Education

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Fathers are necessary in the lives of children and their education

David Plazas

By: David Plazas. 

 

The absence of fathers in the home life of a child is bringing disaster to every fabric of our state and nation.

As Chair of the Tennessee General Assembly House Sub and Full Education Committees since 2013, I have spent many thousands of hours studying and looking for ways to best educate and challenge the children in our State.

The latest figures show that our 89.1% high school graduation rate is the highest in our state history.  Even with that positive statistic, still fewer than half of these graduates are ready to move into higher education or the workforce without remediation in English and/or Math.

Another startling statistic: Only 37% of our students in third grade are reading on grade level. This is a critical and very disturbing statistic: “if you cannot read you cannot learn!”

That means grades 4-12 and beyond will be difficult for these students. The inability to perform in School results in drop out, truancy and little or no skills to compete in todays workforce.

Funding has improved for education, but our outcomes are still low

So, what is the answer? Many say, “just add more money and we will improve.”  But time has proven that, even though money is a factor, it is not the solution.

In 2010, Tennessee was the recipient of $500 million “Race to the Top” dollars from the Federal Government.

Tennessee put that money in many excellent programs but still we struggle, as the 37% third grade reading statistic indicates.

Also, Tennessee has been on an education reform movement for the past 10 years.  We have added $1.5 billion new dollars to our state education budget and over $570 million new dollars to teacher compensation since 2013.

Tennessee Public Schools K-12 Education Budget for 2019-2020 School year is $6.6 billion dollars. Because of our reform and our funding, Tennessee has the title as the “fastest improving state in education” in the nation.  But there is a critical piece of the equation that is missing – a piece of the equation that money and the best teachers cannot remedy.

Why dads matter in the lives of their kids

It is now time that we address with seriousness why so many of our children are coming to school without the foundation to learn.  In 2007, I authored a book titled:  “May I Call You Dad? Why Fathers are needed in the Home.”

We must realize that fathers are necessary in the lives of children, and that their absence in the home life of a child is bringing disaster to every fabric of our state and nation.

In 2017, 43.6% of children in Tennessee were born to single mothers.  It is a fact that more poverty exists in single parent homes. Last year 1,000 new children were admitted to Tennessee Department of Children Services because of drugs and other addictions.

Domestic and sexual abuse in the home has risen so drastically that we now spend millions of dollars addressing the issue known as “Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACE.”

This is the new study on how a child’s brain is prevented from developing properly because of the constant trauma in their home. With enough ACE experiences from birth to age 5, the neuron connections in brain development are so damaged that the act of learning and simple behavior development is challenged.

We are now spending billions of dollars trying to do in school what the home is failing to do for children.

“Communities in School Programs» provide wrap around services for school age children, RTI or Response to Intervention Programs, mandated by the state but without adequate funding, attempts to put a second teacher’s aide in the classroom to help with children falling behind.

Our local school districts are trying to fill the funding gap but the demand is greater than funds available.

A few staggering statistics we should know are:

  • 63% of all youth suicides are from fatherless homes.
  • 85% of all youth in prison are from fatherless homes.
  • 71% of all high school dropouts are from fatherless homes.

Positive factors related to education include:

  • Children with fathers are less likely to repeat a grade in school.
  • Children with fathers are morel likely to get A’s in school.
  • Children with fathers are more likely to enjoy school and engage in school  activities.

The question is asked: “Have we lost a generation and now must find a way to change moving forward?”  I refuse to accept such a pessimistic attitude.

This is why we are looking for programs and budgeting state dollars to fill the gap where the home is failing. We must challenge and teach every teen and young adult that bringing another life into the world carries with it the responsibility of building a safe and loving fortress (Home) around that child.

It is the role of the father to be the provider, protector, guide, role model, listener, stabilizer and hope giver for the future of a child.  Let us resolve to renew this commitment to our children on this Father’s Day.

Source of the article: https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2019/06/15/fathers-children-tennessee-education/1431197001/

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New education policy misses a critical chance to address inequalities in system

Anjela Taneja

By: Anjela Taneja. 

