Closing the Poverty - Attainment Gap Dr Edward Sosu

Outline Key contexts of the attainment gap Three pillars for closing the gap 1.Understanding why/how poverty influences attainment 2.Using research evidence to inform our interventions 3.Systematic and smart use of data

Poverty and Education in Scotland “Little of the variation in student achievement in Scotland is associated with the ways in which schools differ... Who you are in Scotland is far more important than what school you attend, so far as achievement differences on international tests are concerned. Socio-economic status is the most important difference between individuals” (OECD, 2007, p.15).

Trends over time: Numeracy SSLN (2013) Is education system nurturing inequality? Is there improvement over time?

Why gap matters: Access to HE and future destinations MD=277 LD=

Closing the gap 1.Understanding why/how poverty influences attainment 2.Using research evidence to inform our interventions 3.Systematic and smart use of data

1. Understanding why/how poverty influences attainment Multiple factors and pathways….  Enriched vs disadvantaged home environment  Family stressors associated with poverty  Quality of parental guidance, support and networks  Parental investment – private tuition  School factors  Teaching and learning practices – ‘ability grouping?’  School exclusion – 65 vs 10 per 1000 (most and least deprived quintile)  Hidden cost of education – school trips and resources  Teacher expectations  Societal and structural  Residential segregation linked with school quality/funding/teacher stress  Income inequality

‘Myth’ of low parental educational aspirations? Aspiration guided by ‘rational decision’ Tend to have high aspirations Issue is how best to support them to turn aspirations to reality (Sosu, 2014)

1. Understanding why/how poverty influences attainment – why is this important? Can be context specific Can challenge our strongly held assumptions Help us select appropriate interventions Help schools and other stakeholders to argue for the resources needed to close the gap

2. Using research evidence to inform our interventions Various sources…  JRF report  Education Endowment Foundation  Institute of Effective Education (York)  Future research evidence Important to adapt but pay attention to the key ingredients for success – ‘fidelity’

Some key players Schools what approaches help - parental Involvement Local Authority Support and challenge Use of funding Prioritisation of attainment gap Issues around poverty reduction

3. Systematic and smart use of data attainment data, other background data - to directly feed curriculum and teaching decisions Collegiate interrogation of the data Who is making progress? Provide insight about implementation and impact of interventions

What data can help us see poor able students are falling behind whilst richer low ability students gain more. Courtesy of Prof Anna Vignoles (University of Cambridge)

Important elements for success of interventions  Evidence-based ‘basket of’ intervention  Data - monitoring of impact on student attainment  Adapting intervention to specific context  Beyond education – Tackling root causes of poverty in Society

Thank You Dr Edward Sosu Full Report freely available on JRF website Closing the attainment gap in Scottish education (Sosu & Ellis, 2014)