Education

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Childhood sibling dynamics may predict differences in college education

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United States/ 18.06.2018/By: Penn State/ From: www.sciencedaily.com.

The effects of sibling relationships may go beyond childhood bickering and bonding, according to Penn State researchers who found that these relationships may predict similarities and differences in siblings’ education later in life.

In a study spanning about 15 years, the researchers found that when siblings felt more warmth toward each other in childhood, they were more likely to achieve similar levels of education. But, when siblings felt that their parents’ treatment of themselves versus their sibling was unfair, or when their fathers spent more time with one sibling than the other, those siblings achieved different levels of education.

Xiaoran Sun, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies, said the results held up even when the researchers controlled for the siblings’ grade-point averages across childhood and adolescence, suggesting that school achievement may not be the only factor determining what level of education a person achieves.

«While school is obviously important, this study helps show that what goes on inside families can have an impact, as well,» said Susan McHale, distinguished professor of human development and family studies. «Warmth from siblings may not mean you’re more likely to go to college, but it seems to be a factor in how similarly the two siblings turn out. People don’t tend to think about siblings being important to academic achievement, but our findings highlight the importance of family experiences — beyond what happens at school.»

Previous research has shown that graduating college has an impact on an individual’s employment, health and the way they form families of their own. While it’s been shown that parenting can affect educational achievement, little work has been done to study whether siblings have an effect.

«A lot of research on child development focuses on one child in the family, with the assumption that if you know what happens to this one child, you know how families operate to socialize children,» McHale said. «But in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world, more children grow up in a home with a sibling than with a father figure. So by studying siblings, you start to get a better sense of the larger family context of development.»

The researchers followed the two oldest siblings from 152 families from middle childhood through their mid-twenties. The families lived in central Pennsylvania and were mainly European-American.

When the siblings were an average of 11.8 and 9.2 years old, the researchers measured warmth by asking the children questions, like how often they turned to their sibling for advice or support. Additionally, the researchers gathered data on whether the parents treated their children differently, and whether the siblings thought this different treatment was fair or not. They also measured how much time the siblings spent alone with their mothers and fathers.

When the siblings were around 26 years old, the researchers followed up to ask each sibling about their highest level of completed education.

«The sibling relationship factors that we tested did not predict whether an individual sibling would graduate from college or not, but we did find predictors of whether siblings would achieve different levels of education,» said Sun. «The findings provide clues about how sibling relationships can affect education pathways.»

The researchers said there are a few possible explanations for the findings, which were recently published in the journal Child Development. Sun said that when siblings feel more warmth for each other, they have a closer relationship in general, and thus may be more likely to follow similar paths in their education achievement.

«When two people are closer to each other, they tend to treat each other as role models,» Sun said. «And this could be for better or for worse. They can be ‘partners in crime,’ as some prior work suggests, or partners in achievement, as we found. It’s not that siblings who are close are more likely to graduate from college, they’re just more likely to end up with the same level of education, either graduating from college or not.»

McHale said that for the siblings who ended up with different levels of education, the perception of their parents treating them differently and unfairly may have been part of what drove their different choices.

«Children are vigilant in noticing how they’re treated relative to their siblings, and parents need to be aware of this and on their guard,» McHale said. «Many parents treat their children differently and have very good reasons to do so, but children need to understand parents’ reasons, and parents have to have conversations with their children to explain those reasons. If kids perceive their treatment as fair or justified, even if it’s different from their siblings’, then there’s not the same negative effect.»

Sun said the results could help design future interventions that focus on siblings. The researchers said that it may be helpful to design studies that could explore the possible causal role of sibling relationships on education, as well as studies of more diverse populations.

From: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180618102600.htm

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10 (More) Reasons Why the U.S. Education System Is Failing

Matthew Lynch

By Matthew Lynch

We must grapple with digital equity, year-round schooling, gender parity in STEM, and more.

