ISERP OUTCOMES ACROSS

NATIONS

Nation

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

90% free lunch

90% free lunch
High test scores
Low test scores
Attractive campus in decaying
Well maintained but cramped
neighborhoods
campus in poverty-ridden area

Canada

CTBSscores ahead of low

Low CTBS scores
affectiveness Low-SES school
Geographically isolated, on a
Situated in inner city
reserve
Good Reputation built up over
Building a reputation
time
First Nations population
50% white, 50% ethnics
500 students
minority
Pupil/teacher ratio 18/1
300 Students
New building, good facilities
Pupil/teacher ratio 23/1
Old building

Australia

Netherlands

Stable population,
owner occupied
Cross section of all
occupations

Stable population,owner
occupied
Cross section of all
occupations

Adequate facilities
Low-SES/Ethnics
minority population
165 students, 8 teachers

Adequate facilities
Low-SES/ethnic minority
population
240 students,11 teachers

439 students in grades 1-

710 students in grades 1-

Norway
6

Conventional school
Conventional school
building
building
Typical middle SES
High-middle SES school
school
Well-maintained and
Recently developed living stable living area
area, mixed with old
Second and third
houses
generations families
1/3 immigrant families

NATIONS
US

Canada

Australia

More Effective LowerSES

Teacher attempted to
link students experiences
to academic contents

Time well managed

Formal classroom; high

levels of time on task
Routines well
established, no need for
administrative or
behavioral instruction
High expectations of
what children were
capable of

Less Effective Lower SES

Fragmented day
No attempt to link
students experiences to
academic content

Low attendance
rate(60%)
Tolerance of lateness
Formal classroom ;
moderate levels of time
on-task
Routine well
established, but
disobedience

Netherlands

High structured school day

Consistency of daily patterns
between/ within classes
Students work silently most of
the day

Variance in daily patterns

between/within classes
Openly enthusiastic student
population
Occasional discipline problems

Norway

Middle test scores in the three

case-study classes
Students are in general positve
about their teachers and school
One case study class got a new
teacher the second year

High test scores in the two cases

study classes
One of the classes had a
nagative attitude to their class
teacher and school in general
Both case-study classes got new
teachers the second year

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

Some teachers inclined

toward innovative practice

Traditional teaching
techniques

Canada

Firm discipline, some

shaming of troublesome
students
Mostly whole-class
interactive instruction

Low attendance rate(60%)

Tolerance of lateness

Australia

Mixed methods, whole

class group and individual
work
Approximate 1/3 wholeclass
Differentiated groups plus
always having works
available to maximize
coverage

Mostly group work

Approximately 1/10 wholeclass
Considerable use of
individual work with
worksheets

Netherlands

Norway

Whole class/ individual

Whole class/ individual
work teaching pattern
work teaching pattern
Acceptable teaching
Acceptable teaching
skills exhibited by all
skills exhibited by all
teachers order in all classes teachers order in all classes
Between teacher
differences in capacity to
maintain order
The class-teacher are
inclusive in their way of
teaching
They are concerned
about the individuals
students and their needs
Teachers in this school
use more time on class
organisation and social
regulation than teachers in
the other school

Teaching seems first of

all to be academically
orientated
Effective teaching time is
somewhat higher in this
school than in others
Students attentiveness
during lessons is
somewhat higher in this
school than in other

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

State/ district curriculum with

some teachers input in certain
subjects and grades

State/districts curriculum
implemented as mandated

Canada

Commitment to basic skills

Standard provincial
curriculum

Emphasis upon First Nations

Culture in art work etc
First Nation language
programme
Modified provincial curriculum
Native language programme

Australia

Considerable planning for

effective delivery of state
mandated curriculum
12.7 hours of math/ english
per child per week

Considerable planning for

effective delivery of state
mandated curriculum
9.5 hours of math/English weekly
No specific English/ Maths
homework
8

Netherlands

Norway

Traditional curriculum
covered
Speed of school day
controlled by teachers

Traditional curriculum
covered
Speed of school day
controlled by students
Mathematics method
does not fit with student
population
Native language taught
during hours for Dutch
language
-

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

50% PTO involvement

High parents participant for
lower SES

Little or no parents involvement

Little or no effort by school to
involve parents

Canada

Active involvement in PTA

Use of newsletter to parents
Regular meeting of parents
with their childs teacher

No PTA teachers left alone

Infrequent newsletter
Rare parent/teacher interaction

Australia

Considerable use of parents in

classroom, societies, etc. plus
fund-raising

Considerable use of parents in

classroom, societies, etc.

