This book presents a comparative ethnographic understanding of government and low-fee private schools in India within the context of ever-increasing privatization and commercialization of education and the growing presence of non-state actors. Drawing on rich empirical data, the book provides an ethnographic account of a government and a low-fee private school in Hyderabad, India, and explores life in these two distinct spaces through the lens of culture. While private schools catering to the poorer sections have been proliferating, little is known about how these low-fee private schools operate, how choices and negotiations unfold, the classroom discourses, subjective meanings of different stakeholders, and the kind of education provided in these schools vis-à-vis the government schools. The book focuses on the educational experiences, schooling choices, processes, and voices of the children and teachers at these schools to reflect on how school culture influences the quality of education. Based on intensive fieldwork and qualitative data, the book provides contextual insights into what exactly happens inside the schools and classrooms of two contrasting schooling provisions in India and helps understand the world views of different stakeholders as they negotiate their daily lives. The book will be of interest to students, researchers, and teachers of education, sociology of education, childhood studies, urban education, and teacher education. It will also be useful for education policymakers, educationists, education professionals, and those working on private schooling in India.

Successful School Leadership identifies the characteristics, behaviours and practices of successful and effective school leaders through the adoption of a systemic view of the quality of school organizations. Edited by Petros Pashiardis and Olof Johansson, chapters explore the similarities and differences between successful and effective school leaders and across various socioeconomic contexts. Capitalizing on the experiences of the international contributor team, this book will inform the preparation and further development provided to school leaders in an era where ministries of education, universities and multinational organisations (such as the OECD) are increasingly interested in the leadership of our schools. Systematic analyses of multi-perspective data provided from around the world and offers the readers a comprehensive picture of the key behaviours and practices central to successful and effective school leadership. An original contribution to the theoretical perspectives on the subject is derived through insights from empirical research, case studies, and bibliographical literature from the field.

The National Assessments of Educational Achievement Series introduces readers to key concepts and issues related to assessments of student achievement levels. The first volume focuses on policy issues which should be addressed when designing and carrying out a national assessment. It features country case studies, and descriptions of major international and regional assessment programs. The remaining books in the series cover test development, sampling, data cleaning, statistics, report writing and using national assessment results to improve educational quality.

La connaissance remplaçant progressivement les matières premières et la main-d'oeuvre en tant que ressource clé du développement économique, la disponibilité de savoirs et savoir-faire humains est cruciale pour déterminer le taux de développement économique d’un pays et sa compétitivité sur le marché international. L'utilisation croissante de la capacité nationale d'évaluation a permis aux ministères de l'Éducation de décrire les niveaux nationaux des acquis des élèves dans les principales disciplines et de comparer ceux des principaux sous-groupes (tels que les garçons et les filles, les groupes ethniques, les élèves des milieux urbains et ruraux, et ceux des établissements publics et privés). Cela leur a également fourni des données probantes pour confirmer ou réfuter les affirmations d'amélioration ou de dégradation des normes de performance des élèves dans le temps. En dépit de l'accroissement de l'activité d'évaluation, la valeur potentielle des données fournies par les évaluations est encore mal reconnue, et les compétences requises pour mener une évaluation techniquement solide continuent à manquer. Lorsque les pays réalisent une évaluation nationale ou participent à une évaluation internationale, l'information ainsi recueillie n'est pas souvent complètement exploitée. Évaluer les niveaux nationaux de performance dans l'éducation décrit les objectifs et les caractéristiques des évaluations nationales ainsi que les questions liées à la conception, la mise en oeuvre, l'analyse et la production des rapports. Ce volume décrit également les principales évaluations internationales, régionales et nationales dans un grand nombre de pays. Cet ouvrage sera d'un intérêt certain pour les pouvoirs publics nationaux, régionaux et étatiques, les institutions de recherche et les universités.

