The Centros Concertados in Spain, Parental Demand and Implications for Equity

In Spain, the exercise of choice by parents of a suitable school for their children is not practised by all families in the same way. The evidence shows that an increasing social polarisation and a substantial disequilibrium in schooling are taking place in compulsory education. There is a high concentration of immigrant students in public schools in contrast with what happened in the centros concertados (private schools with public funding). This situation is especially unbalanced in some Autonomous Communities, such as the Community of Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia. The inequalities in the distribution of students in the network of public schools and private schools financed by public funds are producing significant responses from parents, teachers, experts, and also from other social groups. Some of the proposals made by different experts and by the Spanish Ministry of Education are analysed in order to reach to a quality education in more equitable conditions for all students.     

Self-Regulated Learning and New Literacies: an experience at the University of Barcelona

This article summarises the findings from an evaluation of a Media Literacy course at the University of Barcelona. It focuses on some aspects of Self-Regulation and on the learning environment used by students. The students' learning processes were embedded in an eLearning project, in which students analysed the representation of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the media.
Key findings are the usefulness of this particular Technology-Enhanced Learning Environment (TELE), and its specific settings regarding Self-Regulated Learning (SRL). Students self-regulated their learning processes, in that they were working in a blended learning environment. However, their acquired media literacy skills seem to be fostered by the TELE rather than by the self-regulation mechanisms.
Throughout the article, special attention is paid to the conceptual framework of digital and media literacy, and the specific competences related to them.