develop and support implementation of a school improvement strategy aimed at addressing boys' underachievement

To develop and support implementation of a school improvement strategy aimed at addressing boys' underachievement

Reference: STPD/PHCWG/0503
Location: Jamaica
Duration: 90 person days over a period of 4 months
Closing Date: 15 Mar 2013

Project Background

The Social Transformational Programme Division (STPD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat  leads on determining and implementing the Commonwealth Secretariat's agenda with regards to Human Development (Programme 8 of the Strategic Plan 2008/09 - 2011/12), and in particular, its work towards the advancement of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and EFA goals. 

It is comprised of three Sections: Education, Gender and Health, which work on key issues impacting Human Development. These issues include: promoting access to quality universal primary education; eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education; advocating for and supporting gender mainstreaming in all areas of human endeavour; and strengthening health systems to address health related MDGs and other health priorities.

The Education Section is tasked with assisting member states achieve the two education MDGs and the EFA goals. The eight MDGs which include two specific education goals covering universal primary education and gender parity in education; while the other six MDGs are within the area of Human Development with implications for achieving the education MDGs. The six EFA goals are all education focused covering early childhood care and education, primary education, learning and life skills, literacy, gender and quality of education. Both the MDG and the EFA goals have targeted date of 2015 and for many of our member states, this achievement may not become a reality.

Based on consultations with Caribbean member states the issue of boys’ underachievement was identified as a regional priority. In response, a number of intervention strategies and activities have been identified to assist countries in addressing this issue.  Many of the activities were national in nature with two regional forums. These include:

• Commonwealth Secretariat publication Boys’ underachievement in education – an exploration in selected Commonwealth countries (Jha and Kelleher, 2006). 
• Regional Conference – hosted by the Secretariat jointly with the World Bank, May 2009. 
• One-day follow-up conference organised for social stakeholders, June 2010.
• Commonwealth Secretariat policy consultation with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education 2010.  
• One-day follow-up conference organised for education stakeholders in July 2011.
• Regional consultation with countries participating in pilot school improvement intervention strategy in June 2012.

It is recognized that there are a number of other factors such as social, economic, religious, and cultural that are affecting the performance of boys in the region. The focus of this programme of work however, will be on the educational factors directly related to teaching and learning, and the improvement of outcomes for learners of all ages, but specifically focusing on boys.  

The issue of boys’ low academic achievement or underperformance within the Caribbean context falls within the broader context of gender disparity in education participation and achievement, which affects most Commonwealth countries and their achievement of the Education Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and Education for All (EFA) goals. Over the last 30 years, this issue has been researched and analyzed within the sociological, political and economical dynamics of the region. However, the education relevance and impact became clear as countries progress on the MDG and EFA goals and the achievement of these goals by 2015 continue to falter.  

While in some countries such as sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, girls are disadvantaged on the basis of access, attendance and parity, in the Caribbean, boys are disadvantaged on the basis of their completion and graduation rates which are reflected in the high-dropout and low retention rates; and even when they complete secondary education, they consistently underperform relative to their female counterparts. Although boys continue to perform well in ‘traditional’ male subjects such as Engineering, girls have made great strides into challenging other ’traditional male’ subjects such as Medicine. 

The problem in the Caribbean is by no means isolated to one or a couple of countries; instead, it is largely shared by all Caribbean countries. At most levels of testing, females consistently outperform males. The University of the West Indies reports the number of male graduates at a current percentage of approximately 30% of total graduates. The trends indicate that boys who complete the levels of education are highly successful in most professions.  For example, in the region, men make up 90% of professorial appointments and dominate in technical and vocational fields, notably engineering.   

This would indicate that there is a direct link between the factors that exist within the schools, the quality of education and the completion rate of males. Weaknesses in school management emanated as one factor which contributes to the underperformance of boys. The Ministry of Education, Jamaica has identified school management as the area for which intervention is most needed. 

The focus of school management will include four specific areas: improvement of school leaders – developing and up-skilling of school leaders capabilities; improving the teachers capacity in teaching and learning strategies; reviewing of existing secondary curriculum and identifying areas of integration (livelihood approach); and providing assistance in improving the academic standards of teacher training institutes.

The Secretariat will providing technical assistance to the Ministry of Education to develop a school improvement programme using school improvement strategies aimed at strengthening school  systems, and improve the performance of boys’ in Jamaica and ultimately the region. 

The goal of this intervention is to address the factors relating to school management which impact on the performance of boys. The expected outcomes of this programme are to develop strategies and policies that will influence the following:* Knowledge generation: sharing of information and good practices

• User engagement for relevance and quality: work closely with school leaders, teachers, students, parents, trainer of teachers & school leaders and others (MoE, Teaching Councils); and also link with key national organizations with potential ‘high leverage’ for dissemination and impact activity
• Knowledge transformation for impact: impact of the school improvement strategy is multi-level, in which research findings will be used and tailored to specific issues/challenges of the relevant school and learning environment
• Knowledge synthesis: initiatives are designed to add value through cross-programme analysis including consultancies, thematic groups, thematic seminar series, conferences, workshops, and sectoral reviews
• Capacity building for professional development: Capacity building is an intrinsic part of this initiative and the resulting work. It is a key goal at all phases of the initiative and is a primary criterion for project focus and selection. Particular attention will be paid to skills and capability development of MoE staff, teachers and school leaders. A particular emphasis is to work with the academic community (teacher training institutions) to support professional self-improvement of the teaching community

To facilitate this initiative, the services of a consultant with experience in research are required.  The consultant will also be required to have particular knowledge in boys’ underachievement in the Caribbean, school management, educational reform strategies, school improvement intervention plans, teaching and learning strategies, curriculum improvement and student achievement in Commonwealth countries.

