Access to academic curriculum in Australian secondary schools: a case study of a highly marketised education system

This study examines how access to academic curriculum differs between secondary schools in Australia, a country whose education system is marked by high levels of choice, privatisation and competition. Equitable access to academic curriculum is important for both individual students and their families as well as the larger society. Previous research has shown that students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are less likely to study academic curriculum than their more advantaged peers. Less is known, however, about the extent to which this pattern is related to differential provision of curriculum between schools. We found that low socio-economic schools offer students less access to the core academic curriculum subjects that are important for university entry. We also found that the breadth and depth of courses offered is related to school sector (private or public) and socio-economic context. Previous research has shown that choice and competition are inequitable because they frequently increase school social segregation and ‘cream-skimming’. Our findings show another inequitable consequence, namely that choice and competition limit access to high-status academic curriculum in working-class communities.     

教育券：教育领域的双赢政策——美国教育券实例分析

义务教育阶段公立学校的教育质量一直是包括美国在内的许多国家的问题，美国实施教育券改革带来的外部竞争促使公立学校进行改革，同时也发展了私立学校，是教育领域的双赢政策。     

Examining the legitimacy of unrecognised low-fee private schools in India: comparing different perspectives

Studies to date show how low-fee private (LFP) schools, including unrecognised ones, have gained practical legitimacy and continue to increase in number. However, little explanation is offered regarding the legal legitimacy of such unrecognised LFP schools. This paper intends to fill this gap by examining the legal legitimacy of unrecognised schools in Delhi whose actual existence was challenged by the Delhi High Court and the Right to Education Act, 2009. The paper also illustrates the practical legitimacy of unrecognised schools by comparing perspectives of different actors (the government, NGOs and managers, teachers and parents at nine unrecognised schools in Delhi) based primarily on the author’s interviews with these actors.     

The positions of primary and secondary schools in the English school field: a case of durable inequality

In interviews as part of a research study of structural reform in England, some tension between primary head teachers and their secondary peers was evident. This was symptomatic of a long-standing difference in status between the two phases. At a time when relations between stakeholders in local systems are subject to change, we seek to understand anew why that might be the case and how the tension we found was evidence of a current difference of power within interactions between representatives of the phases. We analyse differences of size, resources, workforce, pedagogy and history, and how they have resulted in different, and differently valued, practices and professional identities. We explore how attributes of the two phases have been counterposed and how, in complex interaction with wider discourses of politics, gender and age, this process has invested the differences with meanings and values that tend to relegate attributes associated with primary school. By focusing on the activation of cumulative inequality in interactions, we contribute a complementary perspective to studies of perceived relative status and highlight the implications for understanding school positioning in local arenas as the role of local authorities is reduced.     

Social hierarchy and enrolment in government and private schools in rural India: longitudinal evidence from a Rajasthan village

With reference to a village in a predominantly tribal part of Rajasthan, this paper illustrates the increasing heterogeneity of the rural educational landscape and examines different patterns of enrolment within this. While the findings confirm those of more macro-level studies using the four official social categories, intra-category differences are shown to be equally, if not more, important in helping to explain variations in the types and locations of schools chosen by parents. The social composition of government schools in the village has greatly narrowed and the majority of pupils in local private schools now come from tribal households. The expansion in size and number of commutable schools has moved the frontier of private schooling away from the village and provided new and increasingly exclusive contexts for both old and new forms of social division to be manifested.     

The suitability of the International Certificate of Christian Education as an examination for university entrance

Increasing numbers of students are applying to university with the International Certificate of Christian Education (ICCE), an alternative to mainstream qualifications based on a biblically-based, individualised curriculum called Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). No formal validity arguments exist for the ICCE, but it claims to prepare students for university entrance. This article assesses the validity of the ICCE by comparing the stated objectives in ACE workbooks with the activities on its tests. It is argued that many of the learning objectives are never tested at all. Those that are tested are frequently covered only superficially. The tests rely extensively on rote memorisation which fails to prove understanding of concepts, and ACE’s definitions of academic disciplines are often rather different from, and inferior to, the understandings of mainstream academia. It is concluded that, while students from alternative educational backgrounds should not be penalised, ICCE results cannot provide the robust evidence of academic achievement that universities are entitled to expect.     

