'Little evidence' of improved exam performance or retention rates in first ten years of Deis
An in-depth analysis of the first 10 years of the programme for disadvantaged schools found little to no effect on Junior Certificate achievement, or on progression to Leaving Cert.
First introduced in 2006, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (Deis) programme has undergone several expansions in recent years, now supporting one in four students.
The study, led by Dr Darragh Flannery, associate professor at the University of Limerick, used national, school-level data from a sample of almost 580 post primary schools, 182 of which were designated as Deis.
Using a regression discontinuity design, the study found "little evidence" of improved achievement or retention outcomes in post-primary schools that participated in Deis from 2007, one year into the programme, up to 2016.
Published in the international journal Studies in Educational Evaluation, it also found no significant impact from the programme on the percentages of low or high achievers in English and maths.
The study does highlight a number of important caveats. It notes it is possible 'some aspects of Deis are having positive effects which are partially cancelled out by other countervailing effects', such as teacher burnout or high teacher turnover.
There may also be a 'cumulative effect' of students attending both a Deis primary and Deis post-primary school, it added.
'Another possibility is that aspects of Deis could be having stronger positive impacts in more disadvantaged contexts which were not included in the current analysis, which focused by design on schools within a narrow band around the original identification threshold.'
The study notes investment in the scheme now accounts for almost 3% of the overall budget for education, although a 'precise description' is difficult due to co-financing across different Government departments.
While Ireland is recognised for having comparatively high levels of achievement in reading, maths and science, as well as a high rate of school retention, there are well-recognised differences in these rates associated with student and school socio-economic status.
No 'specific objectives' around increasing achievement scores or improving retention rates were specified in the original plan for Deis, the study notes.
However, researchers focused on these outcomes 'given the data availability and perceived focus in wider education policy'. This was relative to similar schools not included in Deis during the same timeframe.
Dr Darragh Flannery, associate professor in the Department of Economics at UL, said the findings supported calls for a stronger culture of evaluation of the programme's outcomes and impact.
'Our null findings regarding the impact of Deis align with the recognised need for a coordinated policy response to tackling inequality. It is increasingly acknowledged that schools alone cannot solve such a social problem.'
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