School Development Consultancy: Assessing the Quality, Benefits, and Effectiveness

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 9:45 am
  In Poster Session: Counseling Poster Session B

Abstract

School development consultancy is a targeted support to enhance school development, with external consultants collaborating with school leadership, steering groups, and staff. This article examines the quality, benefits, and effectiveness of school consultancy, especially in socio-economically disadvantaged contexts. The findings presented stem from a five-year quasi-experimental longitudinal mixed-methods study, involving 69 to 122 schools. Regression analyses indicated that higher-rated process qualities of school consultancy were associated with higher perceived outcome qualities of school consultancy. Additionally, positively assessed outcome qualities of school consultancy were linked to enhancements in school quality characteristics. These findings provide new insights into school consultancy and highlight the potential of school consultancy as a valuable tool for fostering school quality.

Authors

• Stephan Gerhard Huber, Johannes Kepler University of Linz

• Andrea Thaller, Johannes Kepler University of Linz