Transcript No Slide Title

Renate Valtin,
Humboldt University, Berlin
Children’s rights to literacy:
How well are they realized in the
United States?
Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the
International Reading Association, May , 2008
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The perspective of children
• 1762 Rousseau „Emile or on Education“
“Childhood has its ways of seeing,
thinking, and feeling that are proper to
it” and need to be respected.
The recognition of children‘s rights
1924 Geneva Declaration of the
rights of the child
1989 United Nations: Convention on the
rights of the child
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IRA: Children have a right to…
1. appropriate early reading instruction based
on their individual needs.
2. reading instruction that builds both the skill
and the desire to read increasingly complex
materials.
3. well-prepared teachers who keep their skills
up to date through effective professional
development.
4
IRA: Children have a right to…
4. access a wide variety of books and other
reading material in classroom, school, and
community libraries.
5. reading assessment that identifies their
strengths as well as their needs and
involves them in making decisions about
their own learning.
6. Children who are struggling with reading
have a right to receive intensive instruction
from professionals specifically prepared
to teach reading.
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IRA: Children have a right to…
7. reading instruction that involves parents and
communities in their academic lives
8. reading instruction that makes skilled use of
their first language skills.
9. equal access to the technology used for the
improvement of reading instruction.
10. classrooms that optimize learning
opportunities.
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Aims and topics of this
presentation
• Defining children’s rights to literacy on the
basis of the “4 pillars of education for the 21st
century“ (UNESCO)
• Looking for empirical evidence if children’s
rights to literacy education are upheld using indicators from the data bases of PISA
and PIRLS for country comparisons
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Nine rights of children referring to the
pillars of “education for the 21st century”
“learning to know and learning to
do”
Children have a right to favourable learning
conditions at home and in school so that they
are encouraged and supported to learning to
know and to do.
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“learning to live together”
Children have a right to favourable conditions
in school to learn to live together in peace
and harmony.
“learning to be”
Children have a right to favourable conditions
in school fostering a full and harmonious
development of their personality.
9
PIRLS – Progress in International Reading
Literacy Study 2001 / 2006
• 9-year-old students from 35/45 countries
• Assessed reading comprehension for two major
reading purposes – literary & informational
• One-hour, paper-and-pencil literacy test
• Student questionnaire - individual, home & school
factors
• Parent questionnaire – support & literary resources
• Teacher questionnaire – individual factors,
instruction & materials
• School principal questionnaire - organization of
teaching & learning
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PIRLS –
Best performing countries
PIRLS 2001:
Sweden (561), Netherlands (554) England (553)
(significantly better than the United States, 542)
PIRLS 2006:
Russ. Federation (565), Hong Kong (554),
Canada, Alberta (560)
(significantly better than the United States, 540)
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Programme for International Student Assessment
PISA 2000 – focus on reading,
2003 focus on mathematics
• 15-year-old students from
• 32 (41) participating countries
• Compared in their abilities to use literacy
knowledge
• Two-hour, paper-and-pencil literacy test
• Student questionnaire - individual, home &
school factors
• School principal questionnaire organization of teaching & learning
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PISA –Best performing countries
PISA 2000:
• Finland (546), Canada (534), New Zealand (529).
These countries were significantly better than the
United States (504)
PISA 2003:
• Finland (543), Korea (534), Canada (528).
Nine countries were significantly better than the United
States (495)
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Procedure
• Looking for indicators in the data bases
• Identifying „top 2“ countries, comparing
with score for USA
Comparing PIRLS and PISA
- different countries
- different data base
- different measures
Caution: Self reports
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1) Children have a right to be
supported by parents
Importance of parents
• fostering early language and literacy activities
• providing literacy role models
• providing literacy and cultural resources and
activities
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1) Children have a right to be supported by parents
Results from PIRLS 2001 (% of students)
• High level of home educational resources
United States (37), Norway (33), England
(27), intern. avg. 13
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1) Children have a right to be supported by parents
Indicators in PISA 2000
• cultural possessions in the home
• participation in cultural activities
• communication on aspects of culture
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1) Children have a right to be supported by parents
Results from PISA 2000
• cultural possessions:
Iceland 0.67, Latvia 0.55
US -0.12, OECD average 0.00
• participation in cultural activities:
Hungary 0.71, Czech Republic 0.60
US 0.20, OECD average 0.00
• communication on aspects of culture:
Italy 0.41, Hungary 0.33
United States 0.22, OECD average 0.00
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2)
Children have the right to attend
preschools or kindergartens
PIRLS 2006: Average reading achievement was
lowest among students not attending
preschool and highest among those who
attended for 3 years and more.
Countries with high amount of children attending
preschool for at least 3 years:
Hungary (85%), Belgium/F (85%),
Denmark (78%),
internat. average 45%
United States??
