The debate about the comparative underachievement in education of children from low Socioeconomic status (SES) is one that governments and societies have gnashed their teeth over for generations. Still clear in my head, are the images of the forced busing of black students in the USA in the 60's in an attempt to change local school demographics.
Statisticians, and even worse, politicians can argue the numbers. Salvatore Gargiulo's sabbatical report quotes research that says that 27% of NZ children live in poverty. The UNICEF's report, Measuring Child Poverty shows NZ as mid table for OECD countries, just behind Australia, just ahead of the UK, and way ahead of the USA.
In education over the last thirty years, schools have been measured, and by some, even judged by measuring their SES. The decile system has ranked schools in an attempt to try and level the playing field and increase the resources that schools with predominantly lower-SES students. In some ways, this has entrenched the disadvantages that many children from low-SES battle daily. Some families choose to move their children from schools with a low decile ranking and seek what they deem to be a superior education. At the same time, some families from low-SES conditions are prepared to make sacrifices to try and move their child into a higher decile school as well.
We saw the influence of this decile difference in the education of our own daughters. The girls moved from a mid decile school to a decile ten, Remuera school. Their attitudes changed immeasurably. Their comments were, "it's no longer cool to muck around and make the teacher's life difficult." Average or just passing was no longer the norm. To be measured, exellences were the new mark. The goal posts had moved. Doctors and lawyers had become the new aspiration. "School culture is influenced by the school’s pupils and their social class background."
Decile rankings are a crude, rudimentary measurement tool. My wife is the principal in a decile 10 school. Despite this ranking, she has students who come from low-SES families who struggle to make ends meet. In an affluent environment, they have to make adjustments for students who need more support that the others. The adjustments are not just financial like paying for trips and stationery, it is also for social deficits: inappropriate emotional responses, making allowances for seemingly inappropriate social decision making, and social rejection.
I have worked most of my career in low decile schools. My students have predominantly been low-SES children. I have seen all the stereotypical characteristics of no lunches, little stationery, sick on trip days etc. But I have never seen any data that has counted the numbers. I couldn't ever say how may students in my class could be categorised as living in poverty.
The schools I have worked in have worked tirelessly to overcome the disadvantages these students live with. I have been lucky, in that despite our low decile rating, somehow we had managed to attract quality, hard working teachers that could make a difference in their students lives.
The American Psychological Association has highlighted a key difficulty that students from low-SES schools suffer from. "Children in low-income schools are less likely to have well-qualified teachers." Sadly, I have seen that with my own eyes. I have worked in other low decile schools as my role as an ICT facilitator. Some of the teachers I worked with had limited English abilities. I knew that those teachers would never get a job at a high decile school.
Eric Jensen (2009) talks about the stressors that children who grow up in low-SES conditions have. His research shows that these stressors undermine school behavior and performance. It is his observation that the effect of these stressors is cumulative.
There is a silver lining to this dark cloud. The American Psychological Association website also said "Research indicates that school conditions contribute more to SES differences in learning rates than family characteristics do." Therefore, learning environments do make a difference. I saw that in the school I worked in. Good teachers with a growth mindset and minimal deficit thinking can make a difference.
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind: What being poor does to kids' brains and what schools can do about it. ASCD.Chicago
http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/education.aspx
Statistics New Zealand Measuring child poverty in New Zealand: Issues and practicalities
OECD. (2015). Education at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2015-en. Retrieved from http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/96...
Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture
Statisticians, and even worse, politicians can argue the numbers. Salvatore Gargiulo's sabbatical report quotes research that says that 27% of NZ children live in poverty. The UNICEF's report, Measuring Child Poverty shows NZ as mid table for OECD countries, just behind Australia, just ahead of the UK, and way ahead of the USA.
In education over the last thirty years, schools have been measured, and by some, even judged by measuring their SES. The decile system has ranked schools in an attempt to try and level the playing field and increase the resources that schools with predominantly lower-SES students. In some ways, this has entrenched the disadvantages that many children from low-SES battle daily. Some families choose to move their children from schools with a low decile ranking and seek what they deem to be a superior education. At the same time, some families from low-SES conditions are prepared to make sacrifices to try and move their child into a higher decile school as well.
We saw the influence of this decile difference in the education of our own daughters. The girls moved from a mid decile school to a decile ten, Remuera school. Their attitudes changed immeasurably. Their comments were, "it's no longer cool to muck around and make the teacher's life difficult." Average or just passing was no longer the norm. To be measured, exellences were the new mark. The goal posts had moved. Doctors and lawyers had become the new aspiration. "School culture is influenced by the school’s pupils and their social class background."
Decile rankings are a crude, rudimentary measurement tool. My wife is the principal in a decile 10 school. Despite this ranking, she has students who come from low-SES families who struggle to make ends meet. In an affluent environment, they have to make adjustments for students who need more support that the others. The adjustments are not just financial like paying for trips and stationery, it is also for social deficits: inappropriate emotional responses, making allowances for seemingly inappropriate social decision making, and social rejection.
I have worked most of my career in low decile schools. My students have predominantly been low-SES children. I have seen all the stereotypical characteristics of no lunches, little stationery, sick on trip days etc. But I have never seen any data that has counted the numbers. I couldn't ever say how may students in my class could be categorised as living in poverty.