 

The draft National Education Policy (NEPTodas las entradas), 2019, is full of provisions that many in the education sector have been desperate to see for decades. The conferring of the Right to Education to children under six and above 14, doubling of the overall financial allocation to education and strengthening the teaching profession bring cheer. However, many of the policy’s omissions and contradictions, combined with the previous track record of central and state governments in implementing existing education policies, diminish this hope.

The omissions: While the policy talks about the need to bring “unrepresented groups» into school and focus on educationally lagging “special education zones», it misses a critical opportunity of addressing inequalities within the education system. It misses to provide solutions to close the gap of access to quality education between India’s rich and poor children. It proposes to remove the expectations that all schools meet common minimum infrastructure and facility standards, and that primary schools be within a stipulated distance from children’s homes.

India’s schools already vary across the scale—from single room structures without water and sanitation, to technology-enabled international schools. Not specifying a common minimum standard below which schools cannot fall, creates conditions where quality of facilities in some schools will only sink lower, widening this gap.

This is even more of an issue since it proposes a roll back of existing mechanisms of enforcement of private schools making parents “de-facto regulators» of private schools. Parents, and particularly poor and neo-literate parents, cannot hold the onus of ensuring that much more powerful and resourced schools comply with quality, safety and equity norms.

India should have moved towards a national system of education that shapes India’s next generation and enforce standards of quality across the country.

The contradictions: While the policy places considerable emphasis on the strengthening of “school complexes» (clusters of schools sharing joint resources) and decentralized mechanisms for supporting teachers, their everyday management appears to have been tasked to the head teacher of the secondary school in the cluster.

Furthermore, no separate funding appears to have been earmarked for this. This is false economy, since this is a full time activity and needs to be staffed and resourced accordingly.

Lessons from non-implementation of past policies: The policy’s implementation is predicated on the assumption that the education budget would be almost doubled in the next 10 years through consistent decade-long action by both the centre and states. However, the revenue is decentralized to the states and it is unclear what would be done to ensure that resources needed will be allotted. The sheer scale of changes expected, the rapid timeline, the absence of a strong mechanism for handholding states on this journey and the probable inadequate budget raises questions on the full implementation of this policy. India’s history is littered with ambitious education policies that have not been fully implemented. The National Education Policy risks following this tradition, unless the government addresses the reasons behind the past policy-practice implementation gap and makes conscious efforts to carry all of India on the same road towards improvement in education.

Source of the article: https://www.livemint.com/opinion/online-views/new-education-policy-misses-a-critical-chance-to-address-inequalities-in-system-1560282262183.html

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Looking to history can shape Utah’s education future

Lynn Stoddard

By: Lynn Stoddard.

During the last week of May of this year, 30,250 students graduated from 78 Utah public high schools for an average of 388 students per graduating class. In 1945, I graduated from Ogden High School in a graduating class of approximately 400 students. During the 74 years since my graduation has anything changed in our system of public education?

Except for one big thing, nearly everything has stayed the same. All six of my grandchildren who graduated this year were required to abide by the same school system and curriculum that I did 74 years ago — the one that was installed in 1892 by a “Committee of Ten” scholars. This committee recommended eight years of elementary school followed by four years of high school and a “call to teach English, mathematics, and history or civics to every student every academic year in high school. The recommendations also formed the basis of the practice of teaching chemistry, and physics, respectively, in ascending high school academic years.”

My six graduating grandchildren each attended a different high school and were all subject to the same graduation requirements: 24 credits in English, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and computer, health and physical education and five electives.

What’s wrong with this picture? The “Committee of Ten” inaugurated a system of education to standardize students with a predetermined outline of subject matter courses. Each of my graduating grandchildren achieved what was required of them and has a diploma to show it. They were all exposed to the same knowledge and skills as the other 30,244 Utah graduates.

