Parent and student voice in evaluation and planning in schools

Abstract

Current approaches to the regulation of schools in most jurisdictions tend to combine elements of external inspection with systems of internal self-evaluation. An increasingly important aspect of the theory and practice of both, but particularly the latter, revolves around the role of other actors, primarily parents and students, in the process. Using literature review and documentary analysis as the research method, this article explores the research literature from many countries around the concerns of schools and teachers about giving a more powerful voice to parents and pupils. Then, focusing on Ireland, this article tries to clarify three things, official policy concerning stakeholder voice in school self-evaluation and decision making, the efforts by schools to implement this policy and the response to date of school leaders and teachers to this rather changed environment. Using Hart’s ladder of genuine, as opposed to token, participation, it is argued that policy mandating parental and student involvement has evolved significantly, that schools have responded positively and that there is little evidence, as yet, of teacher concern or resistance. This response is explained by the low stakes and improvement-focused education environment; the controlled, structured and simplified nature of the self-evaluation process; and the limited extent of parental and student participation in decision making.

Student voice and classroom practice: how students are consulted in contexts without traditions of student voice

“…This paper draws on interview data gathered from 55 school staff and 46 students in seven Irish post-primary schools. Five of the schools were visited as part of an Erasmus+ funded project entitled 'Distributed Evaluation and Planning in Schools' (for more information about this project see Brown et al 2020aBrown et al , 2020bBrown et al , 2021. Data gathered from these five schools have been reported elsewhere, highlighting how student voice in Ireland continues to focus on non-academic matters (see Brown et al 2020b).…”

Educational networks: a key driving force for school development in a time of crisis and change

“…It has also seen an increased permeability of school boundaries with a requirement to engage and network with different stakeholding groups in meaningful and potentially transformational ways. Thus ideas such as parental and student voice in education have moved from a relatively peripheral position to the centre of discussions about how a transformed educational landscape can ensure that teaching and learning remain maximally effective [29]. At the heart of many of these discussions is an 4 Discussion: educational networks and Covid-19 appreciation that the dialogue initiated cannot remain at single school level and must take place across networks and systems that encompass areas, regions and potentially nations [27,30].…”

Researching how student voice plays out in relation to classroom practice in Irish post-primary schools: a heuristic device

“…The arrival of the Student and Parent Charter Bill could possibly give rise to increased surveillance. Given that this development 'reflects the Government's commitment to introduce a stronger complaints procedure and charter as it includes a requirement for schools to follow standardised procedures in dealing with grievances of students and their parents' (www.education.ie), it is plausible that the threatening nature of both student and parent voice (Brown et al 2020b) will be augmented in Irish schools. Ultimately, the charters schools operate 'will give a statutory underpinning to the role of parents and students not only in relation to the aspects of school life covered by SSE in a school at any one time, but on any matter of interest and concern to students and parents at any time' (Department of Education and Skills n.d., 8).…”

“…Are early career teachers and middle leaders more relaxed about management-level consultations? Recent research would suggest that some schools in Ireland are now more open to including the views of students in SSE (Harvey 2015;O'Brien et al 2019;Brown et al 2020aBrown et al , 2020b) but it must be considered that this positivity emanates from data largely gathered from school websites and those in leadership positions and on designated SSE teams. While principals might find student voice useful, including in relation to classroom practice, as elsewhere, will different teachers have different views?…”