Showing papers on "Compulsory education published in 2009"

Specific language impairment and school outcomes. I: Identifying and explaining variability at the end of compulsory education

Abstract: Background: This investigation reports the results of national educational examinations in secondary schooling for young people who have been participating in the Manchester Language Study.Aims: The emphasis of the study is on furthering understanding of educational outcomes at the end of compulsory education.Methods & Procedures: A total of 120 adolescents with a history of specific language impairment (SLI) and 121 adolescents with typical development (TD) who were in their final year of compulsory secondary schooling (mean age = 17;4 years) participated. National educational examination results throughout secondary schooling were collected along with a range of psycholinguistic skills from 11 to 16/17 years.Outcomes & Results: Forty‐four per cent of young people with SLI obtained at least one of the expected qualifications at the end of secondary education, indicating some improvements compared with reports on earlier cohorts. Regression analyses revealed that literacy and language skills were predicti...

The Value of Vocational Education: High School Type and Labor Market Outcomes in Indonesia

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between the type of senior high school attended by Indonesian youth and their subsequent labor market outcomes. This topic is very timely, given the government’s recent decision to dramatically expand vocational enrollment. The analysis controls for an unusually rich set of predetermined characteristics, and exploits longitudinal data spanning 14 years to separately identify cohort and age effects. There are four main findings. First, students are sorted into different school types largely on the basis of their entering exam score. Public schools attract the highest-scoring students, while private vocational schools serve the lowest-scoring students. Second, after controlling for a variety of characteristics, including test scores, male public school graduates earn a substantial premium over their privately schooled counterparts. Third, private vocational school graduates fare at least as well as private general graduates, despite coming from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Finally, the returns to public vocational education have declined sharply for the most recent cohort of men. This raises important concerns about the current expansion of public vocational education, and the relevance of the male vocational curriculum in an increasingly service-oriented economy.

Towards an understanding of udeskole: education outside the classroom in a Danish context

Abstract: In the past decade, an increasing number of Danish public, private and independent schools have introduced regular compulsory education outside the classroom for children aged 7–16 as a weekly or biweekly ‘outdoor school’ day – known in Danish as udeskole. An analysis of this form of outdoor education, its impacts and provision has been undertaken. Findings suggest that udeskole can add value to normal classroom teaching especially with regards to health, social and well-being perspectives. Future recommendations include collaborative strategies between researchers, local government sectors, and educational and landscape planners and managers to improve the impact and provision of udeskole in the Danish school system. Further, it is important to understand this grassroots movement of devoted teachers from both an educational and green management perspective.

International Comparisons of Inclusive Policy and Practice: Are We Talking about the Same Thing?

Abstract: This article has been especially written by the journal Guest Editors as an introduction to key issues in making international comparisons regarding inclusive policy and practice. The authors argue...

Perspectives of early childhood teachers on parent–teacher partnerships in five European countries

Abstract: Societal conditions impacting on parenting have radically changed during the past two decades. There is variation between and within societies depending on social, cultural, political and economic factors. Today, Early Childhood and Care (ECEC) services play an increasingly important role in supporting families with young children during birth to the age of compulsory education. Accordingly, the collaboration between families and early childhood professionals has emerged as an essential topic of educational research and professional development. The International Parent–Professional Partnerships (IPP) research study focuses on the contemporary challenges of the parent–teacher partnerships in early childhood education from a cross‐cultural perspective. The purpose of the research is to examine parent–teacher partnerships in ECEC services in Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Portugal by looking into the national contexts and comparing these findings with each other. The research utilises both...

Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe.

