The effective mathematics department: adding value and increasing participation?

Noyes, Andrew

Abstract

Given the commonly accepted view that having a mathematically well-educated populace is strategically important, there is considerable international interest in raising attainment, and increasing participation, in post-compulsory mathematics education. In this article I develop multi-level models using datasets from the UK Department for Education’s National Pupil Database (NPD) in order to explore 1) school effects upon student progress in mathematics from age 11-16 in England, and 2) student participation in advanced level mathematics over the following two years. These analyses highlight between-school variation in the difference between mathematical and general academic progress. Furthermore, the between–school differences in post-compulsory mathematics participation are large. Importantly, there is no evidence to suggest that schools/departments with higher ‘contextual value added’ from 11-16, a key measure in government accountability processes in England, are also more effective in recruiting and retaining students in post-16 advanced mathematics courses.

Citation

Noyes, A. The effective mathematics department: adding value and increasing participation?. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 24(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2012.689145

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Deposit Date: Dec 7, 2014
• Journal: School Effectiveness and School Improvement
• Print ISSN: 0924-3453
• Electronic ISSN: 0924-3453
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2012.689145
• Keywords: mathematics, attainment, participation, multilevel modelling
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/710743
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09243453.2012.689145
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in School Effectiveness and School Improvement on 05/07/2012, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09243453.2012.689145