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

24. A task-oriented, orderly, and relaxed school/classroom climate prevails insuccessful schools. They contain competent teachers who attend regularly andexpress ownership of and commitment to the school, are able to implement thecurriculum completely and on time, and with concern for student learning. Parents(both fathers and mothers) become aware of these school characteristics through theattitudes and behavior of their children in the household.Recommendations25. Officials must learn of the importance of the key qualitative indicators found todistinguish successful from control schools, and successful schools must be suitablyrecognized. The World Bank should discuss these core aspects of quality schoolingwith the government, as a basis for planning and action.26. Consistent ways of conducting rapid surveys of these qualitative indicators shouldbe developed by provincial Directorates of Primary education with World Bankassistance. These surveys could build on existing instruments, including thosecreated for this study.27. Local officials, head teachers, teachers, and parents should participate in thecollection and utilization of data on the qualitative aspects of successful schoolchange. Workshops presenting findings on the importance of class climate, teachercompetence, and teacher ownership/commitment can be used to initiate locallygeneratedplans for change.General ConclusionLocal Definitions of Success28. Parents’ definitions of school success are similar in both successful and controlschools; they relate to aspects of the school, the staff, and students that are readilyobservable. Parents of children in less successful schools are however, morelikely to accept levels of quality that don’t meet their expectations.Specific Findings29. Parents (both fathers and mothers) and community leaders from both successfuland control schools are very knowledgeable about some aspects of a school’sfunctioning. They express clear and concrete expectations of schooling, with specificgoals in mind.