Education Commons^™

Using Large-Scale Assessments Of Students' Learning To Inform Education Policy: Insights From The Asia-Pacific Region, Mollie Tobin, Petra Lietz, Dita Nugroho, Ramya Vivekanandan, Tserennadmid Nyamkhuu

Dr Petra Lietz

Not much is known about the ways in which assessment data have actually been used in education policy to date. Understanding the role of assessments in informing system-level decision-making is a first step towards helping stakeholders improve the design and usefulness of assessments. Moreover, this understanding can help to further discussions about how assessment data can best be used to inform policy and practice and to evaluate the effectiveness of policy reforms. This paper presents results from a systematic review of 68 studies that examined the link between participation in large-scale assessment programs of students’ learning and education policy in …

University Admissions In Australia: Multiple Pathways To The Same Destination, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

The undergraduate population in Australian universities is a diverse group. A mixture of age cohorts, and relatively large numbers of international students, as well as an increasing variety of entry pathways mean that examining policy and practice in admissions to university in Australia is very interesting while at the same time substantially complex. This chapter offers a background on the Australian university student population in order to highlight this diversity, and then explores different approaches to admissions within the university sector. Exploration of admissions policies and outcomes in Australia is timely. In recent years an emphasis on growth in the …

Informing Policy And Practice, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

Comparing results from large-scale assessments can usefully inform education policy and planning, and educational practice in schools and classrooms, as John Ainley explains.

Balancing Yin And Yang, Roger Clark, Angela Lang

Roger D. Clark

The first three-quarters of the semester flew by. We learned about quantitative data analysis and I loved it. I really enjoyed the numerical manipulations and seeing how it all related to people. Everything was there in front of me. Not too much imagination on my part was really needed. Then it all ended. Professor Clark introduced qualitative methods and the anxiety began. I soon realized I had to reinvent my creative side, which is something that as an undergraduate I am not required to do very often. I was nervous that I would discover that I was not creative at …

The Face Of Society, Roger Clark, Alex Nunes

Roger D. Clark

We have updated Ferree and Hall's (1990) study of the way gender and race are constructed through pictures in introductory sociology textbooks. Ferree and Hall looked at 33 textbooks published between 1982 and 1988. We replicated their study by examining 3,085 illustrations in a sample of 27 textbooks, most of which were published between 2002 and 2006. We found important areas of progress in the presentation of both gender and race as well as significant areas of stasis. The face of society we found depicted in contemporary textbooks was distinctly less likely to be that of a white man, very …

Telling Stories, Ellen Bigler

Ellen Bigler

Examination of the public discourse of Euro-American senior citizens and minority speakers during a community debate on the educational needs of Latinos indicates sharply differing constructions of group identity and explanations for the social and educational status of ethnic minorities. Reasons for conflicts over multiculturalism are explored.

What's A Policy Maker Doing At A Research Conference? Mediating Stronger Partnerships Between Research, Policy And Practice In Schooling And Early Childhood Development, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Elvira Vacirca

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

This paper, written from the stance of central government policy makers, explores the sometimes tense relationships between researchers, practitioners and education policy makers in a context where evidence-based policy is espoused by governments. It is based on a belief that research in education affects, and is affected by, multiple stakeholders, and that if we are to strengthen the role of education research as a public good, making a difference to society, then we need a model and a practice that can bridge stakeholder interests. The current quest in school education policy making for ‘what works’ is influenced by economic imperatives, …

Boys' Education Lighthouse Schools : Stage Two Final Report 2006, Peter Cuttance, Wes Imms, Sally Godhino, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Jean Thompson, Keryn Mcguinness, Gregory Neal

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

In 2004, schools involved in BELS Stage Two focused on trialling effective approaches to addressing boys' education, and establishing appropriate evaluation tools and methodologies to monitor the impact of these interventions. In 2005, BELS clusters implemented interventions across their clusters and measured their impact on their target group of boys. The Final Report provides a detailed analysis and discussion of the key findings and experiences of the 350 project schools in stage two of the Boys' Education Lighthouse Schools Programme. The BELS program followed almost a decade of public enquiries into issues associated with boys' learning in Australian schools

The Case For Early Targeted Interventions To Prevent Academic Failure, Irma Perez-Johnson, Rebecca Maynard

REBECCA A MAYNARD

The persistent achievement gaps among children of different race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the United States represent an issue that has commanded public, policy, and research attention on and off for about 100 years now, and it is once again in the forefront of policy-making agendas. Debates nevertheless abound on the most promising and cost-effective strategies to address the problem. We examine critically the available evidence on the benefits and costs of early childhood education and conclude that early, vigorous interventions targeted at disadvantaged children offer the best chance to substantially reduce gaps in school readiness and increase the productivity …