Respect Conference

Educational Underachievement and Community Partnerships 29th November 2013 University of Ulster Magee

Paradigm Shifts
19th Century - Biological
20th Century - Psychological 21st Century - Sociological

Key Indicators

Social Deprivation
Social class is the biggest predictor of how well you do at school. The richer you are the more likely it is that you will do well at school. The more unequal a society is the greater the gap in health, education, crime rates etc. etc. The gap between the haves and have not's has risen sharply since the 70s
Why do some children from socially deprived backgrounds do well?

Why do more able poor children do less well than less able richer children?

Family
80% of learning happens outside of school. Mothers level of education crucial. Families under income stress are likely to suffer multiple deprivations. Almost all parents want to see their children succeed. Parents previous experience of education largely determines their level of engagement with schools Why are some children resilient enough to overcome sometimes horrendous family backgrounds?
Why are some families hard to reach? What do successful schools do to engage with all families?

Schools
Only 20% of learning happens inside schools. 80% variation within individual schools. Internal school improvement alone is unlikely to close the attainment gap. Standards agenda may have led to a widening of the attainment gap. Countries with schools with the lowest socio economic mix do better Why do some schools serving socially deprived communities seem to do much better than others? How do good schools develop strong links with parents and the wider community? What key skills do good school leaders possess and encourage?

Community
Children from communities with high social capital achieve better outcomes. Children from communities that work in partnership with local schools achieve better outcomes. Children from communities that see education as much more than schooling achieve better outcomes. Community regeneration can contribute positively to better outcomes Why do children from some communities do better than some other children? How do you build social capital? How can communities best support education? How can communities best support schools? How can communities best support vulnerable families? How can communities best support area regeneration?

Gender
Boys generally dont achieve as well as girls. Poorer boys do particularly badly in our education system. Boys are more likely to draw attention to themselves Boys tend to do better in mixed settings. Why are boys more likely to be found at the extremes of society? Is there a gender bias in schools and in broader society? Why do other education systems not have such ingrained gender issues?

Evidence Based Interventions

Early Interventions 0-3 Family Support

Early Teenage Years

Sport and Education

Magnet or Repellent?
Winning or Well-being? Competition or Collaboration?

Thank You
Sean Barr