WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US

Current education research served as the foundation upon which the K–S4 Agenda was developed. We learned from the literature that school improvement efforts do contribute to advancing student success. Learner outcomes improve through the training and talent of teachers, what goes on in the classrooms and the overall culture and atmosphere of schools. Academic skills, assignments, experience and professional development are significant dimensions for teachers. In the classroom, course content, pedagogy, technology and class size and composition make a difference. School leadership, goals, professional community, discipline and the learning environment are school-wide factors that influence student success.

Every child has the capacity to succeed in school and life. Research shows that certain school characteristics promote success regardless of student backgrounds.¹ Successful schools are student-centred, academically rich, have a positive school climate, foster collegial interaction and have extensive staff development. These schools demonstrate shared leadership and foster creative problem-solving involving parents and the community.²

1. Advancing Student Success

Research emphasizes that the single largest factor affecting academic growth of student populations is the effectiveness of individual classroom teachers. Lower-achieving students are the first to benefit as teacher effectiveness improves.³ Less successful learners benefit from additional supporting factors such as time spent on learning, opportunities to meet learning goals and quality of teaching.⁴ Improving learner outcomes for these students requires a clearer understanding of the meaning of student success and the active development of change processes to have a positive impact on student achievement. Changes in instructional practice and in the culture of teaching involve stronger collaborative relationships among students, teachers and other partners.⁵ Classroom practices to improve outcomes include differentiated learning, linking prior knowledge to new learning, collaboration to encourage students to work together and the advancement of authentic assessment practices. Focusing on higher order thinking skills benefits not only advanced students but also those in need of more basic skills.

Student success is also linked to the support and involvement of the broader community. Research, professional judgement and practical experience all show that fostering family and community involvement in schools contributes to healthy development in children, youth and a better quality of neighbourhood life for all community members.⁶

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1	Levin, B. (1995). Poverty and education. Education Canada. 35(2), 28-35.
2	Levine, D. U. & Lezotte, L. W. (1990). Unusually effective schools: A review and analysis of research and practice. Madison, WI: National Center for Effective Schools Research and Development. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED330032).
3	Stoll, L. & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Philadelphia, PA: Open University Press.
4	Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). The right to learn: A blueprint for creating schools that work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
5	Fullan, M. G. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depth of educational reform. London: Falmer Press.
6	Maeroff, G. I. (1998). Altered destinies: Making life better for schoolchildren in need. New York: St. Martin's Press.

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2. Schools, Families and Communities

When schools are able to foster a sense of community, promote ways to advance equity and voice and increase participation through their partnerships, students benefit.⁷ Teachers are often more willing to work with others when that involvement increases the flow of resources to schools and classrooms. Community partners make practical contributions with minimum cost to the schools by bringing in services and support. Creating family centres in unused space or providing a consistent source of trained volunteers are two examples. Effective school communities have the capacity to produce multiple positive effects on students and families.⁸

What parents do in the home to support and improve their child's development in school is critical to student success. Improved communication between home and school, homework support and the development of common approaches to conflict resolution are examples.⁹ Schools too, have assets that can benefit families and communities such as sharing facilities, materials, equipment, purchasing power, employment opportunities, and programs. Partners in education should view their partnerships as "two way streets" with schools giving to their communities, as well as receiving support.

Research into school quality shows that some schools do better than others at helping students to learn because they have found ways to engage parents and others in community development through capacity building.¹⁰ There is convincing evidence that community schools are important vehicles for school improvement.¹¹ They provide opportunities for communities to work together at the local school level to address barriers to student success. Community schools can affect not only educational outcomes but other outcomes as well, such as improved social behaviour and healthy youth development, better family functioning and parental involvement, access to support services, enhanced school climate, family and neighbourhood life.¹²

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7	Oakes, J. & Lipton, M. (1990). Making the best of schools: A handbook for parents, teachers and policymakers. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
8	Dryfoos, J.G. (2000, June). Evaluation of community schools: Findings to date. Retrieved April 15, 2002 from http://www.communityschools.org/evaluation/evalcontents.html
9	Epstein, J. (1995). School/family/community partnerships: Caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(9), 701-712.
10	Kretzmann, J. P. & McKnight, J. L. (1993). Building communities from the inside out: A path toward finding and mobilizing a community's assets. Chicago: ACTA Publications.
11	Sergiovanni, T. (1994). Building community in schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
12	Blank, M. J., Bruner, C., Chang, H. & Potapchuk, W. (1996). Coordinating federal technical assistance to comprehensive community initiatives: A report on the 'Together We Can' initiative. Washington, DC: Institute for Educational Leadership.

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3. School Planning

More is accomplished when schools, families and communities plan together to build effective school communities. There is growing interest on the part of many people for an expanded role in shaping the institutions that affect their lives. School planning and reporting should include school staff, parents, community members and students in structured decision-making processes.¹³ Strengthening planning and reporting requires schools and divisions to set priorities, measure progress and use results to improve education for students. The key to effective planning is the linkage and alignment of school plans with school division and provincial level planning.

An important trend in public education is an increasing requirement for consultation and collaboration with the expectation that such approaches will foster capacity at the local school level. It is important for schools and divisions to gather and use data to plan appropriately and involve the broader community in discussions about student success and school improvement.¹⁴ There is a need to rethink research methodology, data collection and evaluation strategies to ensure a good fit between the thinking behind school planning and the ability to put these ideas into practice. Using results to plan improvements is an essential element in the development of successful schools.

