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EEUU: Arizona Legislature begins Monday with focus on education funding

EEUU/January 09, 2017/By: Howard Fischer Capitol Media Services/Source: http://tucson.com

Gov. Doug Ducey kicks off the legislative session Monday with a call for more education funding — but not with the tax hikes that some say are necessary to provide truly adequate funding for schools.

The governor said the state has made a “significant investment” in K-12 education, saying aid to schools is $700 million higher now than it was three years ago.

“More is needed,” he said, saying the details of his budget will have to wait.

 But the governor rejected suggestions and proposals by several different education and business groups that the quickest — and easiest — way to raise the revenues needed is to boost state sales taxes, curb tax credits or close what some describe as “loopholes” in the tax code.

“I’m not raising taxes,” he said in an interview with Capitol Media Services.

Instead, Ducey insists he can find the money elsewhere in the budget.

“Our economy is growing,” he said. “Our state government is being operated more effectively and efficiently.”

But the kind of money Ducey can find through such savings is unlikely to satisfy those who cite not only Arizona’s reputation of being at or near the bottom of per-student funding but the problems in both attracting and retaining teachers. And that starts with 2,000 classrooms not having qualified teachers at the helm, instead being run by substitutes or students being forced into overcrowded classrooms.

Senate Minority Leader Katie Hobbs was more succinct in her criticism of the governor’s contention that the state can adequately meet education needs with savings elsewhere.

“We’ve got all the change from the couch cushions that there is,” she said.

ADDITIONAL REVENUES NECESSARY, CRITICS SAY

It’s not just Democrats and educators who are critical of Ducey’s position that the state can fund education without additional revenues. He also is increasingly at odds with those who otherwise might be considered allies.

It starts with the debate of the future of the 0.6-cent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2000 specifically to fund education. Without action, it will self-destruct in 2021, along with the $600 million it raises.

The governor said he supports asking voters to extend it, insisting it could be reformed in a way to generate more dollars. He also doesn’t want any action this year, a move that House Minority Leader Rebecca Rios called “incredibly irresponsible.”

Beyond that, others say education needs more than that 0.6-cent tax increase.

Diane Douglas, the state superintendent of public instruction, favors boosting the levy to a full penny, figuring to use three-fourths of that to boost teacher salaries by about 10 percent.

Jim Swanson, CEO of construction firm Kitchell Corp., thinks even more than that is needed, suggesting a doubling of the 0.6 cent levy.

And others, including Phil Francis, the former CEO of PetSmart, said it probably will take a 1.6-cent tax to produce the revenues needed.

Even the more fiscally conservative members of the business community are saying something more is needed to generate more dollars.

“Tax revenues are not matching the health of the economy, not just in Arizona but across the country,” said Glenn Hamer, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, blaming much of that to the increase in online purchases whose tax revenues are not captured. Hamer said he wants to look at reform, opening the door to expanding the list of items and services that are taxed, though he has no specific revenue number in mind.

And Kevin McCarthy, executive director of the business-oriented Arizona Tax Research Association, said he could support a tax increase. But he said that is contingent on cleaning up other disparities in education funding, like some school districts getting more money per student because of things like desegregation expenses.

All that puts Ducey in the position of being a holdout amid increased public focus on the state’s public education system and concern that children are being shortchanged because of the state’s failure to put more dollars into K-12 education.

TEACHER PAY

There’s also the separate fact that Ducey, who persuaded voters in 2016 to tap a special trust fund to end a lawsuit against the state, insisted the money that generates would be just the first step toward improving education funding.

But questions remain about what has been produced so far, with teacher salaries up just 1 percent this year.

Ducey promised another 1 percent for the coming school year. But that still leaves salaries far short of what they are in virtually every other state.

The question of how short depends on whom you ask — and what ruler they use.

For example, the Morrison Institute said that elementary school teacher pay is the lowest in the nation, even when adjusted for statewide cost of living; high school pay is not far behind at 49.

By contrast, the Arizona Tax Research Association, which represents major taxpayers, has its own way of looking at it.

 “While we do stipulate and recognize Arizona’s teacher pay ranking has dropped in the last 20 years, we do not agree with the assertion that Arizona is last by any measure,” said Sean McCarthy, the organization’s senior research analyst.

So where does it believe Arizona falls? No. 28 adjusted for per-capita income.

