The commercial transformation of public education

This essay reviews the history of school commercialization in the USA and the forms that it has taken over time, with particular attention paid to research measuring the scope and variety of commercialization trends in US public schools. The implications of commercialization activities such as those that promote the consumption of nutritionally deficient foods and beverages are explored. The argument is made that the values inherent in the consumerist ideology used to support school privatization conflict with the democratic values on which public education has been historically based. Edison Schools is discussed as a model of the for‐profit management of public schools and emerging forms of school commercialization are considered. Finally, the role of free trade agreements in promoting school commercialism and privatization is described.     

学校商业主义——对美国教育商业主义研究所10年(1998-2007)研究报告评析

学校不是绝缘体,也不是独立于社会之外的组织。在商业主义气氛浓厚、消费文化盛行的美国,学校已成为众多商家争相染指的地方,学校商业主义从而成为一股浪潮。美国亚利桑那州立大学教育商业主义研究所10年来（1998—2007）就学校商业主义发布了研究报告,对学校商业主义这一现象进行了分析研究。     

Comprehensive private schooling for low-income children: Experimental case-study evidence from Mexico

We use first-grade lottery-based admissions to estimate impacts and cost-effectiveness of a subsidized comprehensive private school for low-income children in Mexico City, part of a philanthropic organization supporting and operating similar schools worldwide. Relative to students who did not win the lottery, CHM lottery winners gain additional 0.18 SD in literacy and 0.09 SD in numeracy over the first three years of elementary school. Parents of lottery winners are more likely to report children’s school is academically demanding, rate the school higher and have greater expectations of children’s college completion. Achievement gains come at an increased cost relative to counterfactual public schools of $1000/pupil-year, which suggests low cost-effectiveness. Higher cost is explained by greater array of services and few economies of scale. Despite the high per student cost, this robust case study suggests philanthropic private schools have great potential to improve achievement amongst the region’s most vulnerable students and reduce longstanding learning and opportunity gaps.     

浅析浙江省初三学生对中考体育的认识及对策

中考体育加试在浙江省实施10多年来,对推动和加强浙江省学校体育工作发挥了积极的作用,有效地促进了初中学生积极参加体育锻炼,但也出现了新的体育“应试教育”,学生到了三年级才上体育和参加课外体育活动,学校体育一切都围绕着几个中考项目打转,学生仅仅围绕考试的项目转,却未学会其他的体育项目,更谈不上对终身体育的养成,因此也受到了来自学生家长、学生和全社会的压力。在对浙江省各重点初中的初三学生及相关的教师调查的基础上,就中考体育加试存在的问题及对策进行探讨。     

Charter Schools and Urban Education Improvement: A Comparison of Newark’s District and Charter Schools

This article compares student achievement of fourth graders in charter schools and district public schools in Newark, New Jersey. We find that Newark and New Jersey’s charter schools mirror the educational inequalities of the state as a whole, as well as its Abbott Districts. The data indicate that charter schools are similar to district urban public schools, with pockets of excellence and mediocrity. We measure school performance based on two criteria: actual test score performance, and the difference between actual and predicted performance. We find that some charter schools are able to achieve performance above predicted, given their school and student characteristics, while other schools do worse than predicted. Thus charter schools are not simply a magic bullet, but rather they warrant further investigation to see which practices work and which don’t, especially in a challenging urban setting such as Newark.Jason M. Barr is an Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, NJ, USA. Louisa Visconti is a Research Associate, Department of Urban Education, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey, USA. Address correspondence to Alan R. Sadovnik who is a Professor of Education, Sociology and Public Affairs and Associate Director, Institute on Education Law and Policy, Department of Urban Education, Rutgers University-Newark, 165 Bradley Hall, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; e-mail: sadovnik@andromeda.rutgers.edu     

Civic professionalism: teacher education and professional ideals and values in a commercialised education world1

The last three decades have seen an intensification of commercialisation throughout the public sector in general and state schools in particular. Policies designed to introduce business ideologies, structures and practices have operated in tandem with a push to include the corporate world in the running, governance and provision of educational services. Together these policy instruments are eroding the influence and power of education professionals and precipitating a transformative shift in the nature of public education. A specific threat which these policies may encourage is the use of corporate propaganda techniques targeted at schools which may harm children, undermine the proper purposes of education, subvert the moral and social fabric of school life and damage the foundations of civil society. This paper argues that educators must recognise the dangers of commercialised schools and organise to protect civic education, speak up for its values and preserve the distinctiveness of educational practice operating within non‐commercialised public spaces. Such a strategy also offers the opportunity to redefine the central role of educators as servants of the twin professional ideals of children's civic welfare and democratic citizenship.     

