Closing the attainment gap – a realistic proposition or an elusive pipe-dream?

Abstract

The attainment gap associated with socio-economic status is an international problem that is highly resistant to change. This conceptual paper critiques the drive by the Scottish Government to address the attainment gap through the Scottish Attainment Challenge and the National Improvement Framework. It draws upon a range of theoretical perspectives but principally examines the problem through the lens of Steiner- Khamsi’s (2014) concepts of ‘reception’ and ‘translation’ of policy and through examination of the international and national (Scottish) policy contexts. The paper argues that, rather than focussing narrowly upon attainment outcomes, an holistic approach should be adopted which takes account of the economic, social and relational constraints which impact upon families in poverty, calling for a systems-level approach. ‘Schools cannot go it alone’: there is a need to focus upon a wide range of public policy to redress inequalities in society. Whilst the Scottish Government has looked to the London/City/National Challenge as a potential solution to the problem, the complexities and limitations of policy borrowing need to be understood. Higher Education Institutions, government agencies, local authorities and schools need to work in partnership to develop research informed practice which will impact upon learning outcomes for all children and young people

Underestimating the Relationship Between Academic Advising and Attainment: A Case Study in Practice

“…In this sense, the results indicate a positive impact on student experience but from a student perspective the primary focus of advising was not about academic attainment in the sense of educational attainment as discussed earlier but rather "holistic attainment." Within this study, rather than focusing narrowly on the relationship between attainment and advising (Movat, 2017), these findings move away from this concept and value the role academic advising offers in terms of support with a wider range of aspects related to university life and beyond, such as wellbeing, pastoral, and employability support.…”

Is there a place for place in educational attainment policy?

“…However, schooling in Scotland is influenced by a similar high-level policy agenda, with recognition of the importance of education to the globalised knowledge economy, as well as concerns about social justice. Scotland's adherence to this agenda became stronger after the publication of an OECD report (Teese et al, 2007) on the quality of Scottish schooling (Audit Scotland, 2014;Mowat, 2018). Some argue that English and Scottish education systems have both become fully neoliberal.…”

Interrogating the concept of ‘leadership at all levels’: a Scottish perspective

“…Bush (2012), amongst others, argues for the need for caution, citing four conditions of which account needs to be taken -the salience of the culture and context; the resources; the degree of centralisation in the education system; and preferences for certification, or leader choice (p.67). Comparative studies demonstrate that the cultural and political context is often ignored or underplayed when consideration is given to the 'transfer' of policy from one context to another (Feniger and Lefstein 2014, Mowat 2018, Steiner-Khamsi 2014: it is 'deeply rooted in political, social, and economic decisions' (Steiner-Khamsi 2014, p.162). Steiner-Khamsi identifies two key aspects of policy borrowing -the reception of the policy (the degree to which it attunes with current imperatives within an education system and can be accommodated) and the translation of the policy into practice (ibid).…”