Preface: ‘Anything You Can Do’: Proposals for Lesbian and Gay Art Education

This preface introduces the themes of this special edition: the contribution that lesbian and gay individuals make to the development of the discipline. These include a non‐heteronormative perspective, and an emphasis on irony within parody. Second, this preface considers the experience of LGBT students and teachers dealing with sexuality within the school curriculum. Third, the current approach to civil rights within the school is considered especially in the context of homophobia, bullying and physical danger. Finally, areas of specifc curriculum advance are noted particularly within art history, media education and teacher education. Irving Berlin's witty little song ‘Anything you can do’ [ 1 ] epitomises the taken‐for‐granted assumption that relationships between people are always adversarial and that personal achievement always involves outperforming the opponent. The song title in full runs ‘Anything you can do I can do better, I can do anything better than you.’ The second stanza underlines the theme ‘I'm superior, you're inferior, I'm the big attraction you're the small.’ The rest of the song develops the theme but it constantly expands a tongue‐in‐cheek ironic infection. The lyrics serve to subtly undermine the master narrative by showing the ridiculousness of empty boastfulness. I suggest that there is a strong analogy between this adversarial parody and that between ‘heteronormative’ culture [ 2 ] and its disdain for gay perspectives and experience [ 3 ]. One of the major propositions in this collection is that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trangender (‘LGBT’ throughout this volume) people bring great benefits to all in our efforts to explore and develop an increasingly inclusive art and design agenda [ 4 ]. My argument in this introduction has four interrelated themes. First, I outline what I think are the legitimate claims that LGBT people can make for their contribution to the development of the discipline. It is important to start here because, as will be come clear, there are several significant issues that LGBT teachers and students have to face in education. These issues should not distract us from the positive impact we have made throughout the art and design curriculum. The second theme is one that I take from Andrew Sullivan's title Virtually Normal [ 5 ]. The ambiguity built into his oxymoronic title is worth exploration. The LGBT experience of growing up has particular paradoxical features that are singular and significant. I consider some of these features for their salience to the general argument. The third theme that is particularly pertinent internationally is what is termed a civil rights agenda. Many educators are using this concept as a basic building block in the construction of an equality programme into which LGBT fits as a significant beneficiary. It is in this context that the issue of bullying is considered. Undeniably, bullying is a major issue confronting probably every young LGBT person on a regular basis. But I, and other authors in the collection, argue that relying solely on this equal rights approach has some major drawbacks in the promotion of an LGBT agenda. The fourth theme, which is developed by the authors of the papers throughout this volume, is that a specifc LGBT art and design curriculum can be developed away from a civil rights approach. This curriculum can provide what we all lack currently, material that reflects and expands the learning of LGBT students, provides opportunities for Continuing Professional Development for LGBT and LGBT‐friendly staff, and thus enriches the whole art and design curriculum by embracing new ideas from within and outside the discipline. At the moment there is a gaping empty space in the art and design curriculum that badly needs flling. I conclude this introduction by considering such innovation in relation to Swift and Steers' Manifesto for Art in Schools which still seems to me an excellent benchmark against which to measure change and progress [ 6 ].     

A Lacanian Reading of the Study of Big Brother in the English Curriculum

This article presents a Lacanian analysis of the legitimising event represented by the circulation of materials from the English DfES (Department for Education and Skills), a ministerial government office, to teachers of English in schools to use as a means to facilitate the study of the television show Big Brother. The attempt, through Media in English, to ‘pin down’ the meaning of ‘reality’ television presents for analysis here the identity crisis of English—the tension between what it is and how it recognises itself—its ideal ego and its ego‐ideal.     

Including children with a visual impairment in the mainstream primary school classroom

This article reports on ESRC-funded research, 'Including children with visual impairment in mainstream primary school classrooms'. The inquiry comprised a multiple case study of children with visual impairment in 17 mainstream primary schools. Classroom observation and interviews were the main methods used. Interviews were conducted with all those who had a direct impact on the quality of the children's inclusion in the classrooms, such as the teaching assistant, class teacher and specialist visiting teachers, as well as with others to provide a richer contextual understanding of the teaching and learning in the schools. Overcoming barriers to the participation and learning of children with visual impairment emerged as: the provision of an adequate additional support; inclusion in the main learning processes taking place in the classroom; and good communication between the teaching team. A discussion of the meaning of inclusion in the context of the classroom is provided.     

