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"I find it galling to spend a fortune in fees for an independent school only to find it is increasingly dominated by the state - the very organisation whose incompetence in education I am trying to get away from." -- British writer James Bartholomew, calling for more independence for independent schools in an article for the Telegraph last month. The Telegraph article.
Education Forum members appointed to Scholarship review panel Auckland Grammar School headmaster John Morris and Wellington College headmaster Roger Moses, along with Wellington Girls' High School principal Margaret McLeod, have been appointed to the government's expert panel tasked with reporting to Cabinet on problems with the new Scholarship system and recommending remedies. Mr Morris and Mr Moses are both Education Forum members. They join a range of other education experts on the panel that has been given two weeks to complete its report. An NZPA article on the expert panel.
Public/private partnerships at Auckland University of Technology Auckland University of Technology is partnering with business and government to help tackle the current shortage of highly-skilled maintenance and reliability engineers. A New Zealand Herald article about the partnership.
Teacher training in the spotlight The February education of North and South magazine has an in-depth feature on teacher training and quality in New Zealand. Teacher quality is also scrutinised in this recent Sunday Star Times feature.
Literacy helps economy but more solid evidence needed A New Zealand Treasury paper looks at whether an increase in the basic literacy skills of adults would have a positive effect on the New Zealand economy. It finds good evidence for the benefits of literacy. The Treasury paper says studies consistently find that adults with better literacy skills are more likely to be employed, and to earn more, than those with poorer literacy skills, even when taking account of other factors which affect work performance. There is little rigorous evidence, however, for the benefits of adult literacy training and almost no accompanying information on the costs of this training. The paper, by Grant Johnston, is at this web page.
Australian pupils leaving state system for private schools The proportion of full-time enrolments in Australian non-government schools increased in all states and territories between 1999 and 2003, an Australian newspaper has reported. Total non-government school enrolments grew by an average of 2.2 percent a year, while enrolments in government schools grew by just 0.1 percent a year. More than a third of high school students now attend private schools. The Melbourne Herald Sun article.
Australia: tax-effective savings plans for education increase More parents are easing the costs of educating their children through tax-effective savings plans. Adelaide-based Lifeplan Funds Management has experienced a significant increase in the number of people taking out tax-effective education savings plans in the past six months, The Australian reports. New tax laws came into effect in 2003 in Australia allowing tax benefits for saving plans designed exclusively for children's education needs. The Australian story.
Capping loans could lead to financial pressure on students, says report An Australian discussion paper says capping loans could be detrimental to low-income students by forcing them to find the extra money up front. The Centre for Economic Policy Research paper 'HECS System Changes: Impact on Students', by Gillian Beer and Bruce Chapman, is downloadable as a PDF.
Foreign fee-paying students keep British university system afloat Foreign fee-paying students are keeping the under-funded British university system from crumbling, says an article in The Economist. The article is at this web page.
Private medical school for the UK London's Brunel University will host the United Kingdom's first private medical school since the 19th century. The university hopes to open the centre in September 2006, before the private University of Buckingham can open its own new school. Both believe there is a demand from students in the UK and abroad to pay £20,000 a year, and that more doctors will be needed than state medical schools can supply. More information is in this Guardian article. A December Subtext story on the first private medical school in Australia.
For-profit provider on road to UK university status BPP, a for-profit provider of professional training in England, has passed an important mark in its attempt to become a university: the Privy Council has asked the Quality Assurance Agency, which polices standards in higher education, to start a full inspection of BPP, The Economist reports. A 2004 Subtext story on BPP.
Evaluating teacher performance pay A University of Wisconsin-Madison report that studies six years of standards-based teacher evaluation and performance pay is downloadable as a PDF.
Successful performance pay pilot get teacher support A CNN article on the successful pilot of a teacher performance-pay scheme in Minnesota.
Eminent researchers put the case for school choice Researchers Eric Hanushek and Paul E Peterson argued the case for, and looked at the background of, school choice in a conference devoted to the legacy of free-marketeer Milton Friedman. The papers have just been released. 'The Toughest Battleground: Schools' by Eric A. Hanushek. 'The Theory and Practice of School Choice' by Paul E. Peterson.
Scholarships for tsunami-hit students A Vietnamese university has added to the international relief effort of the Boxing Day tsunami with scholarships totalling approximately US$100,000 to four students who have suffered as a result of the tsunami. RMIT International University Vietnam's scholarships will go toward study for a commerce degree in Vietnam for students from Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India. The university will cover the cost of the university fees, books, fares and insurance. In addition, staff, students and alumni will provide a living allowance for the scholarship recipients whilst they are in Vietnam.
