1 Parental involvement in schools and educational policy in Ireland Some personal reflections and future possibilities NPC-P Annual Conference 15 June

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Parental involvement in schools and educational policy in Ireland

Some personal reflections and future possibilities

NPC-P Annual Conference 15 June 2013

Harold HislopChief InspectorDepartment of Education and Skills

FEABHAS NA FOGHLAMA A CHUR CHUN CINN

AN CHIGIREACHT

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Overview

• A reflection on how parental involvement in education has developed, mainly referring to primary level

• At national level: some of the successes and challenges

• How has involvement developed at local level?

• What does this tell us and what are some of the possibilities?

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PARENTS SHAPING

EDUCATIONAL POLICY AND PRACTICE

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A constitutional role for parents in education

Article 42 of the Constitution (1937)“…the State acknowledges that the primary educator of the child is the family…”

But in practice….• parents played little role in their children’s

education until the last quarter of the 20th century• Strong role for churches in the running of schools• Churches had founded and controlled the schools

in the 19th century – church/bishop is patron of the school and appoints manager

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First signs of change

• New child-centred primary school curriculum (1970) developed in 1960s

• Introduction of free post-primary education in 1967

• Changing social teaching in wake of Vatican II

• Opening of schools founded by parents– St Michael’s House special school – from 1960– Multi-denominational schools – from 1978

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First reactions

• Department published Ár nDaltaí Uile (1969) – a booklet to explain new primary

curriculum and the possibilities for second-level education to parents

• Supports to encourage home-school linkages– 1974: Visiting Teachers for Deaf Children– 1978: Visiting Teachers for Blind Children– 1980: Visiting Teacher Service for

Traveller Community – 1990: Home-School-Community Liaison

Teachers for schools serving disadvantaged communities

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First reactions

• Management of schools came under scrutiny– Mid 1960s: some political parties suggested advisory

boards to assist clerical school managers – 1970s: some schools established parents’ associations– 1975: boards of management in primary schools

involving church founders (patron), elected teachers and elected parents

• An important legal involvement for parents in the management of schools

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But…

• Progress was limited• Coolahan, reviewing period 1975-1985 noted…

– Boards varied greatly in their engagement with the operation of the school

– Some parents dissatisfied at being cast as “fund raisers”– Teachers unenthusiastic about parent associations

• Schools that were new foundations often had different climate regarding parental involvement – Sense of shared enterprise: Gaelscoileanna, Educate Together

Schools, special schools, new denominational schools– Long efforts to secure buildings and establish the operation of

the school– Easier to move to discussing curriculum and school policies

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Major advance in parental involvement in national policy making: 1985-2000

1. Political support: Ministers chose to champion the cause of parents in the school system

– Gemma Hussey: funding for National Parents’ Council in 1985– Mary O’Rourke: “parental involvement in the education of their

children ..[was]..an essential strategy of educational policy and practice.”

– Partners in Education, Circular 24/91

2. Fortunate timing: Advent of social partnership in economic and social policy making

– NPC was well placed to participate

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3. Partnership became accepted model of policy making in education sector

• In 1990s, several reviews of Irish education– 1990: Review of Primary Curriculum– 1990: Report of the Primary Education Review Body– 1991: OECD Review of Irish Education– 1992: Green paper on educational policy– 1994: National Education Convention– 1995: White paper on educational policy

• Constant themes: – the importance of parents as essential partners in educational

policy making and the need to underpin this in law– the importance of parents in the education of their children

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4. Role of parents of children with special educational needs

– Special schools had expanded but area had been neglected until the early 1990s

– 1993: Special Education Review Report – role of parents in determining provision for children

– Legal cases to vindicate rights of children – 1998: Rights of children to special education recognised in

Education Act, 1998– 2000: Extensive SEN provision in mainstream schools– 2000: Learning Support Guidelines – involvement of parents at

every stage of support process

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Education Act, 1998

• Partnership approach to policy making enshrined in legislation

• Rights of parents as partners in education underpinned by legislation

• Minister has right to make policy decisions but can only do so following consultation

• Statutory bodies also involve partnership– National Council for Curriculum and Assessment– National Council for Special Education– Inspectorate has to consult re inspection

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A further step-change: 2008-present

1985-2000• Irish parents moved from having little real impact on

national educational policy to being consulted about all major policy decisions

2008-present• A further step-change in the role of parents….• Consulted about the patronage of new schools

(2008)• Consulted about changing the patronage of existing

schools (2012)

A position for parents that would have been inconceivable in mid-1980s

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What benefits has parental involvement in policy making brought about?

