5. Educational innovation towards equity: Self-reflection questionnaire and workshop
This chapter commences with an explanation of the purpose of the self-reflection survey on educational innovation towards equity, the different versions of the questionnaire, and the scope and meaning of equity in this context. The outline and sections of the questionnaires are then discussed, with explanations of the questions and items which are part of the survey, why they are included as well as their response categories. As a self-reflection instrument, the administration of the questionnaires is meant to be followed by a workshop involving all categories of stakeholders who took part in the survey. The self-reflection questionnaires are included in Annex 5.A, Annex 5.B, Annex 5.C, Annex 5.D and the workshop is included as Annex 5.E.
The questionnaire on innovation towards equity is designed for secondary schools and higher education institutions to collect data for self-reflection on innovation activities of relevance to equity, but the questions could be adapted for other goals.
There are four questionnaires aimed at school (or university) leaders, teachers, secondary school students, and higher education students. The idea is to administer the questionnaires within a high school or a tertiary education institution to three different stakeholders: institutional leaders, teachers and students. Following this data collection, the results of the data collection should be discussed during a workshop aimed at preparing an action plan for further innovation or improvement. All versions of the questionnaires begin with a short description of the purpose and scope of the survey. Equity in education and other key terms are defined in an annex, but many terms are briefly defined where they appear in the questionnaire, such as ‘students with special educational needs’ and “low socio-economic status students”.
Equity in education is about giving students with different disadvantages the opportunities to succeed to the same extent as their more advantaged peers. Disadvantages can come from socio-economic status, gender, migrant background, minority ethnic group, sexual orientation (LGBTQI+), national minorities, indigenous backgrounds, giftedness, and special educational needs (further divided into learning disabilities, mental disorders, and physical impairments). Lastly, student well-being is defined and divided into academic, material, physical, psychological, and social well-being. Equity thus covers inclusion and (lack of) bullying.
The summary of the questionnaire below focuses on the version of the questionnaire for teachers, which is similar to the questionnaire for school leaders. There are more differences with the two versions for students. A common difference for both student versions is that all questions are formulated to reflect the position of students. The version for higher education students does not include some questions on evaluation or administrative issues, but includes questions on how students are consulted about changes, detailed questions on bullying and harassment, on class discussion of equity issues, which are not included in the version for teachers. The version for secondary school students is considerably shorter (11 pages instead of 15 pages for higher education students and 16 pages for teachers) and covers consultation, disciplinary actions, and bullying, in addition to some questions on the practices in use in the school.
The questionnaire uses several types of response categories. The most common is ordinal importance scales, but a few questions use yes or no categories or check lists.
In addition to describing the structure of the questionnaire, this introductory chapter includes a discussion of a post-survey workshop on equity. It is indeed recommended that a workshop allowing for individual and collective reflection – and hopefully action ultimately – follows answering those types of questionnaires. The individual self-reflection can thus generative collective reflection and the design of an innovation action plan for the institution to improve its practices to support educational equity.
The questionnaire contains three main parts: Part 1 includes seven questions on innovation needs and diagnosis, Part 2 includes six questions on practices, and Part 3 on inclusive education contains four questions. A short final section uses two questions to collect general information. The unit of analysis is mainly equity within the establishment where the questionnaire is administered (rather than equity at the system level).
Part 1: Innovation needs and diagnosis
Question 1.1 of Part 1 contains eight sub-questions that ask about the importance of reasons to improve equity in the respondent’s school. The purpose is to identify the needs for possible future innovation and improvements to achieve more equity. The goals include increasing student performance, addressing concerns of parents/guardians, closing achievement gaps, promoting equity for disadvantaged students, meeting national targets, addressing safety, and contributing to a more equal society.
Question 1.2 uses check lists to identify the three types of students, out of ten types, that “require the most support to improve educational equity in the next two years”. The self-reflection goal is to open an internal discussion within the school on which groups to focus on for high-impact or priority innovations.
Question 1.3 asks respondents to rate the importance of new practices in ten areas for improving educational equity in the educational institution. The practices cover teaching and learning, assessment, admission policy, discipline and expulsion policy, class composition, communication with students and parents, student support programmes, work responsibilities or communication among staff, and school facilities or infrastructure. Many of these practices can be linked to equity. For example, teaching, learning and assessment practices directly affect student academic performance and are the central tasks performed by schools. Differentiated strategies might be one way to close the achievement gap between students. Admissions, discipline, and expulsion policies are particularly relevant to equity in education. Selection processes and discipline and expulsion policies can discriminate against disadvantaged students or those with minority ethnic backgrounds (Skiba et al., 2011[1]). Effectively organising work responsibilities or communication among staff is a key mechanism to identify students facing or developing problems of any kind and ensure that staff intervene. School facilities or infrastructure provide opportunities to incorporate facilities to support specific groups of students.
Question 1.4 asks about changes in the previous two years to improve educational equity in the identical list of ten areas covered in question 1.3. The purpose is to determine if changes have been made, and the degree of change, to address identified areas where new practices are needed.
Question 1.5 asks respondents, on a “yes” or “no” basis, if they have “personally introduced new teaching and learning practices to improve educational equity.” The question covers six practices, including new approaches to assignments or problems, developing creativity or critical thinking, and collaborative class projects.
For respondents that previously reported changes in their own or their educational institution’s practices, question 1.6 asks if nine equity outcomes have improved due to new practices. The outcomes include student well-being, school safety, academic outcomes, inclusive learning, dropout rates, etc. These factors can significantly affect students in ways that also influence academic performance. For example, students with higher levels of well-being tend to have better self-esteem, more satisfaction with their schools and life, and healthier relationships with others (OECD, 2017[2]; Park, 2004[3]). If students believe their school environment is safe, schools have fewer discipline problems, which improves academic achievement (Brackett et al., 2011[4]; Murkuria, 2002[5]; Way, 2011[6]; Raffaele Mendez, Knoff and Ferron, 2002[7]).
Question 1.7 asks about the importance of six methods for evaluating the effect of new solutions for educational equity at their school. The evaluation methods include the use of key performance indicators, internal and external evaluation, and feedback from teachers, parents/guardians, or students. Evaluation is essential to ensure that a solution works and to identify areas that need improvement, while feedback can gain insights that are difficult to identify through key performance indicators or evaluation.
Part 2: Practices
The purpose of Part 2 is to raise self-reflection on the importance of specific practices to improve equality of opportunities and is divided into five topics, each of which is addressed by one question.
Question 2 covers the current use and expected future use of nine teaching and learning practices, many of which focus on personalised teaching methods that are appropriate for the needs of different students. These include personalised learning materials, individual learning plans, diversity-conscious learning materials, individual and group tutoring, and experiential learning.
Question 3 asks about the respondent’s expectations for the effect of equity on changing six school administrative practices for admission, discipline, expulsion, dropout interventions, student performance tracking, and promotion of diversity in teaching staff. Administrative practices can have a large effect on equity as they determine who can enrol in the educational institution, why students are disciplined or expelled and for how long and whether some students are more likely to be disciplined than others.
