(Individual teacher discretion should be used when determining the focus of the class discussions.
"Roma children are often placed in practical schools because they need individual teacher support.
But even this is off-piste learning, the initiative of an individual teacher; it is not part of the curriculum.
The research clearly shows that individual teacher quality has a much greater impact on student achievement than differences between schools.
But there's mounting evidence that even in such failing schools, the individual teacher makes a vast difference.
"No individual teacher should have to deal with difficult students," says Amanda Salt from Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast.
"What you're showing there is small class-size ratio and individual teacher contact with kids," said Lance Melton, executive director of the Montana School Boards Association.
Rather than focusing on an individual teacher or module, potential students need to look at how well-thought-out the structure of a programme is, adds Ashwin.
Most incentive plans have used supervisor evaluations to judge individual teacher performance, relying on a school principal's review in doling out rewards.
"By having year-by-year assessment and reporting, you really do define much more clearly what every individual teacher is responsible for," he said.
Our results consistently indicate that the increased focus on individual teacher performance caused a significant and sizable relative decline in student achievement, as measured by national exams.