Abstract: (L'éducation artistique et culturelle à l'école en Europe) and German (Kunst-und Kulturerziehung an den Schulen in Europa). The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes, provided the extract is preceded b y a reference to 'Eurydice network', followed by the date of publication of the document. PREFACE The role of arts education in forming the competences for young people for life in the 21st century has been widely recognised at the European level. The European Commission proposed a European Agenda for Culture, which was endorsed by the Council of the European Union in 2007. This Agenda acknowledges the value of arts education in developing creativity. Furthermore, the EU strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training over the next decade clearly emphasises the importance of transversal key competences, including cultural awareness and creativity. 2009 is the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and is a further recognition of the links between cultural awareness and creativity. The Year addresses themes such as fostering artistic and other forms of creativity through all levels and forms of education. At the same time, the European Parliament's 2009 Resolution on Artistic Studies in the European Union puts forward key recommendations for the development of artistic education and calls for greater coordination of arts education at the European level. Previous research on the potential of arts education to enhance the creativity of young people has underlined the need to continuously improve its quality. To help meet this need and help identify best practices, Eurydice has produced this overview of the state of artistic and cultural education in Europe. The study contains comparative information on the provision of arts and cultural education within the curricula of 30 European countries. It covers the aims and objectives of such education, its organisation, the provision of extra-curricular activities, as well as initiatives for the development of arts and cultural education. In addition, it includes important information on pupil assessment and teacher education in the arts. It clearly shows, for example, that music and visual arts are the most widespread subjects taught in schools at primary and lower secondary level, and that the participation of professional artists in arts education is quite limited. The study draws attention to the importance of collaboration among the various actors in arts education. Arts and Cultur al Educ ation at Sc hool in Europe 4 I believe that …

Reviews of national policies for education : tertiary education in Chile

Abstract: Tertiary education in Chile has been transformed radically over the past 20 years. As recently as 1990, tertiary education was an elite system centered on a handful of traditional universities which served a small number of well-prepared students. Today the system is diverse and dynamic, with over 6,000 programs of study offered by more than 200 institutions. More than 800,000 students are now enrolled, representing over 40 percent of the age cohort. In making this transition, the country has relied on significant development of private tertiary education and the introduction of substantial cost-sharing (tuition and fees) in the entire system. It has coupled this with a strong licensing and quality assurance system, and, increasingly, an innovative and robust student aid system. The aforementioned changes have been a key to Chile's drive for increased competitiveness over the last two decades, and have been consistent with efforts to gain permanent membership in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The World Bank assisted the Government of Chile during much of this period, offering both its technical capacity and resources through several loans for human capital development and numerous analytical and knowledge-sharing activities. In 2008, the World Bank and the OECD collaborated to provide a broad assessment of the sub-sector through a comprehensive review of Chile's national policies for tertiary education. The review, tertiary education in Chile, analyzes the achievements of the last decades and outlines the challenges Chile faces in its quest to provide its citizens with a high quality tertiary education system. This note summarizes the main findings and recommendations of the book.

Drivers and barriers to educational success - evidence from the longitudinal study of young people in England

Abstract: This study examined why young people from poor families have lower attainment in school, are more likely to become NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) after compulsory education, and are more likely to participate in a range of risky behaviours whilst teenagers The Longitudinal Study of Young People in England is combined with school and neighbourhood information to document the links between lower socio-economic position and poorer outcomes: identifying the key factors amongst parental education and material resources; school and neighbourhood peer groups; and the attitudes and beliefs of young people and their parents that help sustain those links

The Irresistible Rise and Hegemony of a Linguistic Fortress: English Teaching in Sweden

Abstract: English has been compulsory for all Swedish pupils since 1962. At the same time, Swedish society has, for decades, been experiencing the phenomenon of an overwhelming Anglicization. Nowadays, the situation has gone so far that English may be considered as a second language in the Swedish daily living environment. This article mainly aims at analyzing the various stakes that support the dominant position and status of the English language not only in the Swedish school system, but also in society in general. It first briefly investigates the development of English learning and teaching before World War II and analyzes its introduction as a compulsory subject, as well as its development as a core subject in the successive compulsory school curricula. Then, it focuses on the role and status of English in Swedish society and the educational system before finally examining its position according to the newly introduced language policy.

Do Quasi-Markets Foster Innovation in Education?: A Comparative Perspective. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 25.

