Estados Unidos: Michigan test score gains worst in nation

Estados Unidos/Febrero de 2017/Fuente: The Detroits News

RESUMEN: Un nuevo análisis de los resultados de una prueba nacional de educación muestra a los estudiantes de Michigan, quienes continuamente han desmejorado las puntuaciones a nivel nacional desde 2003. El estudio, realizado por el profesor de la Universidad de Michigan Brian A. Jacob,  sobre las puntuaciones de la Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo (NAEP) de los estudiantes de Michigan,  encontró que estaban en la parte inferior de la lista. Este análisis se produce en  menos de seis meses después de la publicación del informe Talent Crisis del Michigan por Education Trust-Midwest que encuentran que los estudiantes de Michigan están cayendo muy por detrás de sus compañeros de todo el país.

A new analysis of results of a national educational test shows Michigan students have continually made the least improvement nationally of scores since 2003.

The study, by University of Michigan professor Brian A. Jacob, of scores of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), also found that Michigan students were at the bottom of the list when it comes to proficiency growth in the four measures of the exam.

That analysis comes less than six months after the release of the Michigan’s Talent Crisis report by Education Trust-Midwest that found Michigan’s students are falling far behind their peers across the nation. The ETM report found that Michigan is in the bottom 10 states for key subjects and grades, including early literacy.

Both analyses looked at data from NAEP and rank states on their academic achievement and growth, said Sunil Joy, assistant director of policy and research at non-partisan Education Trust, in an email. “However, Jacobs’ analysis also incorporates factors like state size, population density, median household income and others.”

“Even when controlling for these factors, Michigan still fares poorly,” Joy added.

Michigan “makes the bottom 10 list on all four measures, and ranks dead last in terms of proficiency growth since 2003,” said Jacob, who prepared the study for the Brookings Institution.

According to the NAEP results, in 2015, the average math score of eighth-grade students in Michigan was 278 out of 500, compared to the national average score, 281. The average Michigan score has not significantly changed from 280 in 2013 and 277 in 2000.

In that year, the average reading scores of eight-grade students in Michigan matched the national average of 264 out of 500, while the science scores of eight-grade students in Michigan was slightly better at 154 out of 300 than the national average at 153.

Jacob’s analysis found that 29 percent of Michigan students performed at or about the “proficient level” on the NAEP exam in 2015. Those results were not significantly different from the 30 percent found in 2013 and the 28 percent recorded in 2000.

NAEP officials produce an annual Nation’s Report Card to inform the public about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, NAEP assessments of reading, mathematics, science, writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and other subjects have been conducted periodically since 1969.

The NAEP testing, which collects and reports academic achievement at the national level, began collecting some assessments at the state and district levels in 1969. The test’s results are a barometer of the condition and progress of education.

Education officials have compared the NAEP results with scores from Michigan’s Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP, testing program, as one measure to the state’s students performances. The M-STEP testing last year found that with the exception of fifth-grade English and 11th-grade English, less than half of Michigan’s students reached proficiency in core subjects.

Jacob said the two tests are similar in content and format, though not identical.

“We should care about the NAEP because it is a very good exam that measures important knowledge and skills, and does so very well from a technical perspective,” he said. “And, more importantly, the NAEP is common across states, so it allows us to compare ourselves to other states, both at one point in time and in terms of change over time. The M-STEP does not.”

In his report to the Brookings Institute, Jacob wrote: “It is clear that several states stand out as having particularly weak performance as measured by the NAEP. Several poor, and historically low-performing states such as Alabama and West Virginia appear multiple times. But we also see historically higher-achieving states that have made little progress over the past decade, including Connecticut.”

Proficiency vs. spending

Jacob, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, said there is no single explanation of the Michigan rankings.

“I believe that there are a number of factors responsible for Michigan’s weak performance: a lack of adequate state and local funding for schools, the highly decentralized nature of governance that makes it difficult for the state Department of Education to develop coordinated reforms, the lack of regulation and accountability in the charter sector, and the economic and political instability that have plagued Detroit and other urban areas in the state,” he said.

