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School Supports Learning - CESE 2023 Print or save as PDF

How is it defined?

Effective teachers support student learning by being knowledgeable of and adapting to their students’ needs (Porter & Brophy, 1988). Teachers can also support learning by having high expectations for all students. These teacher beliefs and expectations can influence student’s self-perceptions and, consequently, academic outcomes (Rubie-Davies, 2006).

The Learning Bar’s Parent Survey is based on a framework developed by Joyce Epstein designed to foster positive relations between school and community (Epstein et al., 2002). The survey covers parents’ perceptions of their children’s experiences at home and school, as well as the extent to which parents feel the school supports learning and positive behaviour and promotes a safe and inclusive environment.

Why is it important?  

  • Parent and teacher expectations influence student’s perceptions of their ability, which in turn affects their academic outcomes (Benner & Mistry, 2007).  
  • There is a need for educators to differentiate instruction in order to meet the diverse readiness levels, interests, and learning profiles of students (Tomlinson et al, 2003).
  • Student engagement levels can be increased when teachers help students understand the relevance of schoolwork in relation to their interests and goals (Assor, Kaplan, & Roth, 2002).

How do we measure it?

In Tell Them From Me, parents respond on a five-point scale which is scored as follows: 0 (Strongly Disagree), 1 (Disagree), 2 (Neither Agree nor Disagree), 3 (Agree), and 4 (Strongly Agree). The data are scaled on a 10-point scale and the results are reported as ‘the average score for school supports learning’.

 

References

Assor, A., Kaplan, H., & Roth, G. (2002). Choice is good, but relevance is excellent: Autonomy‐ enhancing and suppressing teacher behaviours predicting students' engagement in schoolwork. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72(2), 261-278.

Benner, A. D., & Mistry, R. S. (2007). Congruence of mother and teacher educational expectations and low-income youth's academic competence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(1), 140- 153.

Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2002). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Porter, A. C., & Brophy, J. (1988). Synthesis of research on good teaching: Insights from the work of the institute for research on teaching. Educational Leadership, 45(8), 74-85. Rubie‐Davies, C. M. (2006). Teacher expectations and student self‐perceptions: Exploring relationships. Psychology in the Schools, 43(5), 537-552.

Tomlinson, C. A., Brighton, C., Hertberg, H., Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., Brimijoin, K., Conover, L. A., & Reynolds, T. (2003). Differentiating instruction in response to student readiness, interest, and learning profile in academically diverse classrooms: A review of literature. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 27(2-3), 119-145.