Exploring the range and extent of senior secondary school effectiveness across three regions in mainland China

Abstract

This presentation reports research that examines the range of school effectiveness and the methods used to define and measure educational quality in mainland China. Key questions concerning data collection, statistical analysis and how data and evidence are used by different stakeholders for different purposes are also addressed, as well as the relevance of alternative “value added” evaluation methods in the Chinese context. Evidence is provided from the “Improving Educational Evaluation and Quality in China” project funded by UKAID/ESRC which has collected longitudinal examination and other data from 90,000+ students and 120+ schools across three regions. The findings are considered in relation to issues of context specificity, teachers’ professional development and school improvement.