EDUCATION EQUITY INTL.

Educational Repression: Baha'i Program target of Iranian Government Crackdown

2011-05-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

The following post comes directly for the Baha'i News Service website and is produced in original form:

GENEVA — A coordinated series of raids have been carried out on the homes of several Iranian Baha'is, active in a community initiative to provide a higher education programme for young members who are barred from university.

Reports indicate that raids took place on Saturday 21 May on as many as 30 homes in Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, and Shiraz. It is now understood that some 14 Baha’is have been arrested.

"All of the targets were homes of individuals closely involved with the operations of the Baha'i Institute for Higher Education," said Diane Ala'i, representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva.

The Baha'i Institute for Higher Education (BIHE) was established in 1987 as a community initiative to meet the educational needs of young Baha'is who have been systematically denied access to higher education by the Iranian government. The BIHE has been described by the New York Timesas "an elaborate act of communal self-preservation."

"The Institute has been a remarkably creative – and entirely non-violent – response to the Iranian government's on-going effort to stifle the normal human development of the Baha'i community," said Ms. Ala'i.

"The Iranian authorities – not content with debarring Baha'is from university solely on account of their religious beliefs – are now cruelly seeking to shut down the community's efforts to provide its youth with higher education through alternative means.

"The government's actions are utterly unjustifiable," said Ms. Ala'i.

This is not the first time that the BIHE has come under attack from Iranian authorities. One of the biggest blows was a series of sweeping raids carried out in 1998 during which some 36 members of the BIHE's faculty and staff were arrested, and much of its equipment and records – located in more than 500 homes – was taken. Other actions against the operations of BIHE were carried out in 2001 and 2002.

These attacks – and Iran's general policy prohibiting young Baha'is from entering higher education – have been met with strong condemnation by governments, academics, UN agencies, civil society organizations and others.

Among the numerous actions taken, university professors and chaplains around the world have sent letters of protest to the UN Secretary-General and the leaders of Iran; in 2006, the president of Princeton university in the United States raised the matter with the Iranian representative to the UN; Spain's House of Deputies has passed a strongly-worded resolution on the situation; Wolfson College, Oxford, also voted through a resolution in November 2007, as did the University of Winnipeg in Canada.

"These latest raids appear to be another concerted attempt to attack the BIHE, which the authorities have long sought to do," said Diane Ala'i.

"We are calling upon governments and educational organizations throughout the world to register with the government of Iran their strong disapproval of its systematic, ongoing efforts to deny to young Baha'is their fundamental human right to access higher education."

SOURCE: http://news.bahai.org/story/825

The Girl Effect

2011-03-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about The Girl Effect, it's about time. It's one of the most clearly articulated moves in development that resounds a powerful but simple truth--girls count. Of course girls count in everything, that's not the point. The heart of the message is that if the issue of girls and education is not addressed at an early stage, specifically in areas affected by extreme poverty, critical choices are made for her by others that can lead down an tragic (but avoidable) path that not only is detrimental to the individual, but to society as a whole.

So, what does the Girl Effect propose? Action. Whether you're in development or, anyone really, mobilization and action are key. The first step: awareness. Most people who read this blog wouldn't think this is anything new, but the sad fact is, it is really not that well understood writ large. Take a couple of minutes and watch this video--you won't regret it. It's inspiring, informative, and a call to action. If you're moved to do so, share it. It's worth the 5 minutes to move toward this vital goal of educational equity of all children. Also check out there website for more info (beautiful design and interesting info).

Education in Crisis of Convergence

2011-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

In the field of Comparative and International Education, there has been an on-going debate over whether schools are converging into a single popular model, or whether there are actual divides in how that all plays out. Within this debate there is a more vital argument being made: If models are converging, to which model is it converging, and who is pushing them toward that single model? Supporters of the "world culture theory" suggest that people adopt it on their own (whole nations in fact), and that it's for the better. Those who disagree have a whole string of arguments pointing toward other evidence suggesting that such convergence is not such a great thing. Well, Ken Robinson, a popular educator of our time, rightfully points out to how our model of education is BROKEN, based on outdated and detrimental thinking. Here is a animation that accompanies his world renowned TED talk. It is a must see (if you haven't already). It is thought provoking and alarming. It is also inspiring to one who wants to make a difference but isn't quite sure.

Waiting for Superman: Education on the Brink of Failure and Success

2010-10-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard about "Waiting for Superman" you must make a little time to check it out. It speaks to the gross situation facing education in the United States.

Participant Media - Pledge To See This Film from CypherAudio on Vimeo.

Here is just a blurb about their mission:

The Waiting for "Superman" social action campaign has one primary goal: to ensure that every child receives a great education. The campaign seeks to build public awareness, ignite personal involvement and inspire real social change.
The campaign's four core initiatives are:

Setting academic standards that are on par with the world's best
Recruiting and rewarding great teachers
Creating and nurturing excellent schools, and
Increasing literacy rates

The following pages are a toolkit for educational reform. Learn more about the Waiting For "Superman" initiatives below, and find ways to take action with our "Help Your School" and "Fix the System" tips throughout this site. Help our students get the quality education they deserve. Our country's future depends on it.
And every child deserves a great education.

Home Schooling

2010-10-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Home Schooling has perhaps been the longest standing form of education out there. It's nothing new. However, in the United States and some other developing countries its coming back strong. In many other parts of the world it continues in various forms. DegreeSearch.org has produced a infographic of homeschooling statistics in the State--very nifty and telling: Check out the graphic here.

Inspiring Start in South African with Dedicated Schools

2010-09-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

"CAPE TOWN — Gcobani Mndini, a shy, lanky 17-year-old, said he was already a gangster by the time he started ninth grade. His small gang, which called itself the Tomatoes, was robbing people, fighting over girls and getting high on Jack Daniel’s and marijuana.

Enlarge This Image

Joao Silva for The New York Times

Gcobani Mndini, right, a former gang member, has become a talented science student at the Leap school in Cape Town.

“I joined the gang because I wanted to belong,” he said.
He has since found that he fits in the last place he might have expected — at a private high school that is reinventing education for teenagers from South Africa’s black townships.
Gcobani quit gang life and has emerged as a talented science student seeking admission to the country’s finest universities. A teacher recently looked in on a class of students studying late on a weeknight and asked, “Everything good?” Gcobani gave a thumbs up"

You got to read the rest of this story!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/09/world/africa/09safrica.html

Free Classroom for the World

2010-08-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Khan Academy is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission of providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Despite being the work of one man, Salman Khan, this 1600+ video library is the most-used educational video resource as measured by YouTube video views per day and unique users per month. We are complementing this ever-growing library with user-paced exercises--developed as an open source project--allowing the Khan Academy to become the free classroom for the World.

Here is a video explaining how to navigate through the library:

Learning Landscape: Math and Games

2010-08-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

What do a set of old tires and math have in common. Apparently a whole lot! Learning Landscape is an ingenius initiative that has created a grid based play ground to empower learning of math through games. According the Project H Design website:

Learning Landscape is a scalable, grid-based playground system for elementary math education. The spatial grid is intended to combine active movement and competition with mathematic curricula, providing an outdoor classroom framework for fun and engaged learning. Because math is universal, Learning Landscape can be adapted for use in any country and can be tailored to a range of skill levels.