Question 4 asks about the effect on equity of changing ten services or activities to support students and their well-being. The services include guidance and counselling, loans, nutrition, and funding for extra activities. All of these services can improve equity, although the focus is on support for students from low-income families. Counselling services can help students struggling with school transitions, bullying, home situations, or other well-being concerns – all of which are key contributors to students dropping out or underperforming. Other activities include school projects on minority cultures, prevention of bullying and discriminatory behaviour, engagement with parents/guardians, and projects with the school’s community. These activities can enrich and diversify learning experiences and prevent (or diminish) bullying and discriminatory behaviours. Projects that aid in the understanding of different identities can foster understanding by other students and reduce social distance, out-group bias and help to create an inclusive learning environment (Allport, 1954[8]; Abrams, 2010[9]). Engagement with parents/guardians and the educational institution’s external community can obtain broader support to reduce bullying and discrimination.
Question 5 asks about the importance of eleven knowledge and learning practices to improve educational equity. The focus is on research, training and learning practices in four areas: school-level knowledge gathering and sharing, collaborations with other schools, sharing information on school practices, and research projects. These activities could make substantial contributions to improving equity by identifying good practices in use in other educational institutions or jurisdictions and improving the expertise of staff. However, as the focus is on research and knowledge sharing, some institutions and teachers could lack the time and resources for full participation in these activities. A desirable outcome for self-reflection is that respondents and their institutions recognise the importance of these activities and invest in them.
Question 6 covers the importance of twelve obstacles to the respondent’s ability to innovate to improve educational equity. The obstacles concern resources, skills and knowledge, personal and management motivation (interest), and risks. Obstacles due to resource constraints are common and include a lack of finance, time, and training, all of which can create a lack of motivation (fatigue) to work on new solutions or reforms. Obstacles due to a lack of skills and knowledge affect the ability of individuals in the school to introduce new solutions as effectively as possible. Obstacles from a lack of motivation can affect multiple stakeholders in the educational institution, including management and teaching staff, and also the intended beneficiaries such as students, parents/guardians, and the broader community. A lack of interest by beneficiaries can have a demoralising effect on staff and reduce community political pressure for solutions. Finally, concerns over a “high risk of failure” can be debilitating, particularly if shared by several internal groups within the educational institution (teachers, school leader, administrators).
Part 3: Inclusive education
Part 3 covers facilities and equipment in two questions and has one question on the learning environment for inclusivity. In addition, there is a short question on priorities. Facilities can be an important factor for students with visual or other physical impairments, while specialised equipment can provide significant benefits for students with physical, mental, or learning issues.
Question 7.1 on facilities and equipment asks if three aspects of the institution’s physical infrastructure meet the needs of three groups of students: the blind and visually impaired, other physically impaired students, and a general category for students who need quiet spaces for tutoring, mentoring, or space for projects. The questions are measured on a scale (fully, partly and not at all) and include a “not relevant” option.
Question 7.2 asks about the provision of equipment to meet the needs of students with various types of impairments as well as students with other special education needs. The same response options are used as in question 7.1. Each sub-question provides examples of the type of equipment that is relevant, many of which involve software. For instance, the visually impaired can be assisted through using screen magnification software on computers, learning materials in braille, etc. (Good, 2021[10]).
Question 8.1 is a version of an outcome question, asking “to what extent do you think the well-being needs of [ten groups of students] are met at your school?” The presence of an inclusive school environment is reflected through the responses for specific student groups, which include students with special educational needs, a different native language, from ethnic minorities, migrant backgrounds, or of a minority religion; gifted students; students that are socio-economically disadvantaged; LGBTQI+; female, or male. The intention is to cover all groups of interest in the list of student types. It can of course be adapted and made more context specific.
Question 8.2 on priorities asks: “which of the following areas of well-being require more attention at your school?” The areas are academic, physical, material, psychological and social well-being. The reason for separating each of these areas of well-being is to stress the importance of all four types of well-being on the experiences of students. Well-being of all types is important to equity because it has significant impacts on the learning outcomes of students, as well as their progression and graduation rates (Evangelou et al., 2008[11]; Gutman and Vorhaus, 2012[12]). Academic well-being concerns the learning progress of students, as well as actions and behaviours that promote learning. Material well-being addresses the material resources families and institutions have or make available for students’ learning and healthy development. Physical well-being encompasses students’ health status, safety and security, and ability to interact with each other, whereas psychological well-being revolves around the students’ evaluations and views about life, engagement with their educational institution, and extent to which they feel a sense of agency, identity, and empowerment. Lastly, social well-being comprises the quality of students’ social lives and their relationships with family, peers, and teachers. None of these areas can be fully addressed by school programmes alone, but ensuring that well-being programmes touch on all these areas increases the chance that issues are identified, mitigated, or avoided.
Final section: General information
With respect to self-reflection, this section is mainly relevant to a possible statistical analysis of the responses, including providing quantitative benchmarks to respondents. Indeed, even a self-reflection questionnaire can be turned into statistical information (if implemented with a probability sample). The first question collects data on the current professional role of the respondent, which can be teaching, teaching assistant, administrative employee, or other for schools. The questionnaire for the tertiary education sector follows the hierarchy of professors plus includes categories for teaching assistant, administrators, and other. The second question is open and asks for the number of years the respondent has worked in education, since experience can be positively correlated with professional competences (OECD, 2018[13]).
For comparative analysis, it is necessary to collect other data on the educational institution. This information can be collected from public sources or from the survey of institutional leaders. Relevant data include the number of employees and students in the institution, since larger institutions have more resources which could influence the capacity to innovate (OECD/Eurostat, 2018[14]). The teacher-to-student ratio can affect the amount of time teaching staff have to innovate and is another indicator of institutional resources.
The last question in this general section in the institution leader survey asks respondents to estimate the share of students with seven characteristics: students from ethnic minority or indigenous backgrounds, minority language students, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from a migrant background, students with learning disabilities, students with physical impairments, and students with mental disorders. This question includes most categories of disadvantaged students. Gender is not included, as most schools would hover around 50% of both sexes or 100% of a single sex, and schools are unlikely to have data on students who identify with other genders. Similarly, the share of gifted students could be similar across many schools, although schools may fail to recognise gifted students who also fall in a traditionally disadvantaged category. LGBTQI+ identities are proportionally related to the population, so most schools are likely to have comparable shares of students with such identities. Moreover, schools are unlikely to collect this data.
The last question allows for statistical comparisons between schools with similar populations of specific types of disadvantaged students. The response categories are 0%, 1-10%; 11-30%; 31-60%; >60%; and don’t know.