Improvements in school climate associated with enhanced health and welfare services for students

School improvement initiatives are needed to better meet the needs of underprivileged students, to reduce underachievement and to break a continuing cycle of disadvantage. This article describes part of a school improvement initiative in New Zealand that provided additional funding for school nurse and social worker services in nine secondary schools with the most disadvantaged students in New Zealand. It describes the nature and delivery of services provided by the social workers in these schools. In addition, the article reports changes over time in staff and student views about school climate including a comparison with non-participating schools of similar socioeconomic status. The findings indicated that school climate is a useful intermediate measure of the effectiveness of school improvement initiatives. There were significant improvements in staff views about school climate over time, with staff views about school climate becoming more favourable on scales measuring Improvements in the Last 12 Months and Support for Ethnic Diversity compared to eight non-participating schools. Student views were more favourable on scales measuring Satisfaction with School, Support for Achievement and Support for Ethnic Diversity, compared to the non-participating schools.     

Academic differentiation,school achievement and school violence in the USA and South Korea

Whilst school violence is a major public concern and a focus of educational reforms both in the USA and South Korea, few studies have comparatively examined the rates of school violence and school factors associated with them. Analysing nationally‐representative data from eighth graders, their mathematics teachers and principals in 150 South Korean schools and in 216 US schools, the authors found that: 1) the rates of school violence are higher in the US than South Korea, 2) student‐reported violence rates are not associated with school‐reported violence rates in both nations and 3) South Korean schools with academic tracking and low‐achieving US schools are more likely to have higher rates of school violence. Policy and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

从近年中考实践看初中政治课的改革

近年来的课程改革和中考实践，对初中政治课教学提出了新的要求，促使教师必须更新教育观念，创新教学方法。     

The impact of standards‐based reform on teachers: the case of ‘No Child Left Behind’

Standards‐based reform is a trend affecting the educational systems of nations around the world, driven by desires to create educational systems suited to increasing economic productivity. In the USA, The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 includes goals of reducing achievement gaps and getting ‘highly qualified’ teachers in all classrooms. Critics warned the legislation could exacerbate achievement gaps and actually drive quality teachers out of the field. To assess these arguments, we surveyed all K‐8 teachers in one school district, using both standardized items and an open‐ended question. Survey responses indicate that instructional time and professional development opportunities in non‐tested areas are being reduced and that future teacher retention and recruitment may be problematic for this district. Open‐ended responses reveal numerous sources of dissatisfaction and stress for teachers, allowing us to make connections between NCLB's outcomes and teacher dissatisfaction. Importantly, these effects and relationships are not limited to high‐minority or low‐income schools, but exist in all schools in this district. Such findings suggest unintended consequences for the legislation as well as failure to achieve its stated goals.     

The oil industry in our schools: from Petro Pete to science capital in the age of climate crisis

Abstract

Fossil fuel corporations play a significant role in promoting their interests in schools and other educational institutions, a practice that has recently been labelled as ‘petro-pedagogy.’ But this role goes beyond the production of the pro-petroleum and anti-science corporate propaganda that tends to attract the most critical attention. In this article, I present a case study of the involvement of BP, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel corporations, in primary and secondary education in the United Kingdom. As practiced by BP, petro-pedagogy constitutes a core part of a corporate education reform network that, for the past decade, has focused on promoting a neoliberal model of STEM education in schools around the world. This model, based on corporate and capitalist interests, poses a significant threat to our collective efforts to tackle the global climate crisis.     

Managing change in an integrated school--a Hong Kong hybrid experience

Following the world trend of inclusion in education, many schools in Hong Kong have started including students with special needs in the regular classrooms. Given the unique educational context of Hong Kong as 'East meets West', and given that inclusion is essentially a concept from the West, this paper argues that Hong Kong's integration has its unique hybrid features. This paper reports the experience of one primary school in the process of change in areas of stages of integration, leadership and whole school approach, during a two-year implementation period. Change processes at the school, classroom and individual levels are discussed. A case study methodology is used so that unique characteristics of the school in its naturalistic settings can be captured. Data were obtained from observation, documentary analysis, individual and group interviews of different school stakeholders: the principals, parents, teachers, resource teachers, and guidance personnel. Implications of findings to schools in Hong Kong and other countries facing similar issue in parallel and mixed cultural settings are discussed.     

How teaching world religions brought a truce to the culture wars in Modesto,California

Despite a growing consensus among scholars and activists about the importance of religion, proposals for teaching about it have often been a source of division rather than unity in American public school districts. Faced with familiar cultural conflicts, Modesto, California, chose to become the first public school district in the USA to require all high school students to take an extended and independent course in world religions. The results of the first, large‐scale empirical research on the effects of teaching about religion in USA public schools provides evidence that Modesto’s bold approach was worth the risk. Surveys and interviews administered to students show statistically significant increases in students’ knowledge about other religions, and levels of passive tolerance – willingness to refrain from discrimination – and active tolerance – willingness to act to counter discrimination. The course has not been the subject of lawsuits or complaints by parents and has gained acceptance among all of Modesto’s religious groups.     

