Session Information
ERG SES H 06, Social Aspects of Education
Paper Session
Contribution
In Portugal, school achievement continues to be a matter for concern (Abrantes, 2009), constituting a complex social and educational problem (Cortesão & Stoer 1999) with personal, social and economic consequences (Stoer & Araújo 2000). Bernstein (1996), on a theoretical framework where social and educational actors may contribute to change “social determinisms”, emphasises the need for developing networks in and between schools, in order to achieve pedagogical rights, participation, personal enhancement and inclusion. Recognising the need for concrete, effective intervention in this area, this paper will concentrate on a study which analytically focuses on networking developed by schools to improve school achievement in the context of TEIP (Educational Territory of Priority Intervention schools) and how networking is perceived by specific actors (school directors and teachers coordinators of educational projects).
The research presented here is a part of a PhD research project funded by FCT that intends to look at school disengagement using a sociological approach, recognising the plurality and variety of the associated phenomena. The proposal focuses networking as a strategic model for the improvement of schools, particularly with regard to the promotion of school achievement. In this research, the concept of networking has an organising function in theoretical, conceptual and methodological terms. According to Hadfield et al (2006:1), networking in education consists of “groups or systems of interconnected people and organisations (including schools) whose aims and purposes include the improvement of learning and aspects of well-being known to affect learning”. The international research, particularly in England, points to the potential of networking in school education for promoting the achievement, inclusion, innovation (Chapman et al, 2010; Chapman 2010b), particularly with socially vulnerable groups (Muijs, 2008: Ainscow et al, 2006). These studies show that it is a powerful means to strengthen the capacity of schools to overcome the challenges they face and highlight its advantages in terms of widening the opportunities for students and for schools (Hadfield et al 2006; Chapman, 2010a; Muijs, 2008; Ainscow et al, 2006). There are researches on ‘federations’ or school clusters (Chapman et al, 2010; Muijs, 2008) that describe them as groups of schools who have a formal agreement to cooperate, seen as an important element in central government policies and a potential mechanism to increase the standards through collaboration (Chapman et al, 2010; Chapman, 2010a). In Portugal there is a growing interest researching these issues in education. Studies about networking in education have already been done, stressing that it is a dimension that intervenes in local educational and social development, in particular in the promotion of educational success (Araújo et al, 2012).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
• Abrantes, P. (2009). Perder-se e encontrar-se à entrada da escola. Transições e desigualdades na educação básica. Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas, 60, 33-52. • Ainscow, M., Muijs, D., & West, M. (2006). Collaboration as a strategy for improving schools in challenging circumstances. Improving Schools, 9(3), 192-202. • Araújo, H., Sousa, F., Costa, I., Loureiro, A., & Portela, J. (2012). Building local networking in education? Decision-makers’ discourses on school achievement and dropout in Portugal. In Cultures of education policy: International issues of policy-outcome relationships. Strasbourg: Analytics (forthcoming) • Bernstein, B. (1996). Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity – Theory, research, critique. London: Taylor & Francis. • Chapman, C., & Hadfield, M. (2010a). Supporting the middle tier to engage with school-based networks: Change strategies for influencing and cohering. Journal of Educational Change, 11, 221-240. • Chapman, C., & Hadfield, M. (2010b). Realising the potential of school-based networks. Educational Research, 52(3), 309-323. • Chapman, C., Lindsay, G., Muijs, D., Harris, A., Arneck, E., & Goodall, J. (2010). Governance, leadership and management in federations of schools. School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 21(1), 53-74. • Cortesão, L. & Stoer, S. (1999). Levantando a pedra. Da pedagogia inter/multicultural às políticas educativas numa época de transnacionalização. Porto: Edições Afrontamento. • Hadfield, M., Jopling, M., Noden, C., O’Leary, D., & Scott, A. (2006). What does the existing knowledge base tell us about the impact of networking and collaboration? A review of network-based innovations in education in the UK. Nottingham, UK: National College for school-leadership. • Muijs, D. (2008). Widening opportunities? A case study of school-to-school collaboration in a rural district. Improving schools, 11(1), 61-73. • Muijs, D., West, M., & Ainscow, M. (2010). Why network: Theoretical perspectives on networking. School effectiveness and school improvement, 21(1), 5-26. • Stoer, S., & Araújo, H. (2000). Escola e aprendizagem para o trabalho num país da (semi)periferia europeia. Lisboa: Instituto de Inovação Educacional.
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