Student Loans: are the Policy Objectives being Achieved?

This paper examines two of the stated objectives of the government's student loans scheme, 'to increase the resources available to students' and 'to increase economic awareness among students, and their self reliance'. Following Farrell and Tapper (1992) we also consider a third, less explicit objective, that of exerting an influence on the shape of higher education itself, through economic pressure on students to select courses that are earnings related and vocationally oriented.
The results of a survey of a random sample of students conducted annually between 1992 and 1996 at the University of Brighton demonstrate a substantial increase in student debt over this period. Among students increasing support for the principles underlying the loan scheme was found, as were high levels of 'economic awareness' and 'self-reliance'. There was no evidence of a demand for changes in the pattern of course provision and it is suggested that this is because of the way in which students have responded to their changed financial situation, in particular the high reliance of many on part-time employment in preference to student loans and a desire to maximise current rather than future earnings.     

Building intergenerational Bridges in early childhood

A recent report of the Committee for Economic Development observed that 30% of our children are educationally disadvantaged and face major risks of educational failure and lifelong dependency (CED, 1987). One reason advanced for this observation is that schools have neglected to prepare these children to become active citizens who can contribute to the social and economic uplifting of their neighborhoods.L. C. Taharally is an Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Education, and A. L. Smith is an Assistant Professor, Training and Supervision, in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Hunter College of the City University of New York.     

Factors Associated with High Standards of Spelling in Years R-4

This article is based on a discussion document written for all schools in Suffolk, England by the English advisory team. It resulted from a small-scale survey of nine schools where results for National Curriculum test AT4 (Spelling) in 1994 and 1995 were particularly high. This in turn stemmed from concerns raised by monitoring local education authority results in this aspect of English and aimed to uncover common factors in these schools' approaches to teaching spelling and supporting pupils' development in this skill. The key factors indicated by the survey included the systematic teaching of both spelling patterns and phonics; the fostering of early independence in writing and reading; regular learning of spellings at home and effective partnership with parents in this; regular testing; effective short teaching sessions on spelling, and differentiation based on high expectations of all pupils.