“Another reason is the relatively decentralized nature of education in Michigan,” he added. “The long tradition of local control in the state has made it harder for the state Department of Education or others to establish coordinated policies.”

Jacob said those factors particularly affect Detroit. “The political and financial instability of Detroit over the past decade or two undoubtedly had a major impact on student performance in the city and surrounding areas,” he said.

Several education experts and government officials expressed alarm at the findings and offered several explanations.

State Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, chairman of the House Education committee, dismissed arguments that lack of funding in the schools is a factor in the results.

“Michigan is one of the highest spending states in terms of educating students,” Kelly said Wednesday in a telephone interview. “If you look at local, federal and state, it’s about $10,000 or more per pupil.”

Kelly contends that there is “no direct correlation between proficiency and spending.”

“There is a silly correlation saying just because you throw money at the problem, things will get better,” he said.

Kelly pointed to several initiatives several state districts are implementing, including a focus on third-grade reading and early childhood investment. He said the solution is to focus on issues at the building level “with all hands on deck from the janitor to the principal.”

Seizing opportunities

Gov. Rick Snyder admits there is room for improvement in educating the state’s students, spokeswoman Anna Heaton said, “which is why he is continuing increased investments in K-12 education.”

Heaton added: “For the upcoming budget cycle, the governor recommended an additional $50-$100 per student, with $150 million additional for at-risk students. This would be the seventh consecutive year of increased funding.

“The governor also convened a 21st Century Education Commission to thoroughly assess our current educational system and make recommendations for improvement,” she added. “Their report is expected within the next month.”

A spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Education said there is work to do.

“Because the NAEP is not aligned to Michigan’s content standards, the M-STEP is our benchmark of measuring Michigan’s success in improving education,” MDE spokesman William Disessa said. “We all have work to do to improve academic performance. The NAEP is one of the measures being identified in making Michigan a Top 10 state in 10 years. By improving outcomes on Michigan’s assessments, we expect that to be reflected on the NAEP, as well.”

While Detroit Public Schools Community District officials would not comment on the Brookings report, Madison Public Schools superintendent Randy Speck said further examination of the state’s education system is warranted.

“Michigan has lost opportunity after opportunity to be a leader in education because there has not been a concerted effort in funding, strategy and overall outcomes,” he said. “By pushing all districts to focus on college-ready, we lost the opportunity to be a national leader in training students for ready-made careers in advanced and modern manufacturing.”

By focusing on accountability scorecards, “we lost opportunities to blend in computer science and coding options for students,” Speck said.

“And because we were focused on penalizing the worst schools with the highest poverty and obstacles to overcome, we forgot there were real children with real needs who needed to be educated,” he said. “Although money in an equitable manner is desperately needed in Michigan, what is truly needed is the understanding that there is zero urgency.”

Fuente: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/02/20/michigan-test-score-gains-worst-nation/98144368/

Comparte este contenido:

Reino Unido: League tables ‘mislead on school success’

Reino Unido/Febrero de 2017/Autor:/ Fuente: BBC News

RESUMEN: Algunas escuelas se habrían desempeñado mucho peor de lo que muestran las tablas oficiales de la liga si se han tenido en cuenta las «tasas de churn», se ha afirmado. Datos de la Educación DataLab muestra a unos 20.000 alumnos de secundaria que se fueron antes de asistir a sus exámenes de GCSE. Si los estudiantes se hubieran quedado, algunas escuelas no habrían anotado tanto en las tablas oficiales de la liga. De las 100 escuelas en Inglaterra que habrían visto el cambio más grande, 62 estaban en Londres. Las cifras son de 2.901 escuelas secundarias financiadas por el Estado en Inglaterra a lo largo de cuatro años. Educación Datalab, un grupo de investigación independiente, recalibró los resultados según el tiempo que cada alumno pasó en cada escuela.

