Japan

Posted on May 15, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Expanding Science Elites: Super Science High School (in Japanese)
Watanabe, A. Benesse.jp (14 May 2012)

The Ministry of Education established the Super Science High School (SSH) system to combat a decreasing interest in math, science, and technology in Japanese schools in 2002.  With 73 newly appointed schools in 2012 (an increase of 33 schools from 2011), there is a total of 178 SSHs across Japan. Of those 73 new SSHs selected from the pool of 97 applications, 3 are national, 57 are public, and 13 are private schools. SSH students have the opportunities to experience university-level and world-class research while participating in international science fairs and interacting with top researchers from various universities, institutes, and corporations.

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A Quick Scan of Ed News Over the Past Few Weeks

Posted on May 14, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Students’ roles in education policy and the costs of higher education are the subject of debates and protest in Austria, Canada, and South America  (“Student group demands direct ballot for student representation”; “Protesters clash with police as Quebec students’ grievances grow”; “60,000 Chileans protest in the year’s first authorized student march”).

Control of education, the autonomy of schools and public and private education have been in the news in Germany, Japan, India, and New Zealand (“Cost explosion in education administration: Court of Auditors urges centralization under Federal Government of all education matters”; “Governor and Prefectural Board of Education in Shimane Agreed on Joint Determination of Educational Goals”; “Who picks up the tab?; Charter school trials to take place across the country”).

A host of issues related to teachers and teaching quality including teacher evaluation and merit pay, student-teacher relations, and stress and burnout have also been subjects of discussion in England, Australia, Austria, South Korea, and Germany (“Great teachers: Attracting, training and retaining the best”; “Annual appraisal plan includes observing teachers in classroom”; “Demand for reduction in teachers‘ holidays”; “More teachers insulted by students, parents”; “Pupils overstrain their teachers”).

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Austria

Posted on May 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Integrative vocational education has positive impact (in German)
Dornmayr, H.  Institut für Bildungsforschung der Wirtschaft (Institute for Research on Qualifications and Training of the Austrian Economy) (April 2012)

In 2003, the Austrian Government introduced a measure called “integrative vocational education” to allow students with disabilities or any other kind of disadvantage to choose adapted forms of apprenticeships. A recent study shows that the measure is having a positive impact for the students concerned and is promoting their integration into the job market. According to the report, 52% of students remained in their jobs following their integrative vocational education, and a further 10% changed to another apprenticeship. Although 22% of students are unemployed and 8% are engaged in job center skills development, 23% of the drop-outs found a new integrative apprenticeship opportunity shortly after dropping out. The study also reveals that business apprenticeships have been more effective than inter-company vocational training.

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England

Posted on May 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Great Teachers: attracting, training and retaining the best
United Kingdom Parliament (1 May 2012)

The Education Select Committee has released its ninth report with a set of recommendations on teacher training and retention. The committee recommends that Performance Related Pay be introduced in England as a way of increasing the attainment of students by rewarding and retaining the most ‘effective’ teachers in the profession.  Other studies, including this one conducted by the RAND Corporation in New York City, have called into question the effectiveness of teacher merit pay for improving student academic achievement.

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Germany

Posted on May 6, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Kindergarten in Germany not well in early childhood education (in German)
Zeit Online (26 April 2012)

The initial results of the NUBEKK (Nationale Untersuchung zur Bildung, Betreuung und Erziehung in der frühen Kindheit) study funded by the Ministry for Families, the Jacobs Foundation, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and some federal states show that early childhood education is improvable in Germany. The study has explored 600 childcare facilities over two years. 2000 children and their parents have been observed in this period. In a quality test especially related to reading, math, science and intercultural learning, 80% of the childcare facilities only reached a score in the middle range. But results also show that mothers notice increased communication skills after early entrance into kindergarten. The complete research report will be published in Autumn 2012.