The one huge difference between education as it was 74 years ago and today is not really a difference at all, but a window to a revolution: computers and electronic communication have shined a spotlight on human differences. Back in my day, we obtained our information about the required curriculum from books and teacher lectures. Now, with the worldwide internet, television and hand-held interactive devices, we have suddenly found new ways to learn and discovered that it is impossible to standardize students in knowledge and skills.

Technology now offers a bridge to unlimited student learning and accomplishment. The present required curriculum allows for only a small percentage to become extraordinary, “sterling” scholars. On the other hand, using computers to access the whole world of events and information makes it possible for every student to attain phenomenal knowledge and accomplishment. Each student will now be able to prove that he or she can become a genius in some area of knowledge.

What needs to be done to have this utopia of education become a reality? Before the federal government imposed subject matter standardization on the system, some schools were starting to use human standards rather than subject standards to help learners grow as powerful individuals. Teachers and parents united to help students grow in human powers such as inquiry, interaction, imagination, initiative, identity, intuition and integrity.

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By using this approach, hundreds of students in several schools discovered their genius and reason to exist as important contributors to society. With “identity” as a top priority, teachers united with parents to help students magnify their unique talents and strengths. Teachers and parents were starting to learn how to find and develop student-oriented curriculum based on the important questions and needs of students. They were starting to learn how to develop a much better student-oriented education.

We now have a choice: go back and get on the right path or continue on the subject-dominated, assembly-line path of student standardization.

Source of the article: https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900075359/guest-opinion-looking-to-history-can-shape-utahs-education-future.html

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Filipina student sees possible cure for diabetes

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Asia/ Filipinas/ 11.06.2016/ Source: www.asiatimes.com.

The Jamaican cherry, known as aratiles in the Philippines, has components that could cure type 2 diabetes, she says

16-year-old Filipino student has discovered that the Jamaican cherry, known as “aratiles” in the Philippines, is a potential cure for diabetes.

Maria Isabel Layson, a student from Iloilo National High School, recently discovered that the Jamaican cherry has anti-diabetes properties and could cure type 2 diabetes, GMA News reported.

The young Filipina said she saw that the fruit is often neglected yet grows abundantly in the Philippines. She found that bioactive compounds like anthocyanin, flavonoid and polyphenol were in the fruit and these components may be used as a cure for diabetes.

“Nobody pays attention to the fruit and its medicinal properties. They don’t realize that it has potential for becoming a regulator of diabetes,” Layson said.

Layson said she was inspired to research the fruit because she had lost several family members to diabetes. According to the Department of Health, diabetes is the deadliest disease in the Philippines.

Her research led her to win the Best Individual research in Life Science during the Department of Education’s 2019 National Science and Technology Fair.

She also represented the Philippines in the Intel Science and Engineering Fair in Arizona in the United States last month.

“My research won’t end here. It will actually further develop into more specific compounds. We will delve into other diseases,” she said.

Source of the news: https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/06/article/filipina-student-sees-possible-cure-for-diabetes/

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South Africa: Education Department clarify claims of Grade 4 “masturbation classes”

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Africa/ South Africa/ 11.06.2019/ Source: www.thesouthafrican.com.

Parents have been in a flap this week, after a report claimed masturbation would be taught in Grade 4 classes across Mzansi. But the DoE are furious with the story.

The Department of Basic Education have furiously denied that “masturbation” has found its way onto the Grade 4 curriculum in South African schools. The topic – which the Sunday Timesreported was set to feature in Life Orientation classes – was allegedly going to be introduced to children as young as nine.

The article in question quoted a lifestyle doctor who said she’d helped design the curriculum, which also aimed to educate Grade 4 learners about gender neutrality and the benefits of yoga – effectively, it would have been a conservative parent’s worst nightmare.

Masturbation “will not be taught” to nine-year-olds

The department are as good as seething with the publication, however. The outline for the new curriculum has been released on Tuesday, and spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga rubbished claims that children aged 10 and under would be exposed to the topic of masturbation. He blamed the paper for causing “mass hysteria”, too:

“The article is misleading and in fact, a complete misrepresentation of the work the Department is doing. It’s unfortunate that the article published has now caused mass hysteria unnecessarily and has caused confusion.”