The self-reflection survey on equity collects the views of stakeholders within an institution about the areas for improvement, practices that could enhance equity, and the current situation around equity for various student groups. The survey thus mixes queries on innovation with reflections on equity. The goal is that answering the questionnaire would provide respondents with insights on where different stakeholders feel the most action is needed, and potentially present the school with practices that could contribute to improved equity. However, how these new solutions should best be carried out is neither addressed nor suitable for this questionnaire. These and other issues could appropriately be discussed in a workshop that builds on the questionnaire. The workshop is designed to include school leaders, teaching and administrative staff, and students; all of whom are important sources of information. Their participation would also increase “buy in” for solutions that the school decides to pursue.
Primarily, the workshop provides an opportunity to have a structured discussion about the insights derived from the survey and about potential avenues to delve deeper into root causes, brainstorm on areas and pathways for improvement, and formulate plans to exact change. Additionally, the workshop provides an opportunity to have an open discussion with school stakeholders and to engage them in equity issues, one of the major challenges in education. The proposed workshop would require about half a day. Educational institutions or researchers are free to adapt content as they see fit and delve more deeply into areas of interest to them.
Workshop content
The workshop document consists of two sections, the first outlines organisational considerations and the second covers the content of the workshop.
Organisation
The section on the organisation of the workshop focuses on the facilitation and context. Although not always necessary, facilitation can help if discussion groups have questions or require more active guidance. Since the goal is to have students and teachers participate, the session should be planned at a time that does not conflict with exams or other busy times for students, staff, or school leaders and which also offers an opportunity for parents and students to attend. It is important that a concerted effort is made to involve a diverse set of participants from all stakeholder groups. Organisers could invite people they might consider helpful to create such a diversity of views, but open-access participation is favoured as a general approach.
Workshop
The workshop content is divided into three sections: the introduction, activities, and guidance for ongoing activities after the workshop.
The introduction includes icebreakers and a presentation on the context of the workshop. Depending on the familiarity of the workshop participants with each other, organisers could choose icebreakers that are personal or more focused on expectations and views with respect to the workshop content. It is important that participants get to know each other so they feel confident sharing opinions. The idea exchange will work best when it is made explicit that all (respectful) opinions are valid, no matter their source. A sense of who every participant is and why they have joined the workshop will help foster such an environment. The presentation on the context should include information about the purpose of the survey and workshop and the goals from the institution’s perspective. Moreover, the context could benefit from a presentation of the results from the self-reflection survey. These results should mainly focus on average results, but it might be useful to highlight surprising outliers. The context should help frame the discussion for participants, many of whom may have completed the questionnaire but be unaware of the institution’s goals for the survey.
The activities include a brainstorming session, a practical discussion session, and a plenary session. Participants should be divided into groups of 5 to 7 individuals, which is large enough to generate a discussion, but not so large that certain members get lost in the mix. Group work also fosters a collaborative mindset and constructive discussions necessary for the workshop. The groups for the brainstorming session should be among similar individuals (e.g. teachers only), and formed based on interest. The groups for the discussion session should include representation from all stakeholder groups and be based around interests as well.
The first activity is a brainstorming session of one hour on two or three topics to collect a range of ideas or solutions that can be discussed in-depth during the second activity. The topics are the same as the themes covered in the survey and include:
Of these topic areas, items 5 and 6 are less relevant for students, and therefore, depending on the context, student participation could be limited to the other themes.
The list of suggestions resulting from the brainstorming provides the input for the next activity, which revolves around a practical discussion of the suggestions provided in the first activity. These suggestions can be tested based on the resources needed, the processes required for successful implementation, and the timeline these ideas could be implemented in. The first topic from the brainstorming sessions does not need to be covered in the practical discussions, leaving eight topics. Each group should generally cover one topic, as this will allow them to get through as much of the suggestions from the brainstorming session as possible.
The workshop is then to be wrapped up with a plenary discussion. Participant groups can give a brief overview of the results of their practical discussions by detailing two ideas and/or provide main takeaways. This should be followed by a general discussion about workshop results, such as what participants have learnt, whether participants would like to continue working on this topic, and what, in their opinion, is needed to improve equity. It is important to create a sense of ownership over the process and progress of this work among participants, as their involvement in innovations around equity will determine the success and extent to which change is accomplished. The conclusions and next steps should include a description of what the institution would like to do with the results and how they will take the work forward. There should be a discussion about the process, such as whether participants liked the format, or if they feel anything should be changed for potential future workshops. The written work of the workshop participants should be collected and processed by the administrators after the workshop is finished.
Guidance for ongoing activities
Notes or observations from overseeing the activities of the workshops should be combined with the notes from participants. The key is to get a good grasp of the proposals coming out of the discussions. What were main points of agreement and disagreement among participants? Were there any differences between different stakeholder groups or different groups of students, staff, and school leaders? Moreover, the considerations of participants with regards to the resources, processes required, and timelines should be main inputs into formulating plans. To what extent can these plans be realised with internal and/or external resources, what is necessary to implement these innovations, what does buy-in appear to look like from the perspective of school stakeholders? How do the proposals from the workshop stack up against the most common problems identified in the survey? How should work around improving equity be progressed at the school?
The school management needs to decide what changes to make and establish an action plan, and the results of the workshop may be one of the main inputs into such a discussion. At the very least, it would be a barometer. Hence, a written summary of the results of the workshop should be produced and sent to participants for comments. The workshop can also be used for research, if observers are present during the workshop to track the proceedings, interactions, and engagement with the activities.
The workshop should also include suggestions for further activities, such as follow-up meetings and workshops to continue the conversation at an institution-wide level or for institutional leadership to receive feedback on their plans or progression of their work. Alternatively, a working group or taskforce can be created that includes some of the workshop participants with the responsibility to carry forward the discussion. This approach can involve a more diverse group of stakeholders in the planning and execution stage of innovations for greater equity in the institution.
References
[9] Abrams, D. (2010), Processes of prejudice: Theory, evidence and intervention., Human Rights: 68., https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/sites/default/files/research-report-56-processes-of-prejudice-theory-evidence-and-intervention.pdf.
[8] Allport, G. (1954), The nature of prejudice., Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.
[4] Brackett, M., M. R. Reyes, S. E. Rivers, N. A. Elbertson and P. Salovey (2011), “Classroom emotional climate, teacher affiliation, and student conduct.”, Journal of Classroom Interaction, Vol. 46/1, pp. 27–36, http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ948647.
[11] Evangelou, M., B. Taggart, K. Sylva, E. Melhuish, P. Sammons and I. Siraj-Blatchford (2008), What Makes a Successful Transition from Primary to Secondary School? Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education 3-14 Project (EPPSE 3-14)., https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/8618/1/DCSF-RR019.pdf.
[10] Good, J. (2021), “Serving students with special needs better: How digital technology can help”, in OECD Digital Education Outlook 2021. Pushing the Frontiers with Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Robots, OECD, https://doi.org/10.1787/589b283f-en.
[12] Gutman, L. and J. Vorhaus (2012), The Impact of Pupil Behaviour and Wellbeing on Educational Outcomes., Department for Education: Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre, United Kingdom, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/219638/DFE-RR253.pdf.
