Originally, numerous factors influence the quality of any public school. The fact is that the professionalism and qualification of the teaching personnel is one of the most important. As for the location of the school, few researchers have argued on this factor, as directly it does not influence any educational process, nevertheless, the location of a public school defines the geographic range of the students who will be studying in this school and tutors, who will be working in the school. Nevertheless, it is not a defining factor, and, it should be emphasized that the original value of the location factor is closely emphasized with the matters of the socio-economic environment of the school. Thus, this paper aims to argue on the matters of the socio-economic environments of different schools and compare it with the school, which is marked as “Your School” in the datasheet. The argumentation will also touch upon the matters of input and experience of the educational personnel.
Discussion
The most important factor of the socio-economic analysis is the percentage of the various ethnic groups and national minorities, which are represented among students. Thus, the analyzed school is regarded as the school with the largest ethnic diversity. In comparison with the other schools, the percentage of Asian students is the largest. The same is with Filipino, Hispanic and Pacific students. Nevertheless, the amount of white students and African Americans is the lowest (in comparison with the other schools), which means that the analyzed school is located in an ethnically diverse region. Because the analysis of the quality is closely associated with the socio-economic environment, it should be emphasized that the ethnic diversity of the schools is the direct consequence of the geographic location of the school. In the light of the represented data, it should be emphasized that the necessity to regard the quality of the school educational performance through the prism of ethnic diversity may be grounded by the values of education in general. Thus, the Total Quality Approaches, which may be applied for the allover performance of the school management may be associated with the cultural values of the ethnic groups.
Another factor of the socio-economic environment is the size of the school. This factor defines the capacity of the school, and the number of students, the school will be able to educate. As for the size of the school, Smith (352) emphasized the following statement:
How we define large and small makes a difference in understanding the relationships of size, cost, and quality. What is small in a densely-populated New England state may be large in mostly rural Northwestern Minnesota where transportation time and costs are bigger factors. Distinctions between schools and school districts are also important. A large district could have many small schools; a small district could have one large school.
The size of the analyzed school is the largest among all the three analyzed schools. It enrolls 2740 students; nevertheless, the amount of those students who did not receive any graduation after public school is one of the least. On the one hand, these indicators are defined by the largest amount of students, on the other hand, the total amount of those who did not receive any graduation (not percentage) is comparatively the same. Thus, this can not be regarded as the indicator of the quality level, consequently, it is the direct consequence of the social environment. In the light of this consideration, it should be emphasized that the necessity to argue on the matters of the size of the school provides an opportunity to analyze the percentage of the students who proceeded with their higher education, and students who did not. Originally, this factor is closely associated with the size of the school. On the other hand, this size may be the reason for the size of the district, where the school is located. The district size is generally referred to as the entire process of education, starting from kindergarten and up to the twelfth year of school education.
Originally, the economic environment of the school defines the level of difficulty with problem families and students, originating from these families. Originally, it should be emphasized that such statistics are best shown based on the further education of the students. Thus, by the available data, the available educational level is one of the highest (94%). Considering the size of the school, the amount of students is the highest. The percentage of those who did not graduate from high school is lower than the average indicators, and the same is on the matters of those who graduated the high school.
Basing on these indicators, it is possible to estimate the socio-economic environment of the schools, as the future education of the school leavers may be used as an indicator of the effectiveness of the education process, which is, in its turn, defined by the socio-economic environment of the geographic position.
The following factor, which may be used for the analysis of the school effectiveness, and the values of the educational process is the input. The governmental investments into the educational system of various geographic regions may be regarded as the indicator of the school’s effectiveness. Thus, the high investment rates may signify the extensive development of the school, and the effective educational performance of the school. As Walker et al. (186) claimed:
Inputs are factors that makeup what the school or district has to offer its students. They include money, books, materials, equipment, attributes of teachers and specialized staff, course offerings, and facilities. Recent research indicates that spending more money does not necessarily mean improved student achievement. This does not discount the fact that costs vary across the country and within states due to differences in the distances students travel to the school and related transportation costs. It does suggest factors other than money make a bigger difference in how well students learn.
The factor of the input is hard to relate to the socio-economic environment of the school, nevertheless, the aims of these inputs may be analyzed through this perspective. Thus, if the finances are invested in the educational materials, it means that the educational process is effective, and the school is developing. If the materials are invested for the restoration of the building or educational materials, the socio-economic environment is not favorable for the effective development of the educational process.
The most important factor, which is not associated with the socio-economic environment of the school, but which influences the educational performance of the personnel is the experience and credentials of the teaching personnel. As for this factor, it should be emphasized that the factor of professionalism is quantifiable, and, as Griffin (34) emphasizes, this factor reflects the aspects of the teaching quality, showing the effectiveness of the teaching process on the instances of the teacher’s actions. As is emphasized by Campbell et.al.(203)
Techniques such as mastery learning, cooperative learning, parental involvement, and homework are among the practices increasingly seen as effective means to improving educational quality. In the light of this fact, it is emphasized that students learn better in schools that “do a few things well” through a limited, focused curriculum.
In the light of this perspective, it should be stated that the performance of the educational process, which is assessed based on the students’ performance may be considered objective, nevertheless, it will not be full.
Conclusion
Finally, it should be stated that the educational and professional performance of the analyzed school is closely associated with several factors. One of the most important is ethnic diversity, as students are treated equally by each other, and the cultural values of various ethnic groups are valued in the educational process. Another factor is the size of the school, nevertheless, it is not as important as the input factor, thus, input and the economic characteristics of the school and students (as well as their families) may be used for assessing the effectiveness of the educational process. Finally, the teacher’s performance, experience, and license should be regarded as the defining factor of educational effectiveness.
Works Cited
Campbell, Jim, Leonidas Kyriakides, Daniel Muijs, and Wendy Robinson. Assessing Teacher Effectiveness: Developing a Differentiated Model. New York: RoutledgeFalmer, 2004.
Griffin, Robert S. Underachievers in Secondary School: Education off the Mark. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2008.
Smith, Mortimer. And Madly Teach: A Layman Looks at Public School Education. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company, 2002.
Walker, Susan K., and David A. Riley. “Involvement of the Personal Social Network as a Factor in Education Effectiveness.” Family Relations 50.2 (2001): 186