Archive for the ‘High Schools’ Category
Posted on Sep 29, 2011 06:05:05 PM
Maths, English, single sciences, a language and history until 16 should be combined with an A-level Baccalaureate. Photograph: Rui Vieira/PA
The indicators are not good. This week’s OECD performance measures, Education at a Glance, suggests the east is starting to overtake the west in skills. In the PISA league tables, the UK has dropped to 28th in maths while the Asian tigers hold the top spots. Today, five Conservative MPs set out what can be done in After the Coalition, a new book which suggests an agenda for the future of the Conservative party. We do not believe that falling down international league tables is inevitable. But to arrest decline, a radical change in our attitude to education is required.
The British education debate frequently focuses on how the ability or background of students has an effect on their attainment and outcomes. Some argue for a “mixed” catchment so that peers can have a positive influence, others argue for wholesale selection so that bright students from low-income backgrounds can benefit. Bright, low-income students do need a clearer path to success, but a system has to reward work as well as flair.
In the most successful countries, Canada and Germany for example, all students are required to work hard to “pass the year”, and if they don’t there is the sanction of being held back. Those who work hard and achieve can progress faster through the system, for example taking a harder maths class or additional courses in new subjects. Britain should adopt this “escalator” policy to motivate students to work.
Many students cut off career options at 14 when they drop critical subjects such as the single sciences and modern languages. The numbers studying these subjects has plummeted in the last decade. Those from low income backgrounds have been worst affected; only 24 per cent of students on free school meals took a language at GCSE.
In the modern world a core general education is a requirement of most employers and universities. Virtually all the countries that bypass Britain in league tables specify these subjects until 16, including Canada, France and Germany. We should and must expect more. A rigorous core including maths, English, single sciences, a language and history until 16 should be combined with an A-level Baccalaureate of high quality A-levels that gives students a clear signal about what universities want. A strong technical or arts Bacc with employer or institutional sponsorship should also be available for 16- to 18-year-olds. This will provide students with a clear path to success.
The current examination system is costly and lacks public trust. We are the only country in the world with an “independent regulator” because the structure is so complex. I am a free marketer, but this is no free market with heavy government specification and perverse incentives. The competition has been to try and lower the bar.
Posted on Jun 15, 2011 08:20:18 AM
Charter schools come so hyped for their performance that you do have to wonder if you are hearing everything you need to know. Here’s what you really need to know about what charter schools are capable of.
Certainly, about 15% of charter schools do produce better results for their pupils than the public schools in their area. But 15% is not an impressive number. About a full third of all charter schools do much worse than the public schools in their area; and the rest of them do just about the same. That’s what a Stanford research study finds. What they seem to feel is, that charter schools are no better than public schools – they are sometimes really good, and sometimes they are really bad. In about the same proportion.
The way charter schools go on about their commitment to quality, you never think to question them on the kind of teachers they employ. Charter school teachers however in general are less experienced and less likely to come with any kind of state certification. A lot less likely that the teachers at public schools. At the charter schools, they employ 10% fewer teachers with certification than the public schools do. Lots of the teachers at charter schools come from Teach for America. They follow unconventional paths into the teaching profession. In general, teachers who have a proper job with a public school really would never consider giving up the job security there for a job with a charter school. Many teachers at charter schools have little training in how to manage classes too.
And that’s not the end of the teacher problems that charter schools have either. About 25% of all charter school teachers leave their jobs each year. That’s twice the turnover that normal public schools roll with. One reason this is so is that charter schools pay their teachers very little. With little training and with little ability to manage their classes, these poorly paid teachers often leave the teaching profession altogether – more than twice as often as teachers in public schools.
Charter schools have other problems too. For instance, if your child has disabilities, the charter schools usually have no way to help you out. They’ll just tell you to find another school. And since many charter schools are run by private religious organizations, religion does often enter the classroom.
Some of the practices that charter schools engage in to recruit new students may often seem a bit in poor taste. Sometimes, they’ll simply advertise; at other times, they’ll give out cash prizes or gift cards. After all this, how do some charter schools actually get their results? For one thing, if they have students who don’t seem to be doing well, they don’t have any qualms about having those students leave. A regular public school has to take everyone in whether or not they perform well. Charter schools don’t have to take everyone. They sometimes lose half their class through the year. These are usually struggling students who feel they can’t find any help and just stop coming. Of course, charter schools can report great performance among their students if their poorly performing charges just feel forced to leave.