Goes to show how innovations are being made with face-to-face time without high gadgetry for the purpose of learning in a joyous and student driven media--games!

Conductive Education

2010-07-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

We often narrow our view of education as a classroom and homework type venture. Most of us would agree that it extends into various parts of our lives, including the education of our values, cultural, social dynamics, sports, etc. Recently, by chance, I heard about conductive education, and found it surprisingly refreshing. Education equity is universal, and not restrained to economic, geographic, and political considerations but also in terms of wider aspects of the human experience.

The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Association statistics shows that one in five hundred babies born this year will have Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a global issue. Conductive education is a way of empowering children and adults in not only being able to physically function, but to gain the confidence and competence to exercise their potential and capacity through learning and sharing. The video below is from one of several non-profit outfits called the Movement Centre of Manitoba (Canada).

The Movement Centre of Manitoba is a non-profit organization that is committed to improving the physical health of children and adults with physical disabilities. Through the teachings of “Conductive Education”, they strive to maximize the independence of our clients. They provide movement and learning opportunities with appropriate motivations and expectations, in order to overcome the challenges faced by the physically impaired population.

Take a few moments and visit their site to see the amazing work they are doing in empowering otherwise marginalized children and adults through holistic education programs: http://movementcentre.ca/

Education Equality Project

2010-06-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a site I recently came across now that I've emerged from my dungeon of dissertation writing. There mission statement and the rationale for their existence is clear--close the achievement gap linked to race and economic disparity:

What is our mission?
The Education Equality Project is leading a civil rights movement to eliminate the racial and ethnic achievement gap in public education by working to create an effective school for every child.

Why did we start EEP?
By any measure, our public education system is in a state of crisis. It is time for us all to confront the reality that this challenge cannot be met by continuing to rely on solutions that have not worked in the past, or by implementing incremental changes and hoping for dramatic results.

To read more about the organization and what it's trying to accomplish (including its goals)--or better yet, if you want to help out and get involved--go to their website at http://educationequalityproject.org

2009-11-12T21:58:00.001-08:00

International Education Week is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of our efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

We encourage the participation of all individuals and institutions interested in international education and exchange activities, including schools, colleges and universities, embassies, international organizations, businesses, associations, and community organizations.

The dates for IEW 2010 are November 15th - 19th. The dates for IEW 2011 are November 14th - 18th. Click here for more information.

Why Education Matters

2009-10-10T01:00:00.001-07:00

Check this post on the Camfed site (also a must see if you haven't heard of them). It include short segments from school girls in Zimbabwe and their take on their educational prospects and opportunities. Yes, it plugs Camfed, but the point remains clear and reminds me of those privileges to which I have access.

Why Education Matters

The Providence Effect: Haven't you heard?

2009-09-30T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is an absolute MUST-SEE for those who can get out to the theatres that show the movie THE PROVIDENCE EFFECT (visit the website).

Here is the back (true) story:

Paul J. Adams III, an African-American man with activist roots in the 1960’s civil rights movement, came from a family of teachers. After being black listed himself as a teacher in Alabama because of his civil rights activities, he moved to Chicago, received a master’s degree in psychology, and then landed a job as guidance counselor at Providence St. Mel, an all-black parochial school on Chicago’s notorious drug-ridden, gang-ruled West Side.

A year after his arrival, Adams became principal, only to be told the following year that Chicago’s archdiocese was going to close the school. After orchestrating a fundraising campaign that received national and local media attention, funds poured in and enabled Adams to buy the school from the Sisters of Providence and convert it to a not-for-profit independent school. To ward off thieves and vandals, he literally moved into the empty nuns’ quarters of the convent inside the school.

He then set about achieving a new goal: To turn Providence St. Mel into a first rank college preparatory school, and its African-American student body into a corps of driven, disciplined, high achieving students.

That was over 30 years ago. Since then, 100% of Providence St. Mel graduates have been accepted to college, half of them, during the last seven years, to first tier and Ivy League colleges and universities.

The road from failing inner city school to a pre-K-through-12 educational system that produces graduates who attend Ivy League colleges and universities was not a smooth one. THE PROVIDENCE EFFECT traces the school’s development from a struggling shoe-string budget dream into a school and a method of teaching that produces not only inspired students, but parents, teachers and administrators dedicated to settling for nothing less than the highest expectations.

As testament to the hurdles overcome, and the efficacy of the teaching model that governs education at Providence St. Mel, THE PROVIDENCE EFFECT features interviews with alumni who share how the school re-wrote the failing, mediocre lives that had been scripted for them because of their West Side origins. The shared consensus is that the school’s philosophy set them up for success because greatness was expected of them.

Cameras in class reveal how teachers are held to just as high and demanding a standard as is expected of the students. Administrators are dedicated to insuring that a teacher’s first and only job is to teach….not to administer, not to become bogged down in red tape or hindered by a self-perpetuating bureaucracy.

In the 80s, President Reagan visited twice, remarking in the film, “This is the way it should be done.” As a young organizer, President-to-be Barack Obama also visited the school.

THE PROVIDENCE EFFECT is an effect that is on the cusp of becoming viral nationally: The school’s teaching method has been so successful that in 2006 another school, this time on Chicago’s south side became a charter school --- appropriately named Providence Englewood --- solely in order to achieve the same results. In two short years, these students scores have gone from the 9th percentile to the 50th percentile on the Terra Nova Standardized tests. Students at Providence Englewood significantly outperform other schools within their neighborhood.

Those improved scores are…THE PROVIDENCE EFFECT.

Education for All: Who's and What Education are we Talking About

2009-09-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

Not long ago the report for the 2009 Education for All campaign was released putting emphasis on the role of governments. One of the major obstacles to universal primary enrollment around the world is funding for school facilities, teacher salaries, personal fees, and materials. Here is a short clip by UNTV that briefs on last years EFA meeting in New York, and how several states have committed to providing more aid to developing countries.

There has to be a balance however between dumping money at a problem (which is totally legit despite what some critics think), allocation and management of that money, and finally the building of sustainable internal capacity to provide such schooling. At the most general level, most observers will agree that fixing one sector in society at a time isn't a long term solution. In other words, you can't just develop the education sector alone in order to create a sustainable system. There has to be more broad and deeper changes in society.

Many have spoken to this point, particularly the innovative educator Ivan Illich. In his "Deschooling Societies" (now available in full online; click here for text), Illich wrote how schools reflect the values of society, and how until society is tranforms education will remain limited in its scope and its objectives. Illich argues that we have placed emphasis on achievement in learning as oppose to the value of processes of learning. Standards are not rejected, but they cannot be the ultimate goal of learning, if we are to envision a more rich and fruitful engagement in education.