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post for my Education Futures opinion blog on edweek.org, entitled “10 Reasons the U.S. Education System Is Failing.” I listed 10 problems and issues that prevent the U.S. education system from living up to its potential. Even years later, my list—which addressed economic shortfalls, gender and racial disparities, parent engagement, and more—still periodically shows up as one of edweek.org’s top-read blog posts of the day.

Because of this sustained interest from readers, Education Week’s opinion editors thought it would be interesting to revisit this list, and I wholeheartedly agreed. Most of the reasons that I listed still ring true, so I am adding 10 additional emerging problems and issues with our education system.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

—Getty

1. In this digital age, we need to rethink literacy. Historically, literacy referred to print texts, but it’s becoming increasingly complex as we transition to a digital age. To accommodate this generational shift, educators need to start adopting a curriculum that covers digital literacy. Beyond basic reading and writing, students should be able to use technology to conduct research and make their own judgments about what they read. Without these skills, students will be left behind in our digital age.

2. The way we currently assess students is not working. The current testing system does not accurately measure the progress of individual students. In our digital age, we should be searching for testing options that can implement technology, gather information, and account for the differences among students who take the assessments. The initial cost outlay could be substantial, but we owe it to our students to create a fair testing system to help deliver brighter minds for the future.

3. We do a poor job of educating boys of color. Black and Latino boys have consistently been misunderstood in America’s schools. Their behavior, learning styles, and social skills are often misconstrued as problems. Until this situation is remedied, boys of color will continue to slip through the cracks. They have higher dropout, poverty, and incarceration rates than their peers. Perhaps the education system is partly to blame.

4. We continue to retain and socially promote students. The U.S. education system retains students at astronomical rates. The cost is outlandish, likely exceeding $12 billion annually, according to a 2012 estimate from The Brookings Institution, even though research shows that holding children back has little effect on their academic achievement. On the other hand, social promotion also poses a problem, as students will struggle to meet academic standards without extraordinary intervention. To end social promotion and retention, we must move from a graded classroom approach to a multi-age approach. Multi-age classrooms let students learn at an individualized pace, working to reach their full potential in their own time.

«The result is that wealthy students end up ahead, creating another barrier for schools with high poverty rates.»

5. Anti-intellectualism and academic disengagement are running rampant. In this digital age, students are accustomed to instant gratification. In response, school districts water down academic standards to keep students on an equal footing, but the result is academic disengagement. Traditional education is undermined by this growing anti-intellectualism. Today’s students are less inclined to pursue academic achievement if it offers no direct relevance in their daily lives.

6. We need more year-round schools. Most schools in America maintain the antiquated system of granting students the summer off, even though the economic justifications for such a schedule no longer exist. Unfortunately, the solid evidence that a switch to year-round schooling would improve our academic system is ignored because it’s too challenging to make a change. Teachers and policymakers alike would have to agree to switch up the status quo to accommodate this drastic shift in scheduling.

7. We are not able to consistently produce quality teachers. A child’s education is highly dependent upon the instruction they receive. The reality is straightforward: Not all teachers entering the classroom have enough training and experience to foster student learning. A strong teacher is an invaluable classroom tool, but we have yet to discover what it takes to produce strong educators with any degree of consistency.

8. We are not doing enough to foster digital equity. In the modern age, technology is an essential part of the world and academics. Students from wealthier backgrounds have greater access to the internet and technology in general than their impoverished counterparts. The result is that wealthy students end up ahead, creating another barrier for schools with high poverty rates. Digital equity could eliminate this gap and provide a more level playing field.

9. We are not doing enough to get girls involved with STEM. Despite Beyoncé’s declaration that girls run the world, there are still plenty of academic fields where females are underrepresented. The booming STEM industry is primarily male-dominated, with few opportunities for young girls to join. The issue is not a lack of interest but a lack of encouragement for girls to enter these fields or study the subjects at school. We must find new ways to promote STEM subjects to girls and help them foster a love for the mechanical and chemical.