Abstract: This report seeks to address critical issues such as these by synthesising the evidence on innovations in more market-driven education systems. The analysis draws on data from over 20 OECD and non-OECD countries, including both developed nations that seek to move beyond established systems of state-run schools, and developing nations where formal and de facto policies promote more free-market approaches to educational expansion. In doing this, the report focuses on the primary and secondary levels, where education is usually compulsory. The more universal nature of educational access at those levels provides a different set of conditions and incentives compared to the post-compulsory tertiary level. And the report pays special attention to the charter school experiment in North America, where reformers explicitly tried to create more competitive conditions in order to encourage the development of innovations in the education sector. Policy approaches such as this that use decentralisation, deregulation, greater levels of autonomy, competition and choice may have singular potential to induce innovations in the education sector, both in how education is organised and the school content that is delivered — critical concerns if the education sector is to be more effective and reach under-served populations. Le present rapport a pour objet d’etudier des questions fondamentales telles que celles-ci, en faisant la synthese des informations disponibles sur les innovations ayant trait a des systemes educatifs qui reposent davantage sur les mecanismes du marche. L’analyse s’appuie sur des donnees tirees de plus de vingt pays membres et non membres de l’OCDE, y compris des pays developpes cherchant a depasser le stade du systeme etabli des etablissements scolaires geres par l’Etat, et des pays en developpement ou les politiques officielles et effectives encouragent des approches plus liberales de l’expansion du secteur educatif. Dans cette perspective, l’etude privilegie l’enseignement primaire et l’enseignement secondaire, ou la scolarite est generalement obligatoire. Le caractere plus universel de l’acces a l’education a ces niveaux presente des conditions et des incitations distinctes de celles de l’enseignement superieur post-obligatoire. Ce rapport prete en outre une attention particuliere a l’experience des etablissements scolaires a financement public et a gestion privee (les « charter schools ») en Amerique du Nord, ou les responsables de la reforme ont tente de maniere explicite de creer des conditions plus concurrentielles afin d’encourager les innovations dans le secteur educatif. Les approches de ce type, qui utilisent la decentralisation, la dereglementation et le developpement de l’autonomie, de la concurrence et du choix, pourraient singulierement encourager les innovations dans le secteur educatif, tant au plan de l’organisation de l’enseignement qu’au niveau du contenu des programmes scolaires – des preoccupations essentielles si le secteur de l’education veut etre plus efficace et atteindre les populations moins bien loties.

Conceptualising School-to-Work Transitions in Context

Abstract: Introduction The transition from school to work is one of the most crucial periods in the life of a young person. It generally spans the phase between completion of full-time education or training and entry into continuous full-time employment. It can be a very turbulent phase, involving various attempts and different routes trying to establish oneself in the labour market, or it can be a rather smooth transition. It involves a number of important decisions, such as whether to continue with further education or to leave school directly after completion of compulsory education; what type of job or career to choose; and how best to respond to opportunities and constraints in the labour market. Which path a young person takes during this transition period can have long-term consequences regarding his or her future career and subsequent working life but can also impact other interlinked transitions, such as leaving the parental home and taking the step into partnership and family formation. Transition experiences are dependent on individual decision making but are also largely shaped by opportunities and constraints presented by the sociohistorical context and economic conditions. In the past four decades, employment opportunities in most Western countries have changed dramatically following the introduction of new technologies, the disappearance of manual jobs, and the increasing participation of women in the labour market. Compared to the early 1970s, unemployment rates in almost all developed countries have risen, especially in Europe (International Labour Organization, 2008; Muller & Gangl, 2003).

On bologna, weasels and creeping competence

Abstract: In the sphere of higher education policy, the legal basis for Community intervention tends to be weak (Gornitzka, Chapter 4). Education has always been considered an area of national sensitivity (Gornitzka, Chapter 4) and that for a number of reasons. These range from the obligation of the state to provide compulsory education, “the role of educational institutions as nationally embedded socialising institutions” (Gornitzka, Chapter 4). They include responsibility for central coordination of curricular content in higher education programmes in those countries where legal homogeneity still prevails (Gornitzka et al. 2001).