How does this relate to Education For All. Well, let's take a quick look. The goal is ultimately to get children into schools, to get them literate (reading and writing), and to graduate so that they have equal opportunities. All three seem like great goals. However, what models are used as schools? There is a great book called "Who's education for all: The recolonization of Africa?" which talks about how EFA is geared toward establishing Western modeled schools which favors the prevailing dominant groups, and immediately puts other cultural societies at a disadvantage. I think the balance is that while we look to get all our children into schools, we should be equally concerned with what type of schools their getting into, and what they are studying.

As caveat, I have to say that it seems to be self-righteous for me to talk about being critical of an education campaign while sitting comfortably in my home with the luxury of accessible schooling. Yet, I'm not saying EFA is bad at all. On the contrary, I'm suggesting that while the policy makers and states are moving forward with providing education in the ways they know how, educators need to rethink and make concerted effort not to dish out or content ourselves with a educational model that has not served the greater majority of the world. We can do better always, and so pausing to reflect qualitative issues is equally as important as quantitative ones.

How do you get under served students access to Universities?

2009-07-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

One of the major challenges of getting under served high school graduates into universities has been access, recruitment, and after being admitted, keeping students for the full term of their undergraduate studies.

The Center for Research on Educational Equity, Assessment, and Teaching Excellence--also known as CREATE--has launched a program that targets one of the key roots of the dilemma in increasing access and sustainability, namely pre-university education. As their mandate suggests, the challenge rests in their preparation for university and not university entrance systems or processes alone. To address this issue, they state that CREATE aims to:

Forming collaborations between UCSD and local elementary and secondary school districts
Offering the highest quality of education to 700 students at their on-campus model school (The Preuss School).
Conducting research on improving educational opportunities for underserved students
Offering innovative teacher education and professional development opportunities for local educators.

With an array of educationalists and university faculty members at the University of California, San Diego, CREATE offers a promising model of community engagement and educational solidarity which seems to be fragmented for the most part and disconnected between K-12 and univesrity levels throughout the United States. Not only do professors and instructors share their cutting edge research and experience, but UCSD students also get involved as mentors in encouraging and helping youth foster ideas of higher education.

For more information about CREATE visit their website at http://create.ucsd.edu/index.htm.

2009-04-27T07:09:00.001-07:00

The End of the University?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27taylor.html

Social Cohesion and Development Aid

2009-03-11T13:51:00.000-07:00

An Interesting Randomized Field Study Causally Linking Development Aid and Social Cohesion in Liberia

http://www.aeaweb.org/assa/2009/retrieve.php?pdfid=485

President Barack Obama's Education Speech Today

2009-03-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

U.S. president Barack Obama today addressed several challenges facing the American education system. Obama made the comments before the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Among the problems Obama talked about - high college and high school dropout rates. Near the end of his speech, Obama stressed the importance of factors outside of school, in particular parental involvement and supplemental education, in ensuring students succeed in school. Obama also reminisced about the crucial role his mother played in his own early education.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8-DEMtAE9q4i4ySQ0eV_qZefmRQD96R8VA01

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2009/03/obama_thinks_big_on_education.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/10/obama-administration-education

Education For All - Inequity: Why Governance Matters

2009-02-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

In 2000, world leaders made two sets of major development commitments. The first was the Dakar Framework for Action, where governments from 164 countries adopted six ambitious targets for education for all children, youth and adults for 2015. The second, also for 2015, was the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): eight wide-ranging commitments for areas including education, child and maternal health, nutrition, disease and poverty.

The EFA goals and the MDGs are mutually interdependent. Not only a right in itself, education plays a crucial role in reducing poverty and inequality, improving child and maternal health, and strengthening democracy. Conversely, progress in education depends on gains in other areas, such as the reduction of poverty and disadvantages, and increased gender equality. (EFA 2009)

The most recent EFA report, produced under the auspice of UNESCO, entitled “Inequality: Why Governance Matters” (2009), asserts that universal primary education (one of six goals) WILL NOT be met by the 2015 deadline.

The main barriers, the report explains includes disparity related to wealth, gender, ethnicity, and location. They warn that if governments are to take the Education for All goals seriously, they will need to grapple with the challenges of inequality.

The report theme is framed by the role of governance in achieving the goals. On the one hand, developing countries do not allocate enough funds to education (while NGOs and donors have fallen short on their part as well). On the other hand, financing alone, the report contends, is not sufficient; equity issues are at the heart of the disparity between the rich and poor, boys and girls, and various ethnic and regional divides.

The authors of the report make several clear suggestions about how governments can contribute toward: (1) breaking the cycle of disadvantage, (2) improving access, (3) raising quality, and (4) enhancing participation and accountability. Yet, a shortfall of efforts on the part of governments’ in addressing inequity remains an unavoidable obstacle.

In the following posts, I will discuss the latest EFA Report and its evaluation of the status and recommendations related to the six goals, which include: (1) early childhood care and education; (2) universal primary education; (3) meeting the lifelong learning needs of youth and adults; (4) adult literacy; (5) gender; and. (6) quality.

Link to the EFA report: click here.

2009-02-20T11:26:00.001-08:00

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Education for Prisoners Too?

2009-02-17T23:17:00.000-08:00

An organization (non-profit) based out of Chicago, Illinois (in the United States) has rallied efforts in launching "Education Justice Project"--an initiative to offer college education to those in prison. Educational opportunity is not only the right of all humans, but it is a fundamental means for personal and social development.

This short introduction gives a very brief overview of what they're all about and why they feel encouraging college courses in prison is not only helpful to convicts but also to society at large:

Research is clear. College-in-prison programs reduce arrest, conviction, and reincarceration rates among released prisoners. Evidence has also linked the presence of college-in-prison programs to fewer disciplinary incidents within prison, finding that such programs produce safer environments for prisoners and staff alike. College-prison programs also have benefits for inmates' families and, hence, their communities. The strongest predictor of whether a given person will attend college is whether her or his parents did. When an incarcerated person receives a college education, whether or not s/he is eventually released, his or her children are more likely to pursue their own educations. In spite of these significant benefits, there has been a precipitous drop in college-in-prison programs around the country. There were over seven hundred degree-granting programs at their height, in the early 1990s. In 1994 the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act eliminated the use of Pell Grants for prisoners, and most prison college programs closed, including Illinois' BA-granting programs. Bachelor degrees have not been offered in Illinois prisons since 2002.

2008-11-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

Check this out:

November 19 to 25

The November New Tactics on-line dialogue will feature “Human Rights in Higher Education: Incorporating practical experience”. This dialogue will specifically feature ideas, experiences and methods from human rights higher education programs for incorporating practical experience into human rights curriculums to better prepare human rights advocates for doing “on the ground” and “in the trenches” human rights work.

Go visit there website (click here)to participate or observe the on-going dialogue.