Ducey said those numbers, even if correct, are not where Arizona should be.

“I believe we need to come up on teacher salaries,” he said.

“It’s very hard work to teach a kid, especially a kid that’s not learning,” the governor continued. “They’re putting the work in. They’re getting the results. And I want to see the dollars flow to them.”

But the governor sidestepped questions of where he believes teacher salaries in Arizona should be in comparison to the rest of the country.

“What I look at is how are we doing this year versus previous year and are we making improvements year over year,” he said.

FIGHT OVER SCHOOL VOUCHERS POSSIBLE

There’s another big education decision facing Ducey and lawmakers: whether to block voters from getting the last word on the expansion of the program that provides vouchers to parents to send their children to private and parochial schools.

Foes gathered more than 100,000 signatures after last year’s vote, holding up up enactment until November, when voters would get to decide whether to ratify or reject what the Legislature approved. Supporters have responded by asking the courts to void the referendum, citing what they said are various irregularities.

If those legal efforts falter, the only way to quash a vote on what would be Proposition 305 would be for lawmakers to alter last year’s legislation.

That presents a political question for lawmakers.

If it remains on the ballot, that could bring out foes of expansion. And once they’re voting “no” on more vouchers, they could just as easily spread their displeasure with those who enacted it in the first place, including Ducey.

A legal challenge to that petition drive has yet to get a final ruling.

Other education-related issues likely to provoke debate include:

  • Extending funding for special career and education programs now in high schools to ninth grade;
  • Requiring all high schoolers to take a college-entrance examination;
  • Revamping and re-enacting a law voided by a federal judge aimed at “ethnic studies” programs that prohibit things like teaching ethnic solidarity;
  • Requiring parents to be notified when student athletes suffer a concussion.

Source:

http://tucson.com/news/local/arizona-legislature-begins-monday-with-focus-on-education-funding/article_62c7820a-ddb9-510d-8f80-3e5587a3c8d5.html

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Malasya: 100 per cent access to early childhood education by 2020’

Malasya/January 3, 2018/By: Saiful Bahari, reporters@theborneopost.com/Source: http://education.einnews.com

Access to early childhood education in Sarawak is set to reach 100 per cent by 2020.

Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said currently, 97.5 per cent of children in Year 1 underwent preschool education prior to entering primary school.

“Our vision to provide access to early childhood education to all is showing signs of success, and awareness among parents is significantly showing improvement,” she said during a visit to the Community Development Department (Kemas) Taska Permata at Kampung Sri Tajo, Asajaya yesterday.

Fatimah said the government’s aim to provide 100 per cent access to early childhood education by 2020 can be achieved and is nearing its target.

On a related matter, the minister stressed that the quality of early childhood education is another important factor that needs to be looked into, as it will provide the necessary impact.

“Access needs to be complemented with the right quality, and these traits are the pillars toward producing a quality child who is ready to enter primary school.

“The government continuously looks into how we can develop preschool teachers and their teaching materials and methods to ensure that we can churn out the best to shape the child,” she said.

The government, added Fatimah, will continue to empower preschool training centres for teachers, and its learning module will be improved constantly to ensure it gives the best results. During her visit, she presented the Quality Preschool Benchmark Award 2017 for government preschool to staff of Taska Permata Kampung Sri Tajo.

Kota Samarahan MP Rubiah Wang and Kemas state director Mohd Zamri Mustajab were among those present.

Source:

http://education.einnews.com/article/424405727/86f3RnrqETg2P1SX?lcf=eG8zt30RHq4WcGF5PkFdHg%3D%3D

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Malaysia: No politics in education

Malaysia/January 3, 2018/By: Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim/Source: http://education.einnews.com

THE Education Act 1996 states that as a «general principle pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents».

The Dual Language Programme (DLP) is a programme which allows the learning of STEM subjects in its lingua franca, which is English, and at the same time to enhance proficiency in the English language and was culminated from months of deliberation by diverse apolitical parties including the private sector with the Ministry of Education facilitating the decision.

SJKT Vivekananda Petaling Jaya was declared a DLP school in 2017. However, at the eleventh hour, the ministry had in a letter dated Dec 20, 2017 ordered the Selangor State Education Department to indefinitely postpone the DLP in 2018 for the new intake of Std One and eager Std Four pupils in that school, pending a lawsuit. The department then informed the school principal of the same in a letter dated Dec 26, 2017.