A transitiological study of some South African educational issues

Abstract: In this study enrolment numbers and levels, as well as language-in-education, were viewed from a linear, comparative perspective. In the era prior to 1994, black and white learners not only attended separate schools but the segregated schools had different policies regarding medium of instruction. Resistance to the language policy regarding black education culminated in the 1976 uprisings. This led to the scrapping of both Afrikaans and black home languages as language of instruction in black schools. After the uprisings, black schools followed a policy of decreasing bilingualism. After 1994, in the spirit of democracy, official and educational status were granted to eleven languages. Deep-seated distrust and fear, that home-language education would lead to impoverishment, social and political isolation, and disempowerment, caused the majority of South African learners to prefer English rather than their home language as language of instruction. From a linear comparison, it transpires that the language-in-education situation in the classroom has changed very little since 1994. Enrolment numbers and levels, particularly the disparities between white and black, were other points of criticism regarding the education system before 1994. Prior to 1994, compulsory education had only been fully implemented with regard to the white and, to a lesser extent, Indian and coloured sections of the population. The vision that the ANC had in 1955, that “the doors of learning shall be open”, was only reflected in policy documents and laws. Both primary-school and secondary-school enrolment numbers showed an increase after the ANC government came to power. The net enrolment numbers (1995–2004) for primary education showed a decrease from 95.0% to 87.4%,but the enrolment numbers for secondary education showed an increase from 56.0% to 67.2%. Despite the latter positive statistics, it would appear that the objective of universal education has still not been realised in South Africa.

Length of Compulsory Education and Voter Turnout--Evidence from a Staged Reform. CEE DP 108.

Abstract: This study estimates the impact of education on voter turnout. The identification relies on a reform, which increased the length of compulsory schooling in Norway from seven to nine years. The impact is measured both at the individual, and the municipality level. Both sets of analysis suggest that additional education has no effect on voter turnout. The impact of education on various measures of civic outcomes is also estimated. Of these, only the likelihood of signing a petition is found to be positively affected by education.

Conceptualising leadership in early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract: The New Zealand Teachers Council’s overarching purpose is to provide professional leadership and the Council has a programme of projects aimed at strengthening teaching as a profession. The Early Childhood Education Advisory group to the Council has initiated a focus on leadership in early childhood education (ECE) and this discussion paper begins the process by exploring the current state of leadership and leadership development in New Zealand, and the issues and dilemmas facing the sector, including the identification of possible future directions. Introduction Introduction Much had been done to improve the quality of early childhood education (ECE) in Aotearoa New Zealand in recent years. The Ministry of Education’s strategic plan for ECE, Pathways to the Future: Ngā Huarahi Arataki, has improving quality as one of the three key goals in the ten-year period beginning 2002 (Ministry of Education, 2002). A factor often identified as contributing to quality in ECE settings is effective leadership (Bloom & Bella, 2005; Grey, 2004; Kagan & Bowman, 1997; Rodd, 2006). The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), has suggested that professional leadership is “second only to effective teaching among all education-related factors that contribute to students’ learning” (2006, p. 13), and that it accounts for approximately twenty-five percent of total centre or school effects. This suggests that a focus on leadership in ECE is very timely. In fact the ministry has identified an action in the strategic plan to provide “leadership development programmes to strengthen leadership in ECE” (Ministry of Education, 2002, p.15); however, no policy has yet been developed on what these programmes may look like. A possible reason for this lack of policy is that ECE is part of the non-compulsory sector and therefore the ministry has not felt responsible for promoting and supporting leadership development, seeing this as a centre’s domain. However, this lack contrasts with the support provided in the compulsory education sectors in New Zealand, in which leaders are more easily identifiable.

Justifying Compulsory Environmental Education in Liberal Democracies.

