Research On The Policy And Practice Of Improving Weak School

In recent years,China has made significant breakthroughs in economic construction,but specifically in the field of education,it still faces many challenges.The most prominent of these are the turnaround schools at the compulsory education level,which are the key to eliminating the problem of educational injustice and the entry point for improving the standard of compulsory education.Since the implementation of the policy of compulsory education in China,achieving educational equity and ensuring qualified and balanced education has always been the ultimate goal of development and reform in the field of education.The existence of turnaround schools is an internationally social issue,so learning from the experiences of developed countries with similar problems can be twice as effective.In view of these three considerations,this study focuses on the policies and practices of turnaround school improvement in China and the UK,and conducts a comparative study from both macro and micro perspectives,in an attempt to address the following qustions:(1)what are the turnaround school improvement policies and their characteristics at the national level in China and the UK,as well as at the city level in London and Shanghai;(2)how the national will is implemented at the school level in both countries;(3)what is the difference of school improvement between the macro level and the micro level,particularly exploring the application of policies by schools at the micro level;(4)what are the relative strengths and weaknesses of turnaround school improvement in China and the UK,learn from each other,and try to provide suggestions for the promotion of turnaround school improvement in China.The study uses a documentary,comparative survey and case study approach to identify and compare the White Paper on Education,turnaround school improvement policies and initiatives at the city level in London since the Thatcher era,and in Shanghai since China’s reform and opening up.And the relative strengths and weaknesses of each are analysed and compared.The following characteristics are summarised:(1)the policy philosophy of the UK and China focuses on quality and balance respectively;(2)the policy model focuses on endogenous improvement and exogenous improvement respectively;(3)the policy guarantees focus on national leadership and regional promotion respectively;and(4)the policy evaluation focuses on development and breakthrough respectively.At the micro level,the "Academy" programme in the UK and the "Strong Schools Project" in China are selected as case studies,and School E in the UK and High School H in China are selected as two case schools to conduct in-depth research and interviews to explore the differences between their improvement before and after and the improvement paths.The study also analyses how the national will of the two countries was implemented at middle school level,and how the policies supported the turnaround schools.The premise of effective learning is to build on the national context,so this study systematically compares and contrasts the experiences and practices of China and the UK in improving turnaround schools.And the study also proposes feasible countermeasures,taking into account the actual situation of weak schools in China as well as existing knowledge and experience.And it is concluded that,in terms of policy,turnaround school improvement requires(1)a coherent policy system that balances equity and quality;(2)compatibility between plans and markets,and the inclusion of multi-subjects;(3)balancing regulation and dynamism to enhance the autonomy of schools;(4)linking planning and implementation to build a systematic improvement project.In practice,the improvement of turnaround schools requires attention to the following five areas:(1)school management: enhancing the leadership of the headmaster and building an effective leadership team;(2)goals and concepts: grasping the current situation of the school and building a common vision;(3)teacher development: promoting the professional growth of teachers and optimising the teaching force;(4)curriculum and teaching: optimising the school curriculum and meeting individual needs;(5)external resources: integrating educational resources and mobilising the strength of all parties.Based on the content and findings of the study,the following suggestions are made:(1)turnaround schools need to raise policy awareness for improvement;(2)encouraging more turnaround schools to take a researcher’s stance on school improvement;and(3)focusing on the endogenous development of turnaround schools after the withdrawal of policy support.