[5] Murkuria, G. (2002), “Disciplinary challenges: How do principals address this dilemma?”, Urban Education, Vol. 37/3, pp. 432–452, http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ660361.
[13] OECD (2018), Effective Teacher Policies, OECD, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264301603-en.
[2] OECD (2017), PISA 2015 Results (Volume III): Students’ Well-Being, PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264273856-en.
[14] OECD/Eurostat (2018), Oslo Manual 2018: Guidelines for Collecting, Reporting and Using Data on Innovation, 4th Edition, The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities, OECD Publishing, Paris/Eurostat, Luxembourg, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264304604-en.
[3] Park, N. (2004), “The role of subjective well-being in positive youth development”, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 591/1, pp. 25-39.
[7] Raffaele Mendez, L., H. Knoff and J. Ferron (2002), “School demographic variables and out-of school suspension rates: A quantitative and qualitative analysis of a large, ethnically diverse school district.”, Psychology in the Schools, Vol. 39/3, pp. 259–27.
[1] Skiba, R., R. Horner, C. Chung, M. Karega Raush, S. May and T. Tobin (2011), “Race is not neutral: A national investigation of African American and Latino disproportionality in school discipline”, School Psychology Review, Vol. 40/1, p. 85.
[6] Way, S. (2011), “School discipline and disruptive classroom behavior: The moderating effects of student perceptions.”, Sociological Quarterly, Vol. 52/3, pp. 346–375.
This Annex presents the survey questionnaire to be answered by education institution leaders. The questionnaire can (and should) be adapted to the local context (in line with the adaptation of the other questionnaires targeting other stakeholders in the institution). Some terms will need to be changed depending on whether it is administered in secondary education schools or higher education institutions. The scope of the inequity issues can be adapted, although it is better to keep it as broad as possible.
This is an innovation survey specifically targeted at [schools]. Its purpose is to collect help promote self-reflection around how new solutions affect equity at this [school], and how this [school] uses new solutions to improve equity. This version is specific to “[SCHOOL LEADERS]”. Please answer specifically to the campus or part of the [school] you are responsible for. If you are responsible for multiple campuses, the entire [school], and/or multiple levels of education – please answer with all of those in mind. The data collected in this survey is treated confidentially. Data from the school leader and teaching staff survey will be matched, but collected data will be treated anonymously.
All terms in [brackets] should be adapted to terms appropriate for the level of schooling, and country context. Definitions or concepts may need to be altered to fit country contexts.
1. Innovation need and diagnosis
[Self-reflection: This section aims to make the respondent reflect on past new solutions targeted to equity, to reflect on how it was targeted on different types of possible beneficiaries of equity practices and to help identify the needs for possible future new solutions and improvement in this area.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about the intensity of past new solutions, perception about its impact and targeted populations. It will also allow to compare some of the responses in this section to responses in the next sections (feedback on areas for improvement and how this could be done).]
1.1 VISSTRA Which of the following are true for the [school]’s vision on improving equity:
1.2 MOTINO. How important are the following reasons for you in improving equity at your [school]?
Disadvantaged students may be in a situation of vulnerability or have diverse needs, such as a minority background or identity, or are from low socio-economic status backgrounds.
1.3 TARGETIMP. In your [school], which three groups of students require the most support to improve educational equity in the next two years? (Please select three of the options below)
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
For more detailed definitions, see the end of the survey.
Students with special education needs are affected by learning disabilities, physical impairments and/or mental disorders
b. Students whose primary language is not the language of instruction or a dialect of this/these language(s)
A student that comes or is considered to come from a different ethnic background than the majority population in the country. An ethnic group is a group of people who have similar traditions, ancestors, languages, history, culture, religion, etc.
Gifted students are students who have been classified as having significantly higher than expected abilities given their age (e.g. intellectual, musical, athletically)
Students who grow up in low-income families, and tend to have lower health and education outcomes than other groups.
Students who themselves or of whom at least one of their parents was born in a country that is different from the country in which they access educational services.
1.4 INNOVDIAG. How important are new practices in the following areas to improve educational equity in your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.5 PSTINN. In the past two years, to what extent did your [school] introduce new practices in the following areas in order to improve educational equity:
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.6 IMPINN. How much have the following outcomes improved due to new practices that your [school] or yourself have introduced (see questions 1.5 and 1.6)? (If you answered “not at all to all options in Q1.5 and Q1.6 please go to question 1.8).
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
Disadvantaged students may be in a situation of vulnerability or have diverse needs, such as a minority background or identity, or are from low socio-economic status backgrounds.
1.7 INEVAL How important do you think the following methods are for evaluating new solutions to address educational equity at your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
2. Support for teaching and learning
[Self-reflection: This section aims to raise awareness of the importance of proposing adapted learning resources, diagnosis assessment, additional support, and customised instruction.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about new pedagogical solutions and areas for future improvement.]
2.1 EFFINC In which of the following areas have you made (and plan to make) a concerted effort to improve educational equity for different groups of students (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
3. School administrative practices
3.1 ADMPRA Which of the following administrative practices have you changed significantly in the past 2 years (and do you plan to change) in order to improve educational equity?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
4. Student support and well-being
4.1 SERINC Which of the following services/practices have changed significantly in the past 2 years (and do you plan to change) in order to improve educational equity for different groups of students in your [school] (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
5. Knowledge and innovation practices
5.1 LEPRAC Which of the following knowledge and learning practices were in use in the past 2 years at your [school] to develop the capacity and knowledge to implement the most effective practices to improve educational equity? Which of these knowledge and learning practices do you plan to change significantly in the next year?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
6. Obstacles to overcome
6.1 INNOBS Which of the following factors have hampered your new solutions in the past 2 years and which would you need to overcome in the coming year in order to improve educational equity?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
7. [School] facilities and equipment
[Self-reflection: This section aims to raise awareness of possible limitations of the [school]’s building(s) for inclusion as well as put the need for some type of specific equipment/software/services for certain students with special education needs.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about the intensity of past new solutions, perception about its impact and targeted populations.]
7.1 INFNEE. To what extent does the [school]’s current physical infrastructure (buildings, space, and furniture) meets the needs for learning and well-being of the following groups of students:
7.2 FACNEE. To what extent does the [school]’s equipment (hardware and software) provide the following groups of students access to all learning materials and full access to the curriculum:
8. Inclusive [school] environment
8.1 WBSUPP. Do you have programmes or other tailored support to improve the well-being of the following groups of students? [definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
8.2 WBTYPE. Which of the following areas of well-being are captured as part of such support? (Please select all that apply)
9. General information
[Self-reflection: This section mainly matters to identify for possible statistical use of the responses and to provide external quantitative benchmarks to respondents. Two aspects remain key: identify this is the “leaders” responses and identifying the population possibly targeted by equity.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will allow to provide background information about the respondent and establishment – and allow for correlational analysis.]
