School Effectiveness in Multilingual Education: A Review of Success Factors

School effectiveness research (SER) and bi/multilingual education research have been largely developed as separate research paradigms. Hence, SER research does not facilitate clear conclusions on bi/multilingual (the term ‘multilingual’ is used henceforth) education and its effectiveness. Despite the intensification of multilingual education research over the last four decades, only a few authors and studies have focused on offering a compact overview of what factors need to be in place for the programs to be effective. These works are neither recent nor systematic. In this article, we aim to contribute to this research gap by systematically reviewing the research evidence on specific factors explaining multilingual student success in multilingual education programs. The findings of this systematic literature review integrate the current evidence regarding the critical factors conducive to student success in multilingual education. The results reveal that the reviewed studies mostly discussed school level factors and only occasionally talked about state/regional or individual level factors. We also underscore the critical role of leadership in making multilingual education successful. The implications of this review are twofold: by using a conceptual framework to discuss the success factors, the interdependence of the variables shaping multilingual education is highlighted, while the results collect the latest evidence for decision makers in multilingual education.

Criterios y modelos estadísticos de eficacia escolar

El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los criterios y modelos estadísticos empleados en un estudio de eficacia escolar desarrollado en la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco empleando como variable criterio los resultados en matemáticas, comprensión lectora en lengua castellana y en lengua vasca, resultantes de las evaluaciones de Diagnóstico aplicadas en cinco años. Se definen cuatro criterios de eficacia escolar: puntuaciones extremas, residuos extremos, crecimiento de puntuaciones y crecimiento de residuos. Para ello se han aplicado técnicas de regresión multinivel empleando modelos jerárquicos lineales. Los resultados permiten una selección de centros tanto de alta como de baja eficacia que se basa en cuatro enfoques distintos y complementarios de la eficacia (o ineficacia) escolar. The aim of this paper is to present the statistical criteria and models used in a school effectiveness research carried out in the Basque Country Autonomous Community using as outcome variable the mathematics, spanish language and basque language scores. These scores come from the Diagnosis Assessments applied for five years. Four school effectiveness criteria are defined: extreme scores, extreme residuals, scores growth and residuals growth. Multilevel regression techniques have been applied using hierarchical linear models (HLM). Results have permitted a selection of both high and low effective schools based on four different and complementary school effectiveness approaches.

Leading Schools towards Sustainability. Fields of Action and Management Strategies for Principals

Education is expected to support the development of a more sustainable way of thinking, working, and living. Although there is a broad range of literature on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the role of principals in the implementation of sustainability and ESD in schools has rarely been taken into consideration. However, based on the results of school effectiveness research, one can assume that school principals exert a significant influence on ESD. Sustainability is a leadership issue. When a school aims at integrating sustainability and ESD, the principal plays a pivotal role. She or he has to support the endeavor wholeheartedly and credibly, organize a participative process of school development, emphasize sustainability and ESD in the daily life of the school, support teaching staff in the application of ESD, and offer students opportunities to launch their own initiatives. This article for the special issue on “Sustainability in leadership and education” is a theoretical concept paper based on a literature review and the authors’ conceptual work. It offers a model and seeks to support principals in leading their schools towards sustainability. Therefore, a framework of four stages of the integration of sustainability and ESD in a school is defined. For each of these stages, a number of practical actions and management strategies are suggested and explained in detail.

Leading Schools towards Sustainability. Fields of Action and Management Strategies for Principals

Education is expected to support the development of a more sustainable way of thinking, working, and living. Although there is a broad range of literature on Education for Sustainable development (ESD), the role of principals in the implementation of sustainability and ESD in schools has rarely been taken into consideration. However, based on the results of school effectiveness research, one can assume that school principals exert a significant influence on ESD. Sustainability is a leadership issue. When a school aims at integrating sustainability and ESD, the principal plays a pivotal role. She or he has to support the endeavor wholeheartedly and credibly, organize a participative process of school development, push ahead sustainability and ESD in the daily life of the school, support teaching staff in the application of ESD, involve students and offer them opportunities to launch their own initiatives. This article seeks to support principals in leading their schools towards sustainability. Four stages of the integration of Sustainability and ESD in a school are defined. For each of these stages, a number of actions and management strategies are suggested and explained in detail.

An Estimation of Variances and Factors in Mathematics Attainment in Upper-Primary Schools

This study aimed at identifying variances related to school and pupil levels, and the performance indicators measuring the learning progress in mathematics. A longitudinal design was carried out and the stratified random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 5118 pupils from 60 primary schools. In each school three upper grades were selected, including their 180 class teachers and 60 headteachers. The data collection was carried out through questionnaires and school archives. Using multilevel analysis, the results showed that the proportion of total variance in pupil attainment for mathematics at the school level ranged from 20 to 29 per cent. When intake characteristics were taken into account as the baseline, the variance proportions were less than the prior attainments. Occupation and education of parents, besides reading facilities at home were significant explanatory variables for children progress in mathematics achievement. The outcomes have important consequences for school effectiveness research in determining the baseline and performance indicators.

THE SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS RESEARCH PROGRAMME: TOWARDS A PRACTIONERS’ PERSPECTIVE IN THE LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT

Based on the Lakatos’ notion of research programmes, this paper analyses the structure of the School Effectiveness Research Programme as it has been developed mainly in the UK and USA, and reviews the main criticisms that have recently risen, stressing those regarding its adherence to a positivist epistemology and the lack of context-sensitive models for school effectiveness. The paper concludes in outlining some possible basis for a new research programme which would suit better the Latin American social reality. This programme would include shifting towards a more critical epistemology and the use of a methodology and theoretical-conceptual tools that would allow the design of context-sensitive (both, micro and macro contexts) models for school effectiveness promoting a gradual inclusion of practitioners’ perspectives.