Little Steps Big Progress: Collaborations beween Intl. and Local

2008-10-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

In the Gansu Province, demographically representative of China's Muslim population, educational quality and access has been a significant challenge. With funding from the British Government Department for International Development (DFID) and management by the Gansu Provincial Education Department (and support from a team of international and national consultants provided by Cambridge Education Consultants), the Gansu Basic Education Project was launched in 1999--serving a school-age population of about 110,000 children. Poverty and access are the greatest obstacles that had impeded development on the education front. While participation is always a targeted goal, strategies to strengthen an overall school system through a variety of means is essential. Some of the main tenets and components of the Gansu Basic Education Project (GBEP) includes:

- School Development Planning
- Participatory Approaches to Teaching
- Early Years Education
- Special Education Needs
- Teacher Training
- Financial Reform
- Location Planning
- Civic Works Program
- Monitoring and Evaluation

The following video clip provides a snapshot of some of the challenges facing the province's school and education issues, and how the GBEP has set out to address them.

The progress is staggering. More importantly, the project's implementation of monitoring and evaluation and collaborating with local administrators, educators, and stakeholders has really rooted the program in sustainibility. For more information about the project, visit GBEP Website.

A Poem: My Right to Learn by R. Prouty

2008-08-06T17:47:00.000-07:00

My right to learn
By Robert Prouty

I do not have to earn
The right to learn.
It’s mine.
And if because
Of faulty laws
And errors of design,
And far too many places where
Still far too many people do not care –
If because of all these things, and more,
For me, the classroom door,
With someone who can teach,
Is still beyond my reach,
Still out of sight,
Those wrongs do not remove my right.
So here I am. I too
Am one of you
And by God’s grace,
And yours, I’ll find my place.
We haven’t met.
You do not know me yet
And so
You don’t yet know
That there is much that I can give you in return.
The future is my name
And all I claim
Is this: my right to learn.

Published in "A Human-Rights Approach to Education for All" in UNICEF (2007)

2008-07-31T15:44:00.000-07:00

There are two education initiatives that I want to highlight. The first is Jumpstart's "Read for the Record", an initiative to increase literacy among young children by encouraging at risk kid's to read the same book on the same day. The second is "School On Wheels", a program geared towards helping homeless children who struggle in school or who do not attend school (hundreds of thousands in the United States alone).

Jumpstart Read for the Record (excerpt from website):

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a campaign designed to bring attention to the importance of early education. By encouraging hundreds of thousands of children and adults to read the same book on the same day, Jumpstart aims to break a world record and to make early education a national priority. Children and adults will read together at events nationwide on October 2, in schools, libraries, stores, hotels, playgrounds, offices, and homes.

School on Wheels (exerpt from website):

The mission of School on Wheels is the enhancement of educational opportunities for homeless children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Our goal is to shrink the gaps in their education and provide them with the highest education possible. We do this by offering:

One-on-one weekly tutoring
Backpacks, school supplies and school uniforms
A toll-free number for kids to keep in touch with us
(800-923-1100)
Assistance in entering school
Help in locating lost records
Parent guidance in educational matters for their children.

Education for All: Relatively Current Situation

2008-07-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

As discussed previously, Education For All, an international initiative to provide children from all societies and countries access to basic education, has seen its fair share of triumphs and pitfalls. Before going into more detailed debates, I compiled a synopsis from the World Bank’s site, the primary donor of the initiative, describing the relatively current situation with the goals. I’m pasting things in pieces, so those who are not familiar can catch up before diving into the murky waters of perhaps the biggest education initiative in the world.
Although there has been steady progress towards achieving many of the EFA goals, challenges remain. The following is a synopsis of the current landscape.

77 million children (44 million girls) out of school due to financial, social or physical barriers and pressures
Access to schooling has improved over the years but many countries will not reach the education Millennium Development Goals of Universal Primary Completion (UPE) by 2015.
47 out of 163 countries have achieved Universal Primary Completion (20 countries are estimated to be “on track” to achieve the education MDG by 2015).
44 countries, 23 of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, not likely to achieve the goal of UPE by 2015 unless efforts are accelerated substantially.
Improved access to education has helped increase girls’ enrollment (primary & secondary)--particular in low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
As of 2006, 24 countries are not likely to achieve the gender parity at neither primary nor secondary level (13 of these are in Sub-Saharan Africa).
Low quality of education primary concern—less than 60% of school children finish the entire sequence of grade levels starting at first grade.
Teacher to student ration in many countries is in excess of 40:1, and many primary teachers lack adequate qualifications

I'll pick up with more details about the victories and challenges of the EFA and its implications on education in the world today.

Weighing SES as a factor in graduate admissions?

2008-07-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article I ran across today via the Teachers College website with definite educational equity implications:

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/09/class

Education for All: An Introduction

2008-07-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

In the next few posts, I want to discuss topics related to the international education initiative known as Education for All. A short description from their website (click here) gives a brief background for those unfamiliar with its particulars (including its six broad goals):

Education for All (EFA) is an international commitment first launched in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 to bring the benefits of education to “every citizen in every society.” Partners comprised a broad coalition of national governments, civil society groups, and development agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank. In response to slow progress over the decade, the commitment was reaffirmed in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 and then again in September 2000, when 189 countries and their partners adopted two of the EFA goals among the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

As you can see from the description, the goals keep getting pushed back. There is a lot of huffing and puffing by those in favor and critics of the initiative. And the weight of the burden rests not on a single source, but on countries, donors, and all education stakeholders. And that's the meat of the posts to follow. The following goals ought to be kept in mind during any discussion--they are ambitious and yet the bare minimum:

Expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
Ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality.
Ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programs.
Achieve a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.
Eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieve gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls' full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
Improve all aspects of the quality of education and ensure excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

Ultimately, most people, organizations, and states believe all should have access to education; but it's easier said than done. So this post is a head's up and hopefully a link for backup knowledge on EFA. Here is a 45min video called "Schools Matter" examining Education for All, its triumphs and obstacles (it's worth the watch, even if you skip around).

Innovations for Education Equity: Part Three of Three

2008-07-01T12:56:00.001-07:00

Innovation doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, the term refers to something new or different introduced, as in a thing or method. In many parts of the world, where education equity remains a challenge, the need isn't only about creating a creative classroom structure, interlocking institutional collaborators working to setup new types of schools, or the like--innovation can simply mean adding something different to the equation, like subsidized uniforms.

In Nigeria, a country with 40% of school age children not attending basic school, costs become barrier for parents to send there children to school [see Nigeria: Girls Education overview]. Jamila, a 12 year old girl from northern Nigeria, had to drop out of school in Grade 2 because her family couldn't afford uniforms. So, in the hope that additional income might some day pay off, Jamila started working.

Multilateral organizations, such as UNICEF, identify such needs in various parts of the world, and call on government and non-government agencies to collaborate in providing aid to these countries. The idea of providing aid has been criticized by many scholars and practitioners in the field of education development (and I'll certainly tackle that in future posts), but often such aid makes the difference for girls like Jamila who just want to go to school. In this 3 minute clip, UNICEF TV reports that the UK provided $15 million funding aid in the form of school supplies, instruction material, and peripheral schooling needs, all administered and distributed by UNICEF. As one parent said, "When I heard that sending my daughter to school would be of no cost to me, I decided that I would let her go [instead of working]".

So maybe not as flashy as a cool comic book themed tutor center, or as ingenius as a community school, but such efforts of providing basic needs to families to meet their education needs is sobering, and reminds us that even a little postive change introduced to current situation is better than nothing!