Abstract: The need for education for (as opposed to about) sustainability is urged from many sides. Initiatives in this area tend to focus on formal education. Governmental, supra-governmental and non-governmental bodies all expect much of this kind of education, which is to transform children - and through them society - in the direction of sustainability. Due to the combination of great transformative expectations or ambitions and a focus on schooling (the idea of) compulsory environmental education poses potentially severe problems for governments committed to liberal principles, in particular the principle of state 'neutrality' with respect to 'comprehensive conceptions of the good life'. The central question of this article is whether liberal governments can make environmental education of this kind compulsory without coming into conflict with the liberal principle of state neutrality. I discuss three defences of the compatibility of compulsory environmental education with liberal neutrality, namely those put forward by Derek Bell, Andrew Dobson, and Simon Hailwood, as well as some problems inherent in these defences. In the final section I sketch a form of compulsory environmental education that realises at least some of the aims commonly stated for Education for Sustainability and Education for Sustainable Development, and can be justified on the basis of liberal principles. © 2009 Journal of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.

Research on the teaching quality of compulsory education in China’s West rural schools

Abstract: The paper has compared the quality of compulsory education of rural schools in West China with the counties, cities, and provincial capitals, and find out that there is a big gap between the quality of West rural and urban compulsory education, the quality of some grades of the rural primary schools has not achieved the basic requirement of the curriculum standards, the gap between the quality of junior high schools in rural and urban areas is relatively severe. The mean score and qualified rate in the subjects of Chinese, mathematics and English of West rural junior high students are distinctly lower than that of the urban and county schools. The main factor that leads to the bigger discrepancy between the urban and rural education quality mainly lies in the difference in the teaching force. Compared with urban schools, the teachers in rural schools is insufficient and poorly-trained, with less access to teachers’ professional development and support. The teaching quality in the West rural schools should be paid attention and improved in light of the rationale of educational equity.

The effects of company training, further education and the youth training scheme on the earnings of young employees*

Abstract: This paper provides evidence on the impact of company training, of post-compulsory education and of the UK Youth Training Scheme in the late 1980's on the earnings of 21-year-old employees in England and Wales. Earnings equations are estimated for each of seven groups of employees who have followed alternative routes from compulsory education into employment, allowing for selectivity into these routes. There are several findings, including: both high parental social class and better school qualifications help to channel people into higher status routes, while high local unemployment has the opposite effect; participation in company training in long spells substantially raises wages but short spells do not; YTS participation fails to raise, and possibly substantially lowers, wages even three years after graduation compared to those who left school at 16 and went to work and received no training; there is weak evidence that, even for those that do not enter higher education, it is better to stay on at school after 16 than go into YTS.

Differing relationships to research in higher and further education in the UK: a reflective account from a practitioner perspective

Abstract: Within education, the term ‘research’ is used in a multiplicity of ways. This paper draws on my own reflection of how educational practitioners experience shifting relationships to research. It suggests that within the further education (FE) sector, professionalism in teaching is measured through observation in the form of the Ofsted inspection. In this case, the lecturer becomes an agent of research, i.e. a ‘body’ to be assessed and scrutinised according to a defined set of criteria. In contrast, in higher education (HE), an academic becomes the creator of research and is expected to generate new knowledge through research output. This paper therefore examines the relationship between theory and practice with specific reference to how different discourses of research are used to either assess or demarcate professionalism within UK post‐compulsory education, depending in which sector practice is based.

ICT-use, educational policy and changes in pedagogical paradigms in compulsory education in Denmark: From a lifelong learning paradigm to a traditional paradigm?

Abstract: For years, increased use of ICT in education and training has been part of the Danish education policy, and the number of computers in schools and the actual use of ICT have grown. At the same time, school leaders' and teachers' pedagogical paradigm in primary and lower secondary schools seems to be changing from a lifelong learning paradigm (focussed on student-centred, active, and autonomous leaning) to a more traditional paradigm (focussed on curriculum-centred teaching and instructions). The aim of this paper is to describe this development in relation to the way ICT is used as well as to changes in educational policy. Beck and Beck-Gerrnsheim (2002) theory about `institutionalized individualization' as characteristic of the reflexive society serves as a theoretical framework for better understanding the observed changes.