Research points to the distinction between school effectiveness that is based largely on results in achievement tests and school success that includes broader goals and processes.¹⁵ Student achievement is an important component of a good school but every school is unique and planning should reflect the individual needs of those who spend so much of their time there.¹⁶ School planning builds a sense of common purpose among school staff, parents, students and community engaging in processes intended to change school practices to improve student outcomes.¹⁷ Students succeed when educators and parents build stronger relationships with one another creating more opportunities for students to develop competence and more settings in which learners flourish.¹⁸

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13	Levin, B. R. & Riffel, J. A. (1997). Schools and the changing world: Struggling toward the future. London: Falmer Press.
14	Lewington, J. & Orpwood, G. (1993). Overdue assignment: Taking responsibility for Canada's schools. Toronto, ON: Wiley.
15	Sergiovanni, T. (1992). Moral leadership: Getting to the heart of school improvement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
16	King, A. J. C. & Peart, M. J. (1990). The good school: Strategies for making secondary schools effective. Toronto, ON: Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.
17	Earl, L. & Lee, L. (1998). Evaluation of the Manitoba School Improvement Program. Winnipeg, MB: Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation.
18	Comer, J. P., Haynes, N. M., Joyner, E. T. & Ben-Avie, M. (1996). Rallying the whole village: The Comer process of reforming education. New York: Teachers College Press.

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4. Professional Development

Students learn more from teachers who have strong academic skills and classroom teaching experience, are teaching in the field in which they are trained, and who participate in high quality professional development programs.¹⁹ Professional development can be built into school planning with learning focused on the development of team building, conflict management and collaborative planning skills. Teachers should be able to learn about instructional and assessment methods that directly relate to student achievement. Improved student learning for all or most students requires improving teacher learning for all or most teachers.²⁰

There has been a fundamental shift in what children learn and how they are taught.²¹ Teachers have to be prepared to implement classroom practices that focus not only on content but also on skills, strategies and opportunities for active learning. Professional development should provide a theoretical understanding of new concepts through demonstrations and opportunities for practice with teachers working in teams for sharing, observation and peer coaching. It is important that teacher learning opportunities be research-based and supplement teachers' existing strategies, not replace them.²²

There is a need to transform teaching approaches and to place more emphasis on student understanding and applicability of knowledge. Without appropriate training, some teachers continue to use a model of teaching that emphasizes memorizing facts in the absence of a deeper understanding of subject knowledge.²³ Teachers need opportunities to learn more about the subjects they teach and how students learn those subjects. Professional development resources aimed at gearing these learning opportunities for teachers should focus on what students are learning and what is being assessed.²⁴ Schools that foster ongoing teacher learning are better places for students to learn. Indeed, the school as a community of learners provides a context for everyone's lifelong growth.²⁵

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19	Darling-Hammond, L. (1994). Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession. New York: Teachers College Press.
20	Fullan, M. G. (1993). Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. London: Falmer Press.
21	Gardner, H. (1991). The unschooled mind: How children think and how schools should teach. New York: Basic Books.
22	Elmore, R. F., Peterson, P. L., & McCarthey, S. J. (1996). Restructuring in the classroom: Teaching, learning, and school organization. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
23	Kohn, A. (1998). What to look for in a classroom and other essays. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
24	Stoll, L. & Fink, D. (1996). Changing our schools: Linking school effectiveness and school improvement. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
25	Barth, R. S. (1990). Improving schools from within: Teachers, parents, and principals can make the difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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5. Learner Transitions

How students perform academically is key to successful transitions from early, middle and secondary years into post-secondary education and work.²⁶ There is significant evidence that secondary schools can do more to help students with these transitions.²⁷ Early school leaving and completion of compulsory education without the acquisition of skills needed for employment are poor educational outcomes. Successful transitions require school commitment, with the support and involvement of their community, to develop shared vision, goals and strategies to support learner success. Academic preparation, opportunities for career exploration and work experience all contribute to successful transitions.

It is important to monitor the extent to which students have access to educational pathways and how they progress through different levels of education. We know that the higher the family income of high school graduates, the more likely they are to enrol in post-secondary education but there are many other factors besides lack of financial resources that affect successful transitions. The percentage of high school completers who enrol in post-secondary education in the fall immediately after high school is influenced by the accessibility of higher education and the value the high school completer places on post-secondary education compared with other pursuits.²⁸ Students whose parents discuss schools and colleges are more likely to enrol in post-secondary programs. High school graduates with lower skill levels are less likely to enrol in post-secondary programs.

Effective programs for preventing failure begin early and continue throughout the early, middle and senior years. Building on students' personal and cultural assets contributes to student success at key development points. Varied approaches such as dual credits, work education, apprenticeship programs and employability portfolios can support entry to work or post-secondary education. Successful transitions reflect other important factors such as the efforts students put into their learning, the choices they make as they proceed through the system and the quality of the institutions they attend.

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26	Sizer, T. R. (1992). Horace's school: Redesigning the American high school. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
27	Charner, I., Fraser, B. S., Hubbard, S., Rogers, A. & Horne, R. (1995). Reforms of the school to work transition: Findings, implications and challenges. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(1), 58-60.
28	Human Resources Development Canada. (2002, June). Knowledge matters: Skills and learning for Canadians. Retrieved July 15, 2002 from http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/sp-ps/sl-ca/doc/report.shtml

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6. Education Research

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