Some schools would have performed much worse than official league tables show if «churn rates» had been taken into account, it has been claimed.

Data from Education DataLab shows about 20,000 secondary pupils left before they sat their GCSE exams.

If the students had remained, some schools would not have scored as highly on the official league tables.

Of the 100 schools in England which would have seen the biggest shift, 62 were in London.

The figures are from 2,901 state-funded secondary schools in England across four years.

Education Datalab, an independent research group, recalibrated the results according to how long each pupil spent in each school.

Each pupil should spend 15 terms in secondary education. For example, if a pupil spent six terms in one school, then that school would receive 40% of the results, while the other 60%.

Currently, league tables are worked out from how many children were on-roll in January of their final year.

Children may leave school because of being managed out, expulsions or moving house. They are also more likely to be from poorer backgrounds or have special educational needs.

‘Boost league table’

The figures show Harris Academy Greenwich would have seen the biggest impact on its league table position. One year it would have seen its GCSE pass rates for grades A-C drop by 15%.

In the last four years 611 pupils completed their secondary education at the school, while 217 left before the January of their final year.

Nine out of the bottom 100 were also Harris Academies.

A Harris Federation spokesperson said many of its schools joined the federation because they were failing and had a high proportion of pupils considered to be disadvantaged.

«London – which is where all of our schools are located – has high pupil mobility. It is no surprise that this would be even higher in recently failing schools with very large catchment areas and in areas of disadvantage,» the spokesperson added.

But Philip Nye from Education Datalab said there were some weaknesses in the league table system and that it could be improved by making schools accountable for all children.

«We do think in a minority of cases there might be some head teachers who are using pupil moves to boost their league table moves,» he added.

A Department for Education spokesperson said exclusions could only be issued on disciplinary grounds and that it was introducing stronger measures to ensure mainstream schools continue to be accountable for the progress of pupils they place in alternative provision.

It has not yet commented on how the school league tables were worked out.

Fuente: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-38809805

Comparte este contenido:

Entrevista a Andreas Schleicher: México debe fortalecer las habilidades de los maestros, considera la OCDE

México/Febrero de 2017/Fuente: Televisa

Para el creador del Programa de Evaluación Internacional de Alumnos PISA, México debe fortalecer las habilidades de los maestros como respuesta a las políticas del nuevo gobierno de Estados Unidos.

Yo pienso que la respuesta de esto es que México redoble esfuerzos por invertir en su talento. Si México se concentra los conocimientos que hagan exitosos a los mexicanos en el mundo del mañana, en un mundo más complejo, ese es el futuro que creo que dará forma. Si México logra el éxito en esto, no tienen que preocuparse de su futuro”, dijo Andreas Schleicher, director de Educación de la OCDE.

En entrevista para FOROtv, Andreas Schleicher consideró que el esfuerzo de acercar herramientas digitales a los alumnos no servirá de nada si al mismo tiempo no se garantiza la calidad educativa.

Darles tablets y computadoras a todos los estudiantes, ¿eso mejora la calidad de la enseñanza? Es improbable que eleve la calidad de los resultados de aprendizaje. Realmente, es mediante la combinación de recurrir al potencial de los recursos digitales, pero también asegurando y redoblando la inversión en los recursos humanos, en la educación y en la calidad de la enseñanza”, añadió Andreas Schleicher, director de Educación de la OCDE.

Según los resultados de la más reciente prueba PISA, en 2015 el desempeño de México se encuentra por debajo del promedio de los países integrantes de la OCDE en las materias de: ciencia, lectura y matemáticas; los estudiantes mexicanos obtuvieron 416 puntos en promedio, de un total de 493, que es le medida obtenida por los países participantes.

Esta cifra ubica a nuestro país por encima de Montenegro, Georgia e incluso Brasil, pero por debajo de costa Rica, Qatar y Colombia.

