介绍： Education: Not-so-super heads
Beware head teachers promising quick improvements
From The Economist 20161022

Audio:

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Dumbledore, cynical careerist
AS ANY schoolchild knows, a good head teacher can make a difference. Not only do assemblies become less boring but, if the head sets sensible priorities,...

介绍： Education: Not-so-super heads
Beware head teachers promising quick improvements
From The Economist 20161022

Audio:

0:00



Dumbledore, cynical careerist
AS ANY schoolchild knows, a good head teacher can make a difference. Not only do assemblies become less boring but, if the head sets sensible priorities, pushes funding to the right places and hires great teachers, the school will thrive. Fail to do so and it may flounder. Some research suggests that about a quarter of the difference in schools’ impact on pupil attainment is explained by the quality of the head.

A study published in the Harvard Business Review on October 20th suggests that the best heads are not always the most celebrated. Academics at the Centre for High Performance, a research group, looked at changes made by 411 heads over a seven-year period. The results imply that parents and policymakers should be wary of head teachers who bring fast improvements in exam results.

For quick gains often come at the expense of long-term advances. Typical measures that heads employ to boost exam results include putting the best teachers in charge of classes that are about to take tests, excluding unruly pupils and cutting the time devoted to activities unrelated to exams. Grades rise, but only briefly. Focusing on the pupils about to take their exams means that younger year-groups are neglected. Excluding disruptive pupils means less cash from the government.


Among the heads who employed such tactics, results always declined in the years after they left, with 37% of schools ending up worse than when they started. And because this sort of head teacher often leaves after a couple of years, the subsequent decline is attributed to their absence rather than their poor management while in charge, says Alex Hill, one of the authors.

The best heads sometimes take a while to make an impact. Many have previously worked outside education and thus bring a new perspective. They link up with nearby primary schools so they can shape pupils from an early age. They tackle misbehaviour by moving the most disruptive children to separate classes, rather than excluding them. They focus on improving the quality of teachers. Within three years or so, results improve—and they continue to do so long after the head has left.

Yet those who “play the system” for quick improvements are rewarded with gongs by the government, says Mr Hill. This encourages others to follow their path. Moreover, the pressure on schools that fail to hit performance targets is as strong as ever. If ministers took a longer view, so might more head teachers.


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