Purpose and Scope of work

This initiative aims to provide a regional strategy for the Caribbean region. The intervention strategy will be conducted in Jamaica in the first instance, then in three other Caribbean countries.  

The main aim of the School Improvement Strategy (Plan) is to set out a cycle of actions that reflect a commitment to continuous self-review and improvement in school management towards addressing boys’ underachievement and underperformance in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean. 

The participating schools through the Ministries of Education will be collaborating on all aspects of the process. Regional and international partners such as the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), CARICOM, UNICEF, World Bank and UNESCO will be consulted for support and collaboration as required.

The consultant, working in close collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Ministry of Education and the Jamaica Teaching Council will develop a school improvement strategy and co-ordinate the implementation at 12 secondary schools from 7 Quality Education Centres (QECs) within three regions in Jamaica. This will also necessitate the consultant to engage in meetings with Ministry of Education staff, school staff (teachers, school leaders, and support staff) and other partners.  
Under the supervision of STPD and the Ministry of Education Jamaica, the consultant will be responsible for: 

• Improvement Strategies. Strategies will be based on research findings and open dialogue with key stakeholders, including the boys themselves. The intervention will be guided by a national committee comprising key stakeholders.
• Elaboration of activities to be implemented. Activities will aim to build the competencies needed to ensure gender-sensitive classrooms.
• Review of implementation progress will include at least one external professional.  

Assessment should be made on agreed outcomes.

Expected deliverables and related activities

• Baseline study (school based) including in-country data collection using both qualitative and quantitative primary and secondary data in 12 schools in Jamaica to collate data on variables relating to school management which affect the performance of boys in the respective schools. The deliverables will be based on data and information collected from the participating 12 schools in seven Quality Education Centres in three regions in Jamaica. The cohorts will be selected based on a combination of high and low performing, single and co-educational, government and denominational schools.

The consultant will undertake the following activities to complete this deliverable:

• Research will consider a list of variables including but not limited to (final list to be agreed):

• local socio-economic circumstances            
• school environment - social and economic   
• curriculum and subjects available
• progression and grading criteria       
• teacher qualification/status                  
• principal’s qualifications and experience     
• parent/community involvement           
• student support available – extracurricular and remedial

• Data Collection: the consultant will collect both primary and secondary data on the above and other agreed variables. This should include existing Common Entrance and O’Level exam results and a number of variables will have to be obtained via primary research during field visits. This should be in the form of a database.

• Research findings & data analysis: The consultant shall conduct a comparative analysis to determine what factors/variables relating to school management contribute to the performance and/or underperformance of boys in the schools. This should include:

• The setting, country and school profile
• Baseline findings, analysis and interpretation: factors requiring intervention
• Proposed intervention strategies
• The result incorporated into a database on schools, including school demographics and profiles

• Presentation & Discussion of Findings

• Identify and agree on areas for intervention
• Outline intervention strategies and processes

• Development and implementation of Strategies & Plans

Implementation strategies including detailed implementation plan (based on the data analysis and previously held forums); the intervention strategy for each school and QEC; Implementation in the regions (3 education regions in Jamaica) accordingly.

The consultant will undertake the following activities to complete this deliverable:

• Draft report that identifies the gaps, issues and challenges that exist in the schools and are determined to be affecting the achievement of boys.
• Develop the Implementation strategy: Review the variables agreed upon as areas for investigation to identify factors relating to school management which contribute to the educational underachievement of boys in Jamaica.
• Implement Strategy: Using data from the baseline study plus information collected from previous workshops and consultations, implement an intervention strategy aimed at strengthening management in the participating schools, particularly those areas which negatively impact on boys’ performance both directly and indirectly. This should also include class management.

The consultant, working with the 12 schools in seven clusters or QECs within three regions, will co-ordinate the implementation of strategies in two phases: 

• strategies which can be implemented immediately or those which need to be implemented as a prerequisite for the implementation of more significant strategies; and
• main strategy which will commence at the beginning of the school year in September 2013 and require preparatory activities at school and/or ministry level or input from other partners or institutions. 

• Monitoring and Evaluation Programme: The consultant will formulate a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to be implemented for the duration of the intervention and conduct periodical reviews
• Report: The consultant will produce a comprehensive analytical report documenting the process from inception through to implementation. This report will be included in a regional report featuring the intervention for all four participating countries. This should include:

• Introduction to the problem and its setting- country and school profile; introduction to the research
• Baseline study and methodology
• Baseline findings, analysis and interpretation
• Intervention strategy
• Implementation of intervention strategy
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Conclusion followed by appendices

Throughout the consultancy, the consultant will be expected to establish effective channels of communication with all stakeholders attend meetings and participate in or facilitate presentations if required.

Outcomes

• Improved management in selected schools as a result of intervention strategy 
• Improved performance of boys at post-primary level
• Experiences of the intervention shared with other schools and successful outcomes adopted.

Schedule

The schedule and timeframes for the research shall be drawn up by the Secretariat and the Ministry in consultation with the consultant. The contract will be for 90 days over 4 months.

Qualifications and experience

The suitable consultant will possess:

• Advanced degree in Education
• 10 years consultancy experience
• Experience in primary/secondary education levels
• Background and knowledge of teachers’ and school leaders education and training
• Knowledge of School Improvement Framework/Strategies
• Experience of working on Boys’ underachievement issues
• Sound knowledge and understanding of the socio-economic fabric of the Caribbean region
• Experience of conducting, interpreting and analysing research, and report writing

Further Information

How to apply

Terms of Reference - To develop and support implementation of a school improvement strategy aimed at addressing boys' underachievement