Sin embargo, el funcionario de la OCDE aseguró que si bien la desigualdad es el mayor reto de la educación en América Latina, en México, las escuelas más pobres son las que obtuvieron los mejores resultados.

Hay todavía una gran desigualdad en las oportunidades educativas, sin embargo, al mismo tiempo esta es el área donde más avance ha logrado México. De hecho, las escuelas con desventaja han visto un avance mucho más importante en los últimos seis años bajo la evaluación de PISA que aquellas escuelas que están en zonas de gente de alta capacidad económica”, compartió Andreas Schleicher, director de Educación de la OCDE.

Schleicher atribuye estos resultados al hecho de que, para la mayoría de los niños mexicanos en situación vulnerable, la educación es su única oportunidad para tener un mejor futuro.

El sistema educativo de hoy en día nos da la sociedad y la economía del mañana. Si les dan ustedes a los niños unos buenos resultados educativos vamos a tener una distribución más equitativa del ingreso mañana”, aseveró Andreas Schleicher, director de Educación de la OCDE.

El experto enfatizó la importancia de que la educación busque fortalecer competencias y habilidades en vez de sólo conocimientos.

Fuente: http://noticieros.televisa.com/historia/nacional/2017-02-01/mexico-debe-fortalecer-las-habilidades-de-los-maestros-considera-la-ocde-pisa/

Comparte este contenido:

Francia: Dr. Pamela Moore participates in Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar in France, Germany

Francia/Enero de 2017/Fuente: UAPB News

RESUMEN: La Dra. Pamela Moore, decana asociada para el compromiso global, Oficina de Programas Internacionales de la Universidad de Arkansas en Pine Bluff, recibió recientemente un premio de viaje de la Junta de Becas Extranjeras de J. William Fulbright (FFSB), que financió sus viajes y participación en el Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminario celebrado en Francia y Alemania. Doce participantes del programa, incluyendo el Dr. Moore, representaron universidades de los Estados Unidos incluyendo California, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Maine y Nueva York. La experiencia intensiva de dos semanas de aprendizaje incluyó programas centrados en la promoción de la igualdad social en los niveles de educación secundaria y superior, así como estrategias europeas para la integración de la educación superior en un contexto global.

Dr. Pamela Moore, associate dean for global engagement, Office of International Programs at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, recently received a travel award by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), which funded her travel and participation in the Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar held at locations in France and Germany.

Twelve program participants, including Dr. Moore, represented universities from the U.S. including California, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Maine and New York. The intensive two-week learning experience included programs focused on promoting social equality at high school and higher education levels, as well as European strategies for higher education integration in a global context.

Participants also learned about the specifics of the higher education system in France during meetings and site visits in both Marseilles and Paris. The seminar ended at the University of Bonn in Bonn, Germany, during a three-day joint session with German Fulbright seminar participants.

“Spending an extended period of time reflecting deeply on the role of higher education in a global context with fellow international education administrators and university officials was an absolutely wonderful experience,” Dr. Moore said. “The program was multi-dimensional, with stimulating and informative dialogue taking place between American colleagues and French citizens in the higher education sector, all from diverse walks of life. I was particularly impressed with the intentional manner in which French society engages with the challenges of social inclusion in an era characterized by terrorism, the fluid migration of people and ideas and the continuing inequality that persists in modern society.”

group-shot-fulbrightnew

Participants of the Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminar

In addition to visits to higher education sites, the program included walking tours of historical and cultural sites in Marseilles, Paris and Aix-en-Provence, France.

The FFSB, a 12-member board appointed by the U.S. president, selected recipients of the Fulbright awards in collaboration with the Franco-American Fulbright Commission in France. The grants were made possible through funds appropriated annually by the U.S. Congress, as well as contributions from partner countries and the private sector.

According to the FFSB, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people from other nations through international educational exchange programs. The organization’s goal of international understanding is based on a commitment from Fulbright grantees to establish long-term communication and collaboration in educational, political, cultural, economic and scientific fields.