Chronicling engagement: students’ experience of online learning over time

Although there is ample research into student engagement in online learning, much of this investigates the student experience through surveys administered at a fixed point in time, usually at the exit point of a single unit of study or course. The study described in this paper, by contrast, aimed to understand online student engagement over a whole semester, guided by two overarching questions: What factors impact students’ engagement over a semester? What factors account for fluctuation in engagement levels over time? This paper presents results from weekly feedback on online education students’ engagement over the length of one semester at a regional Australian university. It also chronicles in more depth the experiences of one student across the same semester. The findings offer longitudinal accounts of student engagement, demonstrating that levels of engagement fluctuate and are influenced by a variety of factors.     

Encouraging Cream-Skimming and Dreg-Siphoning? Increasing Competition between English HEIs

We examine the impact of recent policy on the nature of competition within English higher education (HE) for students. Revisions made to the method of allocating Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) teaching funds and the introduction of performance monitoring and targeted recruitment premiums have changed the incentives facing higher education institutions (HEI)s when designing recruitment strategies. We consider the extent to which the experience of similar market-based reforms on the English secondary schooling system is being replicated in HE. Promoting increased competition by comparison was advocated as a means of stimulating greater allocative, technical and dynamic efficiency in both schools and universities. Similarly, relaxing institutions' capacity constraints and introducing targeted financial incentives have been touted as effective mech-anisms to assist the attainment of policy objectives. However, the experience of market-based reforms of state secondary schooling indicates that dysfunctional responses occur and that the overall impact on market behaviour is more complex than anticipated. We consider whether similar processes are evolving in HE.     

Relative age effects in a cognitive task: A case study of youth chess

The relative age effect (RAE) has been demonstrated in many youth and professional sports. In this study, we hypothesized that there would also be a RAE among youth chess players who are typically involved in a complex cognitive task without significant physical requirements. While typical RAEs have been observed in adult chess players, in this paper we wanted to focus primarily on youth chess players. In addition, we also examined RAEs in both participation rates and performance levels in a national chess championship. Therefore, the RAE was examined in a complex cognitive task that has no significant physical requirements, more specifically among youth chess players. Data were analyzed (1) for all registered Belgian youth chess players over a 5-year period (2009–2013) and (2) for participants of the Belgian youth championship 2013. Results indicated an overall RAE among all Belgian youth chess players over the last 5 years. The likelihood of participation was significantly greater for players born in the first birth-date quartile (χ² = 10.21, p < .05; r = ?.77, p < .01; w = .07) and the likelihood of participation decreased when youth chess players were born in the last quartile of the year. These effects were most prominent in the under-8 and under-10 year olds. There also appeared to be a performance-related RAE. Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests (p < .05) showed that players born in the first months of the selection year were significantly more often in the top 10 players for each age level of the Belgian Youth Championship 2013.     

Child abuse in blended households: reports from runaway and homeless youth

OBJECTIVE: Building upon prior research that reveals an elevated risk of abuse to children in blended households, the study considers whether risk of abuse varies by the type of non-related parent figure (i.e., stepparent, adoptive parent, or cohabiting adult) in residence. METHOD: A sample of 40,000 youths that sought services from runaway and homeless youth shelters in the US was examined. Holding constant the presence of a natural parent, the study evaluated the risk of abuse by the presence and type of an additional parent figure in the home. RESULTS: Compared with other household types, an elevated risk of sexual and physical abuse was observed for youths from homes with a non-related parent figure in residence. Among youths from blended homes, the risk of abuse was not found to vary as a function of the type of non-related parent figure in the home. CONCLUSIONS: The study results are consistent with prior research that shows the presence of a non-related parent figure in a household is associated with a greater than expected risk of sexual or physical abuse to children. However, the findings suggest that the particular role or status of non-related parents may not be a meaningful risk factor when considering intervention strategies in suspected cases of abuse in blended households. The sample probably represents family conditions that are significantly worse for children than what would be found in the general population, and thus the results of this study should not be generalized to the population at large.     

Private‐sector provision of schooling: an economic assessment

In many countries the school choice agenda has promoted increased inter‐school competition as a means of creating stronger incentives for state schools to raise measures of average pupil attainment. Privatization of the provision of schooling takes market‐based reforms a stage further. We identify the factors that have increased governments' concern with educational outcomes and why these concerns have led to greater interest in privatization. The rationale employed for such policies elsewhere in the public sector has been based upon efficiency gains, in that existing government failures were more harmful than future market failures. More recently it has been argued that contracting or improved regulation can control the market failures associated with privately provided schooling. Given the multiple outputs generated by education providers, privatization may be particularly attractive to governments who find that the professionalism of teachers and their public service motivation generate severe agency problems. We critically review each of these propositions and question the current practice of separating issues concerned with government funding of schooling from those concerned with its provision.