10. Teacher-preparation programs don’t teach neuroscience. Most teacher-preparation programs focus exclusively on education instead of providing a more holistic view. Truly great educators need to understand neuroscience to grasp how the brain and nervous system work fully. It would fortify educators if they had a better understanding of how the brain learns new information and how strong neural pathways are formed. Even the most basic understanding of neuroscience could influence and improve the way teachers perform in the classroom.

The underachievement of the U.S. education system is not the result of one problem. It is a confluence of issues that undercut the cultural importance of education equity and broad-based intellect. To achieve better results, we must put aside partisan politics and petty policy disagreements and try to improve our schools, no matter what. I am overjoyed that my last piece has resonated with my readers, and I hope this installment will also strike a chord. Now, let’s get to work.

Source:

https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2018/01/29/10-more-reasons-why-the-us-education.html

 

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Nigeria: Group warns institutions against post -UTME screening, says court order subsists

Noticias

Africa/Nigeria/12.06.18/Source: guardian.ng

A non-governmental organisation, Legal Defence Assistance Project (LEDAP) has warned managers of the nation’s tertiary institutions against conducting the post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinaion (UTME), warning that there’s a subsisting order of the court against the exercise.

The group, in separate letters to the minister of education, mallam Adamu Adamu, alongside heads of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, and obtained by The Guardian said the court had declared the conduct of post-UTME in the nation’s tertiary institutions as illegal.

The letter signed by LEDAP national coordinator, Chino Obiagwu read in part:

“It has come to our notice that some universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria are currently selling forms for post-UTME examinations and other screening tests for admission into the institutions.Please take notice that there is a subsisting Judgment of the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/979/15 between LEDAP and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the minister of education and the National Universities Commission (NUC), wherein the court held that only JAMB can conduct examinations and give admissions into tertiary institutions by virtue of Section 5 (1) (2) of the agency’s act.

Furthermore, the court declared the post-UTME conducted by the institutions as illegal, and further issued a perpetual injunction restraining them from conducting post-UTME or any other form of examination.

 

Source of the notice: https://guardian.ng/features/group-warns-institutions-against-post-utme-screening-says-court-order-subsists/

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Bac 2018 : conseils d’élèves pour gérer son stress à l’approche de l’examen

Caroline Pain

Europe/Paris/12.06.18/Par Caroline Pain/ Source: www.lemonde.fr

Pour la dernière ligne droite des révisions du baccalauréat, qui débute lundi 18 juin, « Le Monde Campus » a interrogé des candidats sur leurs techniques pour faire baisser la pression.

Alors que les épreuves écrites du bac 2018 débutent lundi 18 juin, avec la philosophie, les révisions s’intensifient, la pression aussi. Faire du sport, méditer, travailler avec des amis, bien planifier ses révisions… Cinq élèves de terminale de différentes filières confient comment ils tentent d’aborder sereinement le baccalauréat.

Participez à notre journée spéciale de révisions du bac :   Bac 2018 : posez vos questions pour réviser et réussir les maths

  • Nabila (terminale L, à Lyon) : « Il m’arrive souvent de me poser et de méditer »

« On a une grosse pression à cette période de l’année, il faut trouver une échappatoire. Je m’éloigne beaucoup en ce moment de mes appareils électroniques, j’essaie d’être plus efficace, si j’ai mon téléphone allumé je serai déconcentrée. Et même pendant le temps de repos, je me coupe de tout ça, pour profiter pleinement du temps libre. Il m’arrive souvent de me poser et de méditer. La méditation me permet de me recentrer sur moi-même. Sur le conseil de proches, j’ai fait quelques recherches en milieu d’année sur la méditation. Au départ, je n’étais pas très convaincue mais en fait, ça m’aide beaucoup, notamment pour la concentration. Je fais ça une à deux fois par jour. »

  • Joris (terminale S, à Paris) : « Il faut se faire confiance »

