Child labour and educational success in Portugal

The current debate on child labour focuses on developing countries. However, Portugal is an example of a relatively developed country where child labour is still a matter of concern as between 8% and 12% of Portuguese children may be classified as workers. This paper studies the patterns of child labour in Portugal and assesses the consequences of working on the educational success of Portuguese children. The analysis controls for typically unobserved attributes such as a child's interest in school and educational ambitions and uses geographical variation in policies designed to tackle child labour and in labour inspection regimes to instrument child labour. We find that economic work hinders educational success, while domestic work does not appear to be harmful. Furthermore, after controlling for a host of socio-economic variables, factors such as a child's interest in school and educational ambitions have a large effect on boosting educational success and reducing economic work.     

The educational expectations of Italian children: the role of social interactions with the children of immigrants

This paper aims to investigate to what extent the growing presence of children with immigrant background in the Italian school system has an impact on the educational expectations of Italian students in eighth grade. Educational expectations are individuals’ plans for their future educational career, adjusted to the subjectively estimated probabilities of achieving a given outcome. Multilevel analyses are performed using data from ITAGEN2 (Italian Second Generation) survey, the first nationwide survey on natives, first- and second-generation immigrants. Results demonstrate that attending a school with a high proportion of children of immigrants has no impact on realistic expectations about secondary education. In addition, students attending schools with high level of interethnic integration are more prone to having high educational expectations.     

School educational project as a criterion of school choice: discourses and practices in the city of Barcelona

In its advancement towards an education quasi-market, Catalonia has recently been driving the development of school educational projects in all schools (both public and private) as a tool to facilitate school autonomy and family choices. A school educational project is a formal document in which schools identify their pedagogical goals, missions and orientations, their academic resources and organisational structures. Through the analysis of 60 in-depth interviews with parents of children at the age of commencing universal pre-primary education (three years old) and data collected from surveys completed by a representative sample made up of 3245 families, this article explores the impact of this policy on discourses and practices of school choice amongst families in the city of Barcelona. On the one hand, we observe that interest in educational projects has penetrated the discourses of the most educated parents, even though, at the same time, we detect a generalised lack of knowledge of the content of such projects. On the other hand, we note that the social composition of schools is still a prominent factor in choice practices. Such findings question the ideal of the autonomous and rational citizen-consumer that underlies the policy of establishing educational projects.     

Parent preferences and parent choices: the public–private decision about school choice

School choice survey data from the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, a large county‐wide school district, is analysed to examine the characteristics of parents who consider choosing private schools for their children and those who do not. We examine differences in background, including race, educational attainment and socioeconomic status, as well as differences in parent satisfaction with their child’s previous school, parent involvement in school, parents’ priorities in school choice, as well as parents’ social networks. After controlling for background characteristics, we find that parent satisfaction with their child’s previous school was not a predictor of considering a private school. Rather, parent involvement seems to be a more important indicator of whether or not a parent would consider sending their child to a private school. In this case, parents are not ‘pushed’ away from public schools, contrary to much public rhetoric that suggests private schools are somehow inherently ‘better’ than public schools and parents who are dissatisfied with their public schools will opt for private schools. Instead, these findings suggest a ‘pull’ towards private schools. Parents may perceive that parent involvement and parent communication are more easily facilitated and valued in private schools.     

英国基础教育薄弱学校改革的市场化特征

在英国工党奉行“第三条道路”教．育政策的背景下，英国基础教育薄弱学校改革的市场化特征鲜明：推行教育行动区计划，支持组建特色学校；实行“公立与私营”合作战略，积极兴建“合同学校”；推行初中学校联盟战略，共享优质教育资源；引入市场招标机制，学校教育督学中介化。这对在构建社会主义市场经济体制下基础教育体制的视野中，引进市场化调控机制来推动我国薄弱学校改革不无深刻启示。     

增加公共教育经费有助于改善教育的代际流动性吗?

