Arte-non-Vi

Tag: Social Mobility

  • Gough Whitlam

  • Social Mobility and Education Gaps

    Four Flags

    Those in Australia interested in the debate about education, equity and long-term social mobility within societies would benefit from reviewing the latest from the Sutton Trust.

    It is interesting to place the work of the Gonksi Review in the context of this discussion.

    My thoughts on Gonski can also be found here. A very soggy Gonski [as predicted]

    Current [and somewhat favourable] comparative analysis of Australia within the four countries should also be cautiously considered within the context of the trends we are are now seeing; greater inequity, and concentration of disadvantage. This should give policy-makers and parents alike, considerable pause…

    The Social Mobility Summit found:

    Despite being similarly unequal, the four major Anglophone nations have different social mobility levels, with the UK and US significantly less mobile than Canada or Australia.

    The Sutton Trust in the U.K. [Founded by Sir Peter Lampl in 1997] held a conference recently [May] presenting the latest international research findings on social mobility, educational achievement, and other key characteristics of the four major Anglophone countries – the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Australia. The report was jointly sponsored by the Sutton Trust and Carnegie of New York, it is the latest in a continuing line of work investigating international comparisons of mobility.

    It is interesting to note in our current domestic debate how positively others view our educational outcomes. Of course no single comparison is definitive, or necessarily useful, but the perspective of others can often add value to such doctrinaire debates.

    Social Mobility Summit -Underachievement Comparison
    Underachievement Comparison – Social Mobility Summit 2012

     

    Those interested in such research would find the work of the Sutton Trust and the recent Social Mobility Summit very useful.

    Links

     

  • Do we measure what we value?

    While still controversial, National Benchmarking [flawed or otherwise] allows us to begin the exploration of what is most difficult in education… Measuring our impact as educators and making comparisons over time, being able to repeat what works and identify and improve on what is not working.

    The data is critically important and the time series over the next decade will allow us to begin having vastly more sophisticated debate [I hope] about the value/extent and purpose of classroom practice. It would be good to have all sorts of data in real-time or near-real time, allowing us to identify and address disadvantage as well as sharing the techniques, processes and skills that produce quality outcomes [i.e improved social mobility]

    2001 and 2002 national literacy and numeracy benchmark data reveals a disturbing increase in the number of Year 7 children failing to achieve national benchmark standards.

    Link: 2001 and 2002 National Literacy and Numeracy Benchmark Data Released.