« Le fait d’avoir travaillé toute l’année, d’avoir déjà révisé pour les contrôles qu’on a fait, ça rend les choses moins stressantes. Ce n’est pas comme si on découvrait les programmes ou les leçons au dernier moment. Ça m’a permis de réviser régulièrement, donc je pense avoir le temps de finir mes révisions avant le bac. Pour être serein et reposé je pense que j’arrêterais les révisions pendant la semaine du bac : avec la fatigue créée par les épreuves, il est difficile de se concentrer. »

  • Léo (terminale S, à Grenoble) : « Avec un planning de révisions, je sais où je vais »

« Mine de rien, le stress augmente à l’approche du bac, mais ça m’aide beaucoup de faire un planning de révisions, comme ça, je sais où je vais. J’ai ordonné les matières en fonction des besoins de travail. La semaine du 11 juin, c’est une semaine blanche, on n’a pas cours. J’ai prévu de me faire une matinée avec quatre heures de maths, comme le jour de l’épreuve, pour bien me préparer. Le planning permet aussi de ne pas sous-estimer certaines matières et de les prendre toutes en compte. Par exemple, l’histoire-géo, qu’on pourrait juger moins importante, demande beaucoup de travail. En plus, c’est une des premières épreuves, donc si on la rate, ça ne nous met pas dans un bon état d’esprit. »

  • Siam (terminale L, dans l’Essonne) : « C’est plus motivant de travailler avec quelqu’un »

« Je révise à la bibliothèque tous les jours. Avec ma meilleure amie, qui est en ES, on se met d’accord sur les chapitres d’histoire à réviser, j’apprends le plan pour avoir les idées qui reviennent, ensemble on s’interroge. Souvent je lui explique les cours parce qu’elle a du mal dans cette matière, c’est vraiment plus motivant de travailler avec quelqu’un ! En dehors de ça, je fais pas mal de fiches de révisions. En philosophie par exemple, j’ai résumé toutes nos dissertations, et après je fais des fiches de fiches avec les principaux philosophes et leurs grandes idées.

Autre conseil : bien dormir ! Même si on a un rythme un peu décalé, je sais qu’en ce qui me concerne je travaille mieux le soir ou la nuit. Mais si je me couche à 22 heures par exemple, je ne me lève pas avant 10 heures du matin. Il faut être en forme, reposé. Et j’essaie aussi de bien manger, notamment des aliments qui aident à avoir une bonne mémoire. »

  • Camille (terminale S, dans les Vosges) : « Il faut parler de son stress »

« Je suis stressée de nature, c’est le cas depuis toute petite. Cette année, j’avais parfois du mal à dormir à cause de ça, je n’arrive pas à gérer l’angoisse donc je vais voir une psychologue depuis le mois de janvier. J’y vais une fois par mois, si besoin je peux l’appeler, elle m’a appris des exercices de respiration. Cela m’aide, parce que je sens que je ne suis pas seule, que quelqu’un m’écoute, me comprend. Il faut parler de son stress. Autrement, ça peut vraiment bloquer, ça m’a parfois empêché de réviser. Mais maintenant je relativise un peu aussi, le bac n’est pas une fatalité. On a travaillé toute l’année donc il n’y a pas de raison ! Et puis j’essaie de me vider la tête, je fais du sport par exemple. Je suis aussi sapeur-pompier volontaire, donc je prends des astreintes de temps en temps, ça me sort de mes bouquins. »

Lire aussi :   Bac 2018 : guide de relaxation et de méditation à l’usage des candidats

Source de l’article: https://www.lemonde.fr/campus/article/2018/06/10/bac-2018-conseils-d-eleves-pour-gerer-son-stress-a-l-approche-de-l-examen_5312449_4401467.html

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The Foundation of Africa’s Future. High quality education is key to overcoming Africa’s economic challenges.

Zandre Campos

Africa/Angola/12.06.18/By Zandre Campos/ Source: www.usnews.com.

