Resilient schools: excellence in schools challenged by poverty

This study seeks to identify and characterise those schools that, in contexts of high social vulnerability, enable their students to progress beyond what would be expected compared with other schools in their surroundings. Two case studies are examined –primary education in the Canary Islands and secondary education in Catalonia– through the first value-added analysis carried out in Spain, which uses longitudinal microdata to measure each school’s real contribution to its students’ progress. This approach makes it possible to reliably identify so-called «resilient schools».

To gain an in-depth understanding of how they work, a qualitative analysis is conducted on a sample of these schools, from which five key pillars emerge: a) leadership focused on student well-being, b) teaching methods balanced between explicit and active instruction, c) coherent organisation, d) teacher stability and support, and e) close collaboration with families.

Key points

1 Measuring school effectiveness requires taking into account student progress and the vulnerability of the context. Ignoring these factors can lead to undervaluing schools that, despite difficulties, achieve greater impact. It is key to systematically identify resilient schools and facilitate the transfer of their models and practices.

2 In primary education (Canary Islands), the school’s impact on student progress shows a low correlation with socioeconomic status. Among the most complex schools, an estimated 38% are resilient in mathematics and 44% in language, and between 40% and 60% of these achieve significant progress.

3 In secondary education (Catalonia), the correlation between schools’ value added and their socioeconomic status is higher (up to 0.5). Even so, 41% and 46% of schools are resilient, although only between 11% and 16% of these manage to make a substantial contribution to their students’ progress.

4 Resilient schools share a school culture focused on student well-being, with early detection of needs, clear organisation, care for teachers and a strong bond with families.

5 To foster school resilience, it is recommended to strengthen educational leadership, develop a viable investment plan that prioritises non-teaching staff, ensure the stability and cohesion of teaching teams, and expand students’ learning time and opportunities in order to offset inequalities of origin.