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Australia

Posted on May 2, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Annual appraisal plan includes observing teachers in classroom
Arlington, K.  Sydney Morning Herald (27 April 2012)

Australia is implementing its first national guidelines for performance assessments of teachers, giving them a clear understanding of 1) what they will be expected to achieve each year and 2) how their performance will be measured.  Every teacher will set goals for the year, have their performance reviewed, and provide evidence in support of their performance.  (Evidence will include improved student results and feedback from students, parents, peers or supervisors on goal attainment.)  Classroom observations will also be carried out.  In return, teachers will receive constructive feedback and may be eligible for performance bonuses. National consultations of the document, developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), will be held before it is implemented next year.  Anthony Mackay, the chair of the AITSL, argues for “recognizing and supporting the best” teachers here.

In addition, below is a video from AITSL about the desired outcomes of teaching standards:

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India

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Who picks up the tab?
Kumar, P.  Deccan Herald (22 April 2012)

Recently, opponents to the Right to Education (RTE) Act challenged the constitutionality of the law in the Supreme Court of India.  RTE makes education a fundamental right of every child between the ages of 6 and 14 and specifies minimum norms in elementary schools. It requires all private schools to reserve 25% of seats to children from poor families, which is to be reimbursed by the state as part of the public-private partnership plan. Several private schools campaigned against this ruling and appealed in court.  On April 12, the Supreme Court of India released its judgment upholding RTE.  Although much of the media attention has focused on the 25% threshold for children from poor families, other sources focus on the inadequate education that public-private partnership schools provide their students.

The following video from News X, a video-based India news source, summarizes the Supreme Court ruling:

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New Zealand

Posted on April 27, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Charter school trials to take place across the country
Armstrong, J.  New Zealand Herald (21 April 2012)

Act, the ruling political party, will continue with its controversial plan to set up autonomous charter schools, and it is now likely to take in disadvantaged schools across the country, rather than just being restricted to those in south Auckland and Christchurch, so as to avoid the “fish bowl” effect.  The concept of charter schools has been heavily criticised by teacher unions, academics, and some politicians who point to the failure of some charter schools in the United States to lift students’ educational achievement.  (See New Zealand’s Green Party’s criticisms of charter schools here.)  The Chairwoman of the New Zealand Model of Charter School Working Group, Catherine Isaac, said the group would look at overseas examples of success and failure as part of its development of a New Zealand model, as well as seeking meetings with teacher unions as part of an extensive round of consultations.

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Germany

Posted on April 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment
The step by step integration of the inclusion
Belz, N.  Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (11 April 2012)

The debate over the inclusion of children with special needs in regular schools is still ongoing in Germany. All parties agree generally with inclusion of children with special needs in heterogeneous school settings, although they do not agree with how, to what extent, and the speed at which it can be implemented.  Germany agreed to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2009), with inclusion being a part of that agreement.  In 2011 the conference of German cultural ministers gave a recommendation for an inclusive school system but devised no concrete plans for the states to realize it. The representative of the monitoring office for the rights of persons with disabilities at the German Institute for Human Rights declares that none of the German states have had an inclusive school system until now. Only 22.3% of the children with special needs were taught at a regular school in 2010-2011. The remainder special needs students were still taught at special schools. There are some schools that have a good inclusive system, but Germany is still far away from full inclusion. (The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education provides information about the development of inclusion in Germany.)

The following video from Deutsche Welle  highlights the Regine-Hildebrandt school in the German state of Brandenburg, showing “that it is possible to bring disabled students into the mainstream public education system.”

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Austria

Posted on April 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Governor of Austrian province suggests including PISA results in students’ general grades
Der Standard (17 April 2012)

In order to increase student motivation for PISA tests, Josef Pühringer, the Governor of the Province of Upper Austria, suggests including PISA test results in students’ general grades. He believes this would lead to higher test scores because the problem with Austria’s PISA results, in his view, is one of student motivation rather than weak student knowledge and competences.  (Find more about Austria’s performance on PISA in relation to other nations here and here.)

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