 

THE CONVERSATION ABOUT Africa has been shifting from one about shortfalls to one about opportunities. Africa is a known leader in commodity exporting, but the economic potential far succeeds that.

Africa has an enormous coastline and is more proximate to both European and North American markets than Asia. Currently, Africa leads the world in mobile adoption, which continues to offer the biggest cross-sectoral economic opportunities. In addition, Africa has recently been cited as being a potential leader in technology, sustainability and agriculture.

There has been much progress over the years to make Africa the great place it is, but with the overall goal of making the region a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy, Africa needs to find a way to deliver effective, efficient and high-quality higher education systems in the region.

The general picture for education in Africa is one of ongoing progress and constant challenges. While no African country has achieved universal primary education, the number of children enrolled in primary school more than doubled between 1990 and 2012, according to «The State of Education in Africa Report 2015,» published by the Africa-America Institute. Yet in 2012, the average pupil-to-teacher ratio in primary school was 42 to 1, unchanged since 1999. In terms of higher education, enrollment more than doubled between 2000 and 2010 – with 50 percent more students per professor at African universities compared to the global average.

African education needs more of everything – more schools, more trained teachers, more investment. Certainly greater participation by the private sector and strengthening public/private partnerships would assist governments and bolster public sector funds to finance Africa’s public education system.

An article in the Harvard Business Review also calls for supporting Africa’s universities internationally. The article notes that many African universities are «decoupled» from their societies and markets, with no investment in research that drives innovative solutions. For example, an engineering school can exist for decades in a community without drinking water and make no effort to find a solution. Linking universities to companies in global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley could help improve education and lead to new advancements in technology that would spur African economic growth, according to the piece.

A prime example of innovation is the education system in Finland. Since it implemented significant education reforms 40 years ago, Finland has consistently ranked at the top among developed nations, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment, an international standardized test for 15-year-olds in language, math and science. Finland has opted not to follow the evaluation-driven, centralized model that much of the Western world uses. There are no mandatory tests, homework is minimal, school days are shorter and courses are fewer. Instead of control, competition, stress and standardized testing, children are treated with warmth, collaboration and highly professionalized, teacher-led encouragement and assessment. They attend school fewer hours, but benefit from highly personalized attention and needed time for play.

Africa needs to find solutions that are directly connected to the needs of individual countries and to the continent as a whole. What has been tried in the past, particularly traditions begun under colonial regimes, won’t work in the future. The education system should emphasize the STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering and math) and be geared to finding solutions to Africa’s challenges.

For example, let’s look at the numbers of foreign companies and engineers that are building Africa. Compare those numbers with African scientists and Ph.D.s. The education system should be structured to meet those shortfalls and groom the talent Africa needs to address the challenges in multiple sectors, such as energy, water and infrastructure.

Africa is the youngest continent, with 200 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24, the Africa-America Institute reports. By 2040, Africa will have the world’s youngest labor force. Young people in Africa need jobs and a positive outlook for their lives ahead. They need to realize their vision and to lead Africa forward. A quality education is the foundation and the essence of their future.

Source of the article: https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-08-16/education-is-key-to-africas-economy

 

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Philippines: Anti-illegal drugs education program in QC schools pushed

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Asia/Philippines/12.06.18/By Perfecto Raymundo/Source: www.pna.gov.ph.

MANILA — The Quezon City Council has passed a resolution urging the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council (QCADAAC) and the Quezon City Council Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs to conduct an anti-illegal drugs education program for parents and teachers associations (PTAs) in all public elementary and high schools in the city.

City Council Resolution 7449-2018 authored by Councilor Allan Butch Francisco states that “instructions on drug abuse prevention and control shall be integrated in the elementary, secondary and tertiary curricula of all public and private schools.”

“Student councils and campus organizations in elementary, secondary, and tertiary schools shall include a program for the prevention of drug abuse among students in their activities,” the resolution said.