近年来,越来越少的农村学生能够进入我国的顶尖高校,农村孩子的教育问题引起了社会的广泛关注。随着我国不断加大在农村地区教育经费的投入,家庭背景是否仍是制约农村学生教育抉择的关键因素是目前迫切需要回答的问题。我们通过中国住户收入分配数据库,分析了从1988年到2007年间家庭背景对子女上高中的影响趋势。结果发现在控制了一系列相关变量后,家庭背景对农村子女上高中的影响程度呈现倒U型变化,在最近几年开始呈现下降趋势,但父母受教育程度的影响一直很稳定,没有显著变化。此外,将孩子分成不同年龄组的回归结果,得到了相似的结论。本文构建了一个两阶段的教育选择模型,从教育经费的视角对此现象进行了剖析。发现当公共教育经费增加时,父母收入对孩子受教育程度的影响会减弱,而父母受教育程度的影响与公共教育经费无关。上述结论意味着,公共教育经费的增加,可以在一定程度上减弱家庭背景的影响,增加社会阶层的流动性,但当公共教育经费增加到较高水平时,对家庭背景的影响可能会非常微弱。这些结论具有很强的政策含义。我国政府在21世纪初对义务教育投入了大量的经费,经验分析的结果表明,家庭收入对孩子接受高中教育的影响在2007年左右已经不显著。分不同年龄组的回归结果显示,家庭收入对1986年以后出生的孩子的影响在显著下降,说明我国公共教育经费的投入取得了显著的成效。同时,这也隐含地表明今后的教育投入应该有所侧重,对贫困地区、中西部落后地区增加义务教育阶段的公共教育经费,可能会提高孩子的受教育程度;但对于发达地区,增加义务教育阶段的公共教育经费的效果可能会不明显。     

家庭教育与学校教育互动的文化机理初探——基于对北京市农民工随迁子女教育活动的田野观察

借助教育人类学视角,结合田野观察和问卷调查方法,针对北京市农民工随迁子女家庭教育与学校教育互动进行调研发现,在农民工随迁子女家校互动中,存在干预性教育行为、非干预性教育行为和情境性教育三种主要实践模式,在每种模式互动中,都彰显着人们对教育目标的理解、社会资本的局限、自我经历的复制等社会文化因素对教育实践的影响。物质资本和社会资本相对匮乏的农民工随迁子女的家庭教育,需要和其学校教育一起,共同受到社会和政府进一步关注。     

叶圣陶早期小说儿童形象教育境况述评

叶圣陶笔下的儿童成长于特定时期拥有特定背景的学校环境之中,他们身上印刻着旧传统教育的痕迹。通过对叶圣陶早期小说儿童形象所遭遇的不同教育境况的研究,在分析作品中儿童人物形象基础上,试图探析作家对教育的态度以及拥有的学校观。     

国外学校效能评价指标研究的新进展

国外学校效能评价指标研究可以从经济学视角指标因素研究、组织管理学指标因素研究、社会学意义指标研究及人类学视角指标因素研究解读,研究特点可以用层次性、多样性、动态性、实证性、矛盾性来概括。学校效能评价研究面临评价指标过于繁杂、学生水平效能研究关注较少、评价学校效能的标准缺乏全面性等挑战,因此,未来学校效能评价研究将关注更精确学校效能评价指标体系、学生效能、更为广泛与全面的学生指标研究。     

Family Structure and Parental Involvement in the Intergenerational Parallelism of School Adversity

Abstract

A theoretically informed model in which the effects of negative junior high school experiences of mothers on the junior high school experiences of their children were examined. The model was estimated with the LISREL VIII program using panel data from 1,144 mother–adolescent child pairs. Mothers were first tested in 1971 when they were 7th graders, and both mothers and their children were subsequently interviewed in the 1990s. Results reveal the existence of a significant relationship between mothers' negative junior high school experiences and those of their children, which is partially mediated by family structure, mothers' educational attainment, and level of mothers' involvement in their children's school activities and interest in their progress at school.     