The schools I have worked in have worked tirelessly to overcome the disadvantages these students live with. I have been lucky, in that despite our low decile rating, somehow we had managed to attract quality, hard working teachers that could make a difference in their students lives.
The American Psychological Association has highlighted a key difficulty that students from low-SES schools suffer from. "Children in low-income schools are less likely to have well-qualified teachers." Sadly, I have seen that with my own eyes. I have worked in other low decile schools as my role as an ICT facilitator. Some of the teachers I worked with had limited English abilities. I knew that those teachers would never get a job at a high decile school.
Eric Jensen (2009) talks about the stressors that children who grow up in low-SES conditions have. His research shows that these stressors undermine school behavior and performance. It is his observation that the effect of these stressors is cumulative.
There is a silver lining to this dark cloud. The American Psychological Association website also said "Research indicates that school conditions contribute more to SES differences in learning rates than family characteristics do." Therefore, learning environments do make a difference. I saw that in the school I worked in. Good teachers with a growth mindset and minimal deficit thinking can make a difference.
Bibligraphy
Jensen, E. (2009). Teaching with poverty in mind: What being poor does to kids' brains and what schools can do about it. ASCD.Chicago
http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/education.aspx
Statistics New Zealand Measuring child poverty in New Zealand: Issues and practicalities
OECD. (2015). Education at a Glance 2015: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2015-en. Retrieved from http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/96...
Gargiulo, S. (2014). Principal sabbatical report. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Leadership-development/Professional-information/Principals-sabbatical-reports/Report-archives-for-2007-2014/Secondary-award-recipients-2014/Gargiulo-Salvatore
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture
Very interesting paragraph about the experiences when your daughters moved schools. What aspects of the school culture influenced the new thinking - their peers, the teachers, school expectations, something else? This attitude change by your daughters grabbed me. Made me think if being in a school has students thinking like this, then why in some schools and not others. What are the [school] cultural differences? Is this occurring in a secondary school? I teach in primary school and often students who muck around get focussed later at secondary school.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Mr Dash,
DeleteThe changes in the school culture were very much to do with expectations. The culture within this girl's secondary school was around success and achievement. This culture was influenced by different factors. The girl's themselves had high expectations, and little tolerance for anyone who disrupted their goals to achieve. Therefore, classroom behaviour was exemplary. My daughters responded to this environment, and strove to excel so that they could be accepted.
The extended school community, i.e. the girl's parents, the connections with ex-pupils through the alumni, the connected church all expected nothing but the best. The girls were surrounded by successful people and successful role models.
I can see why parents strive to get their children into schools that have a high achieving community as a network of support. Call it high decile if you want to label it that way. I can also see why parents choose not to send their children to schools where the community network is nonexistent, or negative, disruptive, and disinterested.
I always knew I wanted to work in low-decile schools. Having experienced a range of different educational experiences, I thought that here is where I could make the most difference and find purpose in my work. What I didn't expect is how much I would learn from a community that was different to myself. Working with kids who have had struggles through various aspects of their lives has taught me more about myself then any other experience I have had.
ReplyDeleteYour point about the quality of teachers is another thought provoking aspect to your reflection - and something I ponder often. I am very lucky to work with such a high quality of teachers around me!
I like your comment above about the importance not being the decile but instead the community itself and the presence of role models, and connections between school and home. Thanks for getting me thinking about some of these issues in a different way! Looking forward to your next post.
Thanks for your comments Elizabeth. It is good to hear from another growth mindset teacher who won't contemplate using community factors and background as an excuse. The fact that teachers and schools can make a difference is encouraging.
DeleteThe part you highlighted about being surrounded by role models is an area I would like to work at. Low decile schools often hold up sports stars as role models. While they are worthy, it seems unfair to say that being a Warrior or Silver Fern is what they should aspire to, when in all probability, a tiny percentage of them will ever get that far.
We need to tap into successful people from their own communities, people who are making successful careers, running businesses, going to university.
I really enjoyed much of your post as I could relate to it a lot. I am a teacher in a low ses school and have never thought about going anywhere else. It is the character of these kids that I love, the honesty and laughter that they provide. They inspire me to be a great teacher. Still working on this though.
ReplyDeleteI too also found the example of your own daughters very interesting and have never really thought about this before. We have students who see 'gangsters' and those on benefits as role models (Their words). Reflecting on this example makes me think why can't a lower ses have this. I guess it comes down to ironically the school culture and having high expectations that are the norm.
Again thank you for your post it has left me with much to think about.
Hi Jarrod,
DeleteI too, have heard all these 'gangster' role models glorified. And to be honest, most of them have no clue who the crips or bloods really are. Ask most boys in our schools what they want to be when they grow up, and its not a doctor or a lawyer, or a successful entrepreneur. More often than not, its a NRL star, or an All Black. I never want to squash this dream. I have taught Sonny-Bill Williams, Douglas Howlett, and sia soliola, and for these three, the dream did come true. But for most, they need a plan B to fall back on.
As a school, I would rather bring back successful kids from their community who are doing alright in whatever endeavour they are trying, than a successful Warrior or All Black.