Now, we might not have $15million dollars to dish out, but maybe 15hours of service, 15ideas to share with others, 15minutes of a daily drive to take some at-risk youth to an afterschol program, etc. The point of these last three posts is that notwithstanding all the inequity in the wolrd, there are individuals, groups, and organizations, trying to make a difference.

Innovative Solutions for Educational Equity (Part Two fo Three)

2008-06-25T14:31:00.001-07:00

Dave Eggers, a writer and publisher, started an after school tutoring program (writing) in Brooklyn, New York, called "826 Valencia". The program is far from ordinary and conventional. Many after-school tutoring programs are challenged by getting kids to come, and keeping their interest. The key for this batch of would-be volunteers was that they wanted to serve the community but had no outlet--even though their hours were flexible. Eggers married flexible hours of good writers and a rented space (a mutual office and tutoring center), conceiving what would turn out to be magical experiences of learning.

Eggers colleagues and friends decided that they would be working in the office, and when students might come in, they would stop to help the kids out. As it turned out, the office was zoned for commercial use, and thus they needed to sell something. They switched on the creative wheels in a big way. During construction and clearing the place out, by hap chance and some joking around, they thought "wouldn't it be cool if we had a PIRATE supply store!" Without missing a beat, they sold peg legs, planks by the foot, eye patches, and a whole lot of pirate accessories--you name it.

The eager volunteers put out a sandwich board advertising tutoring, and with excitement they waited. But no one showed up. They realized there might have been a a trust gap. So, Dave got a friend to come in (from Berkley) as a full time director to create ties with local schools, parents, etc. Things were on the go.

The environment became quite attractive not only to the students who stopped in, but also passers-by. The students loved the pirate themes, and the fact that no stigma was attached to the center (i.e. "the center where poor performing students go"). The kids were invited to come right after school so they wouldn't have the distractions preventing them from completing homework. Plus, because the tutoring center was shared with Eggers publishing house, Eggers team decided to start publishing the kids stories into books. It was a big hit! Here you had kids who were so-called poor performers in English writing and reading, become authors. Kids kept pouring in, as did volunteers (they have 1600 volunteers on roll). The key was flexibility for tutors and students--well, and a little magic. The project developed further, and moved into the actual Middle Schools (using the decorative style of the tutoring center).

The "826 Valencia" crew technically had products for sale, but it was tongue and cheek. But they could never imagine what happened next. The products started selling like hot cakes, and after some time, they were making profit that went straight into the tutoring center.

Sister tutoring centers also emerged in different parts of the United States. One tutoring center uses a detective/spy theme, another uses a super hero theme. Now, I know I link videos often, but you HAVE to see this one. Dave Eggers was rewarded the TED prize winner for his "Once upon a School". The video is of him talking about the start-up of the initiative and its development in a 10min very ANIMATED and illustrated presentation (he's got energy).

Eggers and colleagues started a website called Once Upon a School, where they encourage people to share their creative employment of education and other youth programs (in school, after school, and on breaks). Some of the ideas posted here are just brilliant, yet simple and sustainable. it goes to show that big reform may be needed, but it's not the only nor necessarily the most effective way for postive change.

Innovative Solutions for Educational Equity (Part One of Three)

2008-06-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

There are many innovative initiatives by individuals and organizations trying to grapple with educational equity issues, from local to global settings. In the next three entries, I will be covering the story of examples of innovative solutions to educational inequity.

From the article “Quiet Revolutionaries” (click on link for full article)

In UTTAR PRADESH, India, where there is a significant shortage of school teachers (much like many parts of the world) different grade levels are merged into one class. This has resorted to inadequate focus on grade-appropriate levels of education, and thus a degraded learning experience.

A group of eight young adults (mostly in their 20s) who believe education to be key to the moral and social development of their community have stayed back in their rural town to coordinate efforts to increase learning opportunities for the “next generation”. By soliciting the help of youth who have been educated but remain unemployed, they have form a cadre of tutors and teachers for their new Community School, which offers higher quality education with a modest fee (approximately 1USD a month). While the state run schools are free, parents and community members lament their obvious lack of adequate education; and thus many welcome these novel community schools.

The young group of volunteers did not draw on any big investment to launch their grassroots initiative (it remains a very sustainable project), and they don’t make any unrealistic promises to parents. This model has received such warm reception by community members that 8 other schools have emerged in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

A nongovernmental organization based in Lucknow (capitol of Uttar Pradesh), the Foundation for the Advancement of Science (FAS), partners with the grassroots volunteers. In fact, it was the alignment of the youth’s initiative and the goals of FAS that prompted the development of the community schools. FAS organizers describe how after having received external funding but failed projects, they have focused on supporting local initiatives with teacher training, curriculum development, and only when necessary monetary support (like hiring one or two full time teachers). The infrastructure of the schools comes from donated furniture and supplies, and compensated with the school fees and minor financial support from FAS.

Mr. Kumar, who holds a master’s degree in education that presumably could guarantee him a comfortable job in the city, says: “I could have done many other things that would give me more money and involved less effort. But here I am doing something not for myself but for the village as a whole by bringing about moral, social, economic, and intellectual change.”

At the end of the day, the volunteers and FAS aren’t just aiming at providing disciplined-centered education alone, but rather a more full education that includes character development. They’re not just schooling kids, they’re raising the next generation of citizens.

Should knowledge have a price?

2008-06-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

For some time now there has been an on-going debate about whether scholarship should be completely “open access” or remain under the purview of traditional systems of knowledge vetting and distributions, such as scholarly peer-reviewed journals. Several top tier schools, such as Harvard and MIT have moved over to the “open access” camp, contending that knowledge should be free. But why is there sudden interest and momentum behind open access now? Two main reasons (among others):

The Internet: With the proliferation and easy accessibility of the World Wide Web, the internet has become an easy, non-territorial (for the most part), and cheap (and often free to most) way of accessing and distributing knowledge.
Revulsion against Monopolistic Multinational Journal Publishers: Over the last couple of decades, particularly the last, many for-profit companies have been buying academic journals and raising prices. It’s a lucrative business, particularly now that professors promotion is measured in number of published academic articles. In response, many researchers feel that this is inequitable to those who do not have the means to access their work (which they feel should be main available to whoever whats access)

In his article, “The Costs and Benefits of ‘Open Access’ Scholarship”, Philip Altbach (2008) weighs the pluses and minuses of open access knowledge exchange. The pluses seem pretty obvious: international access by institutions, scholars, and students who can’t afford what many publishers claim to be “affordable” prices (which really aren’t); anyone can share their research (not based on judgmental standards and criteria dominated by one particular knowledge system (i.e. Western). Altbach, surprisingly, discusses the minuses of the traditional system but really leans toward the minuses, namely, “all knowledge becomes equal”. This sounds snobbish out of context, but what he means is that some goof ball with a slighted agenda can produce so-called research, and thus becomes undifferentiated with someone who has taken measures to produce unfalsified work. In other words, open access publishing is a “use at your own risk” way of knowledge distribution. He contends that peer-review does a pretty good job of sharpening scholarship standards, despite the publishing end costs.

