GETideas.orgArchive

Chileans Suffer while Waiting for Education Reform

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:26:56 +0000

Despite more than a year of mass protests that raised hopes across Chile for education reform, few students have seen any real benefits. Politicians and students have hardened their positions, but the system is still rife with poor quality public schools, expensive private universities, unprepared teachers, and banks that profit on loans that most Chileans cannot afford.

“In concrete terms, you could say we have accomplished little or nothing,” student leader Camila Vallejo told The Associated Press in an interview prior to today’s march, which activists said drew 100,000 people.

While refusing to make radical changes to the current system, President Sebastian Pinera has proposed spending nearly $1 billion on thousands of new scholarships, as well as lowering student loan interest from an average of 6% to 2%. He also proposed creating the post of higher education superintendent to oversee colleges and universities, and Education Minister Harald Beyer called on universities to explain by next month just how they’re spending state money.

In reference to demands for free education, Beyer called it an unfair and “backward-looking” policy that leads to lower-quality higher education and to poor taxpayers supporting wealthy students.

Romania Tries Again to Find an Education Minister

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:13:15 +0000

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta named trade union leader Liviu Pop as education minister today after the two previous appointments were forced to quit over allegations of plagiarism and incompetence. The ministry faces numerous challenges regarding education in Romania–a record 150,000 high school students failed their graduation exams last year.

Full-Time Virtual Education Lacks Accountability

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:49:26 +0000

Although virtual schools continue to grow each year, more research and accountability is needed to foster and support effective online educational environments, according to a new report from the National School Boards Association’s Center for Public Education (U.S.). Whlie full-time online schools have gained 50,000 more students in the past year alone, bringing the total number of students participating in such virtual learning environments up to 250,000, research on how successful those schools are is mixed, with the majority of research finding higher dropout rates and lower test scores for full-time online students than their counterparts in brick-and-mortar schools. On the other hand, two small scale studies found that online students actually had higher rates of academic growth, suggesting that online learning can be an effective way of educating students.

Quebec’s Education Minister Resigns over Lengthy Student Strike

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:45:23 +0000

As the 14th week of the students’ protest over proposed tuition hikes began yesterday, Education Minister Line Beauchamp announced she was making “the ultimate compromise” by resigning. That same day, Treasury Board President Michelle Courchesne was sworn in as Quebec’s new education minister and deputy premier.

Courchesne will face the same demand for a freeze on Quebec’s tuition fees—already low by Canadian standards. Beauchamp, in parting, expressed the hope that her resignation would be like “an electric shock” that will reanimate the discussion process between the government and striking students.

India’s Cabinet Clears Three Key Education Bills

Mon, 14 May 2012 20:41:14 +0000

India’s cabinet has cleared three crucial pieces of legislation in the education sector, enabling mandatory accreditation of higher-education institutions and establishing innovation universities as hubs of excellence in research and innovation. The cabinet also cleared an education-related copyright bill.

U.K. Pupils Face Classroom Mobile Phone Ban

Fri, 11 May 2012 23:49:45 +0000

As part of a drive by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services, and Skills (OFSTED) to increase discipline and reduce distraction in U.K. schools, students may be banned from bringing their mobile phones into classrooms.

Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of the education watchdog, this week revealed a tough new inspection regime that would be introduced in schools from next term. Under the reforms, schools risk being marked down for failing to tackle persistent interruptions such as text messaging, receiving calls, and browsing the Web by students on their phones.

U.S. Universities, Districts to Partner on Common-Core Secondary Math

Fri, 11 May 2012 23:43:00 +0000

Universities, community colleges, and K-12 districts in 30 states announced plans this week to work together on redesigning secondary mathematics teacher preparation to align to the Common Core State Standards. The project is being coordinated by a science- and math-focused initiative of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, a group that supports states’ major public research universities. Called the Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership, the project has already won a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Overall, there are 38 partnerships involving some 68 universities, nine community colleges, and 87 school systems.

Nation’s Science Test: U.S. Students Show Low Proficiency, Expert Calls Scores “Unacceptable”

Fri, 11 May 2012 23:34:08 +0000

According to The Nation’s Report Card released this week, only about one third of U.S. eighth-graders who took a national science exam in 2011 were “proficient,” a statistic called “unacceptable” by Gerry Wheeler, interim director of the National Science Teachers Association.

“Every job that pays a living wage includes STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) literacy and science as a component,” said Change the Equation’s Linda Rosen, but many schools and their districts have cut funding for science programs. According to a 2008 report from the Center on Education Policy, average instructional time for science decreased by one-third (or 75 minutes per week) since the implementation of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind act, which requires standardized testing in reading and math.

Standards for science vary from state to state, which, according to STEM advocates, results in the lack of a uniform, comparable metric of science knowledge across the country.

New Report Details Components of Reliable Teacher Evaluation

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:42:57 +0000

A new report from Stanford University researcher Linda Darling-Hammond details the recommended components of a comprehensive and fair teacher evaluation system, provides examples of where it is working, and explains why a value-added model is unreliable. Necessary criteria for effective evaluation include:

Evaluation should be accompanied by constructive feedback and connecting to opportunities for professional development that are relevant to teacher goals and needs.
Evaluation should encourage teacher collaboration, both in the standards and the criteria that are used to assess teachers’ work–and in the way results are used to shape professional development opportunities.

Australian Education Program for Disadvantaged Youngsters Gets Funding Boost

Tue, 08 May 2012 21:51:29 +0000

A tutoring program that helps Australia’s disadvantaged children to start school on an equal footing with others will receive an extra $56 million in the country’s federal budget, benefiting an additional 3000 children. The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters, commonly known as HIPPY, targets families in disadvantaged areas before the child begins grade one. Tutors visit the home each fortnight for two years to help the child with basic learning, including numbers, reading, phonics, and other preschool activities. Between visits by the tutor, parents work with their children using provided material. The program has been running in 50 disadvantaged areas and, with the extra money in the budget, will be extended to 50 more–this time with an emphasis on indigenous communities.