生物教学中弘扬优秀传统文化实践探究——二十四节气文化在教学实践活动中的启示

"二十四节气"作为联合国人类非物质文化遗产,凝结了中国几千年来劳动人民的智慧,是中华优秀传统文化。在弘扬中华优秀传统文化的教育实践中,学校可将生物学科教学与二十四节气文化相结合,引导学生了解优秀传统文化知识。重庆市云阳县第三初级中学紧扣立德树人根本任务,将二十四节气融入教学实践活动,丰富了学校爱国主义教育内容和学校教育的内涵,彰显了学校办学特色;学生在感知、领悟、践行二十四节气文化的过程中拓宽了知识面,提升了观察、思考、实践运用的能力,增强了文化自信。     

教育问责制：美国的经验及启示

教育问责制(accountabilityineducation)在美国发轫于20世纪70年代,是针对当时中小学校培养的学生不能满足家长和社会的要求而产生的。当时,教育问责运动无疑是一场“及时雨,”它让社会各方共同关注学校教育,从而让学校以更低的成本培养出更合格的学生,为美国社会的繁荣做出了不可磨灭的贡献。文章在介绍、分析美国教育问责制的基础上,为我国的中小学教育管理提供一些借鉴。     

中学生学业成就目标差异分析及教育建议

测量618名中学生学业成就目标,采用多元方差分析的方法进行性别、年级、城乡及学业成就等方面的差异分析。结果表明,中学生成就目标模式总体积极,具体为高掌握-高成绩趋近-低成绩回避;女生在掌握趋近、成绩趋近、掌握回避等目标上得分高于男生;城乡与年级存在交互作用,乡镇初中生成绩回避倾向高;学习者总成绩与成就目标不存在差异,语、数、外三科成绩与成就目标关系的模式存在差异。在差异分析的基础上提出相关建议,帮助学生形成积极成就目标模式。     

‘If there's a dead rat,don't leave it’. Young children's understanding of their citizenship rights and responsibilities

Concerns about pupil disengagement from school and society have led to compulsory citizenship education in state schools in England. However, there is little evidence that the new citizenship education is meeting its goals. The research described here assesses a new approach to citizenship education that appears to overcome some of the identified obstacles in current practices. Hampshire's ‘Rights, respect and responsibility’ initiative is a rights‐based whole school reform of school policies and practices. Under this initiative the contemporaneous citizenship status of pupils is respected, pupils are taught about their rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and democratic participation is made meaningful in classroom and school functioning. Of particular interest is that the initiative starts in infant schools. This research indicates that young children can understand their rights and responsibilities in ways that are meaningful to their everyday behaviour and that rights‐based whole school reform has the capacity to improve pupil learning and citizenship behaviours.     

Every school a school of choice: school choice in Ireland as viewed through American eyes

‘Choice’ and ‘freedom’ as measured by the ability of parents to select their children's schools are deeply embedded in the national ethos of the United States of America. Wealthy American parents have always exercised school choice but minority and lowincome students are often trapped in failing schools. This paper is based on research conducted in a purposive sample of Irish primary schools into the nature of school choice. The authors examine five aspects of the Irish national primary school system that could provide models for American educators, whose vision often stops at the boundaries of the United States: education law, school choice for all, a national curriculum framework, the role of assessment, and the role of parents and educators in the creation of new schools. While arguably the five relate directly to school choice of different degrees, they collectively weave a web whereby school systems in the Republic of Ireland and the USA may productively be compared to the benefit of both.     

Disability,curriculum and integration in China

ABSTRACT

Current data indicate that there are six million young people of school age with disabilities in China. Of these, only about 50 per cent attend any form of schooling, with approximately 220,000 of them enrolled in special schools and classes. The remainder attend regular classrooms. This means that there are about three million students with disabilities who at present lack any access to education. In May 1996 it was declared that in order to improve this situation, over the next five years, China plans to provide school places for 80 per cent of its disabled youngsters. In order to achieve this goal, the Chinese central education authorities have announced a significant change in policy direction towards integration. Instead of their previous commitment to the establishment of increasing numbers of special schools, it is now planned that the current number of about 1,400 special schools will be increased to 2,000, so that all regions of the country have access to at least one. At that point, no more special schools will be built. The extra places needed to increase the school attendance rate of youngsters with disabilities will be created in regular classes in regular schools. This paper gives an overview of the curriculum arrangements in China's four types of special schools, including their historical development, subjects taught, teaching arrangements and management. A number of difficulties confronting China's special education policy‐makers are canvassed and reasons suggested for their increasing commitment to a strategy of integration. It is proposed that China enjoys three advantages in the pursuit of an integrated school system.     

Benefits of the Michiana Daily Mathtracks Programme for students living in poverty

This paper summarizes results from a math intervention implemented in a high-poverty urban community. Over 7,300 students from kindergarten to 4th grade in 1 low-socioeconomic-status school district participated in the study. Students from 13 different schools (36 different classroom) participated in the treatment. Comparisons were made to purposely selected control-group schools and all other students in the district. The aim of the intervention was to help early elementary-age students living in poverty learn essential math facts and master basic computational skills as a foundation for improving their math ability. The study used a pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design with control and treatment groups. Achievement for both groups was compared to that of the school district as a whole, with analysis disaggregated by poverty status. The results found positive gains in the treatment group's math achievement at every grade level, transcending differences in socioeconomic status.