9.1 EDUPRO Which of the following best describes the educational provision of your [school]?
9.2a PROROL (if NOT tertiary education) Which of the following best describes your current professional role?
9.2b PROROL (IF tertiary education) Which of the following best describes your current professional role?
9.3 PROEXP How long have you worked in a management position in education?
9.4 ORGSIZ. How many students does your [school] have in [this year]?
Number of students (Full Time Equivalent): _______
9.5 STASIZ. How many teaching staff does your [school] have in [this year]?
Number of teaching staff (Full Time Equivalent): _______
9.6 SHADIS. Please estimate the percentage of students in your [school] who have the following characteristics (students may fall into multiple categories)
This Annex presents the survey questionnaire to be answered by teaching staff in the institution. The questionnaire can (and should) be adapted to the local context (in line with the adaptation of the other questionnaires targeting other stakeholders in the institution). Some terms (e.g. job titles) need to be customised depending on whether it is administered in secondary education schools or higher education institutions. The scope of the inequity issues can be adapted, although it is better to keep it as broad as possible.
This is an innovation survey specifically targeted at [schools]. Its purpose is to collect help promote self-reflection around how new solutions affect equity at this [school], and how this [school] uses new solutions to improve equity. This version is specific to “[TEACHERS]”. Please answer specifically to the campus or part of the [school] you are responsible for. If you teach at multiple campuses and/or multiple levels of education – please answer with all of those in mind. The data collected in this survey is treated confidentially. Data from the school leader and teaching staff survey will be matched, but collected data will be treated anonymously.
All terms in [brackets] should be adapted to terms appropriate for the level of schooling, and country context. Definitions or concepts may need to be altered to fit country contexts.
1. Innovation need and diagnosis
[Self-reflection: This section aims to make the respondent reflect on past new solutions targeted to equity, to reflect on how it was targeted on different types of possible beneficiaries of equity practices and to help identify the needs for possible future new solutions and improvement in this area.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about the intensity of past new solutions, perception about its impact and targeted populations. It will also allow to compare some of the responses in this section to responses in the next sections (feedback on areas for improvement and how this could be done).]
1.1 MOTINO. How important are the following reasons for you to improve equity at your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.2 TARGETIMP. In your [school], which three groups of students do you think require the most support to improve educational equity in the next two years? (Please select three of the options below)
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
Students with special education needs are affected by learning disabilities, physical impairments and/or mental disorders..
b. Students whose primary language is not the language of instruction or a dialect of this/these language(s)
A student that comes or is considered to come from a different ethnic background than the majority population in the country. An ethnic group is a group of people who have similar traditions, ancestors, languages, history, culture, religion, etc.
Gifted students are students who have been classified as having significantly higher than expected abilities given their age (e.g. intellectual, musical, athletically).
Students who grow up in low-income families, and tend to have lower health and education outcomes than other groups
Students who themselves or of whom at least one of their parents was born in a country that is different from the country in which they access educational services
1.3 INNOVDIAG. How important are new practices in the following areas to improving educational equity in your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.4 PSTINN. In the past two years, that what extent did your [school] introduce new practices in the following areas in order to improve educational equity:
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.5 FLALRC. In the past two years, have you personally introduced (new) teaching and learning practices in the following areas in order to improve educational equity:
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.6 IMPINN. How much have the following outcomes improved due to new practices that your [school] or yourself have introduced (see questions 1.4 and 1.5) to improve the equity of students at your [school]? (If you answered “not at all to all options in Q1.4 and Q1.5 please go to question 1.7).
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
Disadvantaged students may be in a situation of vulnerability or have diverse needs, such as a minority background or identity, or are from low socio-economic status backgrounds.
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.7 INEVAL How important do you think the following evaluation methods are to evaluating new solutions to improve educational equity at your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
2. Support for teaching and learning
[Self-reflection: This section aims to raise awareness of the importance of proposing adapted learning resources, diagnosis assessment, additional support, and customised instruction.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about new pedagogical solutions and areas for future improvement.]
2.1 EFFINC In which of the following areas have you made (and plan to make) a concerted effort to improve educational equity for different groups of students (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
3. School administrative practices
3.1 ADMPRA To what extent do you think changing the following administrative practices would improve educational equity?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
4. Student support and well-being
4.1 SERINC To what extent do you think changing the following services/practices would lead to improving educational equity for different groups of students in your [school] (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
5. Knowledge and innovation practices
5.1 LEPRAC How important are the following knowledge and learning practices for you to develop the capacity and knowledge to implement the most effective practices to improve educational equity in your class and interactions with your students?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
6. Obstacles to overcome
6.1 INNOBS How important are the following obstacles to your personal ability to innovate to improve educational equity?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
7. School facilities and equipment
[Self-reflection: This section aims to raise awareness of possible limitations of the [school] building(s) for inclusion as well as put the need for some type of specific equipment/software/services for certain students with special education needs.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will provide information about the intensity of past new solutions, perception about its impact and targeted populations.]
7.1 INFNEE. To what extent does the [school]’s current physical infrastructure (buildings, space, and furnishing) meet the needs for learning and well-being of the following groups of students:
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
7.2 FACNEE. To what extent does the [school]’s equipment (hardware and software) provide the following groups of students access to all learning materials and full access to the curriculum:
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
8. Inclusive [school] environment
8.1 WBSUPP. To what extent do you think the well-being needs of the following groups of students are met at your [school]? [definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
8.2 WBTYPE. Which of the following areas of well-being require more attention at your [school]? (Please select all that apply) [definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
9. General information
[Self-reflection: This section mainly matters to identify for possible statistical use of the responses and to provide external quantitative benchmarks to respondents. Two aspects remain key: identify this is the “leaders” responses and identifying the population possibly targeted by equity.
Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will allow to provide background information about the respondent and establishment – and allow for correlational analysis.]
9.1a PRROL. (if NOT tertiary education) Which of the following best describes your current professional role?
9.1b PRROL. (IF tertiary education) Which of the following best describes your current professional role?
This Annex presents the survey questionnaire to be answered by higher education students (if the survey is carried out in higher education). The next Annex presents the questionnaire for secondary students. The questionnaire can (and should) be adapted to the local context (in line with the adaptation of the other questionnaires targeting other stakeholders in the institution). The scope of the inequity issues can be adapted to the local context, although it is better to keep it as broad as possible.
This is an innovation survey specifically targeted at [schools]. Its purpose is to collect information that helps promote self-reflection around how new solutions affect equity at this [school], and how this [school] uses new solutions to improve equity. This version is specific to “[STUDENTS]”. The data collected in this survey is treated confidentially. Data from the school leader and teaching staff survey will be matched, but collected data will be treated anonymously.
All terms in [brackets] should be adapted to terms appropriate for the level of schooling, and country context. Definitions or concepts may need to be altered to fit country contexts.
