A Review of the International Literature and Its Relevance for Improving Education in Latin America
|
29
Vegas and Petrow 2008 provided data on two points relevant for considering whether this type of research
would be productive in Latin America. First, most Latin American countries only administer national
assessments to a sample of the student population. Only a few countries administer censal tests; even
there, different grades are often tested in different years. Such testing systems would make it difficult to
establish gain scores for students from one year to the next. Second, only a few countries in Latin America
currently have the technical capacity to undertake large-scale value-added studies. Thus, it would seem
that the time is not ripe for the region to embark on wide-scale efforts to use this methodology.
Of course, it is probable that some countries or some researchers will find it advantageous to experiment
with value-added models. Research using such meth- odologies could make valuable contributions to the
Latin American setting because of its emphasis on connecting teacher input with student learning. The
danger is that too much importance may be given to scores on a standardized test and not enough to other
aspects of a student’s learning, such as problem solv- ing, critical thinking, and learning to work with oth-
ers. Measuring teacher effectiveness by student test scores should always be supplemented with effective
observations of teacher performance and behavior in the classroom, school, and community as well as
other observations of student learning, such as work samples or portfolios.
5.6 Leadership and Supervision
Effective teaching is facilitated by collaborative work with peers in a school environment that focuses on
student learning. In many Latin American schools, the role of the principal is framed in purely administra-
tive and management terms, and the principal is not expected to provide educational leadership. Because
most schools do have a principal, and many areas lack qualified inspectors and supervisors altogether,
while others often do not have funds to pay for their visits to schools, the leadership that principals could
provide in improving teaching represents an enor- mous potential resource that is now being wasted.
The literature is clear and consistent on the need for strong, supportive evaluation of teachers in their first
years so that only effective teachers will be given ten- ure. Yet in most Latin American countries, principals
receive no special training or certification and are not taught how to provide effective supervision. They
need to know what to look for in classrooms and how to support teachers who are trying to change their
practices. Effective school leadership, like effective teaching,
is not an ineffable, inborn trait; rather, it involves a set of skills and competencies that can be learned.
Programs should be developed so principals can gain the skills and competencies to enable them to provide
effective supervision and support for school improve- ment. Such programs would logically fit in teacher
education institutions. Those institutions that do not already do so should consider offering graduate work
for those who wish to become principals. The supervision and evaluation of principals is also
generally given little attention in Latin America. The literature shows that principals need supervision and
support as much as teachers do. In decentralized programs, it is not realistic to imagine that parents
will provide knowledgeable supervision of principals. Systems need to be developed to clarify how princi-
pals are supervised and evaluated, and by whom. In addition, principals benefit from networks permitting
them to make visits to each other’s schools, observe teachers together, share problems, and discuss pos-
sible solutions.
