Category Archives Economics – Education
Those of us interested in the performance of education systems broadly [at a professional or policy level] or perhaps those of us interested in the specifics of educational results [perhaps as a business-owner, looking for a skilled pool of workers or as a parent, concerned for the future of those most-dear] should equally be interested in two [somewhat juxtaposed] reports…
The "teachers dispute" is still not settled. Telecommunications, Climate Policy, Labour Market renewal and work such as the Gonski review appear distant references on some future policy horizon. The treatment of education and skills as a simple cost in a budget, or some "sector" to "manage" fundamentally misunderstands the needs of a modern economy [which wishes to remain one] in this…
We shouldn't have to! It appears from contact with family and colleagues at what appears to be the largest state-wide teacher stop-work action ever held in Melbourne, Australia today, we are still very much in the cycle of what I like to call "retail economics and policy planning". It is sad to see such limited public debate about what is…
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…
In the most recent quarterly report [August 2011] on Household Debt and Credit by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York it reports [amongst many other things] that for the student loans will exceed $100 billion dollars and all outstanding balances will exceed $1 trillion dollars. Staggering numbers. Links: Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit [PDF]
MIT's [Massachusetts Institute of Technology ]Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a network of 59 affiliated professors around the world who are united by their use of Randomized Evaluations (REs) to answer questions critical to poverty alleviation. J-PAL's mission is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is based on scientific evidence. Their current work in the Education…
The disturbing scenes in London over the last few days bring in to a stark contrast the competing challenges of the immediate, short-term need for social order and the extended, long-term need for social inclusion. There are many thousands of pictures and words that will be written about this London summer. Jonathon Freedland, writing in the Guardian says: The soul…
Do Teachers Matter?. A psychology study hit the headlines last Friday under the banner ‘Teacher quality makes little difference, study shows’. AN AUSTRALIAN study has cast doubt over the “teacher effect”, by suggesting differences between teachers play only a minor role in how well a child will learn. The global study, led by the University of New England, monitored 500 pairs…