Associate Professor, school of educational studies, massey university
j.a.clark@massey.ac.nz
The Metro article on ‘Best schools in Auckland’ (Wilson level of thinking to embrace more intrinsic academic values 2012) is a timely reminder of some of the dangers of constructing such as a love of learning, the ability to challenge conventional and using league tables to rank schools based on their academic wisdom, generating novel solutions to problems, and engaging achievement. Although there are many problems concerning in critical thinking about what is learned. None of these qualities is captured by rankings. league tables, I will examine two which are of some concern. At the very best, rankings based on pass rates are no more than The first is what I call ‘the under-determination of theory by the data’ or, put more simply, the empirical evidence used to a snapshot at a moment of time in the continuum of academic generate the rankings is very limited and is not robust enough achievement in the lives of children and taken collectively for a to support the rankings themselves. In the Metro case, and the school represent no more an instance from which, unfortunately, same applies to all other rankings, the data collected is no more a generalisation is formed. Beyond this, there are simply far too than some empirical evidence collected at some point in time many variables contributing to the academic achievement of which is no more than a partial representation of the way things individual children to draw conclusions about school rankings. are. Metro uses three criteria – school leavers who obtained UE In other words, what is the connection, if any, between the standard or better, students in year 11 who gained merit or excellence in NCEA Level 1 and year 13 At the very best, rankings based on students who gained merit or excellence in NCEA Level 3 – to generate three rankings. The obvious pass rates are no more than a snapshot question to ask is whether these three criteria really do provide sufficient empirical evidence to support at a moment of time in the continuum of the conclusion that this school is to be ranked first academic achievement in the lives in a particular league table and another last. School league tables are one of the worst cases of the failure of children and taken collectively of induction – from one item of information, namely pass rates, a general conclusion is drawn that one for a school represent no more an school is to be ranked first in academic achievement instance from which, unfortunately, a and another ranked last when academic achievement consists of far more than end-of-year pass rates. One generalisation is formed. might hope that we can rise above this utilitarian
achievement of a child, the collective achievements of a group of children at a school and the rankings of schools locally and/ or nationally? More worryingly is the use made of league tables, and here again the Metro rankings are instructive of the sorts of odd policy conclusions which can be drawn. Consider the following: Then there are the Catholic schools. Take a look at our tables. Clearly, many of the Catholic schools in this city are adding super-brain juice to the communion wine. This is evident enough in the mid- and upper-decile levels, with schools like St Mary’s and Marist, and it’s even more true among the lower deciles. McAuley High School, a decile-one Catholic school for girls in Otahuhu, scores off the scale for a school with its demographics. De La Salle, also decile one, a Catholic school for boys in Mangere East, isn’t that far behind. (Ibid, p. 49) With misgivings, we might accept that this is a reasonably factual account of the situation. But the policy drawn runs smack into Hume’s intractable problem of deriving an ought from an is: In fact, although it might be hard to accept in these secular times, if this country is really going to get serious about eliminating the long tail of failure in our schools, it’s possible the single most valuable thing we could do is shoulder-tap the key Catholic educators and give them a free hand in low-decile schools that are not doing well. (Ibid, p. 49)
Several questions must be asked. What are the causes of this apparent level of academic achievement in these particular Catholic schools? Is it due to the principal? Does it lie with the students? Is admission to these schools open or selective? Can the conditions found in Catholic schools be reproduced in state schools? Even if they can be replicated, will they have the same effect? In other words, even if there are significant differences between Catholic schools and state schools which account for the claimed differences in academic achievement are they of a sort which, if introduced into state schools, could lead to enhanced academic achievement? One would need to be cautious in answering in the affirmative? So, from the Metro case, what are we to conclude about league tables in general? They contribute little to an understanding and appreciation of what academic achievement is all about, they are poor indicators of academic achievement, they tend to be used for often disreputable ends and in the end they turn out to be pretty meaningless anyway.
Reference Wilson, S (2012). ‘Best schools in Auckland’, Metro, July/August, pp. 44–52.
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