At the end of the day, journals are charging way to much, they are quite burdensome for some institutions to host without the necessary resources, and knowledge remains in the hands of gate-keepers (review process).

Check this short 10min overview by professors and university affiliates about "open access", called "Why Open Access?"

As the move toward “open access”, of which I am a huge fan, increases and is adopted by leading institutions, challenges will also multiply. As in the case of Harvard or MIT, their open access is hosted on their sites, which lends the material immediate credibility. But what about other universities and organizations? Do we, like Altbach, settle for the traditional system (however imperfect) because its doing a pretty good job of knowledge production? Or do we take the risky path of "open access" and hurdle the obstacles as they come, in exchange for a better way to share research?

Presidential Candidates and Education Platforms

2008-06-20T00:35:00.001-07:00

In the United States, the presidential candidates run their campaigns by laying out proposed plans and policies for various arenas affecting American's future, including education. So what do Barack Obama (Democratic candidate) and John McCain (Republican candidate) say about education. Let me start of by saying, if this topic interests you, you GOT to visit Education Election, the Education Writers Association's coverage of the presidential election and candidates' stands on education. It's updated regularly and seems to give both sides even attention without undue slant.

The following links (each candidate's website) gives you the gist for both candidate's vision of education under their administration:

The Barack Obama Education Platform
The John McCain Education Platform

Also, for a quick peak at what each of them thinks, here are two videos capturing a snapshot of their viewpoint (there are more lengthy ones out there, I just picked some that are short).

Barack Obama

John McCain

How does this relate to education equity? Well, it's kind of obvious. You can't talk about education equity without politics, particularly those making policy. Clearly, who get's the job of president will have a serious impact on issues such as No Child Left Behind, school infrastructural funding, vouchers (school choice), and student aid for higher education, among so many more issues.

High-Achieving Students in the Era of No Child Left Behind

2008-06-18T14:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, so we think we know how No Child Left Behind policies might affect low-achieving students, or students in low-income areas with strained resources. But what about high-achievers? The Forham Institute has put out a report this month (June 18) about high-achievers and NCLB, a five-part report to be released incrementally. So far, we've got two of these reports. The first two cover the following:

Part I: An Analysis of NAEP Data, authored by Brookings Institution scholar
Tom Loveless, examines achievement trends for high-achieving students (defined,
like low-achieving students, by their performance on the National Assessment of
Educational Progress, or NAEP) since the early 1990s and, in more detail, since
2000.

Part II: Results from a National Teacher Survey, authored by Steve
Farkas and Ann Duffett of Farkas Duffett Research Group, reports on teachers'
own views of how schools are serving high-achieving pupils in the NCLB
era.

Here is a link to the Exectuive Summary and the PowerPoint Overview of the first two parts. In addition, below find a short video overview that the Institute put together to summarize the research findings.

The report shows that NCLB has little to no effect on high-achievers. Moreover, teachers spend the majority of their time on "struggling students" over high-achieving students. While 86% of teachers believe all students should receive equal attention, 80% reported spending most of their time on struggling students. In other words, high-achieving students are taking a hit (this doesn't include the hit NCLB has on other groups, such as minorities). But the primary point of the report isn't to create a causal link between high-achieving stagnation and NCLB. It's finding of these two parts, primary indicate that NCLB and other accountability strategies increased the performance (i.e. test scores) of struggling students, but not on high-achievers.

A No Child Left Behind Report Card: A Must See Documentary

2008-06-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

I just caught wind of a documentary about a movie related to education equity. The documentary is called, "Hard Times at Douglass High". Here are a couple of passages from the preview summary:

"Alan and Susan Raymonds spent one year filming in Frederick Douglass High School, which has a rich history of successful alumni, including Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall. Shot The film documents the complex realities of life at Douglass, and provides a context for the national debate over the controversial No Child Left Behind Act, focusing on the brutal inequalities of American minority education, considered an American tragedy by many.

Douglass fails to make the adequate yearly progress required by the No Child Left Behind Act and the city and state wrestle for control of the school. This is typical of inner-city schools that cannot meet the demands of the federal law. By 2007 one in four of the nation's public schools failed to show improvement under the No Child Left Behind Act and was threatened with sanctions."

See more about the documentary details at the HBO Website for "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card".

Premiers June 25th on HBO (no online preview yet, let me know if you find one).

Academic Elitism: Why the Privileged Prevail

2008-06-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

In a February 2005 issue of the Guardian (UK), Lucy Mangan reported on a social blunder, committed by an Oxford University official. Someone (among the administrators), without consideration of broader implication, included a hierarchical standard to measure candidates by their institutional affiliations. The ranking system outlined, ran something like this: prestigious, second-rank, and weak. Without missing a beat many observers rang their bells of alarm, making accusations of academic elitism.

Sifting the cream of the crop by means like institutional affiliation isn't anything new (remember Dead Poets Society reference and criticism of preparatory schools). Top tier schools are used to receiving applications from students who are raised in privileged environments that ostensibly steer their destinies through the gates of the "ivory tower." Notwithstanding the need to discuss disparities hindrance on educational opportunities, it's hard to dive into this subject without getting caught up in drawing caricatures of "the rich" and "the poor". Ultimately there is a gradient of privilege, yet to suggest a dichotomy of the "privileged" and the "unprivileged" is over simplistic. Nonetheless, socioeconomic factors perhaps play the single greatest role in determining privileges.

This doesn't mean that a "less-privileged" hard working bright achiever doesn't get in; nor does it imply that those who are privileged are not measured on merit of their skills and talents. But the crass reality--as it stands--is that there are hoops to be jumped before being admitted, access to resources needed before considering enrollment, and acquisition of insider knowledge to stand out in the application process a requisite.

Many of those bemoaning the case of Oxford and their image-oriented ranking system are not simply worried about the application process and its proponents, but a long lived system of privilege that continues to be reinforced by biased standards that put those with less privilege at an even greater disadvantage to accessing premiere schools.

There are organizations (one comes to mind) that search rural areas of the United States, scouting for academic talent for top tier schools. In fact, some of the Ivy Plus institutions partner with these types of organizations to increase their diversity pool. But the number of students from privileged backgrounds (holding achievement and talent constant) over less-privileged students is intolerably noticeable.

Lamenting elitism and imbalance is cold coffee. So what now? What needs to be done to take it to the next level? How do administrators approach admission processes without compromising academic integrity of excellence, yet foster diversity of recruitment methods? How do schools prepare students to be able to complete with more privileged students receiving top notch academic coaching? Or, do I dare ask, is it time to do away with ranked schools?

The "Missing-Class": America's Near Poor

2008-06-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

We know about middle class, we know about poverty (or poor) class, but what's all this talk about the "missing-class"?