1. Innovation need and diagnosis
1.1 TARGETIMP. Which three groups of students do you think need more support to improve your [school]’s educational equity in the next two years? (Please select three of the options below)
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
Students with special education needs are affected by learning disabilities, physical impairments and/or mental disorders
b. Students whose primary language is not the language of instruction or a dialect of this/these language(s)
A student that comes or is considered to come from a different ethnic background than the majority population in the country. An ethnic group is a group of people who have similar traditions, ancestors, languages, history, culture, religion, etc.
Gifted students are students who have been classified as having significantly higher than expected abilities given their age (e.g. intellectual, musical, athletically)
Students who grow up in low-income families, and tend to have lower health and education outcomes than other groups.
Students who themselves or of whom at least one of their parents was born in a country that is different from the country in which they go to [school]
1.2 INNOVDIAG. How important do you think changes in the following practices could be to improve equity in your [school]?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.3 PSTINN. In the last two years, did your [school] introduce new practices in the following areas that could improve educational equity:
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.4 FLALRC. In the past two years, did teaching staff introduce (new) teaching and learning practices in the following areas in order to improve educational equity:
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.5 IMPINN. How much have the following outcomes improved due to new practices that your [school] or yourself have introduced (see questions 1.3 and 1.4) to improve the equity of students at your [school]? (If you answered “not at all to all options in Q1.3 and Q1.4 please go to question 1.6).
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
Disadvantaged students may be in a situation of vulnerability or have diverse needs, such as a minority background or identity, or are from low socio-economic status backgrounds.
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
1.6 INOINP Are you consulted for feedback before the introduction of new solutions using the following methods? Please select all that apply
d Invitation to provide written feedback
e I’m never asked to provide feedback to new solutions
1.7 INEVAL Are you consulted for feedback after the introduction of new solutions using the following methods? Please select all that apply
2. Support for teaching and learning
2.1 EFFINC How effective do you think the following practices are to improve educational equity for different groups of students within your [school] (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
3. School administrative practices
3.1 ADMPRA To what extent do you think changing the following administrative practices would improve educational equity?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
4. Student support and well-being
4.1 SERINC To what extent do you think changing the following services/practices would improve educational equity for different groups of students in your institution (e.g. students with special educational needs, socio-economically disadvantaged students, students from minority ethnic groups, minority language students, students from a migrant background, LGBTQI+ students, female/male students, etc.)?
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
5. Teaching and learning
5.1 STABEH. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your [teachers].
5.2 CLAENV. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your [studies].
5.3 POVINC. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about access to teaching and learning at your [school].
Socio-economic background refers to someone’s work experience and their or their family's economic and social position as compared to others.
6. School environment
6.1 BULFRE. Please indicate to what extent you agree with the following statements about bullying and harassment. During this year at the institution, how often have
6.2 BULPOL. Please indicate to what extent you agree with the following statements about bullying and harassment.
7. Inclusive institutional environment
7.1 WBSUPP. To what extent do you think the well-being needs of the following groups of students are met at your institution?
7.2 WBTYPE. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your institution?
8. General information
[Self-reflection: This section mainly matters to identify for possible statistical use of the responses and to provide external quantitative benchmarks to respondents. Statistics: In case of statistical treatment, this information will allow to provide background information about the respondent and establishment – and allow for correlational analysis.]
8.1 EDULVL Which of the following best describes your educational programme?
8.4 EDULEV What is the highest level of schooling of your parents or guardians?
This Annex presents the survey questionnaire to be answered by secondary education students (if the survey is carried out in secondary education). The previous Annex presents the questionnaire for higher education students. The questionnaire can (and should) be adapted to the local context (in line with the adaptation of the other questionnaires targeting other stakeholders in the institution). The scope of the inequity issues can be adapted to the local context and the age of the targeted students, although it is better to keep it as broad as possible.
This is a module with questions around innovation and equity at [schools]. Its purpose is to help promote self-reflection within a [school] to think about how new ideas influence equity, and how they could help equity. The main goal is to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of how your [school] approaches equity, and to become a first step to conversations at [school] to think more about improving equity through new ideas. This version is specific to “STUDENTS”. The data collected in this survey is treated confidentially. Data from the school leader, student, and teaching staff survey will be matched, but collected data will be treated anonymously.
All terms in [brackets] should be adapted to terms appropriate for the level of schooling, and country context.
Note for administrators of the survey:
The terms in this survey are explained and defined to help students filling out the survey understand them as best as possible. However, it is possible that students may need to discuss the meaning of these concepts in the context of this survey or have further questions. As such, it might be helpful to have teachers (or other administrators) present to answer any questions students may have.
There are some resources that might help this process, such as:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625404/equity-vs-equality-what-is-the-difference
1. Innovation need and diagnosis
1.1 TARGETIMP. In your [school], which three groups of students do you think need more support to improve educational equity among students in the next two years? (Please select three of the options below)
Equity means treating everyone according to their needs – this means not everyone gets the “same” but rather means making sure everyone has a similar chance to succeed in [school] – for example, academically or socially.
Further definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey.
Students with special education needs might need extra help at school because they have a disability or other face other challenges (such as depression) that makes it more difficult for them to learn.
b. Students whose first language is different from the language (mostly) spoken in the [school] or a dialect of this/these languages
A student that comes or is considered to come from a different ethnic group than biggest group in the country. An ethnic group is a group of people who have similar traditions, ancestors, languages, history, culture, religion, etc.
Gifted students are students who have special abilities for their age (e.g. intellectual, musical, or athletic)
LGBTQI+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex people.
Students whose religion is not very common in this country
Students who were born in a country that is different from the country in which they go to [school] or students with at least one parent who was born in another country
1.2 INNOVDIAG. Do you think changing any of the following things could help students with learning difficulties or with more disadvantages at your [school]?
Disadvantaged students might face extra challenges because they come from, for example, a minority background or identity, or from poorer family backgrounds.
1.3 PSTINN. Did your [school] change any of the following in the last two years to better help or include disadvantaged students
Disadvantaged students might face extra challenges because they come from, for example, a minority background or identity, or from poorer family backgrounds.
1.4 FLALRC. In the last year, have [teachers] introduced (new) teaching and learning practices in the following areas:
1.5 INOINP Does your [school] ask you to give feedback in the following ways before introducing new activities, rules, processes or materials?
A focus group is a group interview with a small number of people. This group interview helps understand how people feel or what they think about certain topics.
A pilot test is a test of new activities, rules, processes or materials with a (small) group of people. The pilot test helps to understand if and how these changes would work (for example, how much they would cost, how long they would take etc.) The main purpose is to improve on the new activities, rules, processes or materials before introducing them to the whole [school].
1.6 INEVAL Does your [school] ask you to give feedback in the following ways after introducing new activities, rules, processes or materials? Please select all that apply
A focus group is a group interview with a small number of people. This group interview helps understand how people feel or what they think about certain topics.
