Education Commons^™

Education Out Loud Case Study: School For Life, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Jolanda Butler

International Education Research

Children living in remote rural parts of Ghana experience inequality in basic education, in terms of both access and outcomes. This issue is particularly acute in the north of the country and for girls. For example, 30 percent of children in the north have no school nearby and 20 percent will never enroll. Furthermore, transparency and accountability within Ghana’s education system is weak. Generally, information is not disseminated in a way that is accessible to most citizens (for example it is not produced in a local language), which means they are denied the opportunity to understand and engage with the …

Education Out Loud Case Study: Iid, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Miriam Linder

International Education Research

The education system in Bangladesh has undergone significant change since the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. In 1973 the community-sponsored school system, in which communities felt a moral obligation to take an active role in schools, was transformed into a centralised national system. This caused a shift in the sense of ownership of the education system and a disconnect between community and school. This in turn led to the development of a system, which lacks accountability and community monitoring, and has left the system vulnerable to shocks that disproportionately affect already disadvantaged students. Nevertheless, there have been some notable …

Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This case study is part of a larger body of work funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme. It explores the advocacy and policy influencing (API) activities of the GEAR Alliance, a transnational alliance of four East African civil society organisations (CSO) receiving funding from EOL, and the process, results and impact of action research project they conducted in partnership with MDF/ Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), an EOL ‘Global Learning Partner’ (GLP). EOL is the GPEs fund for advocacy and social accountability. The fund aims to support CSOs to be active and …

Analysis Of Early Childhood Education And Learning Outcomes In The Pacific, Dan Cloney, Yung Nietschke, Jeffery Marshall

Early Childhood Education

There is strong evidence supporting early childhood education (ECE) programmes as an effective way to support children to have the best start in life, especially for the most disadvantaged children. When high‐quality programmes are established – where quality is assured, and barriers to participation eliminated – large positive effects are observed that are sustained into adulthood. Indeed, substantial positive returns on public investment in ECE programmes are reported. When low‐quality programmes are taken to scale in the market, however, smaller effects or no effects are observed. This is attributed to failure to get quality right. And when quality is too …

Vulnerable Learners In The Age Of Covid-19: A Scoping Review, Catherine F. Drane, Lynette Vernon, Sarah O’Shea

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, The Author(s). This scoping review provides an overview of COVID-19 approaches to managing unanticipated school closures and available literature related to young people learning outside-of-school. A range of material has been drawn upon to highlight educational issues of this learning context, including psychosocial and emotional repercussions. Globally, while some countries opted for a mass school shut-down, many schools remained open for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This partial closure not only enabled learning in smaller targeted groups but also offered a safe sanctuary for those who needed a regulated and secure environment. In Australia, if full school closures were …

Fostering Educational Inclusion: Reality Far Removed From Policy, Ashu Kapur

Teacher India

The ground realities of inclusive education narrate a sad story of discrimination. Ashu Kapur shares the findings of her recent study.

Basic Education: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about the importance, structure, purpose, key issues and outcomes of basic education. It provides a foundation to engage in this topic and apply advice from staff with operational or expert levels of knowledge in education. On successful completion you will be able to be an informed participant in forums related to basic education.

Basic Education: Practitioner Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

This Practitioner level module is designed to ensure that Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) staff members who engage with and lead policy dialogue with international and domestic partners are informed about effective strategies for implementing basic education and key priorities in basic education. It is recommended that staff complete the Basic Education: Foundation level module as background information to this Practitioner level module. Topics covered by this module include definitions of basic education, how can we develop effective strategies for implementing basic education, key priorities in basic education and basic education post-2015.

The Influences Of Opportunity. Differences In Children's Play Choices Across Diverse Communities In Ireland, D O'Connor, V O'Rourke, C Robinson Mcgunnigle, M Mccormack

Education Conference Papers

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Project; a research study initiated by IT Sligo and Early Childhood Ireland in 2012. The focus of this paper is on the data section which highlights children’s play choices and opportunities across socio-economic communities. The study incorporated almost 1800 families across 240 communities. Data was collected within disadvantaged communities, middle class communities and affluent communities. Where and what children are playing was investigated. The choices children and families make within play have a direct effect on the developing brain of the young child (Acar & Torquati, 2015). This, in turn, affects …

