School self-evaluation and the role of a critical friend

School self-evaluation and the role of a
critical friend
Sue Swaffield* and John MacBeath
University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education, UK
School self-evaluation is receiving increasing attention in England, partly as a result of changes in
the Ofsted inspection framework giving greater prominence to what schools can do to speak for
themselves. The relationship between internal self-evaluation and external inspection was a theme
in a high profile policy speech made by the Schools Standards Minister, David Miliband, at the
North of England Conference in January 2004. As part of a ‘new relationship with schools’ heralded
in the speech, Miliband articulated critical friendship in terms of a ‘school improvement partner’.
This article draws upon a number of research projects to critique these proposals, especially in
respect of the role of a critical friend in school self-evaluation. Issues discussed include different
models of self and external evaluation, the importance of context, and the various ways in which a
critical friend can support school self-evaluation.
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Iklan Bebelac (You're My Everything)

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Tragedy as Political Theory

This paper attempts to save Hegel’s claim that tragedy involves mutual guilt on the part of the adversaries in the drama. More specifically, it is claimed that a reading interested in the political theory of tragedy has to work in a different way than
has hitherto often been the case. For the claims regarding the ‘subjectivity’ of interpretation can be countered if the interpretation of the play is based on an internal critique, i.e. in a normative assessment proceeding from the principles stated by the adversaries
themselves. Hence, it is argued that in Sophokles’ Antigone not only Kreon, but also Antigone herself is inconsistent in her attachment to the bonds of philia, of the community of the ‘one womb’ that she wishes to protect. This implies that the tragedy
itself shows the self-destructive nature of Antigone’s ‘laws’ and that this normative reading can be developed out of the work of art itself. Read More...... 

A Mother’s Journey: Educating a Gifted Child

Posted on March 4, 2011 by download4rticles

When the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law on January 8, 2002, my son was halfway through the first grade. Little did I know that the NCLB, which sounded like a good idea at the time, would have a ripple effect that would rob my son of a decent education. You see, my son is a gifted learner. I’m under no illusion that he’s the next Albert Einstein, but his scholastic abilities definitely outpace those of his classmates. Like many gifted kids, his social maturity doesn’t match his intellectual maturity, so he’s had challenges in his relationships with other children. Nonetheless, during first and second grade, he already knew all of the curriculum. Unfortunately, there was no mechanism in place for him to get into an accelerated learning program. Instead, his class was split into two; the students who were proficient started and ended the school day a half hour earlier than those who needed remediation. The students who were remedial learners got their extra half hour after the “earlies” left for the day. Being new to the public school system, I thought I simply needed to be patient. I believed that, once he was “officially” GATE-identified going into third grade, a new world would open up for him. Unfortunately, because of NCLB standards, the money for the extended school day ended and the after school GATE program was abolished. Teachers and administrators repeatedly told me that it was important that learners of all ability levels stay in the same classroom, and that the key to teaching GATE students was differentiated instruction. My son’s experience with differentiated instruction is that it really doesn’t exist. The so-called enrichment programs for accelerated learners were always too little, too late. These programs were run by parent volunteers, and despite my asking about them repeatedly, my son never had the opportunity to participate in them. It wasn’t until my son entered fifth grade that I figured out that I had to more than advocate on behalf of my son; I needed to raise a stink. I became a member of the GATE Parent Advisory Committee and the School Site Council. I volunteered to lead some of those enrichment programs, and started a grassroots movement to keep parents of other accelerated learners informed and involved. I brought a math acceleration program to the school through sheer force of will. Having sat on various committees, I’ve been privy to the bottom line that school administrators have to face because of NCLB. Virtually all of the school’s resources must be utilized to bring students who score “Far Below Basic,” “Below Basic” and “Basic” in annual proficiency tests into the “Proficient” category. It’s a numbers game, but it’s a game in which everyone loses. Even though the teachers at my son’s elementary school – though, with 1,200 students, it’s more like a small town – have moved every student in those categories up as far as they’re able to travel, district goals and funding mandate that the effort continues. So, for example, if there are four fifth graders with learning disabilities who have maxxed out at “Below Basic,” the school must continue to expend an inordinate amount of resources in a vain effort to get two of the four to reach the “Basic” level of proficiency. Unfortunately, the NCLB has no provision for meeting the needs of GATE identified students. Again, from sitting on the various committees, I have seen the numbers of students who score in the “Advanced” category dwindle as they drop down from “Advanced” to “Proficient.” In the laudable effort to ensure that the students at the lowest proficiency levels achieve their potential, our brightest students are being left behind. New studies have shown that, if accelerated learners aren’t engaged and challenged in elementary school, their dropout rates in high school and college equal that of students who have less scholastic aptitude. As a mother, that makes me worry about my son’s future. As an American, it makes me worry about the future of our country.