self sustaining primary school change in rural pakistan - Aga Khan ...

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FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS13. In what follows, we address 12 major topics from the study: success in quantitativeterms; success in qualitative terms; local definitions of success; grade repetition;major causes of school success; collegial relationships; shared goals; communitysupport; official support; school problem-solving; gender differences; andcontinuation/sustainability.14. For each of these topics, we present a general conclusion, then the specific findingson which it is based, and finally specific recommendations.General ConclusionSuccess in Quantitative Terms15. The assumption that there are government schools which have shown positivechange, and are perceived locally as successful, was supported. As a result ofinsufficient data, poor record-keeping and choices made by parents, however,generally accepted quantitative measures of school performance were notsufficient to identify successful schools.Specific Findings16. Successful boys’ and girls’ schools which have changed positively in recent yearswere identified in each province through careful fieldwork. For comparison, lesssuccessful (or control) schools were also located nearby which had not exhibitedsignificant positive change. These schools were identified through a combination ofsampling techniques that included review of existing statistics at the district andschool level, nominations of schools by supervisory personnel, and visits tocandidate schools.17. Quantitative indicators such as enrollment, retention rate, and repetition rate didnot consistently discriminate between successful and control schools on eitherpresent levels of functioning or degree of change. This is due to incomplete schoolstatistics at the district and/or school level, as well as a lack of other quantitativedata such as the size of the school-age population, which would help determinerelative increases in enrollment rates. Strong social factors extraneous to the school(such as the withdrawal of children, either for work or because of gender issues,decisions to enroll children in deficient schools where no other options existed, andthe presence of all-pass policies) also influenced the utility of these indicators.
18. Two quantitative indicators of success, student attendance and achievement, diddistinguish successful from control schools. The dimensions of these indicators thatwere present in successful schools – for attendance, the percentage of enrolledstudents attending class and length of daily attendance at school, and forachievement, the quality of student work – are closely tied to qualitative dimensionsof successful schools such as high, ongoing teacher attendance, mastery,commitment, and the ability to create a supportive classroom climate.Recommendations19. As the EMIS (Education Management Information System), with its provincialbranches, was not fully functioning and thus unable to help us consistently in thisstudy, it should be perfected, and should include attendance as an indicator fortracking school change. The World Bank, in its dialogue with the government,should also repeatedly stress the necessity of perfecting and updating EMIS toinclude data on teacher attendance.20. Accurate record keeping at the school level by head teachers and teachers, includingdata on the length of the school day, was found in successful schools. Good recordkeepingmust be systemized, encouraged, monitored, and rewarded by provincialDirectorates of Primary Education and district-level administrators. Links among allof these shareholders need strengthening in general, and this activity would fostersuch relationships.21. Participatory seminars and discussions involving government education offices,local offices, head teachers, teachers, parents and community leaders should be heldperiodically to determine the most useful indicators of school success, and todiscuss the best ways to use these data.General ConclusionSuccess in Qualitative Terms22. The successful schools proved to be very different from control schools on anumber of qualitative properties, including school/classroom climate, teachermastery /competence, curriculum implementation, teacher commitment, studentattitude, and community ownership of the school.Specific Findings23. Distinct differences exist between successful and control schools on all of the aboveindicators, not only in terms of current status but also in terms of improvementduring the past 5-10 years. However, the successful schools are distinguished fromthe control schools most consistently in terms of school/classroom climate, teacherownership/commitment, and teacher mastery/competence.
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