A pilot test is a test of new activities, rules, processes or materials with a (small) group of people. The pilot test helps to understand if and how these changes would work (for example, how much they would cost, how long they would take etc.) The main purpose is to improve on the new activities, rules, processes or materials before introducing them to the whole [school].
2. Teaching and learning
2.1 STABEH. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your [teachers]
2.2 CLAENV. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your [studies].
2.3 POVINC. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about access to teaching and learning at your [school].
4. Inclusive institutional environment
4.1 WBSUPP. Do you agree that the following groups of students are supported well at your [school]?
[definitions of these terms are included at the end of the survey]
4.2 WBTYPE. To what extent do you agree with the following statements about your [school]?
This Annex proposes some ideas for the organisation of a workshop that will allow everyone to compare and confront their views with others, have a collective reflection at the institutional level. This input could then be followed up by an action plan designed by institution leaders and other stakeholders to change or improve their current practices geared to improve equity within the educational institution – or introduce new ones.
This workshop is created as part of the self-reflective surveys on innovation for equity in education. A self-reflection exercise comprising of students, teaching staff and school leaders likely brings up expected and unexpected challenges and opportunities, hence, the workshop is a proposed second phase to engage with such views. Primarily this workshop provides an opportunity to have a structured discussion about these insights and potential avenues to delve deeper into root causes, brainstorm on areas and pathways for improvement, and formulate plans to exact change. Additionally, the workshop also serves as an opportunity to have an open discussion with stakeholders at the school to be heard and engage in one of the major challenges in education: equity.
The workshop is intended to take about half a day to run, and would need a couple facilitators who take the lead in organising and guiding participants through the process. There are a number of open questions provided below that could serve as a guidance to exploring the challenges and opportunities around educational equity at your [school]. The results of these brainstorming questions below should then become departure point of innovations or policies implemented at your [school]. Given the exploratory state of this proposed workshop, further workshops could be held to continue discussions or delve deeper into actionable plans to improve equity at the [school].
This document comprises of two sections. The first section outlines several relevant areas to consider for the organisation of a half-day introductory workshop and gives some examples of activities that [schools] could use, further elaborate or modify. The second section discusses pathways to continue the work from the first workshop in further meetings. Moreover, this document will also outline guidance for the workshop organisers in terms of the planning and set-up of the workshop activities.
It is key to keep in mind that the outlined proposal should be matched the context and needs at your [school] and may need to be tweaked. The terms used in this document may need to be explained or fit to the cultural, country or school context as well. The examples of activities below are organised by topic as covered in the self-reflection survey. These suggestions might serve as building blocks or points of departure. You might want to ask further questions, adapt them, or only focus your workshop on areas that require more attention at your [school]. Please note that timings are indicative as they depend on the size of the group of participants.
1.1. Pre-workshop considerations
There are a couple factors to keep in mind when setting up the workshop. Importantly, the workshop should be run with ample, undisturbed time – preferably as an afternoon. Participation should be voluntary but encouraged, for example, by ensuring that it does not clash with class preparation, review of student work, or exam preparation time. During the workshop, it will be helpful to have a space where it is both possible to address all participants, and have smaller breakout groups for discussion. These breakout groups could sit anywhere, but particular consideration should be given to not sit them too close to each other. These discussions should be independent and open.
To help ensure the ideas are as free-flowing as possible, it is key to mention to participants that normal hierarchy need not apply. Student and staff contributions should not be adapted or withheld due to concerns over how their managers (or teachers) might perceive them. To ensure this, we encourage the first round of breakout groups to be in-group (e.g. only students, (teaching) staff, or [school] leadership) to get a strong set of brainstormed suggestions. The second round of breakout groups, however, should take place in mixed groups, and for this exercise the open environment is key to stress and establish.
In trying to invite participants, it is also advisable to go beyond “usual suspects” for participation. Not only (teaching) staff and students who usually participate, e.g. through student council or school councils should be encouraged. The discussions about equity will benefit from a diverse set of participants. Hence, inviting a wide variety of students and (teaching) staff is key. Participation might be encouraged in manners appropriate to the context of the [school] – for example by finding a way for students to put participation on their CV or college applications, by offering refreshments, or by counting (teaching) staff participation as working hours or overtime. On top of this, finding the right time of day and the right time in the semester is important. It might also help to personally invite some students and (teaching) staff who might have interesting ideas but are not often represented in official settings.
1.2. The workshop proceedings
During the workshop, it might be necessary to talk about the concepts that are included in the workshop. There are definitions of these concepts included in the self-reflection surveys, but some of these might be quite conceptual and benefit from further discussion of explanation.
Given the varied discussion topics in this workshop, it might be advisable to let participants choose their topics for both activities. Keeping in mind a relatively equitable division between groups, you could invite people who you know have an interest in specific topics as well. If it looks like interest-based grouping will create groups too skewed in size, you can also see if some participants are willing to redistribute themselves. You can of course also decide to divide people into groups yourself if you feel this would contribute to a smoother running of the workshop, and/or save time.
Participants may be divided into groups of about five to seven participants. Smaller than that may reduce the input in the discussions, but groups larger than seven is likely to result in some participants taking a back seat. Given the importance of an inclusive approach to this topic, it is key to ensure each participant gets the opportunity to voice their opinions.
The groups for the second, in-depth activity should come from the brainstorm groups covering those topics. Groups can divide their own team members across these topics, but moderators or administrators can also take on this role of they prefer. The benefit of allocating people in this way is that they can bring their group discussion to the in-depth conversation.
As preparation for the workshop activities, it is important to ensure a couple things are available to participants in the breakout groups, namely:
large whiteboards to write on and/or large sheets of paper. It is preferable that each topic is documented separately so that it can be used as input for the second round of activities
Sticky notes might be helpful in ordering some of the processes in activity 2
Markers, preferably in different colours, to help participants write and colour code if they like
Throughout the workshop a couple key things should be kept in mind. First, there might need to be multiple administrators to answer any questions or help groups as they are stuck. Groups are supposed to run their brainstorm or activities themselves: including the division of labour (e.g. by asking someone to write, perhaps ask somebody to keep an eye on moderating). However, given the difficulty of some of the concepts at the heart of these discussions, it is good to have some help available if participants need it.
Secondly, it is key to emphasise that there is no bad idea as part of this discussion. People can provide whatever suggestions they want, as the purpose is to think collectively about these topics and good ideas can come from anybody.
2.1. Workshop introduction
Opening activities aim at participants getting to know each other, and feeling comfortable to share views among each other, getting a sense of the motivations to participate, and outlining the context of the discussion in the [school] based on the results of the self-evaluation survey. These activities can be of various types (a web search using the keywords “icebreaker” or “warm up activities” allows finding a wide range of such activities). Some examples of opening activities are presented below.
Opening activities can be followed by a general presentation of the project and the results of the first stage of the self-reflection on equity: the survey.