Posted on Oct 19, 2010 03:06:01 AM
The trend of parents choosing to home school their children grows each and every year. There are many reasons why families choose to do this, and some of them are not the right reasons. There are many good reasons to do it, but make sure your reasons are sound. If you are not sure how you feel, or you are feeling guilty for not doing it, think about the good and the bad of public high schools in your area before you make your final choice.
Some families pull there children out of public high schools to home school them because of violence and drugs. These are two very good reasons to do it. If your children only have access to a school that is plagued with both, and you can not afford private school tuition, home schooling may be the answer for your family, as long as you understand the scope of what you are taking on. If your child is being bullied, this is also a good reason, but don’t pull them out because of small adjustment problems. They need to learn to deal with peers. Without this, they are going to flounder in college and in the work force.
Another good reasons to pull your children out of public high schools is when they are having huge problems keeping their grades up when they did well in middle and elementary school. It could be that the classes are too big and they can not get the attention they need. Make sure this is the problem though, as some students have learning disabilities that show up in high school that have nothing to do with the level of education they are presented with at school. If you feel your attention will help them learn, perhaps home schooling is a good idea for your family.
There are also some bad reasons to pull your children out of public high schools. Your child may be doing just fine there, and perhaps they are excelling. If you have a very smart child, there are things they can get through the high school that you can not offer them at home. You do not want to pull them out if they are doing well just because you feel like it, which happens quite often. If they have dreams of college, and you can not teach them trig or calculus, you may want to rethink what you are about to do and why you really want to do it. Remember, even though your child may have some issue with peers and may struggle on occasion with some grades, there is more to public high schools than you may realize, especially for higher education.
There are life lessons that students learn in any high school that they will not get from home schooling. These include being on time, following a schedule, dealing with tricky person to person relationships, answering to authority, making the right choices, and learning how to say no to things that may harm them. They can learn these things through home schooling, but so many parents take a lax approach because they can, and their children miss out on these valuable life skills. Home schooling can work, but make sure you are really up to the challenge before you dive in. Education is about more than what shows up in the classroom.
Posted on Sep 28, 2010 03:35:02 AM
If you have lived in the same place for a very long time, you already know where your child is going to go to school until graduation. Unless you are willing to move, you don’t have much choice in the way of what high schools you want them to attend. Your choices are usually the public and private options in your community. However, if you are planning to move, but you are not sure where you are going to end up yet, you can look into all of the schools in the general area to decide which you think is the best. There are many things to look for in a school and many questions to ask.
High schools are not all the same. Some are large, some are small, and some are going to disappear. If you had a bad experience in school, you may be looking for a high school that is the opposite of what you experienced, but you can never judge any school by the size. Smaller schools have more close knit classes, but that can be a problem. However, some children get lost in larger high schools and their educations suffers because of it. A middle sized school may be the best all around bet.
High schools can only work with what they have. There are many districts that have had to cut back on many programs that were standard when you went to school. Big changes have happened in some high schools in the last five years. If you have been out of high school for quite a while, the changes are even bigger. When you are choosing among various communities, request information about the the school budget and changes that have been made. This information alone can help you cross some bad high schools off the list right off the bat.
Take a good look at the sports programs at each of the high schools you are considering. A good program has plenty of options, but you also want a school that is not all about the sports. It is great for kids to play end enjoy sports for many reasons, but some high schools focus on sports too much, leaving education in second place. Even worse, those students that are not into sports may suffer in such a school. Look for an active and funded sports program that is a part of education, not the entire story.
Lastly, the most important thing in any high schools is the track record of graduates and what classes they offer their students. Go into the school and talk with the principal and anyone else that can help you. Walk through the school to look for cleanliness and see how the school feels. Some schools just have a better feel than other high schools. You can tell a lot about a school just by walking through with someone from the school during school hours. No school is perfect, but make sure the one you choose has what you want and where you feel your child will be safe and valued.