League tables are not the solution

ANGELO GAVRIELATOS argues against the federal ALP's support for the publication of school league tables.

On June 25, in an "exclusive", The Age newspaper, reported that "a federal Labor government would seek the agreement of the states to link federal funding of schools" to the publication of national literacy and numeracy test results. The effect of this would be the creation of league tables. The Age reported that shadow federal education minister Stephen Smith said "publishing the results would identify which schools were struggling. He said this would help with public policy decisions, identifying the need for early interventions, such as literacy and numeracy programs".

What nonsense!

Support for more effective teaching and learning programs aimed at achieving an equality of learning outcomes is not reliant on the creation of league tables. It is reliant on responsible government investing in targeted, sustainable equity programs in school communities that experience entrenched disadvantage.

Federation opposes the establishment of league tables. They are a political construct that serve no educational value. They would not lead to the improvement of educational outcomes for any students.

The union firmly rejects arguments that ranking students and schools according to test scores provides meaningful information about school or teacher quality.

In Britain and the United States 'league tables' and school ranking has been counter productive and indeed destructive for many school communities and students.

League tables:

• exacerbate the problems of misleading and inaccurate information about school performance;
• lead to a public debasement of schools and to public labelling of their students and families as 'failures'; and
• lead to greater education inequities and social segregation of schools as perceived "high ranking" schools select their students.

League tables also tend to undermine school improvement efforts because they may:

• distort curriculum and teaching;
• discourage collaboration between schools around improved strategies and practices;
• promote increased focus on school image rather than school improvement; and
• discourage parents as seeing themselves as partners in schooling and tend to promote a divisive relationship between parents and schools rather than a collaborative approach to learning.

Suggestions that league tables would provide necessary information for parents to exercise "choice" about schools is based on the false premise that parents will be choosing schools. In an era of league tables it will be a case of schools choosing their students rather than parents exercising "choice".

Angelo Gavrielatos is the Deputy President.

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Last Modified: 26 Jul 2007