Conceptualising Education for All in Latin America

In this paper we discuss issues in conceptualising the education of poor and marginalised adults in Latin America. Our starting point is the World Education Forum 'Dakar Framework for Action' affirmation that education is the key to sustainable development, peace and stability. We argue that a reconceptualisation of the education of adults, informed by an understandingof adults' everyday and work practices, may help us understand the ways in which education can contribute to these goals. Such an analysis requires both a socio-cognitive and a political dimension in order to take account of the cognitive abilities and agency as citizens of those whom Frantz Fanon memorably called 'the wretched of the earth'.     

Educational research in Latin America

Educational planning specialist at Unesco's Regional Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC). Former staff member of the World Bank and Coordinator of the Latin American educational research exchange network (REDUC), he was also Head of the Chilean Educational Planning Office (1965–70). Co-author of Development of Educational Planning Modelsand of Eight Years of their Lives.     

Educating cities in Latin America

This article considers the development of educating cities from a political perspective, illustrating in detail the diversity of organisations and individuals involved and the challenges they are facing. Bearing in mind that educating cities were established from the 1990s onwards in Europe and spread to other continents from there, the purpose of this article is to demonstrate how this proposal was adopted in Latin America. After discussing the basic aims of educating cities, the paper focuses on the Latin American experience, giving examples of existing projects within the educating cities initiative. The authors are particularly interested in the contrast between the political intentions of educating cities on the one hand and the social, economic, political and cultural world on the other hand. They observe that in this context there is a danger of the individual being forgotten, which contradicts the actual intention of the educating city concept. They also discuss the problem of who should carry out the realisation of educating cities and how the various stakeholders might coordinate their actions. Contemplating new directions at the end of their paper, the authors sum up a number of guidelines and offer recommendations for action in developing educating cities.     

Higher Education in Latin America

This article presents an analysis of, and proposals for, international co-operation in higher education. It focuses on Latin American higher education, its current situation, and the expected transformation of the goals of higher education in the context of international co-operation. Education in the Twenty-First Century must be part of the world economic order. As such, it must attend to human necessities. One of the most important goals of the Twenty-First Century should be the building of a new kind of solidarity among human beings, one in which higher education systems will play an important role. The author describes the challenges that globalization poses to Latin American higher education.     

Spanish Bilateral Initiatives for Education in Latin America

The research presented in this article concerns la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation—AECI) and its growing presence in Latin America since the late 1990s. The aim is to evaluate the transformative potential that bilateral funding can have on educational reform in the region. The article starts with a brief history of Spain’s past and present strategies for educational initiatives in Latin America, and then it focuses on three of AECI’s successful projects: basic and adult literacy; gender mainstreaming in development projects; and multicultural and bilingual education. The article explains the effectiveness of Spanish-sponsored projects in Latin America and compares their strategies with those of other bilateral and multilateral donors, such as PREAL. The article concludes by analysing multi-sectoral development efforts that are the foundation of educational strategies sponsored with Spanish funds, based on the grounds that elimination of poverty will not result from projects that focus exclusively on the individual or the family, but rather from those at the community level. AECI’s efforts are directed at cultivating internal capacities already present in the communities through training human resources and deploying financial resources.     

Preparing teachers for inclusive education in Latin America

This article analyzes the current challenges facing inclusive education in Latin America and explores some possible solutions. The author suggests that teachers play a key role in providing education that is inclusive for all. In Latin America, today, however, inclusive education often does not respond to the needs of children and young people, and teachers often finish their professional training without acquiring the skills they need to work with children and young people living in difficult circumstances. Teachers also need incentives to work in remote or difficult geographical areas, and they benefit from national efforts to improve their status, including awards for innovative work. Much remains to be done, but the training of teachers for a more inclusive education system is gradually being incorporated as part of the educational policy agenda in Latin America.     

Some challenges for educational research in Latin America

Founding director of the Centro de Estudios Educativos (Centre for Educational Studies) in Mexico City and of the Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos(Latin American Journal of Educational Studies). He was in charge of the National Programme of Educational Research of the National Council for Science and Technology. He now carries out research at the Regional Centre for Adult Education and Functional Literacy for Latin America. His recent publications include: La política de alfabetización de seis países latinoamericanos, Participatory Research: A New Research Paradigm?and Elementos para una propuesta orientada a elevar la calidad: La enseñanza tutorial.     

Educational research networks in Latin America

During the last ten years research papers of good quality on Latin American education have risen from almost nothing to more than 100 a year, and the original three or four research centres have multiplied ten times. Diffusion has improved through regional distribution of journals and through opportunities for personal exchange, though this is handicapped by salary levels and poor communications. Networks, of which ten years ago there were only five, are expanding, and may be identified under sponsoring organizations or by topics. Many reasons for the high level of activity may be advanced, which include the key role played by journals, pay off from previous graduate training, facilities such as the use of computers, higher standards of librarianship and new sources of funding. Knowledge from previous research is also being put to use, and improvement programs are receiving support from research, but the danger exists that research may be transformed into an elite exercise.