• Parents bring a unique perspective, necessary if schools are to get learning right for children, for example….– Stay Safe programme (child protection) [1990s]– Relationships and Sexuality Education [1990s]

• Parents can bring a counterbalance to other views and help political decision making, for example….– Assessment in the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy

[2011]

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What benefits has parental involvement in policy making brought about?

• Parents are the nearest we have to the voice of the child– Very young children, children with profound special

educational needs

• Parents’ voices enhance the responsiveness of the education system to the needs, beliefs, desires and values of Irish society– Enhances public ownership of schooling– Respects diversity

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What are the challenges for the NPC-p in being involved in national policy making?

• To keep up with the level of engagement needed to contribute in a meaningful way

• To ensure that the national organisation is fully informed about experiences at local level

• To find the right way to support local associations and parents

• To maintain and sustain an absolute focus on the mission of parents– Parent voice has to ring true and come directly from parents

themselves– Parent position within stakeholder landscape should not be lost

or reframed by others

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PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

AT LOCAL LEVEL:

THE LIVED REALITY

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Sources of evidence: TIMSS & PIRLS 2011

• National Schools, international contexts: Beyond the TIMSS and PIRLS test results by Eemer Eivers and Aidan Clerkin (Educational Research Centre, 2013)– TIMSS and PIRLS data about reading, maths and

science in primary schools in early 2011– Other data from teacher and parent surveys– 151 primary schools in Ireland– Valuable international comparative data

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Sources of evidence: Inspection of schools

• Confidential parents’ and students’ questionnaires administered by Inspectorate in whole-school evaluations

• Data from 2010-2012• 47,000 parental questionnaires returned• 36,000 student questionnaires returned• Parents’ questionnaire carries positive statements

about several aspects of schoolAgree strongly Agree Disagree Disagree strongly Don’t know

Tables show Agree, Disagree, Don’t know

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TIMSS & PIRLS 2011Teacher and principal views

• Principals and teachers believed that parental support for pupil achievement was high or very high in Ireland – 70% among principals– 60% among teachers– Double the rate internationally

• Principals and teachers thought that parental involvement in their school was high…..

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Teachers’ views of parental involvement in their school

High Medium Low

Principal IRE 44% 38% 17%

PIRLS 33% 46% 21%

TIMSS 31% 46% 23%

Teacher IRE 46% 40% 15%

PIRLS 35% 44% 20%

TIMSS 32% 45% 22%

Percentages of pupils whose principals and teachers reported various levels of parental involvement in Ireland, TIMSS and PIRLS 2011

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TIMSS & PIRLS 2011Parents’ views about relationship with school

• Positive about some aspects of the school’s relationship with them…

• 92% of parents agreed that their child’s school included them in their child’s education (91% internationally)

• 29% of parents felt that their schools did not need to make a greater effort to include them in their child’s education (16% internationally)

• But….

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TIMSS & PIRLS 2011Parents’ views about relationship with school

• “The school should do better at keeping me informed of his/her progress”

Agree

a lot

Agree

a little

Disagree

a little

Disagree

a lot

IRE 25% 26% 18% 31%

PIRLS 39% 29% 18% 14%

• Opinion in Ireland evenly divided – 51% agreed, 49% disagreed

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TIMSS & PIRLS 2011Parents’ views about school climate

• 89% of parents in Ireland agreed a lot that their child’s school provided a safe environment (66% in PIRLS countries)

• 85% of parents in Ireland believed that the school cared about their child’s progress (65% in PIRLS counties)

• But…parent-teacher meetings occurred much less frequently in Ireland than in other countries

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Parent teacher meetings

At least once a week

Once or twice a month

4-6 times a

year

1-3 times a

year

Never

IRE 1% 3% 11% 85% < 1%

PIRLS 8% 29% 27% 34% 1%

Percentages of pupils whose teachers reported various frequencies of discussing learning progress with parents of a typical pupil

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Inspectorate surveys, 2010-2012

• During whole-school evaluations in primary schools…..

