Enhanced educational initiative may boost teacher proficiency and lessen educational disparities

In a groundbreaking study published in Educational Research, researchers have found that the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) program, backed by Taylor & Francis Group, has significantly improved mathematics scores and reduced the achievement gap caused by socioeconomic status in disadvantaged areas.

The study, funded by the European Commission, involved 72 primary schools from Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria and partner countries from the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine. The research was part of cross-border educational cooperation projects. A total of 5,560 pupils aged between nine and 12 participated from Cyprus, Greece, England, and Ireland.

The researchers randomly assigned the schools to experimental and control groups, with the experimental group using DASI for an entire school year. Pupils in the schools that received DASI achieved better results on the mathematics test at the end of the year compared to those in the control group, and this was seen in all four countries.

DASI is a program that works by assessing a school to identify specific teaching areas that need improvement and implementing targeted measures. It involves all members of the school community, including teachers, pupils, and parents, with support from a specialized Advisory and Research Team.

Professor Kyriakides, one of the study's authors, concludes that the paper has significant implications for research on improvement and developing policies on equal educational opportunities. However, the authors admit that DASI appears to be more effective at enhancing quality than equity, as it didn't have any effect on the achievement gap based on gender or ethnicity.

The researchers believe that more research needs to be done to identify policies and actions that address equity in a more comprehensive way, so that DASI can lessen the achievement gap based on gender and ethnicity as well.

Taylor & Francis Group, a global academic publisher, can be followed on Twitter at @ourx. For a copy of the journal article, contact Simon Wesson at [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7017 6571. Taylor & Francis Group has offices in Oxford, New York, Philadelphia, Boca Raton, Boston, Melbourne, Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, Stockholm, New Delhi, and Cape Town.

Enhanced educational initiative may boost teacher proficiency and lessen educational disparities