Academic Success in Mathematics in the Early Primary Grades at Inner City Schools: London versus DC

BRETT PEARSON

Before:

Key Questions:

• How do we compare the quality of education systems between countries?
• What factors influence the effectiveness of an education system?
• How do educational values and resources differ between countries?
• What can the US learn from other countries’ education systems?

International Testing Programs

PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment):

• Every three years about half a million 15 year olds from 72 member countries take a two hour test designed to test proficiency in math, science, and reading
• 2015 mathematics results:
• US mean score = 470, which is 20 points below the mean for all countries
• UK mean score = 492, which is close to the mean for all countries

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies):

• UK scored higher on the 4th grade mathematics assessment in 2011

Source: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/

During: The Case Studies

Broad Categories of Observation:

• Curriculum content and oversight and how this curriculum plays out in the day to day learning of the students
• School oversight and regulation
• Teacher training requirements and accountability
• Classroom atmosphere and teacher-student interactions, as well as discipline and administrative organization
• Other educational details such as funding and school choice

#1: Excel Academy Public Charter School

Excel Academy:

• 98.6% of student body is Black non-hispanic; other percents comprised by multiracial and hispanic students
• More than 60% of the student population is disadvantaged
• 64.8% of student body is defined as at-risk

Curriculum: Common Core:

• Set of national standards adopted by 42 states and the District of Columbia
• Gives states benchmark knowledge that the students should know by a certain grade level
• Produces a set of textbooks that promote the standards used by many school that teach Common Core, including Excel Academy

Oversight: DCPCSB:

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• “The DC Public Charter School Board is governed by a seven-member Board, nominated by the Mayor, with the advice and consent of the DC Council. The volunteer Board approves new schools, provides oversight to schools while in operation, and revokes a school's charter if they fail to meet their performance goals”
• Compile “School Quality Reports” about each charter school
• Standardized assessments such as the PARCC test help them evaluate the schools

http://www.dcpcsb.org/sites/default/files/2017-11-8%20PMF%20Score%20Card%20SY16-17_Excel%20Academy%20PCS_2017.pdf

What does a typical day look like?

8:30-9: Morning Meeting

9-11: English/Language Arts

• Stations
• Reading as a class

11-1: Lunch and Recess

1-3: Math

• Class lesson, individual/group work

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Teacher Training and Accountability:

• Differs from state to state and then also from school to school
• DC:
• No statewide requirements for public charter school teachers
• HOWEVER
• Most school require a baccalaureate degree, some type of government certified teacher training, prefer specialization in the area of instruction, etc
• Some schools also follow other programs such as the Praxis teacher’s exam or the standards set forth by the No Child Left Behind Act

The Trip: Week 1 @ Hugh Myddelton Primary School

The Trip: Week 2 @ St. George the Martyr Primary School

Curriculum:

• All government-funded schools must follow the national curriculum, which is organized into key stages
• Curriculum consists of a series of skills pupils must be able to demonstrate by a certain grade level
• Recently, development of the curriculum has focused more heavily on understanding and extrapolation versus just memorization

Oversight: *OFSTED Visit!!*

• Full school inspections conducted every few years by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted), a division of the national government
• Areas of inspection include pupil achievement, quality of teaching, behavior and safety of pupils, and leadership and management
• The schools are informed a few days in advance of the inspection, and the visit consists of inspecting officials observing classes, asking questions, visually inspecting facilities, etc

http://www.humydd.com/docs/Policies/Ofsted_Inspection_Report__June_2017.pdf

Teacher Training and Accountability:

• Much of the teacher accountability is addressed by the Ofsted reports previously mentioned - institutional assessment of teachers also occurs at the the school board level
• Training is a multi-step process:
• Must have certain GCSE scores and score well on a Professional Skills Test
• Specific program allows teachers to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Teachers can begin their induction year as a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT)

Experiential Takeaways:

• Ofsted: taken very seriously by the teachers and the administration
• Curriculum:
• Teachers do a good job of intertwining subjects to make learning more interesting
• Teachers successfully use real-world models to keep the students interested in learning
• Many of the beneficial differences in the classroom itself would be low-cost to implement
• Schools take safeguarding and mentoring VERY seriously

The Trip: Week 3 @ University College London Institute of Education

Meetings With Education Researchers at UCL:

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1. Dr. Amanda McCrory: Lecturer in early years and primary education at UCL and former school teacher holding a PGCE (postgraduate education degree)
2. Dr. Jenefer Golding: Lecturer at UCL and former teacher holding a doctorate in Maths education and focusing on Maths education research at UCL
3. Ms. Caroline Hilton: education Lecturer at UCL
4. Mr. Gideon Sappor: Senior teaching fellow in early years and primary education focusing on training teachers for the new curriculum

What did I learn?:

• Participate respectfully in a professional atmosphere
• Advocate for myself over email and in person
• Conduct objective, thorough research
• Manage independent travel between countries and within a foreign city confidently and safely
• Appreciate and immerse myself in my surroundings to learn more about the culture and values of a foreign city/country
• Set up and conduct interviews with professionals

THANK YOU!!