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"In education, as in health and the other public services, we want the user - the parent and the pupil - to drive the system." British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as he launched a new education mini-manifesto in London earlier this month. A Guardian story on Mr Blair's plans.
Outside intervention prompts fast turn-around for failing UK school authorities Two failing English school authorities have posted strong performances after their control was passed to outside organisations. Since taking over in Walsall in 2002, private firm Serco has achieved one of the fastest-ever improvements of education services, the Office for Standards in Education told the Times Education Supplement earlier this year. Leeds education authority has also been praised after its control was handed over to a council-run firm supported by private firm Cognita. More information on Walsall. More information on Leeds.
Effective families help boost skills, study finds A Scottish study finds that families are major producers of skills, and successful policies should promote effective families and come to the aid of failing ones. The evidence shows that early disadvantages produce severe later disadvantages that are hard to remedy. The gaps in skills and abilities open up early, and schooling merely widens them. Company-sponsored job training yields a higher return for the most able and so this form of investment will exacerbate the gaps it is intended to close. For the same reason, public job training is not likely to help adult workers whose skills are rendered obsolete by skill-biased technological change. Targeted early interventions, however, have proven to be very effective in compensating for the effect of neglect. The study, Skills Policies for Scotland, is at this web page.
Teacher quality and the market Teacher quality appears to be unrelated to advanced degrees or certification; good teachers tend to be effective with all student ability levels; there is value in matching students and teachers by race; teachers staying in urban schools tend to be as good as or better than those who exit, so the main cost of turnover is the introduction of more first-year teachers - these are some the findings of a new study on teacher quality from a team led by eminent researcher Eric Hanushek. 'The Market for Teachers', by Eric A. Hanushek, John F. Kain, Daniel M. O'Brien, Steven G. Rivkin, is at this web page.
New types of schools best way to reform education, book argues Education reform needs to move beyond trying to fix broken, Industrial Age school systems and focus on creating "new schools" - charter schools, contracted schools and site-managed schools, argues a new book. That is easier than scraping away the layers of entrenched special interests from the current education system, author Ted Kolderie says. Children don't all learn the same way and schools that align with individual learning styles are needed. To do this, real incentives are required for change. Education authorities need to stop thinking of themselves as owners and operators of schools and start thinking of themselves as the "education board" overseeing a portfolio of individually operated schools. ' Meanwhile, in a recent opinion piece, leading US education commentator Chester E. Finn has argued that the traditional style of high school is out of date and significant reform is needed. Comment about Creating the Capacity for Change: How and Why Governors and Legislatures Are Opening a New-Schools Sector in Public Education, by Ted Kolderie (Education/Evolving), is at this web page. Chester E. Finn's suggestions for reform.
Growing numbers of US universities running secondary schools A growing number of US universities are running secondary schools in partnership with local authorities. Universities in cities including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia were involved in partnership programmes. Some did so to boost the quality of students' education, others to help revitalise neighbourhoods around their campuses. A story on this growing trend.
Growing number of US states propose rating systems for childcare centres Growing numbers of US states are proposing rating systems for childcare centres and preschools to encourage providers to improve their services and to give parents the information they need to choose a high-quality environment, Education Week has reported. Democrat states Wisconsin, Arizona and Iowa have introduced rating systems - similar to the those used to evaluate hotels or restaurants - to their legislative agendas this year. The three states proposed that centres with higher ratings would receive more state money to serve children from low-income families. In addition, highly rated centres or preschools would be more likely to be chosen to take part in the states' preschool programmes. The Education Week story.
George Bush pushes for vouchers again US president George Bush, in a little-noticed section of his 2006 budget proposal, has resurrected his request for a nationwide US$50 million "Choice Incentive Fund". The idea was to give groups across the United States the chance to compete for federal money for programmes that gave parents more educational choices. More information is at this web page.
Florida looks at expanding voucher scheme, considers selling failed schools Six years after creating the first state-wide school voucher programme in the US, Florida governor Jeb Bush is pushing for a massive expansion of the use of vouchers, offering them to any student in Florida who has failed the state reading test for three years in a row. Florida is also considering putting repeatedly failing public schools up for auction and allowing private vendors to take over. More information on the voucher scheme. More information on the auction proposal.
Philadelphia schools using outsourced curriculum do well Philadelphia schools operating under a high school curriculum outsourced to an education management firm performed well on city-wide tests, Education Week has reported. Kaplan K12 Learning Services Group was given a one-year contract to develop the college-prep curriculum in 10 core courses required to earn a Pennsylvania diploma. Results from the spring 2004 TerraNova, a commercial test taken by Philadelphia students, found that the schools involved showed significant increases in the percent of 9th graders scoring at or above the national average in reading, language, arts and maths, and a significant decrease in the percent of 9th graders in the bottom quartile. Ninth grade improvement outpaced that of any other grade level.
Vocational education research forum in Wellington next month The Industry Training Federation's second Vocational Education Research Forum kicks off on 4 April in Wellington. The forum will look at:
More information is at this web page.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights often ignored in education The United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights promises free elementary education and free choice of the type of education. While many countries focus on the first right, they often neglect the second. A recently re-issued report, 'Basic education as a human right' looks at the issues.
Two reports on student loans released this month Two new reports on student loans show reduced loan repayment times and a decrease in the growth rate of student debt, according to Education Minister Trevor Mallard. The two reports give new, more detailed information about loans, drawn from an integrated dataset that links information from all the agencies involved with the loan scheme. The reports compare the loan balances of different groups and look at repayment rates. They also look at how much people earn when they leave study. Report 1: 'Living with a student loan'. Report 2: 'Income of Student Loan Scheme Borrowers'. A wide range of resources and research on student loans can be accessed from the Education Forum website at this web page.
UK and NZ look to boost links between business and research Universities' relationships with business are increasingly important for raising the international profile of research, according to Research, Science and Technology Minister Steve Maharey. Greater collaboration with business was key to boosting New Zealand's international research capability, Mr Maharey said. He said international experience showed business partnerships could significantly improve the capacity of research organisations. "In the UK for example, 89 percent of higher education institutions are now offering a single enquiry point for business. UK universities are experiencing a strong growth in income from consultancy work, rising 38 percent in a single year to reach NZ$445 million." Mr Maharey said that this year the government would provide around $56 million through Technology New Zealand to support the effective commercialisation of the work of research organisations in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the commercial exploitation of British research has received a boost as the British government issued a set of model agreements to clarify collaboration between universities and business and speed up negotiations for intellectual property, the Financial Times has reported. |
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