Child labor and the education of a society

Abstract: This paper analyzes policies by means of which a whole society in an initial state of illiteracy and low productivity can raise itself into a condition of continuous growth Using an overlapping generations model in which human capital is formed through child rearing and formal education, we show that an escape from a poverty trap, in which children work full time and no human capital accumulation takes place, is possible through compulsory education or programs of taxes and transfers If school attendance is unenforceable, temporary inequality is unavoidable if the society is to escape in finite time, but long-run inequalities are avoidable provided sufficiently heavy, but temporary, taxes can be imposed on the better off Programs that aim simply at high attendance rates in the present can be strongly nonoptimal

Clerics die, doctors survive: a note on death risks among highly educated professionals.

Abstract: AIMS: Mortality is strongly associated with education. We present relative death risks of men and women in 12 educational/occupational groups in Sweden today, with a focus on individuals with higher education. METHODS: Results from Cox regressions are reported for 12 educational groups with special emphasis on those with professional education, e.g. clerics, physicians, people with medical PhDs, and university teachers. The study is based on register data of the total Swedish population in the age group of 30-64 (n = 3,734,660). RESULTS: There is a considerable variation in mortality between educational groups. Men with compulsory education run a risk that is more than three times higher than that of professors outside medicine, and other educational groups fall in between. Medical doctors and physicians have relatively low death risks compared to those with compulsory education - less than 50% among men and less than 60% among women - although professors in medicine deviate by having higher risks than their colleagues in other subjects. Those with a theological exam show higher risks of dying during the follow-up period compared to others of a similar educational level. Professors outside medicine experience the lowest death risks of all identified groups. CONCLUSIONS: Men and women with a professional education have comparatively low death risks, particularly low among medical doctors and university employees, while the clergy seems to experience relatively higher death risks than others with a similar level of education. These patterns may reflect the effects of education as well as the selection of men and women to higher education. Language: en

Intra-provincial inequality in financing compulsory education in China: exploring the role of provincial leaders (1994–2001)

Abstract: Elitism argues that the values and experiences of the political elite shape policy, while institutionalism contends that an individual's behaviour is constrained by institutional settings. This article shows that both perspectives work well overall, while offering persuasive arguments, but the former is dominated by the latter. This explains the reluctance of leaders to equalize education if doing so means sacrificing their future promotion. Although provincial leaders have substantial influence on education equalization, such influence is the consequence of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) personnel regulations. Two distinct patterns are revealed: whereas governors, being more promotable, are more likely to be significantly constrained by the “promotion rule”, party secretaries, as more terminal officials, are more likely to be restricted by the “rule of retirement”. A heteroskedastic linear model that takes into account the influence of the speed of a leader's promotion on the variance of their behav...

Sigtuna Think Piece 4 Climate Change Education in Relation to Selective Traditions in Environmental Education

Abstract: In this paper the development of climate change education is related to three traditions of environmental education in Swedish schools: fact-based, normative and pluralistic traditions. These traditions are discussed from two perspectives; first that climate change is a political concept connected to different interests, ideologies, priorities and strategies; and second that compulsory education has democratic responsibility and should be carried out using democratic working methods to prepare pupils for active participation in civic life. It is stressed that the pluralistic approach has many advantages as it recognises the political dimension of environmental and sustainability issues and the same time, strives to avoid the risks of indoctrination by promoting students’ critical thinking and their democratic action competence. Finally the paper recognises a number of questions important to address in further research such as the relativistic attitude of a pluralistic approach and the meaning of such an approach in educational practice.

Local democracy, rural community, and participatory school governance.

