By REBECCA WALSH
Thirteen-year-old Sarah is a bright kid. She reads a lot and her parents are interested in how school is going.
When she needs help with her homework, they are willing and able to lend a hand.
Patrick is not so lucky. Books are scarce in his home.
No one is too worried about whether he goes to school, let alone does his homework.
Researchers, principals, teachers - virtually anyone with an interest in education - know that factors such as these play a big role in how well a student does at school.
Likewise, it is common knowledge that a strong link exists between a school's socio-economic status and how well its students do in exams.
So how useful is publication of a school's exam results, and why do so many schools continue to perform poorly in the league tables?
In the past few weeks, the Herald has published School Certificate and Bursary exam success statistics for schools in the top half of the North Island.
Schools are ranked from decile 1 to 10, based on the socio-economic level of the community.
Decile 1 schools are in poor communities; decile 10 schools are in wealthy areas.
Decile ratings were not included in the exam statistics supplied by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
The Herald subsequently requested the decile ratings to identify links between academic attainment and the rating.
An analysis of last year's School Certificate results shows 84 of 203 schools received 50 per cent or more D and E grades. Of these schools, 71 were decile 1 to 4.
Nineteen of the 50 schools that achieved 30 per cent or more A and B grades were decile 10 schools.
Most of the other 31 were decile 5 to 9.
Ministry of Education research has shown a strong link between socio-economic status and achievement at school.
A report on 1998 School Certificate results found students at schools drawing from lower socio-economic communities were less likely to sit the exam than students from wealthier areas.
A quarter of students in their third year of secondary schooling at deciles 1 to 3 state and state-integrated schools did not sit School Certificate. Only 4 per cent of students at decile 8 to 10 schools did not sit.
"The majority (55 per cent) of papers sat by students from schools drawing from low socio-economic communities were awarded D or E grades," says the report.
"These students were far less likely to be graded A or B than students drawn from better-off communities."
The research also found differences between school types.
Candidates were more likely to score A or B grades if they were at private schools or single-sex schools.
The link between a school's decile rating and academic performance, therefore, seems clearcut. But educationists say the issue is far more complex.
Roy Nash, Associate Professor of Education at Massey University College of Education, says it is generally believed that if a child of average ability, social class and background is sent to a low-decile school, his or her marks will go down. If the child is sent to a high-decile school, the marks will go up.
"That's what a lot of people believe," he says.
"It kind of makes intuitive sense. But it's wrong.
"What makes the difference is the individual characteristics of the children."
Professor Nash says his research on students' progress in school found their success correlated with how they felt they were seen at school. Bullying was a big factor.
"It is to do with whether the children feel safe, respected, valued, whether their aspirations are high, whether their self concepts are high and, most importantly, if they are not bullied."
Tom Robson, president of the Secondary Schools Principals' Association, says league tables tell little about a school.
He believes comparisons between schools of similar deciles and size and in similar areas would be more useful.
"Some kids do start off from a bit further behind. If you have an educationally switched-on community, the kids will do better.
"From a purely personal perspective, I believe schools can make a huge difference, provided they accept that any kid coming in the gate can do anything."
Auckland Grammar has a tradition of high achievement in exams.
Headmaster John Morris - who believes publishing exam results is a good accountability mechanism - thinks people are intelligent enough to realise league tables do not tell the whole story.
As well as not giving the school's decile rating and the background of its students, the tables do not show how selective a school is. For example, students at St Cuthbert's - which had 34 per cent A grades in School Certificate last year - are selected after an entry exam.
Neither do the tables show how many students from each school sat the exam.
Mr Morris says all Auckland Grammar fifth-formers sit School Certificate regardless of ability. That is not always the case at other schools, although he accepts they have "good, sound educational reasons" for not making all students sit exams.
Publication of the exam tables in the Herald has prompted a number of columns in the Dialogue pages.
One contributor said motivated and supported students made the difference. Another attributed high academic achievement to a combination of top schools, top students and top teachers.
Others said intelligent, motivated students would do well regardless of where they went to school.
Mr Morris says a huge amount of research has shown schools and teachers do make a difference.
"If you can't make a difference to these kids' careers, lives and their quality of education, why would you bother doing the job?
"The essence of a good school is quality teaching. You can have all the wonderful buildings and wonderful kids, but if you've got slack teachers, you've got a slack school."
So what is important to parents when they are selecting a secondary school for their offspring?
Western Springs College principal Ken Havill believes parents look at a host of factors, such as the atmosphere and what friends and associates with children at the school say about it, as well as its academic and disciplinary standards.
Principals Association president Tom Robson agrees, saying research done in Christchurch about four years ago found parents used simple factors such as how the children from a particular school behaved in the street.
But they were still also interested in good scholastic results.
Research has shown that factors such as early childhood education, literacy, educational opportunities outside school, books in the home and supportive families who value education all affect student achievement.
Education Minister Trevor Mallard is concerned that gaps between schools are so great and that some schools are "having to deal with an enormous proportion of kids who haven't had a good start in life."
"The fact is that the kids are disproportionately Maori and Pacific Island," he says. "The gaps, which are opened up even before they start school, are a real predictor of poor performance in exams and in employment later on."
The Government will announce some big "closing the gap" moves in the Budget.
Mr Mallard says a key area is children's literacy levels when they start secondary school.
"There's no way you can succeed in fifth-form maths if you can't read a fourth-form maths book, and too many of our kids can't."
The future is generally not bright for students who receive D and E "passes" in School Certificate.
While some may be allowed to go on to study in the sixth form - often taking subjects not available in the fifth form - many end up opting out of the education system.
Ministry figures from 1998 show 21 per cent of students in Manukau left school effectively without qualifications.
About 45 per cent of Maori students and 33 per cent of Pacific Island students were in that category.
Bernardine Vester, the executive officer of the City of Manukau Education Trust, says more work needs to be done to improve the transition from education to employment for students taking non-academic courses.
"It's not just how well the schools do or how well the kids do," she says.
"It's how we can get families and the community to support these kids and schools so they end up moving from education to making a contribution in society."
Education Review Office head Dr Judith Aitken believes the move to a National Certificate of Educational Achievement will produce a more equitable system.
"One of the reasons we are moving from School Certificate, which we have had for the best part of 50 years, to a new certificate for educational achievement is that this particular kind of assessment isn't appropriate to every student.
"It doesn't necessarily tell you the things you need to know about that student's capability."
The national certificate will replace School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate and Bursary, and will be based on internal assessment and external exams.
The ministry says fifth-form external exams will remain as an "essential part" of the new qualification.
At least 50 per cent of the grade for any conventional fifth-form subject will be externally assessed.
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