Fulbright alumni have become heads of state, judges, ambassadors, cabinet ministers, CEOs and university presidents, as well as leading journalists, artists, scientists and teachers. They include Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients and thousands of leaders across the private, public and non-profit sectors.

Fuente: https://uapbnews.wordpress.com/2017/01/13/dr-pamela-moore-participates-in-fulbright-international-education-administrators-seminar-in-france-germany/

Comparte este contenido:

Australia: why school funding is the Rorschach test of Australian politics

Australia/Diciembre de 2016/Fuente: The Guardian

RESUMEN: La disminución de los resultados escolares se ha convertido en la prueba de Rorschach de la política australiana: la Coalición y el Trabajo ambos ven lo que quieren en cada conjunto de cifras decepcionantes. Hubo la noticia de que el desempeño de Australia en matemáticas y ciencias se ha reducido en los últimos 20 años y ha disminuido en comparación con los países comparables. Luego, el Programa de Evaluación Internacional de Estudiantes mostró una disminución a largo plazo en los resultados de los estudiantes del año 9 de Australia en matemáticas, ciencias y alfabetización en lectura. Las estadísticas publicadas por el ministro federal de Educación, Simon Birmingham, mostraron que el gasto educativo por estudiante había aumentado en un 49,6% entre 2003 y 2015, y un 11,9% entre 2011 y 2015, pero no había conseguido mejores resultados. Birmingham ha utilizado las cifras para reforzar su argumento de que un «alto nivel de financiación para nuestras escuelas es obviamente importante», pero el gobierno debe centrarse en la reforma escolar para ayudar mejor a los estudiantes. Pisa resultados no se ven bien, pero vamos a ver lo que podemos aprender antes de entrar en pánico.

Declining school results have become the Rorschach test of Australian politics: the Coalition and Labor both see what they want in each set of disappointing figures.

There was the news that Australia’s performance in maths and science has flatlined for the past 20 years and slipped relative to comparable countries. Then the Programme for International Student Assessment showed a long-term decline in Australian year 9 students’ results in maths, science and reading literacy.

Statistics released by the federal education minister, Simon Birmingham, showed that per-student education spending had increased by 49.6% between 2003 and 2015, and by 11.9% between 2011 and 2015, but had failed to buy better results.

Birmingham has used the figures to bolster his argument that a “strong level of funding for our schools is obviously important”, but the government must focus on school reform to best help students.

The deputy opposition leader and shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, on the other hand, is persuaded that more funding is needed.

Birmingham cites OECD research that found higher expenditure on education did not guarantee better student performance. Among high-income economies, the amount spent on education is less important than how those resources are used.

Plibersek points out that less than 10% of needs-based funding had been distributed when students sat tests that turned in the flagging results.

The debate is heating up because the nation’s education ministers will meet on 16 December and discuss a new funding model for 2018 onwards. Demands for higher funding will be top of the states’ list.

But the federal government won’t make a formal proposal until 2017, when the Council of Australian Governments must approve it.

Plibersek says there is a false dichotomy between more funding and school reforms.

“This idea that money doesn’t matter, it’s all about the reforms – we agree it’s all about the reforms, but you need extra money to deliver them,” she tells Guardian Australia.

“If you want to do continuing professional development for teachers and have them spend a day with a highly qualified peer leader teacher in their classroom, you’ve got to pay for that teacher’s relief day.

“If you’re going to send them to do a coding workshop at university, an intensive day or week, you’ve got to pay for a relief teacher. All of this costs money.”

The experience of Glenroy Central primary school in Victoria illustrates Plibersek’s argument.

Its principal, Jo Money, says the school spent its $321,152 in equity funding in 2016 on maths education, including online assessment tools and teacher training.

The school got an injection of equity funding because of its high proportion of students from low socio-economic backgrounds and high proportion students for whom English is not their or their parents’ first language.