Tax benefits to Brazilian private institutions with scholarships for low-income students The Brazilian government last year set up the University for All Program which offers institutions partial tax exemption in exchange for free scholarships for low-income students. Around 1200 private and non-profit tertiary institutions have already signed on to the programme, that this year is expected to help more than 110,000 students. More information on the scheme.
Study looks at role of universities' IP policies in influencing for-profit research A new study explores the differences between intellectual property policies from nine US research universities as "potential sources of influence on faculty engagement in for-profit research ventures". The University of Massachusetts study, by Pilar Mendoza and Joseph B. Berger.
Central testing and benchmarking raise teacher quality, says report Central tests of student achievement and benchmarking raise the quality of teaching, says a report from Germany's University of Dortmund. It works even if teacher pay is not performance-related. If teachers value reputation, and if teaching output is measured so that it becomes comparable, teachers will increase their effort. The report, by Kerstin Schneider, Wolfram F. Richter and Hendrik Jurges is at this web page.
Charter students get better reading and maths scores Charter students pass state reading proficiency tests at a rate five percent higher than those in neighbouring district schools, and in maths, the differential is three percent, says a new report from renowned Harvard academic Caroline Hoxby. In addition, the longer the charter school has been in operation, the wider its advantage. Professor Hoxby finds charter pupils doing (relatively) better in states with strong charter laws (those that confer greater autonomy on schools) and where the charter schools are not greatly under-funded. 'Achievement in Charter Schools and Regular Public Schools in the United States: Understanding the Differences' is downloadable as a PDF.
Kenya shows all-round benefit of merit scholarships A study of a merit scholarship programme for adolescent girls in Kenya shows that girls eligible for the scholarship showed significant gains in academic exam scores that persisted even after the competition. There is also evidence that boys in the programme schools, who were ineligible for the awards, also showed sizeable average test gains, as did girls with low pre-test scores who were unlikely to win. Both student and teacher school attendance increased. The US National Bureau of Economic Research paper, by Michael Kremer, Edward Miguel, Rebecca Thornton, is at this web page.
Student loan schemes increasing in China A new student loan scheme in China's Weifang region adds to the rapidly increasing number of schemes in China's new but fast-growing student loan industry. The Hubei province, late last year, was another to sign up for a scheme with the Agricultural Bank of China. Meanwhile, Eastday News reports that the Bank of China has now lent 270 million yen (nearly NZ$46 million) to more than 70,000 student at 115 schools.
Government support for tertiary education can increase costs Instead of making college more affordable, federal aid programmes are actually driving up the cost of tuition, according to a new Cato Institute study. In "Making College More Expensive: The Unintended Consequences of Federal Tuition Aid," Hillsdale College professor Gary Wolfram argues that financial aid programmes increase the cost of tuition. According to Professor Wolfram, additional federal support increases the demand for college tuition. This is followed by even more federal support, which further boosts the demand for college aid. Although other factors have contributed to the rise in tuition costs, such as greater technology expenses and higher faculty salaries, Professor Wolfram points out that "there can be little doubt that federal aid has, at a minimum, allowed colleges and universities to increase tuition beyond what would otherwise be the case." Gradually eliminating state funds would have a two-fold effect: a lowering of tuition prices and a response from the private market. This response would lead to additional private-sector loans and scholarships and would promote "the expansion of human capital contracts, which are similar to owning stock in the future earnings of a college graduate." The report is at this web page.
A gateway to 28 NZ education websites goes live A new online gateway to information on New Zealand education went live last month. 'edCentre' was developed by the key education agencies to give access to information on 28 official websites across a wide range of areas related to education, from early childhood to adult education. edCentre is organised by user and community groups to make finding information quick and easy. The key groups used are: parents, learners, educators, governance, researchers, and community. The agencies that have helped create this portal are: Career Services rapuara; Education Review Office; Ministry of Education; National Library of New Zealand; New Zealand Qualifications Authority; New Zealand Teachers' Council; Tertiary Education Commission.
Is a drive for profit changing higher education in the US? The value of a college degree has created a thriving market for profit-making universities in the US that cater to students who cannot attend traditional institutions of higher education. A new report asks if this is changing the face of higher education. For-profit institutions compete for consumers by differentiating themselves from traditional universities and the top nine profit-driven schools earned revenues of US$6.64 billion in 2003. For-profit University of Phoenix has become one of the largest schools in the United States, enrolling 200,000 students. It is clear for-profit schools are becoming a strong presence in higher education, though growth may be limited to niche-markets, but it is still too early to determine what the consequences may be, the report says. 'Notes on For-profit Higher Education in the United States' by Henry M. Levin is at this webpage. |
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