10

Netherlands

Norway

Occasional contact with

parents
Case-study classes run a
special family group
programme
Parents are generally
supportive of the school, but
need encouragement to be so

Parents assist with reading

lessons
Parents are quite concerned about
the leadership and management
functions at the school
Parents are interested in what is
happening in school and the
development of their children

11

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

Principle of 18years saw success

of students as her mission in life

Four principles in seven years

Canada

Committed to order,
instructional leader
Involving teachers in decisions
making: available to all students
Strong sense of mission
inculcated to all

Entangled in outside
commitments
Involvement in staff social
relationship

Australia

Strong commitment to
instruction and student welfare
more generally
High expectations of staff-open
door style
Autocratic when necessary

Strong commitment to school

walfare
Supportive of staff-democratic
management style

12

Netherlands

Norway

Team based decision making

Principle function primarily
administrative
Very outspoken principle

The principle quite new to the

school, she works on rebuilding
team structures and
responsibilities. She is focusing
on educational leadership

Team-based decision making

Principle function primarily
administrative

The principle has difficulties in

communicating with the teachers.
His autority is questioned

13

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

US

Consistently high for both

achievement and behaviour at
school

Consistently low for

achievement

Canada

Firm discipline, generated by

reward system with school wide
orientation

Discipline left to individuals

teachers

Australia

High expectations
academically and socially

High expectations
academically and socially, but
moderated by the perception
that some students may have
limits caused by home
background
Staff commitment to use of
assessment data
14

Netherland

High academic pressure

School-wide evaluation
system

Low academic pressure

Consequences of behaviour/
work not always clear

Norway

15

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

US

Three overall goals well

articulated and pursued

Goal articulated nor purseud

Canada

Strong social control

Importance of routine
Respect for students

Building strong, distinctive

social identity
Social outcomes emphasised
because of community
disintegrations

Australia

Optimisation of individual
achievement academically and
development of social and
effective behaviour
Very specific goals

Less Effective Lower SES

Optimisation of individuals
achievement academically and
development of social and
effective behaviour
Broad range of goals

16

Netherland
Norway

Focus on achievement
Well-articulated visions and
goals, focusing on the Weschool . A balanced view on
educational and social issues
The teachers are cooperating
in making the development plan

Focus on continuation in high

school
Well-articulated visions and
goals, focusing on the progressive'
school and academic outcomes
The development plan is a
products of the principles
initiatives and writings

17

NATIONS
US

Canada

More Effective Lower-SES

Professional relations centred
around grade levels
Considerable planning for
student assingment
Business like ; Slightly
strained because of budget
constrains

Less Effective Lower SES

Friendship formed along racial lines.
No planning for students assingment

Cliques, with a split between nonFirst nation and First Nations

teachers

Australia

Generally supportive

Netherland

Good relations between staff

members

Good relations between staff

members
More part time teachers

Norway

Teachers are inclined to say

school are typical cooperative
school
Staff relations are openminded and supportive

Teachers are inclined to say that the

school are not a typical
communicative and cooperative
school
18

NATIONS
US

Canada

More Effective Lower-SES

Best equipped inner city
school in district
Good quality of audio-visual
material; curriculum textbooks
and learning material

Australia

Classroom well stocked with

audio visual material and
textbooks

Netherland

Government funded

Norway

The classroom capacity is too

low for the intake of pupils
Extra funding is given due to
several students with learning
difficulties in accordance with a
local development
programmed

Less Effective Lower SES

No tangible outside resources
Noticeable dearth of technology in
classrooms
Good quality of audio-visual
material; curriculum textbooks
learning material

Classrooms well stocked with

audio visual material and textbooks
Government funded

The classroom capacity is

sufficients
The teachers complained about
textbook situation

19

NATIONS

More Effective Lower-SES

US

Canada

Minimum outside
involvement

Less Effective Lower SES

District office personnel avoided
school

Conventional relationship
with educational districts;
close links with health,
welfare, and police agencies

Complex relationship with local

autorities

Australia

No information collected

No information collected

Netherland

Purely administrative

Purely administrative

Norway

20

NATIONS
US

More Effective Lower-SES

Less Effective Lower SES

Generally good as fostered by

veteran principle

Negative, with residue from

previous school scandals

Canada

Little concern with image

because of an absence of
competition between schools

Positive image in the community

Australia

Active attempt to improve

image because of competition
between schools

Active attempts to improve image

because of competitions between
schools

Netherland
Norway

Positive image in town

The school carries an open
and inclusive atmosphere
The school is working on
various network-building
projects in the local community

Students withdrawn from school

The school carries a feeling of
anonymity
The staff climate reflects on goings
conflicts between the principle and
the parents
21