• Irish parents tell us that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the school’s climate and with teaching and learning…

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Inspectorate surveys of parents in primary schools 2010-2012

• “The school is well run”– Strongly agree

60.7%– Agree

36.6%– Disagree

1.4%– Strongly disagree

0.3%– Don’t know

2.1%

Agree Don't know Disagree

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• “The school welcomes parents”– Strongly agree

61.2%– Agree

34.1%– Disagree



2.0%


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• “My child likes school”– Strongly agree

60.0%– Agree

36.9%– Disagree



0.6%


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• “The school provides a safe environment for my child” or

• “My child feels safe in school”

– Strongly agree64.3%

– Agree33.1%

– Disagree1.1%

– Strongly disagree0.3%

– Don’t know1.3%


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• “The school deals well with bullying”– Strongly agree

37.7%– Agree

32.8%– Disagree



24.4%


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Parents are positive about teaching and learning in the school

• “Teaching is good in the school”– Strongly agree 59.4%– Agree 37.5%– Disagree 1.1%– Strongly disagree 0.2%– Don’t know 1.8%

• “My child is doing well in school”– Strongly agree 57.0%– Agree 40.3%– Disagree 1.2%– Strongly disagree 0.2%– Don’t know 1.3%

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Parents are positive about teaching and learning in the school

• “The work my child is asked to do is matched to his/her ability”– Strongly agree 52.2%– Agree 42.3%– Disagree 2.6%– Strongly disagree 0.4%– Don’t know 2.5%

• “My child gets help from his/her teacher when he/she needs it”– Strongly agree 55.9%– Agree 37.4%– Disagree 1.3%– Disagree strongly 0.3%– Don’t know 1.8%

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• Evidence that schools need to communicate better with parents

• Evidence too that parents’ associations need to communicate better with parents …

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• “I know about the work the board of management is doing for the school” – Strongly agree 28.5%– Agree 36.2%– Disagree 8.8%– Strongly disagree

3.6%– Don’t know 22.9%


Parents’ views can prompt schools to ask if they communicate effectively with parents

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• “Parents are invited to contribute views about school policies” – Strongly agree 30.4%– Agree 37.0%– Disagree


2.8%– Don’t know 21.3%


Parents’ views can prompt schools to ask if they communicate effectively with parents

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• “The parents’ association keeps me informed about its work” – Strongly agree 36.4%– Agree 40.0%– Disagree


2.6%– Don’t know 12.7%


Parents’ associations need to ask if they communicate effectively with parents

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What is this telling us?

• Enormously positive views about school climate, teaching, learning among parents

• TIMSS and PIRLS reported that Irish schools gave parents relatively less information on the child’s progress– But since the 2011 testing, new report cards and standardised

tests mandatory

• Inspectors can compare individual schools to national trends– If school is unusually out of line, this raises questions for

inspectors and the school staff and board– Really important for parents to respond honestly – you can affirm

what is really good and help point to areas for improvement

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What is this telling us?

• Schools and parent associations can’t be complacent about communication with parents

• Boards of management – Great strength that parents have a right to participate

in management of their child’s school– Some business has to be confidential– But much can be reported openly – Act provides for annual report to parents– Boards should constantly review how well they are

getting the message across to parents

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• Teachers and principals– As a teacher, principal or even a parent association

committee member, you can forget that a power differential exists between the parent and the school

– Schools are sometimes taken aback when inspectors give them the statistical data from the surveys

– Many believe they have excellent communication– But there can be a reluctance among parents to

question the school/teacher – But schools need to remember that those hard

questions are the ones that will allow you to improve

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• Inspectorate questionnaires– Encouragement to schools to conduct their own surveys and to

listen to their parents and students– We encourage them to use our surveys in school self-evaluation

• School self-evaluation – Schools have to engage in school self-evaluation– Should use surveys and other tools in the SSE Guidelines to

help them to improve practice #– Parents should expect to play a key role in SSE– Early days in its implementation, but we have conducted

advisory visits in 2254 (68%) of all primary schools

• Lessons for the Department– Need to support those who support parents to engage more

effectively– Complaints processes – need for legislative change and a focus

on quality for parents, rather than simply a complaints process

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Conclusion

• A positive and engaged parent - child - teacher/school relationship can have a powerful impact on the learning and development of the individual child

• A challenge for all of us to discover how best to impact positively on the parent-child-teacher/school relationship

• Considerable progress in parent engagement at national level

• More to do at local level and exciting opportunities to do so

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Go raibh maith agaibh!Thank you!

Dr Harold HislopChief InspectorDepartment of Education and Skills, Dublin 1, Ireland [email protected] paper available at www.education.gov.ie

Documents

1 Parental involvement in schools and educational policy in Ireland Some personal reflections and future possibilities NPC-P Annual Conference 15 June