Investigating The Relationship Between Equity And Graduate Outcomes In Australia, Sarah Richardson, Dawn Bennett, Lynne Roberts

Higher education research

Australian higher education equity policy focusses mostly on access and participation with the implicit assumption that disadvantage will be ameliorated through educational achievement. Less is known as to whether patterns of disadvantage continue post-completion. In a context in which graduate employability is becoming an important yardstick against which to measure institutional effectiveness, this question is of fundamental importance to higher education equity practitioners and policymakers. This study employed Commonwealth graduate outcome data to investigate relationships between disadvantage and graduate outcomes in Australia, with disadvantage defined as a graduate belonging to one or more of the following groups – low SES, …

Empowering Teachers And Learners: Strategies To Maximise Curriculum Potential And Counter Disadvantage In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Through The Khanyisa Initiative, M Maher, J Seach

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This paper first provides a discussion on disadvantage and what that means in an educational context. It then proposes a theoretical conceptualisation of curriculum highlighting that curriculum advantages some learners more than others on several levels. Finally, discussion then turns to an evaluative study of an initiative that is ongoing in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, involving disadvantaged learners and their teachers in under-resourced schools. Key findings from the study include effective ways the initiative found (a) to assist teachers in disadvantaged schools to keep abreast of changes to curriculum; (b) to empower teachers to promote their learners’ capacity to access the …

Lighting Up Learning: Mathematics Becoming Less Of A 'Killer Subject' In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Marguerite Maher

Education Papers and Journal Articles

This paper reports the findings of an evaluative study of an initiative, in its sixth year of implementation, enhancing the learning and teaching of mathematics in 20 disadvantaged secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, twenty years after democracy. Findings highlight the importance of initial and ongoing professional development for under-qualified teachers. Support and strategies that have enhanced the achievement in mathematics of learners in these still under-resourced schools, are described.

A Community To Call Home: An Analysis Of The Southern Youth And Family Services' (Syfs) Approaches To Reducing Youth Homelessness And Disadvantage, Lynne M. Keevers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The NSW government's stated approach to the reduction and prevention of homelessness is focused on ensuring service approaches are evidenced-based and funding is needs-based (NSW Department of Family & Community Services, 2012). Despite the recognition of homelessness in the research and policy agenda, relatively little has been published about the practices effective in assisting young people to avoid or exit homelessness. The findings from this study build on previous research and inform this developing policy and research area by contributing to the evidence on what works well in supporting young people who are homeless or at risk ofhomelessness

Developing Capabilities For Social Inclusion: Engaging Diversity Through Inclusive School Communities, Linda J. Graham, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The effort to make schools more inclusive, together with the pressure to retain students until the end of secondary school, has greatly increased both the number and educational requirements of students enrolling in their local school. Of critical concern, despite years of research and improvements in policy, pedagogy and educational knowledge, is the enduring categorisation and marginalization of students with diverse abilities. Research has shown that it can be difficult for schools to negotiate away from the pressure to categorise or diagnose such students, particularly those with challenging behaviour. In this paper, we highlight instances where some schools have responded …

Where Next? A Study Of Work And Life Experiences Of Mature Students (Incl. Disadvantaged) In Three Higher Education Institutions, Aidan Kenny, Ted Fleming, Andrew Loxley, Fergal Finnegan

Other Resources

This study explores how graduates who entered college as mature students, and ‘disadvantaged’ mature students, view and value Higher Education after graduating with a primary degree. The study highlighted the limited usefulness of the concept of disadvantaged mature student and the findings of the research were not significantly different whether one was a mature student or a disadvantaged mature student. The rationale given by the state for supporting mature students in Higher Education (HE) is that it will yield economic and social benefits for both the students and society. As a consequence a wide range of access policies has been …

Heg77-73 Wall Finishes, Magdalene Pfister

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses interior wall treatments: paint, wallpaper and fabric.

Paint is an easy, quick and inexpensive way to get the color you want. If you have a particular color in mind, you are most likely to find it in paint or have it mixed for the desired shade.

Wallpaper and other flexible coverings offer a wide variety of color, patterns and textures, It is possible to find a paper to go with any style of furnishings, formal or informal, in a wide price range. Some patterns are coordinated with fabric.

There are fabrics made especially for wall coverings which …