Values and Self-evaluation of Schools in the Czech Republic Stanislav Michek

1. Values and Self-evaluation of Schools in the Czech Republic Stanislav Michek stanislav.michek@nuov.cz 15th April 2010, Helsinki

2. Content of presentation • Context of Czech Republic • WAY TO QUALITY - National project for school self-evaluation

3. Context information about Czech Republic educational system

4. History milestones • Until 1989 – very centralised system • From 1989 • Founding schools by private or religion founders • Demographic changes - decreesing of number pupils in education • 2001 – White paper (National Programme for the Development of Education) • 2001- 2003 Decentralization and autonomy of schools • 2004 – New Education Act and Educational Staff Act • Curricular reform: Framework Educational Programmes – School Educational Programmes • New role of Czech School Inspectorate • Self evaluation of schools

5. Principles of Education Education shall be based on the principles of • equal access of all citizens • considering the educational needs of an individual; • mutual respect, deference, toleration of opinions, and dignity of all parties in education; • free basic and secondary education of citizens • free dissemination of findings arising from the results of current knowledge of the world and in compliance with general goals of education; • the opportunity given to everybody to learn for all their life whilst being aware of having co-responsibility for one’s education.

6. Goals of Education General goals of education shall be, in particular, as follows: • the personal development of a human being who shall possess knowledge and social competencies, ethical and spiritual values for their personal and civil life, for the execution of a profession or working activities, and for acquiring information and learning in the course of life; • acquiring general education or general and vocational education; • understanding of and application of principles of democracy and a legal state, fundamental human rights and freedoms along with responsibility and a sense of social coherence; • understanding and application of the principle of equality of women and men in society; • the formation of national and state citizenship awareness and respect for the ethnic, national, cultural, language and religious identity of every person; • knowledge of global and European cultural values and traditions, understanding and acquiring principles and rules arising from European integration as a basis for coexistence at national and international levels; • acquisition and application of knowledge of the environment and its protection arising from the principles of sustainable growth and of safety and the protection of health.

7. Statistics

8. Founders of Schools

9. „Alternative Schools“

10. Czech School Inspectorate (1) The Czech School Inspectorate shall draw up strategic objectives for inspection activities and systems for evaluating the educational system. (2) The Czech School Inspectorate at schools and school facilities registered in the Register of Educational Facilities and at workplaces where practicum or vocational training shall, within its inspections: • acquire and analyze information on the education of children, pupils and students, on the activities of schools and school facilities registered in the Register of Educational Facilities, and monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the educational system; • determine and assess the conditions, course and results of education in accordance with relevant school educational programmes; • determine and assess to what extent the school educational programme is met and whether it is in compliance with legal regulations and the framework educational programme; • perform state checks to determine whether legal regulations relating to provision of education and school services are met; state checks shall be executed in accordance with a special legal regulation; • perform a public-legal audit focused on the use of funds allocated from the state budget. Public inspectorate reports

11. WAY TO QUALITY National project for school self-evaluation

12. LEGISLATION • Education Act 561/2004 and Decree 15/2005 (225/2009) • Self-assessment is mandatory for schools – included since 1.1.2005 • They have to evaluate their schools every three years. • Internal evaluation of schools is always focused on: • the school's goals; • analysis of the way in which the school fulfils its goals; • areas in which school achieves good results, and areas in which it is necessary to improve the quality of education, including proposals for appropriate measures to be taken; • efficiency of the chosen measures.

13. WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT SCHOOLS NEED? • consultancy support • further training • methodology support • financial support • methodology guidelines of self-evaluation • self-evaluation tools • websites with good practice examples • information about foreign approaches of self-evaluation

14. PROJECT WAY TO QUALITY • Self-evaluation: setting up system and supporting school in self-evaluation – Way to Quality • Duration: May 2009 – April 2012 • Budget: 77 million CZK (2 986 811 EUR) • About 200 employees (different contracts) • Supported by European Social Fund (ESF) and state budget from Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness • Project of Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports • Partners: • NUOV - National Institute of Technical and Vocational Education • NIDV - National Institute for Further Education • Experts from: • Faculties of education and educational institutes of Charles University (Prague), Masaryk University (Brno), Palacky University (Olomouc), University of Ostrava, University of Pardubice • Founders and municipalities

15. WAY TO QUALITY MAIN AIMS OF PROJECT • Methodical support in school self-evaluation as one of the steps in curricular reform • Supporting self-evaluation processes at schools as effective instrument of improvement in the quality of initial education • Link self-evaluation and external evaluation in discussion among schools, inspection and statutory authorities • Propose, verify and customize: • Methods and procedures of self-evaluation • Supporting systems for schools • System of teachers and leaders continuous training

16. PRIMARY TARGET GROUPS Management staff and teachers of these schools: Special nursery schools Primary schools Elementary schools of music and arts Conservatoires Grammar schools Secondary vocational schools Secondary technical schools Language schools with state language exam 507 schools expressed their interest in project activities SECONDARY TARGET GROUPS Pupils and students Experts in education Associations Organizations in education Decision makers Statutory authorities Inspectors Social partners (employers) Society (parents) Nongovernmental sector International partners WAY TO QUALITY