2.2. Workshop activities
The workshop activities are intended to serve as moments to brainstorm about the questions and topics contained in the survey. These activities are meant to be open and inclusive – good ideas can come from any source. The first round of these activities are to brainstorm ideas in groups, and the second will be to deep-dive into the suggestions that came up in the brainstorm, specifically around the process that could be followed, the necessary elements to make it successful, and so forth. A couple of these questions will be geared specifically to teaching staff, school leaders and administrative staff, and as such, students do not need to be represented in those groups. However, including them is not a problem and may provide the benefit of outside perspective.
The topics, and associated questions are listed below. Questions that are not key for students to participate in are colour coded in yellow.
(1) What do you see as the main achievements of your [school] to improve equity in the past 2 years?
(2) Do you have ideas for how to support teaching staff to further personalise their teaching and learning to the needs of disadvantaged students?
(3) Which administrative practices could be changed to contribute to educational equity within your [school] (admission, school discipline, student guidance and counselling, etc.)?
(4) Which of your student support practices could you change to further equity in your [school] by creating a learning environment wherein all kinds of students with diverse personal backgrounds, abilities, characteristics and identities safely interact?
(5) Which knowledge and learning practices could you change or introduce to make information about effective practices continuously shared within your [school] and make other staff reflect on how their practices could improve educational equity? These effective practices should mainly centre on how to improve the academic learning and well-being of students with special education needs, low socio-economic status or minority backgrounds.
(6) How could you overcome some of the current obstacles that limit your ability to introduce new practices to improve educational equity?
(7) Are there additional improvements to the [school]’s facilities, new uses of the space or new types of equipment or software that could better meet the needs of some disadvantaged students or allow for more activities to support equity and inclusion?
(8) What actions do you think are needed to improve processes through which new practices, new forms of support or new materials are proposed in your [school]?
(9) Are there additional improvements to the [school]’s programmes and other support towards the well-being of specific groups, or of specific types of well-being that could improve equity and inclusion?
It is possible that you do not manage to discuss all suggestions from the brainstorm – that is ok. However, it is important not to dismiss ideas before thinking through them using this process. Perhaps not all ideas are feasible, but talking through where issues might lie might bring about alternative solutions, help adapt ideas, provide context as to why things are not possible or even just spark an interesting conversation on the topic.
The questions at the heart of this exercise are listed below. Questions that are not key for students to participate in are colour coded in yellow.
(1) This activity builds on the ideas for how to support teaching staff to further personalise their teaching and learning to the needs of disadvantaged students from the brainstorm, but you can also use new ideas you may have while working on this. Looking at these ideas, consider the resources at [school] (staff, learning materials, budget, time) – what would these ideas require? How could these resources be used realistically to put these ideas into practice? Would these ideas be implementable in the next year, or would they require a longer-term plan?
(2) This activity builds on the ideas for changes in administrative to contribute to educational equity within your [school] (admission, school discipline, student guidance and counselling, etc.) from the brainstorm, but you can also use new ideas you may have while working on this. Looking at these ideas, try to consider how these practices can be changed in practice, what is necessary to change them, and what the implications of those changes may be. Try to think of how to make (some of) these changes happen in the next year. How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(3) This activity builds on the ideas for changes in student support practices to further equity in your [school] by creating a learning environment wherein all kinds of students with diverse personal backgrounds, abilities, characteristics and identities safely interact. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is available at the school and how could this be used to exact these changes? Are there any new resources needed? What is necessary at the school to implement these support practices – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Try to think of how to make (some of) these changes happen in the next year. How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(4) This activity builds on the ideas for changes in or the introduction of knowledge and learning practices to make information about effective practices continuously shared within your [school] and make other staff reflect on how their practices could improve educational equity. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is necessary to improve the knowledge flows and learning opportunities at this [school]? Are there any new resources needed? How can the resources at [school] be used more effectively? Are there changes in rules or processes that may help with this? What is necessary at the school to implement these changes – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Try to think of how to make (some of) these changes happen in the next year. How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(5) This activity builds on the ideas on how to overcome some of the current obstacles that limit your ability to introduce new practices to improve educational equity. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is necessary to reduce obstacles to introduce new practices around equity at this [school]? Are there any new resources needed? How can the resources at [school] be used more effectively? Are there changes in rules or processes that may help with this? What is necessary at the school to implement these changes – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Which changes could already be implemented right now? How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(6) This activity builds on the ideas for additional improvements to the [school]’s facilities, new uses of the space or new types of equipment or software that could better meet the needs of some disadvantaged students or allow for more activities to support equity. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is necessary to improve facilities, find alternative uses for the space or introduce new types of equipment or software for better equity at this [school]? Are there any new resources needed? How can the resources at [school] be used more effectively? What is necessary at the school to implement these changes – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Which changes could already be implemented right now? How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(7) This activity builds on the ideas for improvements to processes through which new practices, new forms of support or new materials are proposed in your [school]. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. Group your ideas by type of action and by ease of implementation. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is necessary to improve the process through which to propose new solutions at this [school]? Are there any new resources needed? How can the resources at [school] be used more effectively? What is necessary at the school to implement these changes – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Which changes could already be implemented right now? How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
(8) This activity builds on the ideas for additional improvements to the [school]’s programmes and other support towards the well-being of specific groups, or of specific types of well-being that could improve equity. These ideas will stem from the brainstorm, but you may also use new ideas you have while working on this. While thinking through these topics, think of the resources that would be required for these changes – what is necessary improve [school] programmes and other support to improve the well-being of disadvantaged students? Are there any new resources needed? How can the resources at [school] be used more effectively? What is necessary at the school to implement these changes – try to think of these as a list of things that need to happen (put into order). Which changes could already be implemented right now? How could these processes be further improved over time? What sequence of actions would need to be taken? Which changes would take longer?
In addition to the workshop, schools may want to continue these discussions in various ways. Different approaches can be considered to continue the work on improving equity based on the survey and workshop:
Follow-up meetings and workshops: additional workshops can be organised at regular intervals with participants to further consider avenues to improve on equity within the [school]. These workshops may centre around particular topics specifically, or may target particular stages of the process of changing practices, processes or materials at the [school]. Follow-up meetings and workshops can also be a useful way to have varying participation (i.e. keep “registration” open) and ensure an inclusive approach to thinking through these issues. These workshops can also be an opportunity for feedback on the progress made by, for example, [school] leadership in carrying out some of the work that has come up during the survey and workshop.
Encouraging the emergence of a working group on improving equity: Another way to move forward with this work with continual input from a broader set of stakeholders is to encourage the creation of a working group. This could be an open call to ensure people can join who could not go to the workshop, but encouraging the participants in the workshop to join this working group is also key. Very important to keep in mind is to ensure a diverse set of people in the group, representation from all stakeholders, and a flat hierarchy. If [school] hierarchy is maintained in such a process, the risk is that the ideas will come from leadership only, which might limit buy-in and the effectiveness of the solutions for the target groups. Throughout this process, it might also help to seek consultation on intermediate outputs or plans from the larger community (including parents/guardians) to seek feedback and room for improvement.