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3) Children have a right to favourable
educational resources at school
Indicators in PIRLS
• Students using a library at least weekly (teacher
report)
• Availability of computers for instructional purposes
for fewer than 5 students
• Principals’ view of the availability of school resources
Indicator in PISA
• Principals’ view on the quality of educational
resources at school
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3) Children have a right to favourable educational
resources at school
Results from PIRLS 2006 (% of students)
• Students using a library at least once or twice a week:
Canada, AL 93, Iceland, New Zealand (both 90),
United States 83, international avg. 50
• Availability of computers for instructional purposes for
fewer than 5 students:
Canada, AL 100, Denmark 97,
United States 84 ( s.), international avg. 53
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3) Children have a right to favourable educational
resources at school
PIRLS 2006 (% of students)
• High level of availability of school resources:
Netherlands 93, Scotland 88
United States 81 ( n.s.), international avg. 52
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3) Children have a right to favourable educational
resources at school
Results from PISA 2000
• Index of the quality of schools’ educational
resources:
Switzerland 0.51, Hungary 0.50
United States 0.40, OECD average 0.00
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4) Children have a right to
appropriate instruction based on
their individual needs
Due to the absence of observational data this
is difficult to judge.
PIRLS assessed a wide range of teaching
variables.
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4) Children have a right to appropriate
instruction based on their individual needs
Indicators in PIRLS
Teacher report about instructional materials, strategies
and activities
– Cognitive stimulation: direct instruction, teaching
strategies
– Variety of methods and reading materials
– Individual support
Results of a latent class analysis (Lankes)
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Cognitive
2
stimulation
1.8
Variety of
methods
Individual
support
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
hier Datum eintragen (Ansicht/Master/Folienmaster)
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• Type 1: Teacher directed instruction in
the whole class without individual
support (30 %)
• Type 2 : Individualized child-centred
instruction, seldom whole class
instruction (22 %)
• Type 3: Whole class instruction with little
cognitive stimulation and little variety in
methods, without individual support
(20%)
• Type 4: Variety of methods with high
individual support (16%)
• Type 5: Highly stimulating whole class
instruction with didactic materials (13%)
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Type 1: Teacher directed instruction in
the whole class without individual
support
(30%)
Distribution
of types
80.0
70.0
of
reading instruction
Type 2: Individualized child-centred instruction,
seldom whole class instruction (22 %)
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
10.0
0.0
Type 4: Variety of methods with high
Type 3: Whole class instruction, little
individual support (16 %)
cognitive stimulation and little variety in
methods, without individual support (20
%)5: Highly stimulating whole class
Type
instruction with didactic materials (13%)
)
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5) Children have a right to be
supported by teachers
PISA 2000: Perceived teacher support:
teachers show an interest in every
student’s learning, give students an
opportunity to express opinions, help
students with their work and continue to
teach until students understand.
Countries with the highest index of
perceived teacher support:
United Kingdom 0.50, Portugal 0.47,
United States 0.34, OECD average 0.00
6) Children who are struggling with
reading have a right to receive
intensive instruction from
professionals specifically prepared to
teach reading
Indicators from PIRLS 2006
Teachers report about
• availability of experts
• amount of students having reading difficulties
receiving remedial instruction
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6) Children who are struggling with reading have a
right to receive intensive instruction from
professionals specifically prepared to teach reading
Results from PIRLS 2006 (% of students)
• Availability of specialists:
Denmark 97, Iceland 95
United States 92, intern. avg. 59
• Students receiving remedial instruction
when needed:
Indonesia 86, Poland 83
United States 75, intern. avg. 71
7) Children have the right to equal
educational opportunity,
regardless of social class, gender
and nationality
7) Children have the right to equal educational opportunity,
regardless of gender, social class, and nationality
Indicators:
• Difference between good and poor
readers (equality)
• Gender gap
• Social gap
• Gap between students with and
without migration background
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7) Children have the right to equal
educational opportunity
(PIRLS 2006)
• Low gap between students from the 5th
to the 95th percentile:
Netherlands 175, Belgium 186,
United States 246, international 341
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7) Children have the right to equal
educational opportunity
(PISA 2003)
• Low gap between students from the 5th
to the 95th percentile:
Finland 266, Korea 267,
United States 332, OECD average 341
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7) Children have the right to equal educational
opportunity, regardless of gender
low gender inequality, difference females –
males:
• PIRLS 2006
Luxemburg 3, Spain 4,
United States 10, international 17
• PISA 2003
Netherlands, Korea, Mexico (all 21),
United States 32, OECD average 34
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7) Children have the right to equal
educational opportunity, regardless of
social class
• PIRLS 2001: low performance gap between
children from families with more vs. less than
100 books:
Hong Kong 7, Cypress 11,
United States 32, international 32
• low performance gap between children in
schools with low vs. high numbers of students
from economically deprived homes:
Romania 6, Kuwait 3,
United States 73, international 40
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7) Children have the right to equal
educational opportunity, regardless of
social class
• PISA:slope of socio-economic gradient:
Japan, Korea (both 21),
United States 48, OECD average 41
• effect of schools’ socio-economic background on
reading performance:
Iceland 5, Finland 8,
United States 28, OECD average 32
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Children have the right to equal educational
opportunity, regardless of nationality
• For the United States it was found in PIRLS
and PISA that adolescents and children with
and without a background of migration
differed in their reading performance
– but in the range of the OECD average.
