Schools

History of Public Schooling in Europe

• 16th century Scotland (still church-run)

• first government-run schools for non-aristocratic boys

Germany - Schools

law for “school of the people” 8 years of public school in 1919

• inclusion of girls 1920

Residential Scools In Canada

assimilation of Indigenous children into mainstream Canadian society

Residential Schools Attempted To

eliminate Indigenous languages and cultures

• children were seperated from thier families

Residential Schools Were Run By

churches

• many cases of abuse

• harsh living conditions, high death rates

Last Residential School to Close

Nunavut 1996

Increased Participation in Secondary Education: US

• universal trend → started more than 130 years ago

• will continue in developing countries

Proportion of 14-17 Year Old Population Enrolled in Schools

• increased between 1910 and 1940

• continued to increase until 1970 and then leveled off

How Many Individuals 14-17 are in School Today

more than 95%

What Allowed Families to Send Their Kids to School

• rapid urbanization and industrialization

• child labour laws

By Early 1900s High Schools Became

more industry focused helping young people contribute to the economy

Canada’s High Schools Today Are Offered In

a variety of formats

• public, private, boarding, catholic, christian

School Experience Influences

everyday life for most teenagers around the world

Schools Set Teenagers on Different Paths For

• education and career choices

• life opportunities

Schools are Multilevel Institutions That

• affect adolescents development

• cut across all systems in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems View

Microsystems

• student-teacher interactions

• engagement of students in learning tasks

• interactions between students

Mesosystems

• connections between school and home

• connections between school and community services (social workers, health services, police)

• communication between teachers

Exosystems

• teacher education and professional training

• teacher conferences

Macrosystems - Structure of School Systems

• grouping of students according to ability level

• enrichment programs, special needs education, ESL

• public vs. private schools

Macrosystems - Timing of School Transitions

kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high-school

Macrosystems - Provincial and National Educational Policies

e.g. “no child left behind”, french immersion

Macrosystems - Funding

• buildings, learning materials

• teacher salaries

Teacher-Student Relationships Foster

student engagement and learning

• intrumental and social support

Student Achievement is Enhanced When

teacher establishes smoothly running procedures:

• monitoring student progress

• providing feedback

• enforcing accountability for work completion

Teachers Pedagogical Goals - Performance

teachers believe that the goal of learning is to demonstrate level of ability relative to other students

Negative Effects For Students With Lower Achievement

• use more low-level strategies to learn

• experience more negative effects (anxiety)

• devote more attention to making themselves look smarter

Teacher’s Pedagogical Goals - Mastery

teachers value progressive skill development

Effects of Mastery

• less disruptive behaviour

• less anxiety

• more positive emotions around learning

School Climate That Promotes Better Outcomes

• high expectations that children can learn/master the core curriculum 

• each person has inherent value and dignity beyond academic matters

• competent leadership and mutual support among school staff 

• equitable treatment of teachers

• spirit of innovation, opportunities for professional development

School Size - Smaller Secondary Schools Provide

opportunities that foster engagement and achievement

• closer relationship between studetns and teachers

• greater adult monitoring

Ways of Grouping Students

• grouping within classes

• educatioal tracks

Educational Tracks

• tracking early or late in school career

• degree of selectivity

• flexability to switch tracks

Tracking

seperating students into different classes based on their academic abilities

What Does Tracking Do

exposes children to different teachers, peer groups, and social comparison groups

• students can learn at an appropriate academic level

Lower Tracks

• less experienced and prepared teachers

• lower quality of instruction

• negatively affect achievement and motivation

High Tracks

improve achievement and educational opportunities

Big Fish Little Pond Effect

individuals have a lower self-concept or confidence when they are surrounded by high-achieving peers than when surrounded by lower-achieving peers

Big Fish Little Pond Effect Studies Show

consistently negative effect of class-or-school average student ability on individual self concept after individual ability level is taken into account 

Teacher Behaviours That Promote Autonomous Motivation

• listening to students

• making time for students independent work

• giving students an opportunity to talk

• acknowledging signs of improvement and mastery

• encouraging students efforts

• being responsive to students comments and questions

School Autonomy

• responsibility of schools for curricular and intructional decisons

• managing of financial and meterial resources

• personnel

Summer Learning Gap

children from disadvantaged families learn and forget more over summer vacation

Cooperative Classrooms

promotive, mutual help and sharing resources

• higher achievement

• more positive social relationships

Competitive Classrooms

oppositional, distrust

• lower achievement

• less positive social relationships

Individualistic Classrooms

indifference to other’s goals and efforts

• lower achievement

• no social relationship

Characteristics of Good Schools

• emphasize intellectual activities

• employ teachers who are committed to students and have freedom to teach effectively 

• well-integrated into the communities they serve 

• composed of classrooms, where students are active participants 

• staffed by teachers who are well-qualified and who have received specific training in teaching adolescents

Canadian Provinces - High School Graduation

• high school graduates Canadian average - 85%

• yukon - 64%

• northwest Territories - 55%

• nunavut - 35%