Does School Innovation Matter? The Effects of School Innovation on Decreasing the Socioeconomic Educational Gap in Korea

• In Event: 18.014 - New Direction of Educational Reform for Educational Equality: Lessons From East Asia

Abstract

Objectives
This study introduces educational policy called Hyukshin School (“innovative school”) in Gyeonggi Province, the populous province in Korea, and examines its effect on reducing the socioeconomic achievement gaps.

Perspectives
Initiated by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education, the Hyukshin School policy aims to innovate the school system by changing school culture and reconstructing curriculum, instruction, and evaluation. The Hyunkshin School policy differs from other school reforms in terms of wholeness and spontaneousness. Hyuksin schools are pilot schools designated to implement this whole-scale school change policy. In 2009, nine schools were first designated as Hyukshin schools. As of 2015, there are 357 Hyukshin schools, which is about 20% of all schools in Gyeonggi Province. Before 1980’s, education was recognized as a tool for social mobility in Korea. Accordingly, the educational gap resulted by family background was believed to overcome through individual efforts in school. This belief, however, has changed since late 1990’s when the economic crisis occurred and as a result the socioeconomic achievement gap began to increase. Numerous policies aimed to lessen the gap have been implemented since then but it has been said that these policy efforts are not successful. Some scholars even argue that education plays as a mechanism for social reproduction. Furthermore, many Koreans, especially students, think that only a few people can achieve success so that there is no reason to endure the huge distress resulting from highly competitive school lives. This growing concern called to change the school system. It is in this circumstance that Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education has made an effort through the Hyukshin School policy. Some research suggests that Hyukshin schools have a positive impact on school satisfaction and non-cognitive achievement such as citizenship, independence spirit, collaborative problem-solving competency due to increased social capital within school and student-centered instruction. Yet, it remains to be further investigated whether Hyunkshin schools are more effective in reducing the socioeconomic achievement gaps than other regular schools

Data & Methods
This study uses data from the Gyeonggi Educational Panel Study (GEPS), collected by Gyeonggi Institute of Education to study the longitudinal growth and change of students in Gyeonggi Province since 2012. The GEPS surveys a representative sample of elementary, middle and high school students in Gyeonggi Province. We conduct longitudinal analyses to estimate the long-term effect of the Hyunshin School policy. In addition, we incorporate qualitative data from teachers and students to better understand the results.

Results
We find that the effect of SES on academic achievement is smaller in Hyukshin schools than in regular schools after controlling for other variables. Furthermore, we find that the way through which Hyuksin schools affect the educational gap is social capital within school as well as student-centered instruction which is widely practiced in Hyukshin schools.

Scientific Significance
The findings suggest that schools can reduce educational inequality by whole-scale organizational change.

Authors

• Byoungbu Baek, Gyeonggi Institute of Education

• Kisun Sung, The Catholic University of Korea

• Sungchun Kim, Gyeonggido Office of Education