Katherine Newman and her colleagues have set out to study a population twice as large as those regarded as living below the poverty class, yet at the bottom of the lower-middle class rank, where living becomes surviving. She calls this class of 50 million people, the "missing-class". Those counted in this group may be working, but their income rests somewhere between 20k-40k (disqualifying them from almost every subsidy or social care service). Newman and Victor Tan Chen (particularly in an article they wrote in the Higher Education Chronicle) outline five basic strategies to help alleviate the burden the missing-class has to bear. These five strategies (see below) are discussed in their book The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America (Beacon Press, 2007):

1. expanding college access and other educational opportunities,
2. broadening health-care coverage,
3. making work pay,
4. encouraging household savings, and
5. revitalizing the commercial infrastructure of neighborhoods.

Two sub-strategies of "expanding educational opportunities", point to enrolling in community colleges (which provided social capital) and adult high school opportunities (i.e. 1 of 6 Americans do not have a high school diploma). The article is quite interesting, and the topic shed's light on an area that can easily be neglected by policy makers, academics, and other education equity advocates.

Economic Conceptions of Equity

2008-06-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

I thought this might be of some interest Sina:

On the topic of definitions/conceptions of equity, here's an excerpt from a recent unpublished paper (Chemsak 2007) on equity from an economics perspective. The analysis, to give some context, was of Milton Friedman's school voucher plan. In his seminal writing on vouchers, Friedman certainly appeared to favor what Pindyck and Rubinfeld call the "market-oriented" view of equity.

Economists (among many others) do not agree on a single definition of equity (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005, p. 593). There are at least four “views”: "Egalitarian", "Rawlsian", "Utilitarian", and "Market-oriented" (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005, p.591). On the Egalitarian view, “all members of society receive equal amounts of goods”; the Rawlsian view obtains when “the utility of the least-well-off person” is maximized; the Utilitarian view is when “the total utility of all members of society” is maximized; and the market-oriented view contends that “the market outcome is the most equitable” (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2005, p.591).

I don't necessarily favor or disfavor an economics perspective (from a policy point of view it would certainly be one important way of looking at things), but it's interesting that they've borrowed Rawls from political philosophy, and also that there are so many different ways of conceptualizing equity just within this single text on economics. Pindyck and Rubinfeld's is a widely used microeconomics book.

Gender Equity in Education

2008-06-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a hot term: Gender Equity in Education. O.K., so it's more of a phrase than a term, but you get the idea. In fact, there seems to be tons of material on this very subject. The U.N., World Bank, and European Union, to name a few international agencies, all have produced reports on it; most countries' domestic policies seem to address this issue in one way or another, particularly in developing countries; and academics practically drool over tackling topics related to it. But what does it really mean?

From the onset, we know it has something to do with gender identifiable groups, but most common references are to girls and boys. Not surprisingly, concentrated effort is placed on girls and young women who have been excluded, disenfranchised, and discriminated against over the decades and centuries--whether in Africa or America, China or Chile. In fact, there are literally hundreds of organizations dedicated to the raising the condition and status of women.

In education, the count isn't any less, with hundreds of initiatives and organizations that deal with gender equity in education. A list of some of these organizations can be found on Gender Equity in Education, a site developed by Martha Phelps-Borrowman. Martha has over 12 pages in links to different organizations and sites dealing with gender equity and education. To her credit, she recognizes the full spectrum of what gender equity would entail. On her site (bravo for the resource collection), she brings together a series of sources to deal with the following questions:

What is gender equity in education?
How are students affected?
What does the research say?
What can educators and parents do to change the affects?
What are some programs that work in our schools?
What books are good to read for more about gender equity in education?

However, it's pretty overwhelming how many sites are focused on girls. The challenge with this--about which my colleague and friend Natasha Ridge (Columbia University) has researched and written--is that boy slip through the cracks. The neglect of boy in gender equity is noticeable. Subsequently, this shortfall on boys (in terms of gender equity) results in decreased academic performance, a rise in drops outs (with particular groups), increasing aberrant behavior, and producing effects that have negative returns on private and public life. [I do hope Natasha will pipe in and comment on this subject, making reference to her recent and fascinating work in the United Arab Emirates.]

I think any wholesome approach to the MUCH NEEDED focus on gender equity, will have to look at things a bit more holistically and comprehensively. In other words, giving more access to girls isn't enough. Paradoxical as it may seem, sometimes focusing on this kind of lop-sided remedy approach can produce greater challenges. Instead, if boys and girls are considered equally in both policy and practical programs, one might find a more fruitful outcome (although perhaps not as expedient). While I think that interventionist approaches are needed (to protect and perhaps off set undue inequalities between boys and girls), a long-sighted unified-process approach to gender equity in education will pay off more in the end.

Academic Freedom and Liberty (Part 2 of 2)

2008-05-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

On an American university campus, members of a student organization trampled over a replica of the Hamas flag, protesting terrorism and terrorist organization. After being approached by some Arabic-speaking students with concern that “God” was written on the flag, they changed it to explicitly avoid offense against Muslims. Nonetheless, because of continued complaints the University administration brought charges against the students involved, threatening the status of their enrollment. In another part of the country, a professor was placed on probation and had an official monitor present at all of his classes for that semester. His offense was making reference to a racially charged term describing a particular ethnic group. He didn’t use the term in a derogatory way, but rather in explaining the roots of the term; nonetheless some students felt offended and brought the issue to university officials. While both acts are (in my opinion) distasteful, offensive, and possibly perceived by some as “hateful,” they are within the bounds of free speech. The question with which we much grapple is this: Do we sacrifice freedoms of speech in academic settings, because particular ideas may be insensible or offensive to some?

In the previous post, “Part One: Academic Freedom and Liberty,” I raised the topic of academic freedom and its integral tie to knowledge exchange. Some cases of academic freedom infringements were mentioned, such as bans of admission based on religious identity, and arrests of professors who spoke out against government, among others. Conversely, some expressions of academic freedom can be offensive. In this continuing entry, I want to explore the limits and openness of academic freedom a bit more.

I came across a non-profit advocacy organization called FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education), which offers services to help defend the individual liberties on American university campuses. In short, they believe that individuals affiliated with a university have the right to employ the First Amendment of the United States Constitution on campuses. They contend that no restriction should be placed on the freedom of expression, no matter how disagreeable that expression may be to another person (within the confines of the U.S. Constitution). Put another way, there is no law or amendment that upholds the right NOT to be offended. They allegedly defend anyone’s right, whether liberal or conservative, Green Party member or Libertarian. The video below is an introduction to their organization and a preview of some of the cases they defend:

(or click here to view)

Moving beyond the academic freedom of professors, FIRE defends cases of individuals and groups associated with universities. It should be noted that many of their defended cases reflect issues of ostensible “political incorrectness” and university censorship. While many of their cases may rub some sensibilities the wrong way, they manifest the stance that academic freedom of professors and students ought to be completely unrestricted (within the Constitutional framework).

Final Thoughts:

At the end of the day, where do you stand on the issue? Unrestrained academic freedom, or conditional academic freedom? If we do restrict academic freedom, can we call it "freedom." Educators can’t afford to neglect issues related to academic freedom. Whether you support complete or selective academic freedom, it’s a discussion that must take place with regularity and frequent dialogue. The issue of academic freedom, in the broadest sense, is pivotal for educational equity at the higher education level.

Decade of Roma Inclusion (an update)

2008-05-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are half way through the Decade of the Roma initiative (2005-2015); so what’s to show for it?

