Quality EducationQuality EducationQuality EducationQuality Education

April 1st

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Definition

�The standard of something as measuredagainst other things of a similar kind; thedegree of excellence of something.

(Oxford Dictionary)

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Quality Education� Learners who are healthy, well-nourished and ready to participate and

learn, and supported in learning by their families and communities.

� Environments that are healthy, safe, protective and gender-sensitive,and provide adequate resources and facilities.

� Content that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for theacquisition of basic skills, especially in the areas of literacy, numeracyand skills for life, and knowledge in such areas as gender, health,and skills for life, and knowledge in such areas as gender, health,nutrition, HIV/AIDS prevention and peace.

� Processes through which trained teachers use child-centred teachingapproaches in well-managed classrooms and schools and skilfulassessment to facilitate learning and reduce disparities.

� Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and arelinked to national goals for education and positive participation insociety.

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Quality Learners

Good health and nutrition

Regular Early childhood

psychosocial Regular

attendance for learning

Family support for learning

psychosocial development experiences

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Quality Learning Environments

Physical

Quality school

facilities

Physical elements

Class size

Infrastructure

and materials

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Psychosocial

Peaceful, safe environments

Discipline

policies

Teachers’ behaviors

Psychosocial

elements

Non-violence

Inclusive environments

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Quality Content� Student-centred, non-discriminatory, standards-

based curriculum structures.

� Uniqueness of local and national content.

� Literacy.

� Numeracy.� Numeracy.

� Life skills.

� Peace education.

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Problems in reaching quality content� Teachers often find curricular integration and

interdisciplinarity difficult, especially when the teacherdoes not have a role in curriculum design;

� Subjects that do not appear on important examinationsare not always taken seriously;

� Social attitudes towards the subject may not befavorable, and cultural patterns are difficult to change;

� Social attitudes towards the subject may not befavorable, and cultural patterns are difficult to change;

� Ideas conceived in other regions of the world may notbe adequately adapted to the local context;

� Political and economic instability can lead todiscontinuity in policies and programmes, as well asteacher and administrator turnover.

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Quality Processes

• Professional learning.

• Competence and school efficiency.

• Ongoing professional development.development.

• Continuing support for student-centredlearning.

• Active, standards based participation methods.

• Feedback mechanisms.

• Beliefs that all students can learn.

• Working conditions.

Teachers

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• Administrative support and leadership.

• Using technologies to decrease disparities.

Supervision and disparities.

• Diversity of processes and facilities.

and Support

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Quality outcomes � Achievement in literacy and numeracy.

� Using formative assessment to improve achievement outcomes.

� Outcomes sought by parents.

� Outcomes related to community participation, � Outcomes related to community participation, learner confidence and life-long learning.

� Experiential approaches to achieving desired outcomes.

� Health outcomes.

� Lifeskills and outcomes.

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Bringing it together: Quality programmes

� Chile’s programme for quality improvement in primary schools.(90’s)

� Primary schools in disadvantaged areas of the country.country.

� 10% primary schools.

� 17 million in U.S. dollars.

� 7000 teachers, 400 supervisors, 2000 students.

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Components

� Improvement of learning environments.

Infrastructure , classroom libraries and learningmaterials.

� Teacher and supervisor training.

Teachers from grades one through four.Teachers from grades one through four.

Centred on improving teaching methods for basicskills and working more effectively with the localculture and community.

Modelled quality instructional practices andfacilitated change in teachers’ knowledge, skillsand attitudes.

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� Assistance for lower-achieving students.

Workshops delivered by young communitymembers who had been trained as part of theproject.

This format succeeded in strengthening learningand improving self-esteem and social competence.

� New textbooks

Provided to schools, along with manuals forteachers and supervisors.

Teachers received training on the new materials aspart of their weekly workshops.

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Evaluation � Programme evaluations found significantly improved

achievement among participating schools as compared to their prior performance and the performance of schools outside of the programme.

� These results indicate that focusing on key quality� These results indicate that focusing on key qualitydimensions within a learning system can have animportant effect on the students’ skills and, as a result,their life chances.

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