“To actually provide the time for teachers to observe each other is very expensive,” Money says. “We invested in technology so kids can get online results immediately and it all costs money we just don’t have.”

She says Glenroy Central didn’t have “the sort of community that we could ask to pay” for those improvements. The school had to buy computers for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have access to them, and it teaches a number of refugees who need everything provided, including uniforms.

The school got a boost in its Naplan maths results and Money speaks glowingly of the “snowballing confidence” the schools’ teachers and students experienced.

Labor does not want to be pigeon-holed as the party that just wants more money. Plibersek rattles off reforms that Labor has agreed to in principle: better entry standards for teaching courses, greater principals’ autonomy, continuing education for teachers and evidence-based policies.

The Coalition released its quality school reforms in May, including measures to reward more experienced teachers, improve teacher quality and test phonics skills in year one students.

Plibersek says the reforms Australian schools needed are already contained in the previous Labor government’s national education reform agreement, but blames the former education minister Christopher Pyne for stripping conditions out to allow schools to chart their own course to improvement.

She says Birmingham can talk the talk of boosting school standards, but since that decision, Australia has been spinning its wheels and wasting time that should have been spent improving teacher quality.

Birmingham has said he welcomes Labor to the school reform debate, which he suggests the Coalition is leading while Labor “muddied the waters” with “lies” about cuts to funding – which is still growing.

Which brings us back to the funding debate. At the 2013 election the Liberal leader, Tony Abbott, promised no cuts to education.

After the Coalition won the election, Pyne announced the government intended to renegotiate Labor’s needs-based funding agreements, arguing the Coalition had only agreed the total amount of funding would be the same, not that every school would get the same.

The Coalition backed down, but then in the 2014 budget the government cut $29bn from schools’ projected funding growth over 10 years, arguing Labor had never properly funded it.

The Coalition stuck to the same funding levels for the first four years of Labor’s needs-based funding deals, but did not guarantee the fifth and sixth years of funding despite some states signing six-year deals.

This drew the battle lines for the 2016 election. Labor promised a further $37.3bn over 10 years for the “full Gonski” needs-based funding.

The Coalition promised less for schools than Labor, but that federal funding would still grow from $16bn in 2016 to around $20.1bn in 2020. Funding would also be allocated on need, but the model for how that is distributed is still up in the air.

Birmingham tells Guardian Australia he “wouldn’t pre-empt discussions on the specific details of a new model”, which won’t be finalised until the first half of 2017.

“Everyone agrees that funding needs to be distributed according to need and we all want to help boost student outcomes,” he says.

“I’m looking forward to working with my state and territory colleagues to iron out the problems with the current distribution of funding and to implement reforms in our schools that are proven to lift student performance.”

“Ironing out” problems means revisiting the agreements Labor struck to implement needs-based funding, then parcel it up differently, while still adhering to the principle that the most disadvantaged students get more funding.

Birmingham has taken up the argument that Labor’s plan is a “corruption” of Gonski principles, as it was labelled by one of its architects, Ken Boston. The minister argues Labor struck 27 “inconsistent” deals with states, territories and their public, Catholic and independent school sectors.

Birmingham gave an example that under the current arrangements “a disadvantaged student in one state receives up to $1,500 less federal funding than a student in another state in the exact same circumstance”.

“Contrary to some claims, these gaps actually get worse with time, where in 2019 the difference blows out to more than $2,100,” he said.

Birmingham says Labor’s school funding deal “fails their own fairness test, where a child’s postcode or the state they live in is determining the different federal funding they receive, or where special deals from years ago are entrenched for decades to come”.

Plibersek says Birmingham’s talk of 27 different agreements and “corruption” of Gonski principles is “an attempt to distract” from the cuts in the 2014 budget, which she says were a broken promise because states and voters expected the same funding from both sides.

She says the education minister is “pitting state against state, saying some states are doing better than others, school against school and system against system”.