Simply academic? Why children with special educational needs don’t like school

International studies have raised concerns about the academic and social implications of inclusive policies on school engagement and successful learning and, in particular, on the ways in which friendships are formed between students with SEN and other students. This article stems from research findings which show that Irish children with special educational needs like school less than their peers without SEN in mainstream settings. Using data from a large scale longitudinal study of 8578 9-year-olds, this paper uses a child centred research approach to investigate why this is the case particularly when they are in receipt of supports. To do this, we focus on processes underlying their dislike of school such as their academic engagement and social/peer relations. We measure academic engagement by looking at their interest in the subjects mathematics and reading and the extent to which they complete their homework. We examine the social/peer relations of students with special educational needs by assessing the extent to which they report liking their teacher. Using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Scale and the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale we also examine the nature of peer relations among children with special educational needs in mainstream settings. Both academic engagement and social engagement play a central role in understanding the broader school engagement of children with special educational needs. By simultaneously examining the role of academic and social relations in shaping the engagement of children with SEN, the analysis provides a unique opportunity to fundamentally assess the barriers to true inclusion for children with special needs.     

School matters: how context influences the identification of different types of special educational needs

Despite dramatic changes in Irish special education policy during the last decade, there is little understanding of the factors influencing how special educational needs (SEN) are identified and whether identification varies across different school contexts. International research has tended to focus on how individual child characteristics influence SEN identification. Less attention has been given to other factors such as teacher characteristics or school social mix. Using data from the nine-year-old cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland study, this article examines which children are most likely to be identified with different SEN types taking into account student social background characteristics, teacher characteristics and school social mix. Findings show that children attending highly disadvantaged school contexts are far more likely to be identified with behavioural problems and less likely to be identified with learning disabilities than children with similar characteristics attending other schools. It seems that ‘behavioural’ issues take precedence over learning difficulties in these schools pointing to a culture of care/containment rather than academic progress.     

高职生社会资本对择业意向的影响研究——以北京市为调查样本

以北京市为调查样本,基于社会资本理论提出的假设,通过构建多元线性回归模型和多元逻辑回归模型进行定量研究发现,父亲的学历、职业和母亲的职业对高职生的就业薪水预期具有显著影响;父亲的受教育程度对子女就业单位的选择意向具有负向作用,母亲的受教育程度对子女就业单位的选择意向呈正向作用;父母学历及家庭收入越高,高职生越倾向于到东部沿海城市就业.     

School Mobility and Achievement for Children Placed and Not Placed in Out-of-home Care

ABSTRACT

The aim was to investigate the effects of school mobility on achievement in compulsory school in Sweden for children in out-of-home care (OHC) and not in OHC (NOHC). Register data on background variables from four birth cohorts in the cohort-sequential longitudinal project ETF was relied upon, along with student performance on a test of cognitive ability, and school grades according to the leaving certificate. Yearly data concerning school mobility also was available. Results showed that relocation was associated with lower grades for both the OHC and the NOHC groups. The mean effect of one school relocation was 5 percentiles lower grades, but the effect of relocation was twice as large at the end of compulsory school. Given a higher frequency of relocation for children in OHC, they were more negatively affected. School mobility thus is one of several factors which contribute to the poor school achievement of children in OHC.     

Family,Classroom, and School Effects on Childrens Educational Outcomes in Latin America

This study, which is based on a longer report by Willms and Somers (2000), employs hierarchical linear regression models to examine the relationships between 3 schooling outcomes (language and mathematics achievement, and time to complete primary schooling) and family background, as well as various school policies and practices. The analyses employ data from the Primer Estudio Internacional Comparativo (PEIC ; UNESCO, 1998), which includes data for 13 Latin American countries, with samples of approximately 100 schools in each country, and 40 grades 3 and 4 pupils sampled in each school. The study finds that the relationship between schooling outcomes and family background varies among countries. The most successful country, Cuba, has uniformly effective schools, and relatively small inequities along social class lines and between the sexes. Across all countries, the most effective schools tend to be those with: high levels of school resources; classrooms which are not multigrade, and where students are not grouped by ability; classrooms where children are tested frequently; classrooms and schools with a high level of parental involvement; and classrooms that have a positive classroom climate, especially with respect to classroom discipline. The article concludes with a discussion about how we might improve capability to monitor school performance in low-income countries.     