“Schools have a significant role to play in addressing illegal drug use and abuse among Filipino children and youth through drug education and other prevention programs,” it added.

The Dangerous Drugs Board has identified preventive education programs as a key component of its drug demand reduction-strategy.

The study conducted by the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) said “the most effective preventive measure against drug abuse among youth are after-school programs and the adoption of a drug education framework.”

DPA is a non-stock, nonprofit organization which promotes drug awareness and prevention.

The QCADAAC and the City Council Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs have been conducting “Masa Masid,” a drug education program in the barangays (villages) of Quezon City. (PNA)

Source of the article: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1037904

 

 

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Africa’s education crisis must be a top development agenda priority

Reseñas

África/11.0602018/ By: Graça Machel / From: mg.co.za.

Africa is in the midst of an education crisis. Despite pledges to improve access to education for all children by 2030, many African governments are failing to fund this ambitious component of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is still time to address the financing shortfall, but only if new investment strategies are embraced with vigor.

Today, roughly half of the world’s young people, including some 400-million girls are not being educated to succeed in the workplace of the future. This challenge is most acute in Africa; although 75% of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa start school, only 8% complete secondary education. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where women still do not enroll in or graduate from tertiary education at the same rates as men.

These problems are well known, if not always addressed. Less understood is the contradictory impact that Africa’s future growth will have on the availability of education funding.

By 2030, nearly 30 countries in Africa are expected to have reached lower middle-income status, defined by the World Bank as a per capita gross national income (GNI) between $1 026 and $4 035. As countries approach this level of development, new investments will be needed to pay for health and education upgrades, and mobilizing domestic tax revenue will become a critical component of budgeting strategies.

At the moment, however, estimated tax revenues in most countries will be insufficient to cover the costs associated with improving educational outcomes. As a result, an education-funding crisis threatens to dash hopes of sustained rapid growth and lasting prosperity.

Traditional forms of international aid will continue to play a role in the development of Africa’s education sector. And yet, owing to the projected increases in GNI, most lower-middle-income countries will no longer qualify for the grants and low- or zero-interest loans that are currently available. As a result, millions of young Africans will suffer the effects of a paradox in international development: countries will be too prosperous to qualify for the best funding options, but too poor to meet the educational needs of their citizens on their own.

Fortunately, the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, where I serve as a commissioner, has helped to develop a solution. Called the International Finance Facility for Education, this innovative approach aims to help lower-middle-income countries invest in education — especially programs for women and girls — in more sustainable ways.

By leveraging $2-billion in donor guarantees, we aim to deliver about $10-billion in grant and concessional education funding to countries that need it most. But there is a catch: governments seeking to access these funds must first demonstrate an interest in and capacity for long-term educational reform.

This approach is designed to improve grants’ effectiveness and give countries the ability to strengthen their economic resilience with a better-educated workforce. Research shows that in lower-middle-income countries, every $1 spent on education increases the earning power of graduates by $4. In other words, our long-term goal is broader than building schools or teaching math; it is to create conditions for lasting social and economic change.

Similar funding strategies have already proved to be successful in the health-care sector. For example, the International Finance Facility for Immunisation was created to provide financing for GAVI, the vaccine alliance. Eventually, billions of dollars in new funding was mobilized to help vaccinate more than 640-million children and save over nine million lives. The economic returns were also dramatic; one study that surveyed outcomes in 73 countries found that every $1 spent on immunisations translated into $18 in healthcare-related savings. The education finance facility has the potential to produce a similar impact.

Millions of young people around the world, and particularly young girls in Africa, are failing to excel because they continue to be denied access to quality education. With just 12 years to go before the expiration of the SDGs, Africa’s education crisis must be moved to the top of the development agenda. Government leaders routinely claim that children are our future. If they truly believe it, programs like the International Finance Facility for Education must be given the priority they deserve.

From: https://mg.co.za/article/2018-06-04-how-to-pay-for-africas-education-gai

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