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Zusammenfassung Während des letzten Jahrzehnts ist die Anzahl von Forschungsarbeiten guter Qualität über das Bildungswesen in Lateinamerika fast aus dem Nichts auf über 100 pro Jahr gestiegen, und die ursprünglich drei oder vier Forschungszentren haben sich verzehnfacht. Die Verbreitung hat sich durch regional zirkulierende Zeitschriften und durch Gelegenheiten zu persönlichem Austausch verbessert, obwohl dieser durch noch niedrige Gehälter und unzureichende Kommunikationsmittel behindert Netzwerke — vor 10 Jahren gab es nur fünf — haben sich vermehrt und können nach Förderorganisationen oder nach Themen klassifiziert werden. Für die Vielfalt der jetzigen Aktivitäten können verschiedene Gründe angeführt werden, u.a. die Schlüsselrolle der Zeitschriften, die Früchte früherer Universitätsausbildung, neue Möglichkeiten wie Gebrauch von Computern, höheres Bibliothekarsniveau und neue Finanzierungsquellen. Ausserdem werden durch frühere Forschung erworbene Kenntnisse angewandt und Verbesserungsprogramme durch Forschung unterstützt. Allerdings besteht die Gefahr, dass die Forschung einen elitären Charakter annehmen könnte.

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Résumé Au cours de ces dix dernières années, les articles sérieux concernant la recherche dans le domaine de l'éducation en Amérique latine, sont passés d'un nombre infime à une quantité depassant la centaine chaque année, et les trois ou quatre centres de recherche qui existaient à l'origine se sont multipliés par dix. La diffusion s'est améliorée grâce à la distribution régionale des publications spécialisées, et aux opportunités d'échanges personnels, bien que le handicap des bas salaires et des communications difficiles soit considérable. Les réseaux d'information qui, il y a dix ans, n'étaient qu'au nombre de cinq, se développent et peuvent être classés d'après les organisations qui les prennent en charge ou d'après leurs sujets d'enquête. On peut avancer de nombreuses suggestions pour expliquer ce haut niveau d'activité, entre autres le rôle-clef joué par les publications spécialisées, l'amortissement de la formation antérieure des enseignants, des facilités telles que l'usage des ordinateurs, un niveau plus élevé des bibliothécaires, et de nouvelles sources d'investissement. Les expériences de la recherche précédente sont aussi utilisées et les programmes d'amélioration reçoivent une aide de la recherche, mais le danger subsiste que cette recherche soit transformée en un exercice d'entraînement de l'élite.

     

Policies for higher education in Latin America: The context

Latin American higher education developed since the nineteenth century from the tensions between the Catholic tradition of Iberian colonization and the enlightenment, rationalistic and predominantly French views present in the independence movements, and embodied in the Napoleonic institutions established throughout the region. This article discusses how this system evolved, facing the problems of enlarged enrolment, diversification, and the current problems of reform, as alternatives among the poles of bureaucratic, oligarchic and market mechanisms of coordination.     

Educational Neuromyths Among Teachers in Latin America

Neuroscientific knowledge has undeniably gained interest among educators worldwide. However, not all “brain facts” believed by teachers are supported by science. This study sought to evaluate the belief in these so‐called neuromyths among 3,451 Latin American teachers. We found that, consistent with prior research among teachers in other geographic areas, teachers in Latin America hold major misconceptions about neuroscience, especially as it relates to factual information about its structure and functioning. Differences across South American nations were observed with moderate and slight effect sizes for general knowledge of the brain and neuromyths, respectively. Teachers working in higher education had slightly superior performance. Teachers at all levels who reported knowing more about the brain, however, were more likely to believe invalid assertions known as neuromyths. These results shed light on trends in the field of education, hoping to encourage the development of strategies aimed at correcting the use of science as it relates to education. The implications regarding teaching practice, policy, and teacher training are discussed.     

拉丁美洲高等教育大众化探析

拉丁美洲国家在二十世纪六七十年代基本实现了高等教育大众化 ,采取的主要政策与措施包括改革公立高等教育 ,发展多层次的私立高等教育 ,创建公私立学校趋同的新型办学模式等。拉美国家高等教育大众化的成果是明显的 ,但也带来了职业分层化和投资效益低下等问题 ,其过度发展高等教育 ,忽视基础教育的教训应引起我们的警觉     

新自由主义在拉美的失败

拉丁美洲是新自由主义理论的主要实验场之一,而"失去的十年"、"失去的六年"、"拉美化"等名词不同程度地证明了新自由主义理论作为经济改革的指导思想和政策规范导致了拉美国家现代化进程受挫.