The new Life Orientation textbook for Grade 4 currently being written does not cover masturbation. The textbook content for sexuality education in this grade is guided by UNESCO’S technical guidance on sexuality education and includes input from highly respected South African institutions.”

Elijah Mhlanga

Life Orientation: What will be on the Grade 4 curriculum?

It has been confirmed that masturbation is only a topic that gets covered from Grade 7 onwardswhen children hit their adolescent development phase between the ages of 12-13. Life Orientation for Grade 4 will focus on things like the environment, road safety and the dangers of smoking.

The closest the primary school kids will come to learning about the birds and the bees will be in an age-appropriate lesson which explains how babies are made. They will also be taught about cultural celebrations like imbeleko – an event that takes place when families celebrate the birth of another child.

Source of the notice: https://www.thesouthafrican.com/buzz/education-department-clarify-claims-of-grade-4-masturbation-classes/

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Australia urged to act on girls’ education in Solomons as 93 per cent dropout rate revealed

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Oceania/ Australia/ 10.06.2019/ Source: www.sbs.com.au.

Omar Dabbagh reports from Visale, Solomon Islands

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is being urged to prioritise education equality during his visit to the Solomon Islands, after a new report found a shockingly low number of girls finish high school in the Pacific nation.

Aid agency Plan International, which compiled the ‘Our Education, Our Future’ report with the help of 60 girls in the Solomons, found the female graduation rate there is only seven per cent.

Expensive school fees, disturbingly high rates of child marriage and teen pregnancies, dangers facing girls walking to and from school, as well as cultural perceptions towards gender are being blamed for mass female dropouts.

«I would say it’s discrimination but it’s also about opportunity. People think that girls are associated to home,» Ella Kauhue, Program Manager for Plan International Solomon Islands, told SBS News ahead of the report’s release next week.

«They do a lot of work at home, they save the family, they look after the children, so they have – in terms of family – they have responsibility more than the boys.

SBS News understands Mr Morrison will visit schools in the Solomon Islands on Monday and read to a class.

Solomon Islands girls

Australia is being urged to prioritise the education of girls in the Solomon Islands.
SBS News/Omar Dabbagh

‘Left behind’

«When it comes to the decision-making of parents on who to go to school when there is limited funds, then the boys have a chance to go, the girls are left behind,” said Franklin Kakate, a school principal in the village of Visale.

It is a domestic responsibility that many girls say they do not want.

Best friends, Betty and Betty, aged 18 and 19, dropped out of high school in recent years due to financial stress and peer pressure. And both say they are desperate to complete their education.

«I want to tell other girls that when they receive a good education, they will not be like us – you know, walking around (doing nothing). Boring. They will have a good life,» the girls said.

«I see value in education, so I want to see the girls value that because if they’re educated then they can see things.»

EXCLUSIVE: Australia urged to prioritise women's education in the Solomon Islands

Friends Betty and Betty were both forced to drop out of high school, and say they are desperate to one day graduate.
SBS News/Omar Dabbagh

Schoolgirls from Visale, north of the capital Honiara, have told SBS News they hope to one day break the mould in the Solomons.

«I feel excited because I have the opportunity to attend school while other girls stay at home and do housework,” says 18-year-old Melisa, who is in her last year of school.

«I want be in engineering because I want to be part of the male’s job, because in Solomon Island there’s not much female involved in men’s job.»

«(I want to be a) lawyer so I can solve all the problems in the country,» adds 17-year-old Clodina.

«I want to make our country a better country in the future.»

‘Gender imbalance’

In a bid to prioritise education in recent years, the Solomons government made primary school free. But Plan International claims that policy has not been implemented in many parts of the country. School attendance, both in primary and high school, is also not compulsory.

Seventy-two per cent of girls finish primary school, but as fees increase every of secondary school so too do dropout numbers, whereas one-third of boys are able to complete high school.

