Read the following carefully and answer the questions on it.
In all school systems of the world, some schools are considered ‘better’ than others. In fact, based on such a judgment parents often go to great lengths to have their children enrolled in one school rather than another. One yardstick for Furthermore, making this judgment is student achievement, especially general performance in public examinations. _ among some experts in education, opinions about schools are further narrowed down to subject areas. For example, one often hears that school A is better than B in Mathematics and Science while the latter is better than the former in English Language and the Liberal Arts. Whatever the focus of these comparative statements, there remains the fact that schools do vary in terms of average student achievement.
Why is it then that some schools have high average student achievement while others have low average student achievement? The reasons are not far-fetched. The first reason is that some schools are located in privileged areas in the sense that the students come from homes where parents care about their children’s education ensure that the children are well-fed, show interest in their school work and provide easy access to books in the home. On the other hand, there are schools which serve less privileged communities, and whose students come from homes where parents are unable to provide the necessary support services for good academic work. Students in the first type of school would generally have a higher rate of achievement than those in the second type.
Another reason for the difference in academic achievement between schools is how well the schools are equipped. Schools that have good laboratories and libraries, ample space. places to sit and write for every student and optimum-sized classrooms usually record a higher standard of student achievement than those where the basic equipment is lacking or where the students are crammed into inadequate spaces.
The quality of the teachers also has to do with the differences in student achievement between schools. A teacher that does not have a good grasp of his subject matter nor is committed to his job cannot produce an outstanding student. On the other hand students will generally attain a high standard where the teacher is an expert in his field, knows how to structure the material to be learned, demands a lot from his students and motivates them. Also, school management has been found to have a relationship with student achievement. Students perform better in schools where the leadership is enthusiastic and creative than in schools where the principals and teachers adopt a casual attitude to their job.
Finally, discipline cannot be divorced from the learning process, and this is often seen from the perspective of general student behaviour. Where students show a disregard for the rules and regulations that guide good learning by disobeying their teachers, neglecting their homework or playing truant, they cannot make any reasonable academic progress. On the other hand, students who comport themselves well have laid a good foundation for academic success.
(a) In one sentence, summarize the yardsticks used to make a distinction between one school and another.
(b) In five sentences, one for each. summarize the factors responsible for the different levels of achievement in schools.
Explanation
(1)(a) The yardsticks for making a distinction between schools are
(i) general student performance in public examination and
(ii) performance in particular subjects / subject areas.
(b) The factors responsible for different levels of achievement in schools are:
(1) Where the schools are located (i) Some schools are located in privileged areas while others are not.
(ii) Some schools are located in areas where the students are well cared for (by their parents) while the others are located in areas where the students are not well cared for.
(2) Some schools have good equipment (adequate facilities) while others lack them or Some schools are better equipped than others.
(3) Some schools have good and dedicated teachers while the others do not. or Some schools are better staffed than others.
(4) Some schools are better managed than others or Some schools have good management while others do not.
(5) The students in some schools are disciplined while others are not.