The states are also pushing back against plans to renegotiate deals that could leave them worse off.

Victoria calculates that not implementing the deals will cost its education system almost $1bn a year every year from 2018, although the federal government criticises the state for not confirming it will fund its part of the deal.

The Victorian education minister, James Merlino, has said the federal government “has no formal policy” to replace existing funding agreements, and the slated funding increase was inadequate and only amounted to an increase to indexation.

As Guardian Australia reported on Saturday, Merlino wants states to have more say in the new funding model and has rejected federal conditions that, he says, interfere with operational issues that are state responsibilities.

The New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, and its education minister, Adrian Piccoli, have called for the federal government to honour its six-year deal with the state and will do so again next week.

In October Baird said there was “absolutely no doubt” that needs-based funding benefited students.

“The extra support students are receiving is showing real results,” he says. “Funding now follows students and their needs, and principals have the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of their students.”

Piccoli says NSW is on board with the federal reform agenda, which mirrors its own efforts, and would push for higher entry standards for teachers.

Western Australia supports renegotiation of funding agreements, which Plibersek attributes to the fact that the state signed a “dud deal” with Pyne rather than signing up under the previous Labor government.

In late November the Grattan Institute lent support to the idea that the Julia Gillard-era deals were not implementing needs-based funding as quickly as possible.

It found current trajectories for growth of funding entrenched disparities between schools because all schools receive annual funding increases between 3% and 4.7%

Restructuring the funding agreements could see the neediest schools reach the funding standard sooner by cutting taxpayer support for “overfunded” schools.

In a blitz of interviews to defend higher levels of school funding, Plibersek was repeatedly drawn into debates about whether some private schools were overfunded as a result of Labor’s promise no school would go backwards.

She called the argument “a distraction” because, even if the Grattan Institute reforms were implemented, cutting “overfunded” private schools’ allocation would raise just $200m compared with a $4bn cut in years five and six of Gonski funding.

Plibersek has previously said there was “no compelling case” to cut the funding. Now she delivers a crisper formulation: she doesn’t want to give the idea any oxygen.

Asked whether Labor will keep its pledge for $37.3bn over 10 years, Plibersek says it will stick with a “very significant financial commitment”, but will “accept there might be changes [the government may] make along the way”. It leaves wiggle room to accept cuts to “overfunded” schools, if they come.

Plibersek accuses Birmingham of not having developed a concrete proposal for how schools should be funded from 2018.

“It’s very easy to say you don’t like this system or what we inherited, but he hasn’t put any positive suggestions yet,” she says. “There’s the suggestion some private schools are overfunded, without saying whether he intends to take their money away.”

For Plibersek, the education minister has to answer and answer quickly: what comes next?

She says there were different agreements because each state and territory came from a different starting position, and there is a public, Catholic and independent system in each.

“The idea that you’d have one agreement meeting all this is nonsense – it’s always been nonsense,” Plibersek said.

A “cookie cutter” funding model is not possible overnight, but by 2020 states and territories will hit 95% of the school resourcing standard, she says.

“Share the better model with schools if you think there is one,” Plibersek challenges Birmingham.

State and territory education ministers don’t expect a concrete proposal on 16 December. But the lines have been drawn between a federal government determined to push for much better performance from a system with modest increases in funding, and an opposition keen to argue you get what you pay for and significant improvements will require significant investment.

Fuente: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/dec/11/this-costs-money-why-school-funding-is-the-rorschach-test-of-australian-politics

Comparte este contenido:

Uganda: Bridge schools stay but ministry has some advice

África/Uganda/02 Octubre 2016/Fuente: TheObserver/Autor: YUDAYA NANGONZI & SIRAJE LUBWAMA

Resumen: El 17 de agosto, el Ministerio de Educación y Deportes ordenó que Puente Internacional Academias (BIA) cerrar sus escuelas antes del inicio del tercer periodo. Sin embargo, como Yudaya NANGONZI y el informe SIRAJE LUBWAMA, las escuelas han obtenido un alivio temporal de la alta corte. Las polémicas escuelas puente internacional ahora pueden abrir sus puertas para el tercer mandato después de Justicia Patricia Basaza emitió un fallo a su favor el jueves pasado. El Ministerio de Educación y Deportes había ordenado a las 63 escuelas a cerrar la tienda al final del segundo período por razones que no cumplan con las normas establecidas.