In the meantime, parents had registered their children in Std One and are excitedly awaiting its start, along with those being elevated to Std Four. Together they are looking forward to DLP. But now their hopes are dashed and they are left confused.

The parents of SJKT Vivekananda Petaling Jaya have appealed for the DLP to continue yet the ministry continues to remain unresponsive and insensitive which is contrary to what is provided for in the Act.

We question the logic of this reasoning. Why would a pending lawsuit have the impact of jeopardising the future of six- and nine-year-old children whose parents only want more English language hours in their chosen curriculum? The lawsuit can be long drawn and time is ticking for the children. Until a decision is made the status quo should remain.

The parents could picket, seek an injunction to continue DLP thus maintaining the status quo until the courts decide, initiate a mediation process as an alternative for dispute resolution or sit down and agree on amicable terms.

Once a school is declared of DLP status there should be no turning back unless there is a formal reversal of the programme. Parents want their children to have the best education they can which they see possible in DLP.

The ministry should not at all costs allow personal or political manoeuvres to interfere with the education of our children. Children are not to be made anyone’s sacrificial lamb.

Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
Chairman
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia

Source:

http://education.einnews.com/article/424220636/wG85YdnOk-_1lXpH?lcf=eG8zt30RHq4WcGF5PkFdHg%3D%3D

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Kenia: Teachers speak on rigour of marking answer sheets

Kenia / 31 de diciembre de 2017 / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke/

Shocking details of how the marking of this year’s KCSE exam papers could have been compromised emerged Friday.

Interviews by the Saturday Nation team reveal that the teachers who marked the scripts worked under intense pressure.

The markers also said that some marking schemes had errors and that no moderation of the results was done.

Some of those interviewed also said the assessors never had a chance to review the work of the markers and therefore missed the opportunity to deal with any mistakes that may have occurred.

POOR RESULTS

The results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination (KCSE) were released on Wednesday by Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

This year, the examination recorded worrying levels of failure.

At least 350,000 candidates got D grade and below yet only 142 candidates scored A.

Out of the 611,952 candidates who sat the exam, just 70,073 scored C+ and above and therefore qualified for university admission.

The markers gave an account of the depressing conditions under which they assessed the scripts, raising fears about the credibility of the results.

The examination was marked in a record 10 days.

ERRORS
Sources said there were errors in the marking schemes but these could not be corrected because there was no time to do it.

The emphasis appears to have been on the teachers to finish marking and have the results released in record time.

However, in an interview on Friday, Dr Matiang’i said that traditionally, marking of examinations is usually completed before Christmas and that the rest of the time before the results were released in February was spent “massaging” them.

Markers drawn from various regions, among them Nairobi, Nakuru, Kakamega, Vihiga, Laikipia and Migori counties and parts of the Coast, narrated how they were made to mark for long hours.

EXHAUSTION

Marking started at 6am and ended at 10pm every day, meaning that the markers worked for 16 hours each day.

In some centres, the marking started at 4am and ended at 10pm. Ideally, the marking should start at 7am and end at 7pm each day.

Examiners who handled English Paper 3, one of the most taxing exams, worked from 4am to 10pm.

The paper was handled by 1,400 examiners. There were few breaks in between, and this led to widespread fatigue.

Ordinarily, markers require time to rest, review their work as and when necessary, including making adjustments if need arises.

“Right from the beginning we were reminded that the marking would be fast-tracked,” one teacher said.

“First we had been told we would begin marking on December 6 only to be called abruptly on December 3 to report to the centres and start working.”

MARKING SCHEME
But it was while at the centre that the real problems started.

Traditionally, the examiners are required to take two days to familiarise themselves with the marking scheme by going through dummies.

This time round, the familiarisation only took half a day.

At Moi Girls School in Nairobi where History Paper 2 was being marked, teachers realised that one question had the wrong answer.

However, nobody cared to do the correction as the push was to finish marking as quickly as possible.

Usually, after all papers have been marked, the examiners take time to review them to ascertain the validity of the marks.

EXAM MODERATION

Most importantly, moderation is carried out because raw answers may not reflect the validity of the test.

The marking error is -2/+2 and if an examiner goes beyond this margin, he is forced to remark the entire script. This year, this was not done.

During marking, examiners are put in a pool of seven with a team leader.

