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The Effectiveness of English Secondary Schools for Pupils of Different Ability Levels

Author

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  • Dearden, Lorraine

    (University College London)

  • Micklewright, John

    (University College London)

  • Vignoles, Anna

    (The Leverhulme Trust)

Abstract

'League table' information on school effectiveness in England generally relies on either a comparison of the average outcomes of pupils by school, e.g. mean exam scores, or on estimates of the average value added by each school. These approaches assume that the information parents and policy-makers need most to judge school effectiveness is the average achievement level or gain in a particular school. Yet schools can be differentially effective for children with differing levels of prior attainment. We present evidence on the extent of differential effectiveness in English secondary schools, and find that even the most conservative estimate suggests that around one quarter of schools in England are differentially effective for students of differing prior ability levels. This affects an even larger proportion of children as larger schools are more likely to be differentially effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Dearden, Lorraine & Micklewright, John & Vignoles, Anna, 2011. "The Effectiveness of English Secondary Schools for Pupils of Different Ability Levels," IZA Discussion Papers 5839, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp5839
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Lavy, Victor & Paserman, Daniele & Schlosser, Analila, 2008. "Inside the Black of Box of Ability Peer Effects: Evidence from Variation in Low Achievers in the Classroom," Foerder Institute for Economic Research Working Papers 275712, Tel-Aviv University > Foerder Institute for Economic Research.
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Are schools effective? It depends on how good you are
      by kevin denny in Kevin Denny: Economics more-or-less on 2011-08-01 13:11:46

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Annalisa Loviglio, 2023. "School Quality Beyond Test Scores: the Role of Schools in Shaping Educational Outcomes," Working Papers wp1184, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    2. Loviglio, Annalisa, 2023. "School Quality beyond Test Scores: The Role of Schools in Shaping Educational Outcomes," IZA Discussion Papers 16111, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Smyth, Emer & McCoy, Selina, 2011. "Improving Second-level Education: Using Evidence for Policy Development," Papers EC5, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    4. Sushmita Nalini Das, 2014. "Do "Child-Friendly" Practices affect Learning? Evidence from Rural India," DoQSS Working Papers 14-03, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    5. Doris, Aedin & O'Neill, Donal & Sweetman, Olive, 2019. "Good Schools or Good Students? The Importance of Selectivity for School Rankings," IZA Discussion Papers 12459, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Brendan Houng & Moshe Justman, 2013. "Comparing Least-Squares Value-Added Analysis and Student Growth Percentile Analysis for Evaluating Student Progress and Estimating School Effects," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2013n07, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    7. Moshe Justman & Brendan Houng, 2013. "A Comparison Of Two Methods For Estimating School Effects And Tracking Student Progress From Standardized Test Scores," Working Papers 1316, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    value added; school choice; school effectiveness; England;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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