17. Key words as expression of the project value and principles • democratization of society, • culture of trust and shared responsibility, • quality, • effectiveness, • accountability, • sustainable development, • decision-making based on good-quality information, • mental hygiene, • patience • cultivation of the environment, • sensitive pressure, • partnership, • respect and understanding, • dialogue, • consensus, • reflection, • professionalisation, • reflection of foreign and domestic experience,

18. Before project: Self-evaluation is understood as administrative and bureaucratic requirement from top. Fragmented offer of the evaluation tools Fragmented examples of good practice Absence of consultation system supporting self-evaluation Further training focus on management of schools Sporadic exchange of experiences with self-evaluation Absence of link between self-evaluation and external evaluation After project: Self-evaluation is mostly understood as fundamental activity of improving the quality of education and school. Organized system of valid evaluation tools Reviewed offers of examples of effective practice Workable consultation system supporting self-evaluation Complex offer of further training for stakeholders (leaders, coordinators, teachers, inspectors, statutory authorities) Motivation for exchange of experiences with self-evaluation Workable and consensus link between self-evaluation and external evaluation WAY TO QUALITY ADDED VALUE OF THE PROJECT

19. WAY TO QUALITY OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT A. Research and analyses • Review of used methods, techniques, processes and experiences of schools • Review of stakeholders approaches to self-evaluation and external evaluation • Research of experience and attitude of target group, questionnaires measuring added value of the project • Analytical reports about self-evaluation in selected OECD and EU countries

20. Attitudes to self-evaluation N = 531 schools

21. Outcomes of project B. Development and validation • Databases of 30 valid self-evaluation methods, tools, techniques, e.g.: • Self-evaluation framework • Good school – the tool for work with priorities • Questionnaire of pupils´ motivation for achievement • Questionnaire of pupils´ attitude to school • Questionnaire of interaction of teacher and pupils • Questionnaire of teaching staff climate (based on the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire) • Questionnaire of teaching strategy of foreign language • 360° feedback for middle management at school • Observation list for „teaching to develop learning competence“ • Teacher, pupils and parents survey • School Educational Programmes analyses • Documents analyses • Teacher evaluation based on Teacher standards

22. Self-evaluation framework Condition for education Content and process of education Educational results of pupils Support of pupils, cooperation with stakeholders Leadership and school management, the quality of human resources work

23. Self-evaluation framework I • conditions for education • Demographic conditions • Personal conditions • Safety and hygienic conditions • Economic conditions • Material conditions • Content and process of education • School educational programme • Planning of teaching • Support teaching material • Realization of teaching • Taking into account individual needs of pupils • Assessment of teaching • Outside classroom activities • school support of pupils, cooperation with parents, influence of mutual relationships among school, pupils, parents and other persons on education • Schools climate • Support of pupils system • Cooperation with parents • Cooperation with other institution

24. Self-evaluation framework II • educational results of pupils • Key competencies • Knowledge and skills • Attitudes • Motivation of pupils • Successful of graduates • Leadership and school management, the quality of human resources work, the quality of in-service training of educational staff • Strategy management • Organization management of school • Pedagogy governing of school • Professionalism and human resources development • Partnerships of school and external relationships • results of school work, especially with respect to the conditions of education and economic resources • Quantitative analyses • Qualitative analyses

25. Outcomes of project B. Development and validation • Categorized electronic database of 30 practice examples of school quality management through self-evaluation processes covered all regions and types of schools in Czech Republic • Set of recommendations for schools and other stakeholders, how effectively do self-evaluation • Recommendation for meta-evaluation – assessment criteria for plan, process and report of self - evaluation • Recommendation for approach of founders to self-evaluation • Recommendation for approach of Czech School Inspectorate to self-evaluation • Monolingual dictionary of relevant terminology in the area of self-evaluation and quality

26. WAY TO QUALITY OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT C. Supporting systems for schools and stakeholders • Effective networks of cooperating schools based on activities as workshops, school visits between schools and peer review • Supporting network of advisers • Call centre & electronic consultancy • Information technology system supporting self-evaluation • Publications, bulletins supporting self-evaluation D. Further training • Educational programs (school management, self-evaluation of school, reflective practician) for managers, self-evaluation coordinators, teachers • Professional trainers and tutors for self-evaluation • Conferences for managers, self-evaluation coordinators, teachers, inspectors, founders, decision makers • Supporting study texts

27. Self - evaluation of independent schools • Private schools used different certificates • About 104 from 290 schools have the quality certificate of Association of Private Schools of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia (SSŠČMS) • About 30 schools obtained standards ISO 9001, ISO 9004 or ISO 14001 • About 40 schools have IES Certificate (private company International Education Society) • Schools with same private founder benchmark themselves • Step by Step programme schools and Health school use self-evaluation and benchmarking • No different between public and independent schools in self- evaluation

28. THANK YOU For more information www.nuov.cz/ae stanislav.michek@nuov.cz