For every 10 scripts they mark, the team leader has to review at least two, which are picked randomly to verify if they have been marked well.

According to multiple sources, this process was skipped this year.

STRICTNESS

Unlike previously when the chief examiners were teachers, this time round, they were officials sent by the Kenya National Examinations Council.

Some of these officials were not familiar with marking.

“The decision led to us being overworked and made to mark extra scripts. I am sure several errors may have spilled to the final results,” one examiner said.

“Throughout the marking period there was no permission to get out of the centre. Even when an individual needed medical attention, it would be given within the marking centre,” another said.

Another examiner said that he and his colleagues were subjected to poor diet, which he said may have compromised their health and morale.

“We took the same meal almost throughout our stay at the marking centre — sukuma wiki and ugali. Nobody was allowed to go out of the marking centre and take their preferred meals,” the examiner said in an interview with the Nation team.

DEMORALISED
It also emerged that some of the marking centre managers were too harsh on examiners and subjected them to constant ridicule.
“The marking centre manager at (one school in Nairobi) was harsh and humiliated teachers from upcountry, reminding them that the institution where they were was a national school,” an examiner said.

According to the teachers who spoke to the Saturday Nation, the constant pressure and ‘harsh’ conditions may have affected the quality of the final result.

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) has come out to complain about the quality of the marking and grading of the exams.

Laikipia branch executive secretary Ndung’u Wangenye faulted the examination council for subjecting the examiners to unfavourable conditions that, he said, may have compromised the integrity of the results.

BAD CONDITIONS
Kuppet’s executive secretary for the Migori Branch, Mr Samuel Jasolo, said the pressure under which the markers operated was not conducive for productivity.

“We cannot guarantee credibility of the results,” he said.

“The conditions under which the marking was done was bad and we cannot continue like that.”

Mr Jonathan Wesaya, an education expert, noted:

“With no room for standardisation and moderation, many teachers went for volume of scripts since payment is based on the number of scripts marked.”

CREDIBILITY
Kuppet Busia Executive Secretary Moffat Okisai said without moderation and standardisation, the results are questionable.

However, some teachers from Kakamega and Vihiga defended the results, noting that all the scripts had been marked by Friday last week.

But they pointed out that the moderation system used during the marking, as well as the grading, were different from what schools use.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/Teachers–Our-pain-in-marking-KCSE-answer-sheets/2643604-4239528-9euiplz/index.html

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Kenia: New system of education to be rolled out after training tutors

Kenia / 13 de diciembre de 2017 / Por: KENNEDY KIMANTHI / Fuente: http://www.nation.co.ke/

All is set for the implementation of the 2-6-3-3 education system in January after the final induction of teachers.

It will be rolled out in the country’s 28,000 primary schools, according to Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development director Julius Jwan.

More than 160,000 teachers handling early years education — pre-primary 1 to 2 and grade 1 to 3 — in public and private schools will undergo the training.

In a statement to newsrooms on Sunday, Dr Jwan said the training would  focus on the competency-based curriculum, interpretation of the curriculum designs, special needs education and integration of ICT in teaching and learning.

IMPLEMENTATION

“We will induct teachers up to the closest time it can be to the implementation of the curriculum. If we decide to wait for another year, we shall just be going round in circles,” he said.

Piloting of the system started in 470 schools in May. The piloting took place in nursery, Standard One, Two and Three following the training of more than 1,888 teachers.

Five pre-primary and five primary schools from every county participated in the piloting, which took between eight and 10 weeks.

The first lot of 2,374 curriculum support officers, headteachers and teachers from the piloting schools were trained in two phases.

The officers were trained to interpret curriculum designs and how to develop schemes of work and lesson plans.

“They were taken through the basic education curriculum framework, which outlines the rationale for the reforms and the envisaged changes,” Dr Jwan added.

In the new education system, which stresses continuous assessment tests over summative evaluation, the number of subjects will be reduced to create room for identification and nurturing of talents, besides academic capabilities.

KEY SKILLS

It also seeks to equip learners with seven key skills: Communication and collaboration; self-efficacy; critical thinking and problem solving; creativity and imagination; citizenship; digital literacy; and learning to learn.

Kenya Primary Schools Heads Association chairman Shem Ndolo yesterday said the programme should be rolled out in stages.

