How Effective Is School-to-School Collaboration in Shanghai?

• In Event: Thursday Roundtable Session 9:00 am
  In Roundtable Session: School Effectiveness and School Improvement Round Table #1 (Table 15)

Abstract

Previous literature noted that school-to-school collaboration might be an effective way to improve low-performing schools; however, rigorous quantitative studies are lacking. In this paper, we examined Shanghai's School-to-School Collaboration and its effects on students' academic achievement. The SSC aimed to improve the effectiveness of teachers and school principals by partnering highly-skilled teachers and principals with low-performing schools. We employed PSM-DID models and estimated the causal effects of the SSC on students' academic outcomes. The results indicated that the project significantly improved students' test scores in Chinese, Mathematics, English, and Science. Further analyses revealed that the improvement of students' academic performances was attributed to positive changes in school climate, rather than teachers' teaching style as previously assumed.

Authors

• Huacong Liu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

• Maohua Wang, Shanghai Municipal Education Commission