试论近代中国新式教育的"双体"结构

教会教育与中国人自办教育的长期共存和并立构成了中国近代新式教育发展的"双体"结构。在清末新政推行之前,教会教育在中国的新式教育中占有重要的地位。清末新政时期,中国的新式教育建立起来,教会教育受到治外法权和传教宽容条款的保护,与中国人自办的新式教育并存。民国时期,中国的爱国主义和民族主义思想高涨,经过收回教育权运动,绝大多数教会学校开始接受中国政府的管理,"双体"归于"一体"。     

Taking the risk to engage in race talk: professional development in elementary schools

Developing public education where every child has the right to learn requires that teachers pay attention to and engage in race talk – open discussion about race, social construction of race, and racism. While it is clear that children engage and reflect critically about these aspects of race even at a young age, teachers rarely engage in race talk with them. In this study, an African-American preservice teacher and a White teacher educator explore how African-American, Polynesian, and White in-service teachers, participating in Courageous Conversations professional development, address or avoid race talk in their elementary schools through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and what risks they take when they do. Findings, through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, demonstrate that (1) racism was observed and/or experienced by all teachers in elementary schools; (2) lived racial experiences impacted teachers’ approach to conversations about race; (3) creating an open space was crucial for race conversations; (4) Courageous Conversations provided a ‘new language’ to talk about race; and (5) administrative support facilitated more attention to race. Findings indicate the road to greater equity in schools requires more professional development about race talk in elementary schools.     

Socio-economic segregation of disadvantaged children between schools in Pakistan: comparing the state and private sector

The distribution of children in different school-types and regions in Pakistan suggests that access and opportunities in education are not evenly accessible for many children. Segregation at school level is an important concern for equity and social justice because the adverse effects of segregation increase the pre-existing gap in opportunities between rich and poor, preventing the disadvantaged children from equal access to better life and success opportunities. This paper presents an analysis of segregation by poverty and pupil performance between schools, with a comparison of private and government schools in Pakistan. The data obtained for this study is from the Annual Status of Education Report 2014 survey of households and schools. The analysis includes 27,979 children aged 5–16 years for whom the information could be linked with their schools, and parents’ socio-economic status. Segregation levels have been assessed using the Gorard Segregation Index. The results show that segregation by academic performance is higher than segregation by poverty, and segregation by poverty is higher in the private sector compared to government schools, whereas segregation by performance is greater in the government schools. A regional level analysis shows that segregation in urban areas is higher in both school types compared to rural areas. In addition to insisting on full attendance for children of school age, the government should work towards decreasing segregation in the state sector, perhaps also involving an increase in the number of schools maintained, and therefore reducing the need for cheap private provision.     

Christian ethos secondary schools,parental church attendance and student attitude towards Christianity: exploring connections in England and Wales

ABSTRACT

This study employs multi-level linear statistical modelling to examine the power of school-level and individual-level factors to predict individual differences in scores recorded on the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity by 6,036 students (who self-identified as either Christian or no religion) in year-seven, year-eight, year-nine, year-ten, and year-eleven classes within 10 Christian ethos secondary schools. The data demonstrate the complex relationships between school admission policies, parental church attendance (PCA), and the students’ age and sex. Overall PCA emerges as a decisive factor in promoting a positive attitude toward Christianity among students. Christian ethos schools may wish to give greater attention to the importance of parental religiosity in maintaining the Christian ethos of these schools.     

Educating rural migrant children in interior China: The promise and pitfall of low-fee private schools

Scholars disagree on the extent to which low-fee private schools can adequately supply education to poor children in developing countries. This article contributes to the debate with a qualitative study in the Chinese context where privatization of education intersects with rural-urban migration. Using grounded theory approach, I examine how these schools aid or hinder migrant children’s settlement and integration in the host city. Fieldwork in the country’s interior region reveals that migrant schools are oriented toward meeting the immediate needs of migrant families but at the cost of children’s future prospects. The conclusion discusses implications for equitable urbanization.     

Learning is an ontological process: Jarvis and theories of Christian Religious Education in dialogue

Abstract

Both Jarvis and theories of Christian Religious Education (CRE) emphasise that learning develops the whole person, yet they differ in their understandings of how and why this is the case. Jarvis’s experiential learning theory begins ‘from below’ with experience, whereas many approaches of CRE begin with the end result: individuals themselves. By bringing the two into dialogue this paper offers critical insights into Jarvis’s work through an exploration of three conceptualisations of the whole person: biography, ontic self and wisdom. The discussion provokes and engages with questions focusing around the nature of experiential learning, how the whole person might be conceived and what the relationship is between learning and teaching in human becoming. The role of reflection in ‘forming’ people is then considered, together with its spiritual attributes. As a relational process, it also has a spiritual dimension, something which Jarvis, in his role of colleague, supervisor, mentor and friend, has frequently exhibited.     

The relative quality and cost-effectiveness of private and public schools for low-income families: a case study in a developing country

The “mushrooming” of private schools for low-income families has been widely noted in the literature; however, very little is known about the quality of these schools. This research explored the relative quality of private unaided (recognised and unrecognised) and government schools in low-income areas of Hyderabad, India. A preliminary census to locate unrecognised private schools – not on official lists – was conducted. Data were collected on achievement and background variables for 3,910 pupils from a stratified random sample of schools. Using multilevel modelling shows that pupils in private unrecognised and recognised schools, when controlled for age, pupil's IQ, and class average IQ, achieve higher scores in mathematics and English than equivalent pupils in government schools. There is no significant difference between private and government schools in pupil achievement in Urdu. The achievement advantage for private schools did not arise because of greater resources available, at least in terms of per pupil teacher salaries.     