“We do not want it to be like 8-4-4 system, which was started in totality only to turn up to be a fiasco, not because it was a bad thing, but because of the manner it was started,” he said.

KICD is also working with county governments to facilitate the training of Early Childhood Development Education teachers.

County directors of education in charge of ECDE met KICD representatives to strategise on how best the teachers who handle learners at formative age could be trained.

“We recognise ECDE is a devolved function. We have a duty to reach out to national and devolved governments and seal any loopholes that might derail this important exercise,” Dr Jwan said.

Fuente noticia: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/education/New-system-of-education-ready-to-be-rolled-out/2643604-4213404-6iuh43z/index.html

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Estados Unidos: Virginia’s governor takes emergency steps to curtail teacher shortage

Virginia / 13 de diciembre de 2017 / Por: Debbie Truong / Fuente: http://www.fredericksburg.com

In a bid to curtail Virginia’s teacher shortage, Gov. Terry McAuliffe took emergency action Monday to get aspiring instructors into classrooms faster by streamlining education requirements.

McAuliffe ordered the Virginia Board of Education to implement an emergency regulation that would allow the state’s public colleges and universities to start offering undergraduate students a major in education by March 1.

«The teacher shortage is a growing crisis that we have to stop and reverse if we are serious about the commonwealth’s economic future,» McAuliffe said in an emailed statement. «High quality teachers are the key to unlocking the potential in our children.»

Most public colleges and universities in Virginia require that teaching candidates first complete a bachelor’s degree in a subject area such as math, science or social studies, said Jim Livingston, president of the Virginia Education Association, one of the state’s confederation of educators. Then, aspiring educators must enter a teacher preparation program, which often requires a fifth year of school, Livingston said.

Livingston said McAuliffe’s order would reduce the cost of pursuing a career in education. Some students, he said, opt not to enter teaching programs because of the cost.

«We think this is a bold move on the part of the governor. We anticipate the State Board of Education will take the charge seriously,» Livingston said. «This is not going to solve the problem. This is the first step.»

Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, said the change would streamline a process that can require two degrees and five or more years into requirements that take just four years.

That change will mean student-teachers will get more exposure to the classroom sooner, he said.

That experience, Pianta said, is «essential to their success.»

«Allowing teacher preparation programs to develop four-year models, in my view, has the potential to create stronger preparation and more effective teachers in a shorter time frame than the current master’s focused approach,» Pianta wrote in an email.

State Board of Education regulations do not currently permit undergraduate majors in teaching, said Heather Fluit, McAuliffe’s deputy communications director. The Board of Education will eventually have to replace the emergency regulations with long-term policies, she said.

Teacher shortages have afflicted much of the nation. A 2016 report by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute found that teacher education enrollment dropped from 691,000 to 451,000 nationally, a 35 percent reduction, between 2009 and 2014.

In Virginia, teacher vacancies increased by 40 percent in the last decade, according to McAuliffe’s executive directive. In 2016, more than 1,000 teaching positions remained unfilled two months into the academic year, according to Virginia Department of Education data.

Last year, McAuliffe took the extraordinary step of sending letters to more than 500 retired teachers around the city of Petersburg, asking them to consider returning to work in the city’s schools. A state law passed in 2001 permits retired teachers to return to areas of need and still draw their pensions while being paid.

Del. Steven Landes, chairman of the state’s House Education Committee, issued a statement saying the teacher shortage has affected rural and urban areas.

«Virginia’s teaching shortage is one of the most pressing challenges we face in public education,» he said, adding that he’s confident legislation in the 2018 General Assembly session will work to address the issue.

In addition to his executive directive, McAuliffe announced funding initiatives on Monday intended to further alleviate teacher shortages.

A proposed budget scheduled to be unveiled next week is expected to set aside $1.1 million to automate the teacher licensure process, according to a news release. And $1 million would go toward recruiting and retaining principals in school districts with significant needs.

The proposed budget would also set aside money to offer incentives for teachers who are in struggling school districts.

Fuente noticia: http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/education/virginia-s-governor-takes-emergency-steps-to-curtail-teacher-shortage/article_b5411396-df5a-11e7-9791-3bf2f9d2636b.html

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EEUU: We’ve failed our children by neglecting sex education. Here’s what we must do

EEUU/December 12, 2017/ By: The Editorial Board/Source: http://www.fresnobee.com

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