Abstract: This article considers the indigenization of democracy in India by conceptualizing participatory deliberative decision-making practice as a tool to strengthen the functioning of local schools and to enhance democratic responsiveness within communities. Drawing on case-studies of bottom-up approaches to school governance, this study examines an array of innovative participatory governance practices that have emerged in diverse rural settings to make the state more responsive and accountable to the education of marginalized children. The author argues that these practices have enabled a fuller realization of people's rights and have enhanced their ability to influence larger institutions and policies affecting the schooling and life-options of their children. Citation: Arvind, G. R. (2009). Local democracy, rural community, and participatory school governance. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 24(2). Retrieved [date] from http://jrre.psu.edu/articles/24-2.pdf Introduction Since 1950, the Constitution of India has mandated free and compulsory education for all children until the age of 14. This national commitment was to be realized through the overall development of a more egalitarian, inclusionary, and equitable public education system. Yet, the goal of universalized elementary education continues to be elusive, both in qualitative and quantitative terms, in spite of much-publicized education reform efforts of the 1990s. Nearly 14 million children in India do not attend school. Of these nearly 14 million children, 52-55% are girls. Further, most children leave government primary schools without gaining basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic (Pratham, 2007). It is not difficult to discern the identity of these children: they are children of communities at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, largely located in rural and poor urban areas. Educational statistics (Government of India, 2006b) indicate the extent to which non-enrollment and discontinuation of education are associated with particular social groups and locations. Rural girls belonging to disadvantaged groups like Scheduled Castes or Dalits and Scheduled Tribes or Adivasis1 illustrate this phenomenon with 50% and 56% respectively having dropped out of school. Male-female differences are highest among the poorest quintiles of the population in both rural and urban areas. Educational participation corresponds to religious groups, as well. It is estimated, for example, that 25% of Muslim children in the 6-14 year age group have either never attended school or have dropped out (Government of India, 2006a). Dalits ("untouchable" castes), Adivasis (tribal groups) and Muslims (a religious minority) represent the most poorest and disadvantaged segments of Indian society, with social and spatial identity as the central axis of their exclusion (Kabeer, 2006). Govinda (2007) delineates three major levels at which exclusion from school occurs: (1) non-availability of school; (2) dropping out during the initial years of schooling without achieving basic literacy and numeracy skills; and (3) acquisition of basic competencies but the inability to transition from lower primary to upper primary grades. Other factors that exacerbate social exclusion from education in India include underinvestment in resources for elementary education, discriminatory school practices, disjunctures between socio-cultural ethos of home and school, and institutional arrangements of public schooling that lack accountability and responsiveness (Jeffery, 2005). Expanding and deepening community participation in the state's actions may represent one promising strategy to address these various factors that result in educational exclusion. Critical commentators like Sadgopal (2004, 2008) hold that the government and its varied organs have made education too dependent on over-centralized bureaucracies and uniform practices that overlook the nation's rich plurality. …

Children out of school:Evidence from the Community Survey.

Abstract: 1 Attendance data are derived from question 26 of the survey: “Is the person currently attending an educational institution?” The data refer to attendance at a point in time, and do not necessarily indicate regular attendance at school. These figures are also slightly lower than the enrolment figures calculated from the Department of Education SNAP surveys. Section 3(1) in the South Africa Schools Act requires that all children “attend school from the first school day of the year in which such learner reaches the age of seven years until the last day of the year in which such learner reaches the age of fifteen years or the ninth grade whichever comes first”. This period of compulsory schooling from grades 1 – 9 corresponds to the right to basic education that is guaranteed by section 29(1)(a) in the Constitution. Since 1994, South Africa has made significant strides in improving access to basic education, yet a recent survey suggests that approximately 400,000 children are still out of school. This essay draws on a detailed analysis of the 2007 Community Survey to explore patterns of access and exclusion and focuses on four key questions: How many children have access to basic education? In which areas of the country are children most likely to be out of school? What are the characteristics of children who are out of school? What are the key factors that shape children’s access to basic education?

Educational assessment in Portugal

Abstract: After living under a strong dictatorship for almost 50 years, Portugal has been a politically free country since 1974. Today, Portugal enjoys a constitutional democracy and has been a member of the...