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“learning to live together”
8) Children have a right to favourable
conditions in school to learn to live
together in peace and harmony
40
“learning to live together”
Indicators from PIRLS 2006
• Index of Student Safety in School
• Principals‘ perception of school safety
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“learning to live together”
Results from PIRLS 2006 (% of students)
• High level of Index of Student Safety in School
Norway 72, Sweden 70,
United States 48, intern. avg. 47
• High level of principals’ perception of school safety:
England 90, Hong Kong 88,
United States 77, intern. avg. 60
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“learning to live together”
Indicators from PISA
• Sense of belonging in school
• Principals‘ report of student-related factors
affecting school climate
• Students feeling positive about learning in
co-operative situations
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“learning to live together”
Results from PISA 2000
• level of students’ sense of belonging in school:
Sweden 527, Austria 526
United States 490, OECD average 500
• level of principals’ report of school climate:
Korea 0.92, Denmark 0.73
United States –0.23, OECD average 0.00
• students feeling positive about learning in cooperative situations:
Denmark 2.99. Portugal 2.98
United States 2.99, OECD average 2.70
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“learning to be”
9) Children have a right to learning
environments that help them to
develop positive self-related beliefs
and confidence in their own learning
abilities
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“learning to be”
9) Children have a right to learning
environments that help them to develop
positive self-related beliefs and confidence
in their own learning abilities
Indicators from PIRLS and PISA
• self-concepts of reading
• reading for pleasure outside school daily
Indicators from PISA
• self-efficacy
• perception of students of how well school gave them
confidence
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“learning to be”
Index of students’ reading self concepts
• PIRLS 2006 (% of students with high level)
Israel 63, Sweden, Austria (both 62),
United States 51, intern. average 49
• PISA
Denmark 3.18, Italy 3.11,
United States 3.08, OECD average 2.92
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“learning to be”
Reading for fun outside school (% of
students)
• PIRLS 2006: every day or almost every day
Russian Federation 58, Germany 53
United States 35 n.s. intern. avg. 40
• PISA: daily for at least one hour
Russian Federation 30, Greece 29
United States 12, OECD avg. 15
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“learning to be”
PISA 2000
• Self-efficacy
Brazil 2.78, Mexico 2.76
United States 2.56, OECD avg. 2.56
• “School helped give me confidence to make
decisions” (% of students who agreed)
Indonesia 95, Thailand 95,
United States 79, OECD 72
49
Childrens` rights to literacyhow well are they realized?
United States belong to the top quarter in the
country rankings regarding
● Home resources
● School contexts
Problem: lack of provisions for the 3- to 5-yearolds from low income families
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Childrens` rights to literacyhow well are they realized?
Problems:
• Motivation to read: attitude towards reading
and reading for fun outside school should be
fostered
• School climate – safety in school
51
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Problem: Students’ Attitudes
Toward Reading
Index based on students’ agreement with the following
statements:
-
I read only if I have to (reverse code)
-
I like talking about books with other people
-
I would be happy if someone gave me a book as a
present
-
I think reading is boring (reverse coded)
-
I enjoy reading
52
Results for Students’
Attitudes Toward Reading
• PIRLS 2001 (2006)
High index
- internationally 51 (49) % of students
- United states 42 (40) % of students
• PISA 2000
- OECD average 0.00
- United States -0.13
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Activities outside school
PIRLS 2006
• 31% (40% in PISA) of the students
reported that they never or almost
never read for fun outside of school (18
% internationally)
• 18% of students watching TV or videos
5 hours and more (12% internationally)
54
Problems: achievement gaps
• Drop in achievement from elementary to
secondary school
• Big achievement gap regarding the difference
between 5th and 95th percentile (bigger in PISA
than in PIRLS)
• Inequality of achievement between different
socio-economic groups
55
UNESCO – Education for the
21st century
“Education is also an expression of
affection for children and young people,
whom we need to welcome into
society, unreservedly offering them the
place that is theirs by right therein”
(Delors, 1998).
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Thank you for your attention!
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The power point tool of the
PISA Task Force of IRA
National Reading Achievement: Using
PISA/PIRLS Data for Informed Discussion
www.reading.org/resources/issues/
reports/pisa.html.
Members of the Task Force are Renate Valtin, Germany
(chair), William Brozo, US, Maria Lourdes Dionisio,
Portugal, Keith Topping, Scotland, Cathy Roller, IRA,
Ann-Sofie Selin, Finland, Shlomo Alon, Israel, Lydia
Dachkova, Bulgaria.