Many observers consider Fe y Alegr a a successful organization, but very few rigorous evaluations have been conducted.This volume is devoted to an assessment of the performance and selected aspects of the management and pedagogical practices of Fe y Alegr a, a federation of Jesuit schools serving approximately one million children in 20 countries, mostly in Latin America. The available quantitative evidence suggests that the federation 's schools often do reach the poor, and that students in Fe y Alegr a schools tend to perform as well on test scores, if not slightly better than comparable students in other schools. Qualitative data and case studies suggest that the factors that lead to good performance are complex and related not only to the types of inputs or resources used by the schools in the education process, but also to the management of these resources, and the ability to implement and test innovative programs. Other factors that support this argument include the capacity and flexibility to implement and test innovative programs that take into account the local realities.This volume will be of interest to researchers, policy makers and practitioners working in service provision through public-private partnerships and especially by faith-based organizations.CHAPTER 1FE Y ALEGR A SCHOOL PERFORMANCE AND PRACTICES: A BRIEF OVERVIEWThis chapter presents a brief summary of the contributions in this volume devoted to an assessment of the performance and selected aspects of the management and pedagogical practices of Fe y Alegr a, a federation of Jesuit schools serving approximately one million children in 20 countries, mostly in Latin America. The available quantitative evidence suggests that the federation 's schools often do reach the poor, and that students in Fe y Alegr a schools tend to perform as well on test scores, if not slightly better than comparable students in other schools. Qualitative data and case studies suggest that the factors that lead to good performance are complex and related not only to the types of inputs or resources used by the schools in the education process, but also to the management of these resources, and the ability to implement and test innovative programs. Other factors that support this argument include the capacity and flexibility to implement and test innovative programs that take into account the local realities.CHAPTER 2THE PERFORMANCE OF DECENTRALIZED SCHOOL SYSTEMS: EVIDENCE FROM FE Y ALEGR A IN THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELAThis evaluation estimates the impact on the performance in standardized test results of graduating from Fe y Alegr a private schools in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. We find an average treatment effect of 0.1 standard deviations, using students from public schools as control group. We claim that the better results by Fe y Alegr a students are due to Fe y Alegr a 's higher flexibility to select and hire teachers, and to a decentralized administrative structure.CHAPTER 3PERFORMANCE OF FE Y ALEGR A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN COLOMBIA: IS IT A MATTER OF FE (FAITH) OR ALEGR A (JOY)?Fe y Alegr a is a catholic network of schools that started operations in Colombia in 1971, and in 2009 served more than 72,000 students in 61 schools. This chapter assesses the performance of Fe y Alegr a secondary schools in Colombia using test scores for Spanish and mathematics, as well as detailed information on the characteristics of the household to which students belong. Simple statistics suggest that Fe y Alegr a schools perform worse than other schools for all years in the sample. However, Fe y Alegr a schools also cater to poorer students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Once controls are included for student background, Fe y Alegr a schools actually often perform as well and in some cases better than other schools for mathematics and Spanish, thus partially reversing the previous finding. CHAPTER 4FE Y ALEGR A SCHOOLS IN PERU: ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT AND PEDAGOGY MODEL AND LESSONS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATIONFe y Alegr a constitutes an example of a privately managed education system funded on a shared basis. In Peru, schools enjoy higher levels of autonomy to set their guidelines and make decisions. Two studies show that Fe y Alegr a schools have better internal efficiency and performance indicators than comparable public schools. By using interviews with key stakeholders and focus groups, this chapter analyzes the factors behind the success of Fe y Alegr a schools. Such factors include higher levels of independence to generate and manage resources; a favorable institutional environment; the selection, tutoring, supervision, and training of teachers; greater autonomy and authority for school principals; and adaptability to local realities.CHAPTER 5LITERACY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSThe process of learning to read and write is determining for all subsequent learning, since the majority of what is learned in school involves these two abilities. As one moves forward to the next grade, the use of written texts, which are the most widespread, cheap and effective form of knowledge transmission, increases. There are several reasons why Fe y Alegr a in Chile launched a new literacy program in schools: i) it was found that many students read poorly, which made it difficult for them to learn; ii) low-level learning of reading and writing was not being completed in first grade, and iii) there was a group of students who could not be taught how to read. The new program, which was based on an exhaustive diagnosis that took into account the reality of Fe y Alegr a schools, generated improvements in reading speed and enabled schools to teach how to read to all students.CHAPTER 6POPULAR TEACHERS TRAINING FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF PRACTICESThe training program of popular teachers, now known as global plan, has as objective to broaden and strengthen the training processes of Fe y Alegr a staff through various modalities to contribute to their personal development; identification with the identity, mission and vision of the movement; ownership and implementation of the popular education model of quality; and efficient management. The program has served more than two thirds of teachers and managers of the federation around the world. From a diagnosis of the training needs, the program has been consolidating a Federation 's training proposal that attempts to coherently respond to the purposes of its educational ideology, to the analysis of the society they aspire to transform and to the kind of teacher needed to achieve it. This article describes how to articulate, implement and fund the global training plan for managers and teachers. CHAPTER 7MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR RURAL EDUCATION NETWORKS: AN ALTERNATIVE FOR TRANSFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT - FE Y ALEGR A PERUIn the mid-90s, after 30 years in Peru, Fe y Alegr a decided to venture into rural areas that were the most affected by nearly two decades of political violence. This chapter describes the adaptation process of the pedagogical proposal, designed for urban schools, to fit the reality of rural areas. Some of the important achievements of this strategy include increased hours of school work, reduced drop-out and absenteeism rates, improved teachers performance, and production of materials that fit the rural reality.