Revisiting free school meal eligibility as a proxy for pupil socio‐economic deprivation

Whether someone has ever had free school meal (FSM) eligibility over a six‐year period is the measure of socio‐economic disadvantage currently used in the English school system. It is used to monitor the socio‐economic gap in achievement in the education system, to identify particular children at risk of low achievement and to direct funding to particular children and schools. In this paper we assess how well this measure predicts pupil attainment in secondary school in comparison to other measures of socio‐economic background known to influence pupil attainment, such as parental education or income. We ask whether the FSM measure is an adequate proxy for a pupil's socio‐economic disadvantage in an educational context. To do this we draw on the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England and matched administrative data. We find that the FSM eligibility measure correlates highly with other measures of socio‐economic disadvantage, however it does not identify all children living in what would be deemed deprived households. We then compare the extent to which the FSM eligibility measure predicts educational achievement relative to other measures of deprivation and find that its predictive power is only marginally lower than many richer survey measures. This provides some reassurance on its use in policy.     

‘Nowhere that fits’: the dilemmas of school choice for parents of children with Statements of special educational needs (SEN) in England

Giving parents a choice with regard to their children's education has been central to the political discourse of school reform at least since the 1988 Education Reform Act (ERA). With regard to children with a Statement of special educational needs (SSEN), a plethora of policies and laws have given parents the right not only to choose a school, but also to appeal to decisions in the best interest of their children. Yet, despite the discourse of school choice, the implementation and practice of such reforms is neither assured nor simple. Participants in this study indicated that they have little choice of suitable provision and are having to compromise either the academic or the social aspects of their child's schooling. This article argues that for many parents whose children have a Statement of SEN, the choice of a school is often a dilemma, as ‘nowhere seems to fit’.     

高职院校新建校区学生管理工作的探讨

通过分析高职院校新建校区学生管理工作的难点，提出了要以人为本重视学生工作、建章立制依法治校、加强队伍建设重视学生自我管理、针对阶段特点改革教育管理内容、强化高职特色重视职业素质养成、加强信息化建设共享教育资源等做好学生工作的主要措施。     

Effect of Part-Time Work on High School Mathematics and Science Course Taking

Abstract

The effect of part-time work intensity on high school course work completed in mathematics and science and its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement was explored. Longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample were used to test the models through path analysis. Socioeconomic status and previous achievement were included as exogenous variables for control purposes, and part-time work intensity was hypothesized to negatively affect course work completed in the 2 subjects, as well as 12th-grade achievement through course work during high school. Results suggest that, controlling for the background variables, there was a significant negative effect of part-time work intensity on course work and that its indirect effect on 12th-grade achievement through course work was larger than its direct effect.     

The role of National Strategy Behaviour and Attendance consultants with regard to training and professional development in special educational needs

The year 2003 saw Behaviour and Attendance (B&A) consultants beginning work across the country, supporting (mostly) mainstream secondary schools. They are part of an extensive advisory team which is instrumental in improving standards in schools through the Government's Secondary National Strategy. Their brief was to develop and improve the systems, strategies and approaches for managing and improving behaviour and attendance, and thereby have a positive impact on learning and attainment. This approach has been confirmed in the fourth Steer Report which highlights improving behaviour and attainment via better understanding and provision for special educational needs and additional needs in mainstream schools. Each B&A consultant draws on their own strengths and strategies to work with school staff at many levels and support a wide range of focuses; some draw on their extensive experience of working with special educational needs and additional needs. This article provides an illustration of the role of such consultants specifically in relation to training and professional development in special educational needs or additional needs. It covers areas such as staff support, school management and systems, use of data and, of course, the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL).