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Where does this fit? - Principals, teachers failing students
Principals, teachers failing students
Published: Sunday | May 26, 2013
Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer
Weak leadership and poor management are negatively affecting the performance of students in more than 40 per cent (86) of the 205 schools examined by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) during the period September 2011-March 2012.
In a damning indictment of teachers and principals, the NEI found that student attainment was unsatisfactory in 142 of the 205 schools, with 13 of these schools in dire straits and in need of immediate support.
The progress of students was unsatisfactory in 114 schools, while student personal and social development was unsatisfactory in 37 of the schools.
The area of human and material resources was unsatisfactory in 57 schools, while curriculum-enhancement programmes were unsatisfactory in 62 schools, with four of these schools in need of immediate support in this regard.
Thirty of the schools failed in the area of students' safety, security, health and well-being, with one school in need of immediate support.
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Three schools were deemed unsatisfactory in leadership and management and in need of immediate support, while 88 schools were deemed unsatisfactory for teaching and support for student learning, with two in need of immediate support.
The figures are contained in the draft summary of the NEI report obtained by The Sunday Gleaner.
However, the chief inspector's report is yet to be tabled in Parliament, and education ministry officials late last week refused to answer questions on the summary report.
In the summary, the NEI notes that the majority of schools inspected were only at the satisfactory mark, with the entire system functioning between satisfactory and unsatisfactory.
Only one school is functioning at an exceptionally high standard of leadership and management.
With obvious memories of the backlash taken by former Education Minister Andrew Holness, who labelled some schools as failing, the summary report did not name the institutions.
It is unclear if the schools will be named in the final report to be tabled in Parliament.
The summary offered a picture of students' low academic attainment and limited progress. However, progress and encouraging signs were seen as most students displayed good levels of civic, economic and environmental awareness.
ADEQUATE QUALIFIED TEACHERS
The report said all the schools had adequate and qualified teachers and most were deployed appropriately, with schools, particularly at the secondary level, having adequate working computers, stocked libraries and special-purpose labs.
Last year, the NEI did not release its summary, and instead posted on the education ministry's website the individual reports on more than 130 schools inspected in 2012. At that time, the NEI said its inspection focused on eight key indicators of school effectiveness: "leadership and management, teaching and learning, students' performance in regional and national examinations, students' progress, personal and social development, human and material resources, safety and security and well-being".
Of the 31 high schools reported on at the time, one was classified as a failing school, one was rated exceptionally high in terms of overall effectiveness, while 12 were rated as unsatisfactory, nine as good and eight satisfactory.
The NEI said its inspectors made judgements based on a five-point scale, where a level five denotes an exceptional school and level one represents the ranking for failing schools. The inspectorate said all schools should strive to achieve no less than a 'good' rating.
Principals, teachers failing students
NEI's recommendations
1) Develop and coordinate leadership development circles for principals and middle leaders so they can share good practices and strengthen their competencies.
2) Develop a national teacher-competency index that will inform the ministry and the Government of existing teacher competencies.
3) Rationalise small underperforming schools for efficiency and effectiveness.
4) All teachers should be teachers of reading and, therefore, it should be a mandatory subject in teacher-training college programmes.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ead/lead3.html
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Aside:
What real value is this report?
How many schools do we have across the country? ...categories?
How many children do we have attending these institutions?
Stats on levels of competence in each academic discipline?
...and in the context of "Muggy's" rantings, a comparison on student performance(s) - non-athlete v athlete?
btw - NEI's recommendations - #3
Rationalise small underperforming schools for efficiency and effectiveness.
Why only "small underperforming schools"?...are there no large underperforming schools?
Principals, teachers failing students
Published: Sunday | May 26, 2013
Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer
Weak leadership and poor management are negatively affecting the performance of students in more than 40 per cent (86) of the 205 schools examined by the National Education Inspectorate (NEI) during the period September 2011-March 2012.
In a damning indictment of teachers and principals, the NEI found that student attainment was unsatisfactory in 142 of the 205 schools, with 13 of these schools in dire straits and in need of immediate support.
The progress of students was unsatisfactory in 114 schools, while student personal and social development was unsatisfactory in 37 of the schools.
The area of human and material resources was unsatisfactory in 57 schools, while curriculum-enhancement programmes were unsatisfactory in 62 schools, with four of these schools in need of immediate support in this regard.
Thirty of the schools failed in the area of students' safety, security, health and well-being, with one school in need of immediate support.
LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE
Three schools were deemed unsatisfactory in leadership and management and in need of immediate support, while 88 schools were deemed unsatisfactory for teaching and support for student learning, with two in need of immediate support.
The figures are contained in the draft summary of the NEI report obtained by The Sunday Gleaner.
However, the chief inspector's report is yet to be tabled in Parliament, and education ministry officials late last week refused to answer questions on the summary report.
In the summary, the NEI notes that the majority of schools inspected were only at the satisfactory mark, with the entire system functioning between satisfactory and unsatisfactory.
Only one school is functioning at an exceptionally high standard of leadership and management.
With obvious memories of the backlash taken by former Education Minister Andrew Holness, who labelled some schools as failing, the summary report did not name the institutions.
It is unclear if the schools will be named in the final report to be tabled in Parliament.
The summary offered a picture of students' low academic attainment and limited progress. However, progress and encouraging signs were seen as most students displayed good levels of civic, economic and environmental awareness.
ADEQUATE QUALIFIED TEACHERS
The report said all the schools had adequate and qualified teachers and most were deployed appropriately, with schools, particularly at the secondary level, having adequate working computers, stocked libraries and special-purpose labs.
Last year, the NEI did not release its summary, and instead posted on the education ministry's website the individual reports on more than 130 schools inspected in 2012. At that time, the NEI said its inspection focused on eight key indicators of school effectiveness: "leadership and management, teaching and learning, students' performance in regional and national examinations, students' progress, personal and social development, human and material resources, safety and security and well-being".
Of the 31 high schools reported on at the time, one was classified as a failing school, one was rated exceptionally high in terms of overall effectiveness, while 12 were rated as unsatisfactory, nine as good and eight satisfactory.
The NEI said its inspectors made judgements based on a five-point scale, where a level five denotes an exceptional school and level one represents the ranking for failing schools. The inspectorate said all schools should strive to achieve no less than a 'good' rating.
Principals, teachers failing students
NEI's recommendations
1) Develop and coordinate leadership development circles for principals and middle leaders so they can share good practices and strengthen their competencies.
2) Develop a national teacher-competency index that will inform the ministry and the Government of existing teacher competencies.
3) Rationalise small underperforming schools for efficiency and effectiveness.
4) All teachers should be teachers of reading and, therefore, it should be a mandatory subject in teacher-training college programmes.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/2...ead/lead3.html
--------------
Aside:
What real value is this report?
How many schools do we have across the country? ...categories?
How many children do we have attending these institutions?
Stats on levels of competence in each academic discipline?
...and in the context of "Muggy's" rantings, a comparison on student performance(s) - non-athlete v athlete?
btw - NEI's recommendations - #3
Rationalise small underperforming schools for efficiency and effectiveness.
Why only "small underperforming schools"?...are there no large underperforming schools?
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