Edward Sosu is a lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Strathclyde.  His current research focuses on how socio-economic disadvantage influences educational and psychological trajectories from childhood.   Contact details: Professor Sue Ellis or Dr. Edward Sosu School of Education Centre for Education and Social Policy Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS), Lord Hope Building 6W-DPHV¶5RDG Glasgow G4 0LT  e: sue.ellis@strath.ac.uk  e: edward.sosu@strath.ac.uk     International Public Policy Institute (IPPI) McCance Building, Room 4.26 University of Strathclyde 16 Richmond Street Glasgow G1 1XQ  t: +44 (0) 141 548 3865 e: ippi-info@strath.ac.uk     The International Public Policy Institute ,33,LVWKH8QLYHUVLW\RI6WUDWKFO\GH¶VSULQFLSDOJDWHZD\WRSROLF\UHVHDUFKH[SHUWLVH,33,KDVZLWKLQLWseveral discrete policy centres: the Centre for Government and Public Sector Policy, the Centre for Health Policy, the Centre for Energy Policy, the Centre for Education and Social Policy and the Institute for Future Cities.  IPPI draws on expertise from across all four Faculties of the University ± Humanities and Social Sciences, Strathclyde Business School, Science and Engineering ± and from highly experienced practitioners who work with the Institute.  For more information, please see www.strath.ac.uk/ippi         the place of useful learning www.strath.ac.uk/ippi  ippi-info@strath.ac.uk  University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XQ   The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC015263 

Closing Poverty-Related Attainment Gaps in Scotland's Schools : What Works?

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Closing Poverty-Related Attainment Gaps in Scotland's Schools : What Works?

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