Plan International found that two out of five girls are forced to drop out of school due to teen pregnancy or child marriage, with the former seeing many girls expelled as they are often blamed for betraying customary practices.

Simple things like walking home, particularly in remote provinces, can deter girls from attending where there is a high rate of sexual assault.

Eighteen-year-old Judy says she used to walk six kilometres a day to and from her previous school and feared every day she would be attacked.

«I feel scared and maybe we don’t know what is going to happen when you follow the road, that there is no house and someone to help you,» she explained.

«And sometimes if you go to school by yourself and you meet someone who tried to kill you, you don’t have anyone to help you.»

ls for Australia to step up education focus

Australia is by far the biggest contributor of aid to the Solomon Islands, set to donate almost $200 million this year alone.

It bankrolls five per cent of the Solomons’ education budget, of which almost two-thirds funds scholarships and programs to improve school facilities, such as bathrooms and access to clean water.

But coordinator for International Programs at the Solomon Islands Ministry for Education, Christina Bakolo, told SBS News only a sliver goes towards secondary education, let alone the education of girls.

«There needs to be collaborative work if Australia would like to assist the Solomon Islands. For me, personally, there needs to be resourcing. This is one of the gaps here,» Ms Bakolo said.

«It would be very great to see Australia focusing on the marginalised ones in the Solomon Islands, and that includes girls.»

Plan International hopes Mr Morrison uses his overseas trip to take a stand to support young women.

«Gender equality in this country is very imbalanced,» Ms Kauhue said.

«I think the country, the government, will have to see that investing in girls is important and not for today but for the future of this country.»

Source of the notice: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-urged-to-act-on-girls-education-in-solomons-as-93-per-cent-dropout-rate-revealed

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NZ’s education sector must move fast to support edtech

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Oceania/ New Zealand/ 10.06.2019/ Fuente: itbrief.co.nz.

New Zealand’s education sector needs to face up to automation and the way it will affect people’s jobs in years to come – and it needs to move quickly to do so, according to industry body EdTechNZ.

In a submission to the New Zealand Productivity Commission on the topic of how technology will impact the future of work in New Zealand, EdTechNZ says that New Zealand’s education sector needs a serious shake up.

According to EdTechNZ chair Shane Kerr, New Zealand’s education and skills system does not have a shared view of current or desirable outcomes for New Zealand’s digitally dependent society.

“Consideration should be given to how the skill needs of the tech industry can be better understood by the education sector, perhaps through an industry body forum,” says Kerr.

“Future workers will need advanced technical skills to operate in an increasingly digital working environment but also skills for the roles that cannot be easily automated.”

EdTechNZ says it has witnessed the impact that automation technologies are having on people’s jobs.

“Workers now and in the future will need an education system that can keep up with the pace of global technical change,” says Kerr.

“We’re already seeing firms and companies question the validity of traditional courses of study as their industries undergo rapid transformation.

“It is imperative that the 20% of adults described in the commission’s report with low levels of literacy and/or numeracy are provided with effective access to tools and training that can lift their capability.”

He says the Commission should consider the World Economic Forum’s 21st century skills concept, which includes collaboration, critical thinking, digital literacy, and problem solving.

“There are a number of edtech products and pedagogies that can be further deployed in this area, and the edtech sector could be more effectively incentivised to address this priority.”

He adds that the education sector is struggling to keep up with workplace change. The education sector is often held back by difficulty innovating and scaling new initiatives quickly enough.

“In addition, due to the relatively large numbers of small to medium companies, employers are less likely to plan for or invest in future skills at the expense of the immediate needs and daily pressures of their business,” Kerr says.

The mismatches between capability and expectation will only grow, Kerr adds.

“Not all firms do or will have the same understanding of the skill challenges or make the same level of investment in training beyond their immediate needs.

“Government has a role to raise awareness and urgency of the issue and also encourage the development of training for future skills needs which may not be readily apparent to the employer such as digital literacy. Government investment is required in every scenario.”

Source of the news: https://itbrief.co.nz/story/nz-s-education-sector-must-move-fast-to-support-edtech

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