Researchly Reflections and Possibilities: Within and Beyond ‘So How Was School Today?’ Gavin Murphy Research Fellow, School of Education, University College Dublin Endeavour Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education (July-December 2018)
3. (ii) Possible signposts for leadership practices 2. (i) Reflection on design 1. Overview, main concepts, main idea in Irish context 3. (i) Possible signposts for evaluation 2. (ii) Reflection on findings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=273&v=e6iBCmkyHLA
Striking findings • Students have little autonomy (self-rule) and control over what happens to them in school. • Most students did not feel they could explain themselves without conflict. • Less than half of students are satisfied with counselling and career guidance services, and just half are satisfied with the availability and quality of learning support. • Girls-only schools have higher levels of exam stress. • The survey suggests that as young people move through the secondary school system they become less positive in their attitudes about school. More research is needed to explore how the school system connects with the experiences of young people as they get older.
Overview and setting the ‘leadership’ scene • Student voice and participation (SVP) is a ‘hot topic’ in both Ireland and Australia, but is it a ‘fad’ or a new order of experience? • It is reflected in the policy context and, consequently, in how we think about and do leadership and school improvement • E.g. The Inspectorate (Ireland); Amplify (Victoria) • Rudduck and McIntyre (2007) make clear that it is also necessary to underline that without ‘firm commitment from the school’s leadership it is difficult for individual teachers to take the risks involved’ (p. 177) to engage in SVP (i.e. to embed SVP in pedagogic process rather than as a response to the pedagogic ‘product’) • Power sharing at ‘commencement of education and not as its end point’ ( Biesta in Mockler & Groundwater-Smith, 2014, p. 18). A key issue in voice is power: who has the power to exercise their voice and whose voice is silent. • Quinn and Owen (2016) indicate, consultation leading to pupil centeredness is only likely to be achieved contingent on the disruption of administrative legacies by including young people in administrative structures of schooling – leads to issues of trust; • Distributed leadership hinges on trust, reliance, and obligation (Spillane, 2006). Muijs et al. (2010) and Devine (2013), for example, argue that distributed leadership can include (and should recognise) SVP.
Improvements and challenges of SVP • Improvements in learning and in attitudes related to school have been reported by children and by adults, such as teachers and student teachers (Cook-Sather, 2009), when children are consulted and engaged with in authentic dialogue and consultation, including in the secondary school (Day, Gu, & Sammons, 2016; de Róiste, Kelly, Molcho, Gavin, & Nic Gabhainn, 2012; Pekrul & Levin, 2007). Moreover, when students have a say at school their wellbeing also improves (Anderson & Graham, 2016). • Many challenges exist in realising this in practice , however, particularly given the legacies of hierarchical structures in secondary schools which appear to impact the inception of more democratic and collegiate leadership practices (Bush, 2010; Smyth, 2016). • Thinking of (certain) children and young people in asset -based or deficit-based ways. • Another challenge for leaders is in the evaluative -generative tensions related to student voice and participation.
The policy context in Ireland • National Strategy on Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-making, part of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures: The National Policy Framework for Children and Young People, 2014-2020. • Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Department of Education and Skills work together given that the goal is “to ensure that children and young people will have a voice in their individual and collective everyday lives” (p. 3) • Other objectives of the strategy are to promote effective leadership to champion and promote participation of children and young people; develop education and training for professionals working with young people; and to mainstream the participation of children and young people in the development of policy, legislation and research.
The UNCRC • Article 12 means that young people have the right to give their opinion, and adults should listen to them. • Article 28 means that young people have the right to an education, and they should be encouraged to go to school. • Article 29 means that education should be designed to help young people develop their skills and abilities.
Children’s rights and the Lundy model
Hart (1992): Ladder of participation Youth-initiated, shared decisions with adults Youth-initiated and directed Adult-initiated, shared decisions with youth Consulted and informed Assigned but informed Tokenism Decoration Manipulation
Lodge (2005) in Ainscow and Messiou (2017) • Lodge ( 2005) categorises four types of participation. • Students are passive • quality control ( sts used for institutional gains) • students as sources of information (used for school improvement but not engaged with) • Students more active • compliance and control (serves institutional goals but involves students and gives them their right to discuss school) • and dialogue: ‘‘It is more than conversation, it is the building of shared narrative. Dialogue is about engagement with others through talk to arrive at a point one would not get to alone’’ (p. 134).
Observations • Providing ways for students to influence their schools and help make key decisions benefits them. It improves the school culture and the learning environment, so students should be considered partners in learning. (Lundy 2007, Devine and McGillicuddy 2016, Downes 2013, Symonds 2015, Rudduck 2007.) • Students are concerned that all aspects of their lives – what they wear, eat, do, think and learn – are controlled when they are at school. But students have little say on what is happening and how it affects them. (Devine 2003.) • Student councils/ student voice teams often have little influence on what happens in schools. They are not able to bring about major change. Instead, they are consulted about behaviour and discipline. (Fielding 2011, Keogh and White 2005, Osler 2010, Rudduck 2007.) • For some, this is seen as tokenism, defined as a ‘term is used to imply a criticism of behaviours that are seen to be for the sake of appearance’ as well as the inclusion/ exclusion of a group of people. • Young people are ‘additionally disadvantaged compared to the adult groups who are subjected to tokenism due to generally accepted assumptions of their lack of capacity and dependency’ (Lundy, 2018, p. 342)
• Teachers may be reluctant to let students have their say because they are worried about disruptive behaviour and discipline. (Devine, 2002) Teachers experience pressures because of our very competitive, exam-focused system that results in teachers teaching to the test. This has a direct effect on students’ experience. (Devine, Fahie and McGillicuddy 2013.) • The way students are permitted to share their opinions is inconsistent, and it may not be done to benefit students and their schools. There is a risk that these councils are organised only because evaluations require it. (Rogers and Gunter 2012.)
Some practice ‘issues’ observed • Not democratically-electing representatives of the student representative council, and not having diverse membership across all year groups. Occasionally it has been observed that, unfairly, voices across different year groups are given unequal weighting – THE GOOD CHILD • A lack of profile in the school climate afforded to the student representative council and facilitating its efforts to include the wider student body’s voice and, thus, priorities in the life of the school - MARGINALISATION • Adequately promoting and engaging in interaction between the student representative council and the board of management (the administration of Irish secondary schools) - ADMINISTRATION • Providing leadership training by way of induction for representatives of the student representative council • In turn, that the student representative council are encouraged by school leadership to seek to represent the voices of the wider student body - REPRESENTATION • Embracing the necessity to develop a formal and consultative whole-school approach to meaningful facilitation of student voice, particularly in relation to decision-making processes in the school. These initiatives could include school planning partnerships – E.G. CURRICULUM
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