Conference Agenda

The research aims to understand to what extent the Scottish Government’s Pupil Equity Funding reduced the poverty related attainment gap for a cohort of urban pupils from 2017/18 to 2020/21. Pupil Equity Funding is where schools are given additional funding per deprived student to increase equity in attainment. A positivist approach is utilised to understand the interplay between the variables of interest (such as poverty, attendance, ethnicity etc.) and changes in attainment.

The methods for this research involved combining datasets on school attainment, student and teacher statistics and deprivation. The attainment data was then compared to create a change variable for each attainment measure (Reading, Listening and Talking, Numeracy and Writing). These change measures were then used as dependent variables in four models (one for each measure) and were then analysed for statistical significance.

Overall, the research showed that the attainment gap had increased over the cohort period. The findings built on previous research and showed how variables such as class size had a negligible impact on attainment. However, it also showed the interconnectedness and nuances between the different attainment measures. It illustrated how the impact of variables such as attendance and parental qualifications changes based on which measure of attainment you are using. Furthermore, it illustrated how variables such as ethnicity, additional support needs etc. were statistically significant in relation to base attainment but not in relation to changes in attainment over time.

Pupil Equity Funding focuses on addressing equity and inclusion through giving school leaders’ autonomy in how to spend additional funds. The research contributes to understanding where Pupil Equity Funding should be targeted to increase equity. Building on this research schools could establish greater partnerships with one another and with the third sector to utilise funding to increase joint curriculum offers or increase shared student support options.

This paper presents a study on quality teaching (Hollins, 2011; Lovat & Toomey, 2009) in rural schools characterised by age heterogeneity. The focus on Italy provides useful reflections on school systems with similar characteristics and problems.

The research fits into the discourse on equity in education (Griffiths, 2003; Hackman, 2005), understood as a commitment to guarantee quality schooling to all students by responding to their specific educational needs and valuing heterogeneity without reducing it to a non-existent standard (Pica-Smith & Contini, 2020). In this sense, multi-age classes are a challenge in rural contexts (Cornish, 2009; Fargas-Malet & Bagley, 2022; Lund & Karlberg-Granlund, 2023): they are often viewed with concern by families and by teachers, who feel more comfortable in age-homogeneous classes. Conversely, age homogeneity represents a cultural trait (Rogoff, 2004) that does not allow for an appreciation of the benefits of different ages and learning styles in the classroom (Gray, 2012).

The paper aims to answer these questions:

• how can equity and quality be promoted in rural schools?
• how is quality teaching in multi-age classrooms designed in terms of organisational and pedagogical practises?

An action research was conducted in a K-8 rural school in Italy. A qualitative approach was used; data were collected through focus groups, logbooks and a final open-ended questionnaire and thematically analysed (Braun & Clarke, 2021).

Teachers and leaders reviewed school organisation and pedagogical methods. The actions concerned three areas: synergy with the territory and the community; reorganisation of school time; creative use of professional resources. In this way, it was possible to improve the quality of teaching and consequently students’ school experience through a design that consciously takes into account the age heterogeneity.

This paper aims to contribute to the reflection on quality teaching by highlighting its importance in contexts characterised by age heterogeneity.

Nurturing effective leaders for social justice is crucial for transforming the landscape of education as effective leadership draws collaborative inferences from and for people of different race, gender, ethnicity, religion, caste, culture for social justice. As schools face challenges of demographic shifts, equitable and socially just practices reflected in people's behaviours are critical aspects of an inclusive institution’s environment.

This research studies the role of leadership in addressing challenges of the diverse educational landscape, and in developing learning environments that support student learning with inclusive and equitable instructional practices (Harris, 2009). The paper critically appraises experiences of Indian School Principals through a qualitative study conducted on 15 leaders selected from Government and Private Public schools of Punjab district in North India that collected data through interviews and focus group discussions.

Research questions of the study are-

What role does leadership play in creating inclusive and equitable education systems?

How can effective leadership be developed to lead socially just education systems ?

The results show that effective leadership practices that foster inclusive learning environments included practices like recognizing social identities, integrating conflicting ideas and overcoming stereotypes and creating workplace settings compatible with effective instructional practices. The study emphasizes need for leadership development programs that link theory to real field problems, provide mentoring and encourage collaborative professional learning.

The study highlights the pivotal role of school heads in driving change in diverse and complex educational settings as well as positively influencing equity in education ( Pont, 2017) and the importance of investing in developing leadership talent to create socially just education systems.

References

Harris, A (2009), 'Against the odds: Successful leadership in challenging schools'. In AM. Blankstein, P. D. Houston and R. W. Cole (eds), Building sustainable leadership capacity. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Pont, Beatriz. (2017). School Leadership for Equity: A Comparative Perspective. 10.1108/S1479-367920160000031007.