Getting Schools Working has its roots in research commissioned by the Presidents’ Education Initiative published in 1999 as Getting Learning Right. This new book addresses the methodology and shortcomings of the previous book. The authors provide a sustained reflection and analysis through their detailed review of the stream of research between 1998 and 2002.
Getting Schools Working provides a clearer understanding of the drivers of educational change. This is a bit like trying to
understand how best to change the course of nine supertankers (the provincial education departments) and reach the same destination safely. Larger tankers seem more difficult to manoeuvre than smaller ones; and some need a lot of repair-work while at sea.
The first chapter describes current systemic reform efforts in South Africa. The authors note that considerable financial and other resources have beencommitted to schooling. Yet, despite allocating more funds to poorer schools, improvements have been slow. Increased financial allocations on their own are likely to have little effect on these schools. More has to be done to improve the quality of learning experiences in schools and classrooms. The key assumption that the authors make is that any large-scale change requires key accountability and support measures at strategic leverage points.
The contested area of pupil assessment is discussed in chapter three. Opponents of testing argue that test results are inevitably used to judge pupils, teachers and schools or embark on interventions and are therefore counterproductive. However, the assessment data gathered by the authors and others does uncover some serious problems. At the end of the Foundation Phase learners only have a rudimentary grasp of the principles of reading and writing, and this deficit is difficult to address later in their school careers.
In chapter four the authors provide a detailed account of the factors that influence pupil performance and where they set out to answer the question: can schooling make a difference to learners from different social backgrounds? Their analysis reveals that racial inequality and unequal resources do have an impact on learner
attainment. Levels of parental education and wealth also have a strong association with outcomes. African and coloured children who live with both their parents obtain better schooling outcomes than learners who live with one parent or with guardians.
Pupils who learn in a language that is not their first language are also at a significant disadvantage. Matters are made worse when their teacher is not a first-language speaker. The authors propose that teachers be better prepared in their training to deal with
language challenges, and that learners get sustained practice in the language of the school. Schools also need to examine critically their language policies.
A social theory of schooling is developed in chapter five to better understand the relationship between the forces that shape the learning experiences of pupils. This theory of schooling is based on three assumptions: the socio-economic status of a child’s family has a powerful influence on the educational experiences of the child; resource factors such as learner-teacher ratios and teacher education levels are associated with pupil and school
performance; and management and leadership factors at the school and district can inhibit or facilitate the progress of children through the school system.
In the next three chapters, the authors are concerned with the factors in these three areas identified in chapter five that best promote learning. The authors are fairly confident about the results at classroom level, and believe that teachers can improve classroom practices as well as curriculum management systems. However, the authors are less confident at this stage about the results on school organisation and district level support.
Chapter eight is probably the most disconcerting. The authors
identify the district as the ideal level for the government to initiate and sustain school reform. The districts are shown to lack focus, capacity, resources and the necessary political climate to act with professional authority in providing routine school maintenance needs. This is particularly serious since schools with lower levels of knowledge and material resources are likely to benefit from stronger support from district officials.
Getting Schools Working is strong on statistics and causal links, but lacks analysis of the ethos of schools and districts. School reform is certainly about getting the right structures and systems in place — what about the hearts and minds? How do we get people in schools to raise expectations? To go the extra mile? How do we motivate districts to offer meaningful support to schools that help them do their jobs well?
The book has few shortcomings, is lucidly written and provides a valuable resource for policy makers, researchers and practitioners in the field of education.