On August 17, the ministry of education and sports ordered that Bridge International Academies (BIA) close their schools ahead of the start of the third term. However, as YUDAYA NANGONZI and SIRAJE LUBWAMA report, the schools have obtained a temporary reprieve from the High court.

The controversial Bridge International schools can now open their doors for the third term after Justice Patricia Basaza made a ruling in their favour last Thursday. The ministry of education and sports had ordered the 63 schools to close shop at the end of the second term on grounds that they do not meet established standards.

Following the inspection of BIA facilities in various places, the ministry noted the poor infrastructure, hygiene and sanitation, which the inspectors said “put the life and safety of the school children in danger.”

The schools were also found to follow a curriculum that hasn’t been approved by the ministry. Acting on this information, minister of education Janet Museveni called for the suspension of the schools’ activities in Uganda until they meet the required standards.

Bridge International ran to court, seeking to block the ministry’s decision on September 2, a move that paid dividends last week. In her ruling on Thursday, Justice Basaza said:

“I’m allowing the schools to open as we resolve this issue of the wanted document. We must also allow the respondent (AG) a constitutional right to be heard. The applicant needs to file a rejoinder by September 30 and the case is adjourned to October 3.”

Earlier, the ministry had issued a statement targeting parents with children in Bridge International schools ahead of the new term, which starts today. In the statement dated September 21, assistant commissioner for primary education Dr Tonny Mukasa-Lusambu advised parents to take their children to the nearest public schools.

“I call upon all parents to take their children to the nearby government schools because, where Bridge [International] opened their schools, some of the government schools are just next door,” Dr Lusambu told The Observer.

“There is no need for alarm … government deploys teachers in these government schools and they are ready to attend to the children,” he added.

NEW TERM GUIDELINES

Commenting on the new term, Dr Mukasa-Lusambu called on head teachers and teaching staff to hit the ground running. Lusambu said schools should desist from the bad practice of making children who report on the first day to clean up the school premises.

“There is this habit of making children clean, slash and sweep the entire school yet their lessons are supposed to start at exactly 8am on the first day,” Dr Lusambu said.

“Even those who are at home also keep on waiting until the cleaning is done.”

The term, which ends on December 9, is the busiest in the schools calendar with national examinations to be held at all three levels – PLE, O-level and A-level. O-level exams are scheduled to start on October 17 and end on November 23, while P7 candidates will sit between November 2 and 3. A-level exams, on the other hand, start on November 14 and end on December 6.

Acknowledging that some learning days in the term could be disrupted by the examinations, Lusambu asked teachers to stick to the curriculum.

“All subjects must be taught as indicated in the curriculum. Subjects like MDD, physical education and sports, art and entrepreneurship should not be ignored because they are all important in raising a holistic child,” Lusambu said.

Commenting on capitation grants, Lusambu expressed optimism that the schools will receive their grants on time now that the ministry of finance has restructured the payments in keeping with the school calendar.

He also encouraged parents to provide their children with all the necessary school requirements, including lunch.

Fuente de la noticia: http://www.observer.ug/education/46665-bridge-schools-stay-but-ministry-has-some-advice

Fuente de la imagen:http://www.observer.ug/images/BIA-led-lawyer-Isaac-Walukagga-BIA-director-legal-Anthony-Mugodo-BIA-legal-officer-Godwin-Matsiko-and-BIA-director-customer-experience-Dawn-Mulondo-chat-after-the-ruling.jpg

Comparte este contenido: