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The Obstacle Race to Educational Improvement: Governance, Policies, and Practices in Disadvantaged Schools

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Title: The Obstacle Race to Educational Improvement: Governance, Policies, and Practices in Disadvantaged Schools
Language: English
Authors: Edgar Quilabert (ORCID 0000-0001-8260-6169), Antoni Verger (ORCID 0000-0003-3255-7703), Mauro C. Moschetti (ORCID 0000-0002-0162-6860), Gerard Ferrer-Esteban (ORCID 0000-0001-7394-3139), Marcel Pagès (ORCID 0000-0003-3438-9379)
Source: British Journal of Sociology of Education. 2024 45(6):934-956.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 23
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Barriers, Educational Improvement, Governance, Educational Policy, Educational Practices, Disadvantaged Schools, Accountability, Educational Innovation, Urban Schools, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Spain
DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2024.2376596
ISSN: 0142-5692
1465-3346
Abstract: Contemporary educational reforms emphasise school autonomy, performance-based management, and accountability as necessary policies for attaining improvement goals. Despite their widespread adoption, the configuration and enactment of these policies are discretionary and contingent, deeply influenced by the interaction of local contexts, organisational features, and teachers' beliefs about policy and pedagogy. Apart from these challenges, schools serving disadvantaged students, often targeted for educational improvement, also struggle with significant organisational constraints and policy overload. This study explores how disadvantaged urban schools make sense of their policy environment and engage with the school improvement mandate through different logics and practices. The analytical framework stresses the policy filtering and adaptation processes that school actors undergo when tasked with multiple implementation demands, and how these interact with school contexts to produce diverse responses. This research is conducted in Catalonia, Spain, and adopts a sequential mixed-methods strategy, relying on interviews with principals and teachers, as well as survey and administrative data. The findings are organised in four ideal types of school responses to the improvement mandate, showing the diverging ways schools engage with policy. Disadvantaged schools exhibit diverse improvement approaches despite sharing structural characteristics, explained by the interaction of contextual factors and organisational characteristics. Each ideal type prioritises different aspects, such as performance, innovation, or inclusive practices. The heterogeneity of school responses highlights the necessity for targeted, context-sensitive support to ensure equitable educational practices.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1436502
Database: ERIC
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  Data: The Obstacle Race to Educational Improvement: Governance, Policies, and Practices in Disadvantaged Schools
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Edgar+Quilabert%22">Edgar Quilabert</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-6169">0000-0001-8260-6169</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Antoni+Verger%22">Antoni Verger</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3255-7703">0000-0003-3255-7703</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mauro+C%2E+Moschetti%22">Mauro C. Moschetti</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0162-6860">0000-0002-0162-6860</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gerard+Ferrer-Esteban%22">Gerard Ferrer-Esteban</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7394-3139">0000-0001-7394-3139</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marcel+Pagès%22">Marcel Pagès</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3438-9379">0000-0003-3438-9379</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22British+Journal+of+Sociology+of+Education%22"><i>British Journal of Sociology of Education</i></searchLink>. 2024 45(6):934-956.
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  Data: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Barriers%22">Barriers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Improvement%22">Educational Improvement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Governance%22">Governance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Policy%22">Educational Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Practices%22">Educational Practices</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Disadvantaged+Schools%22">Disadvantaged Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Accountability%22">Accountability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Innovation%22">Educational Innovation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Urban+Schools%22">Urban Schools</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1080/01425692.2024.2376596
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  Data: 0142-5692<br />1465-3346
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  Data: Contemporary educational reforms emphasise school autonomy, performance-based management, and accountability as necessary policies for attaining improvement goals. Despite their widespread adoption, the configuration and enactment of these policies are discretionary and contingent, deeply influenced by the interaction of local contexts, organisational features, and teachers' beliefs about policy and pedagogy. Apart from these challenges, schools serving disadvantaged students, often targeted for educational improvement, also struggle with significant organisational constraints and policy overload. This study explores how disadvantaged urban schools make sense of their policy environment and engage with the school improvement mandate through different logics and practices. The analytical framework stresses the policy filtering and adaptation processes that school actors undergo when tasked with multiple implementation demands, and how these interact with school contexts to produce diverse responses. This research is conducted in Catalonia, Spain, and adopts a sequential mixed-methods strategy, relying on interviews with principals and teachers, as well as survey and administrative data. The findings are organised in four ideal types of school responses to the improvement mandate, showing the diverging ways schools engage with policy. Disadvantaged schools exhibit diverse improvement approaches despite sharing structural characteristics, explained by the interaction of contextual factors and organisational characteristics. Each ideal type prioritises different aspects, such as performance, innovation, or inclusive practices. The heterogeneity of school responses highlights the necessity for targeted, context-sensitive support to ensure equitable educational practices.
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      – Text: English
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Barriers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Improvement
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      – SubjectFull: Governance
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      – SubjectFull: Disadvantaged Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Urban Schools
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Spain
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