The irony of rigor: ‘no-excuses’ charter schools at the intersections of race and disability

Across the United States, the ‘no-excuses’ charter school movement featuring strict discipline policies and rigorous academic standards has gained popularity among schools serving poor and working-class students of color. In this article, we examine how Black and Latinx parents of students with disabilities¹ negotiated and experienced these charter school practices of rigor, which disciplined, managed, and regulated students’ social differences. Drawing from a yearlong qualitative research study, we examine interviews with Black and Latinx parents who experienced conflict with charter schools and the school lawyers, along with school artifacts we gathered such as parent handbooks and website information. We found parents experienced what we refer to as the ‘irony of rigor:’ the contradictory double-movement through which students of color with disabilities desired inclusion into ‘rigorous’ charter schools which then excluded them using ‘rigor’ as a central feature of student pushout practices. We present the irony of rigor in three interrelated acts: Act I: the lure of rigor (i.e. what drew parents to charter schools); Act II: the body meets rigor (i.e. how schools disciplined and managed student differences); and Act III: the consequences of rigor (i.e., what happened to students and parents while and after experiencing rigorous practices). We contextualize the irony of rigor within the relationship between disability, race, and neoliberalism.     

On the elephant in the room: toward a generative politics of place on race in academic discourse

Abstract

In our conceptual essay, we draw on an exchange between a White scholar and a group of panelists on Critical Race Theory at an international conference. Taking up this exchange as our point of departure, we work in dialectical and multidimensional ways between the essentialized politics of place on race and critical anti-essentializing foundations in recent Critical Race Feminism and Critical White Studies’ literatures. Working the dialectics and multidimensionality of the place that race makes in academic discourse, we recognize and ethically work through the essentialized politics of place in advancing anti-essentializing understandings of race. In articulating these anti-essentializing understandings, our conceptual essay drives at the notion of a generative politics of place on race in academic discourse. A generative politics of place holds essentialized realities and anti-essentializing foundations of race in dialectical and multidimensional tension for teaching, learning, and discussing race in local, national, and international contexts.     

贯彻《教育规划纲要》 建设高水平的民办大学

全国教育工作会议的召开和《教育规划纲要》的颁布,是我国教育事业改革发展的新的里程碑,意义重大,影响深远。学习宣传、贯彻落实好全国教育工作会议和《教育规划纲要》精神,是高等学校今后一个时期的重要任务和中心工作。民办高校是高等教育事业发展的重要增长点和促进教育改革的重要力量。注重以人为本,强化质量意识,突出办学特色,是贯彻落实《教育规划纲要》的重要举措,也是创建高水平民办大学的迫切需要。     

防范办学风险:政府和民办高校的责任

民办高校快速发展的背后存在着风险隐患,这既有其自身的原因,也有难以克服的外部原因。在防范和化解办学风险的过程中,应充分发挥政府和民办高校的作用。政府的职责是以公共治理为指针,进一步完善民办高等教育法规政策,加强对民办高校的宏观调控;民办高校的职责则是加强学校制度建设,提升办学品质。     

试论洋务学堂对中国教育近代化的影响--以河北地区为例

洋务学堂是洋务运动的一项重要收获,是洋务派改革封建旧教育的结果,它用近代科学的声、光、电、化代替了传统的经、史、子、集,采用了班级授课的形式,培养了一批有着近代化学识的人才,推进了中国教育的近代化,也推进了中国社会的近代化。洋务学堂是中国教育近代化一出壮观的序幕。     

The charitable status of elite schools: the origins of a national scandal

ABSTRACT

The origins of the charitable status of elite schools in England is a neglected topic. This article reconstructs the debate on the funding of schools which led to the establishment of the Charity Commission in 1853 and argues that it was the obdurate refusal of the Anglican Church to surrender its control of secondary education which first delayed reform and then forced the compromise which resulted in the major public schools remaining outside the direct control of the new Commission. In conclusion, it argues that decisions which were taken in the mid-nineteenth century continue to resonate today, allowing elite schools catering for some of the richest families in the land to continue to operate as registered charities and benefit from significant financial support from the State. The article carries the implicit suggestion that this is but one of several controversial contemporary issues which might benefit from more detailed historical contextualisation.     

贯彻《教育规划纲要》建设高水平的民办大学

全国教育工作会议的召开和《教育规划纲要》的颁布,是我国教育事业改革发展的新的里程碑,意义重大,影响深远。学习宣传、贯彻落实好全国教育工作会议和《教育规划纲要》精神,是高等学校今后一个时期的重要任务和中心工作。民办高校是高等教育事业发展的重要增长点和促进教育改革的重要力量。注重以人为本,强化质量意识,突出办学特色,是贯彻落实《教育规划纲要》的重要举措,也是创建高水平民办大学的迫切需要。