Fighting for Equity in Education
//The ultimate in the logic of applying market principles to education is revealed in an English state school which colour codes its students by ability. It portends the future under a market driven education system. Continue reading “The Logic of the Education Market Revealed in English State School”
//A new review of research studies on voucher programs over the past decade in the United States has found no clear positive impact on student academic achievement. Students using government funded vouchers to attend private schools did not generally attain higher test scores than public school students.
The report also found that much of the recent voucher research has been carried out or sponsored by pro-voucher organizations. It recommends greater scrutiny to ensure future studies are not biased. Continue reading “School Vouchers Are Another Failed Market Reform”
//For the last 20 years, education policy makers in the United States, England and Australia have promoted choice and competition between schools as the way to improve school quality and student outcomes. It is argued that greater choice will bring the virtues of the free market to education.
Each country has promoted an eclectic mix of inter-district and intra-district choice programs that enable families to select among traditional public schools. Thousands of publicly funded, privately operated charter schools have opened in the US while private school voucher programs operate in several cities and states. England has embarked upon its own version of charter schools which are called ‘academies’ and ‘free schools’. Australia has provided extensive funding for families to attend private schools through a quasi-voucher program.
Yet, all this choice has had little effect on student achievement. A new review of research studies on choice and competition in education has found that these programs “have not proven to be unambiguously effective” and that their effect on student achievement is “underwhelming”. Continue reading “The Impact of Choice and Competition on Student Results is “Underwhelming””
//The evidence continues to roll in against the much vaunted Milwaukee school voucher program. The latest results from the Wisconsin state tests show that students in Milwaukee’s school choice program performed worse than or about the same as students in Milwaukee public schools in reading and maths. Continue reading “Another Nail in the School Voucher Coffin”
//Last week the Detroit News (24 March 2011) published an analysis of U.S. census and state data showing that school choice leads to greater social segregation between schools. It reveals that many Michigan communities experiencing large increases in African-American population also saw a striking increase in white students leaving their home towns to attend other schools.
The News analysis said that this shift is largely attributed to the schools of choice program operating in Michigan schools. White families are seeking other education options when black families move to previously white dominated suburbs and towns. Continue reading “School Choice Means Increased Social Segregation”
//The following is a summary of a review of the documentary Waiting for Superman published last year in the Answer Sheet blog of the Washington Post. Waiting for Superman is due for public release in Australia next week.
While the education film Waiting for Superman has moving profiles of students struggling to succeed under difficult circumstances, it puts forward a sometimes misleading and other times dishonest account of the roots of the problem and possible solutions. Continue reading “What ‘Superman’ Got Wrong”
//With the imminent release in Australia of the US education documentary “Waiting for Superman” which spruiks the role of charter schools in improving education outcomes, a study on charter schools published last month provides some sound research to assess the film.
Continue reading “Charter Schools Segregate Students by Race and Class”
//School autonomy is yet another of Julia Gillard’s education initiatives to be found wanting for a sound research base. A recent review of research studies has found there is no compelling evidence to support giving autonomy for principals in hiring and firing teachers and for financial management of schools. Continue reading “No Compelling Research Evidence For School Autonomy”
//The following is a review of research studies published in 2010 on market-based education reforms in the United States. It shows that performance pay for teachers, charter schools and value-added measures of school and teacher performance are not succeeding in raising student achievement. It is a slightly edited version of an article originally published by the Albert Shanker Institute and then in The Washington Post . Continue reading “The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform”
//The Gillard Government’s claim that giving schools greater responsibility for budgets and hiring teachers will improve student achievement is repudiated by the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). An OECD report analysing cross-country results from PISA 2009 shows that schools which have control over budgets and the hiring and firing of teachers do not achieve better results.
However, the report does show that education systems in which schools which have greater control over curriculum and student assessment do achieve better results. This finding raises a question as to whether the introduction of the national curriculum in Australia could preclude possible gains from greater school autonomy in curriculum and assessment. Continue reading “OECD Study Shows that School Autonomy is no Silver Bullet”