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Abstract:

Although the importance of primary schools in the long term is of interest in educational effectiveness research, few studies have examined the long-term school effects over the past decades. In this study, long-term effects of primary schools are investigated on the mathematics achievement and non-cognitive outcomes of students at age 17. Moreover, it is investigated which primary school effects play a role in this process. We specifically investigate whether effective primary schools make a difference in the long term. The study uses data of the longitudinal SiBO-project (Dutch acronym for School Trajectories in Primary Education). A cohort of 6000 Flemish pupils from 200 schools were intensively followed from Kindergarten (age 5-6) until grade 7 (age 12-13). In 2014, at the age of 17, 65% of the cohort participated in a mathematics test and a student questionnaire. Cross-classified multilevel models show that primary schools have significant long-term effects regarding mathematics achievement.