Let me back track a bit. Who are the Roma? Sometimes, erroneously or derrogatorily referred to as Gypsies, Roma are not tied to one ethnic group, but do find their common roots in nomadic tribes migrating from what is now India. Now, most Roma are settled in Central and Souteastern Europe. A minority group in most of their host countries, Roma groups have also become targets of discrimination and social marginalization. Over the past several decades, many human rights organizations have called upon host-states to arise to meet standards of equity and basic human rights (i.e. citizen rights and social services). For more information on Roma people click here.

In 2005, a string of Central and Southeastern European countries (see list of countries below *) banded together, in collaboration with multilateral and other internationally esteemed organizations, to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of Roma populations in their region.

Four areas of improvement were identified to meet the goals outlined at the Declaration of the Decade of Roma Inclusion: (1) education, (2) employment, (3) health, and (4) housing. The agreement also holds the governments accountable to address three core issues: poverty, discrimination, and gender mainstreaming. The efforts represent a unique effort of multination collaboration in raising standards of human rights.

There are several challenging educational issues related to Roma in the region, as a result of decades of marginalization and discrimination. Some of the critical barriers to equitable education include (1) cultural discrimination; (2) segregation; (3) literacy rates; (4) low enrollment rates.

For those who are not familar with the situation facing many among the Roma people, you might catch a glimpse from the video link below of a small rural Roma community in Slovakia:

The sponsoring states have launched state-specific initiatives to tackle several of these issues. Some of the responses have been quite innovative, particularly because you can see a diverse approach to addressing the problems. Some include: health check-ups, workshops on racism and mutliculturalism, educational scholarships, and seminars of AIDS among other programs. Check out the NEWS section of their website for more examples.

However, the Decade of Roma collaborative member-states arn't shy to share their challenging experience, both in terms of implementation and general pitfalls. One of the cornerstones of the “Decade” initiative is transparency of efforts. Thus, both organizations and state conduct evaluations of the various efforts being made. For example, much of the ideas that emerge at conferences or planning sessions don't see the light of day. In other words, while alot of things look good on paper, or show well at a particular event, there hasn't been much change in critical areas (like segregation of Roma school children). Too broad and in depth to discuss here, I draw your attention to two documents in particular (the documents are pretty long; but the executive summaries are manageable) that discuss more of the challenges facing inclusion initiative:

The first is a document about issues related to Equity Access to Quality Education (particularly in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Serbia:Equal Access to Quality Education for Roma, Volume 1 (2007)

The second is a document about the school segregation:
The Impact of Legislation and Policies on School Segregation of Romani Children (2007)

There are quite a few publications on the official website of the “Decade of the Roma,” including other publications found on co-sponsor sites, such as Open Society Institute initiatives

As an immediate reference to conditions facing Roma populations in the region see “Monitoring Education for Roma: A Statistical Baseline for Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe” published by Soros Foundation. To give you an example from the document:

In Serbia …. only 36.1 percent of Serbia’s Roma had completed primary education in 2002. In Slovenia …. one survey showed that 98.2 percent of the 1,650 registered unemployed Roma in one community…. had not completed primary education. In Bulgaria …. one estimate says that only 12 percent of the country’s Roma between 16 and 19 years of age are enrolled in secondary education, and the table shows that only 7.6 percent of all Roma complete secondary education.

* Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia

Food for Thought

2008-05-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Between 2001-2003, the Global Food for Education Initiative pilot fed nearly 7 million school children around the world. The program has since been replaced by the McGovern-Dole program, run by the United States Department of Agriculture in collaboration with organizations and institutions from around the world. The primary mission of the program is to donate U.S. agricultural products, as well as financial and technical assistance for school feeding projects in low-income countries.By doing so, the McGovern-Dole program aims at alleviating barriers to educational access, participation, and quality of learning. The program emphasizes the need for a follow-up plan whereby sustainability of the program can be maintained after the term of aid ends.

When organizations or insitutions apply to receive aid, the following criteria are considered:

(1) a proposal's quality and potential impact; (2) its provision of incentives to help offset cultural barriers that limit education of girls; (3) the degree to which it will lessen the need for children to work rather than go to school; (4) and the literacy rates, school attendance rates, and expenditures of the recipient country on education.

While we don't commonly think of food as a key issue for equitiable education, according to research it can be a signficant barrier to attendence, participation, and even learning results; one estimate asserts that 120 million school-age children around the world are not enrolled in school, in part because of hunger or malnutrition.

Importing Educational Models or Cultures?

2008-05-16T21:18:00.001-07:00

Do you agree or disagree that Iraq in 2003 was a good candidate for successful democratic transition? Why or why not?

The epigraph above is taken from the third question on an exam administered at an American modeled university in Sulaimani, Iraq. While the area remains unstable, deputy prime minister, Barham Salih, initiated what is now called the American University of Iraq (AUI), in hopes of moving Iraq forward. The intention is to equip young Iraqi's to meet the demands of an international market place; the ultimate goal is to create a general return of social and private benefit for the country and its citizens.

The organizers claim that the point is not to push a particular ideology, but rather to foster the principles of (1) critical thinking and (2) academic inquiry. Lee Hudson Teslik, author of the article on AUI-Sulaimani in the Washington Post (full article here), argues that this trend in the Middle East should be of particular interest for the United States. Teslik argues that while there is no expectation that American modeled universities will lessen radical Islamist efforts, it will offer a bridge between the two cultures. Furthermore, Tesklik suggests that private corporations in the U.S. would do well to invest in such institutions because they could potentially benefit from the human resources developed in local areas of interest (i.e. petroleum industry).

“They only teach you some rules, grammar rules, and you use it in the exam just to pass, not to learn English,” says Bayad Jamal, one of the students taking the political science exam. By contrast, Jamal says, the teachers at AUI-S “make you think.” (Teslik, 2008)

Importing models of educational institutions isn't new in the Middle East (or around the world for that matter). In fact, there have been several similar recent initiatives in Jordan, United Arab Emirates, and Morocco in partnership with American universities (I'll talk about these later on). In comparative education, there is much discussion about this sort of "borrowing and lending" of education models. From one perspective, the adoption of a "global model" (insisting that it's not a Western model) is the next step in a phenomenon they call the world culture of education (John Meyer, Francisco Ramirez, and Thomas Boli among others). From another perspective, a more critical view, there is apprehension because of the associated pitfalls and backlashes of this wholesale-borrowing of culturally charged institutions (Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Katherine Anderson-Levitt, Fran Vavrus, among others)--namely, cultural hegemony, manipulation of donor and lending funds (from World Bank, IMF, and other donors), and untimely implementation of unfitted programs. A rebutting counter-argument might suggest that critical thinking and academic inquiry, while rooted in Western regions, is not exclusively Western and actually calls upon a self criticising that escapes some other educational models, like those emphasising route memorization.

The debate, too exhaustive to cover over within one entry here, gets quite complicated. For example other dilemnas arise in the borrowing of foreign models, such as creating a dependancy on the West, the over use of certification, and issues of brain drain.

Ultimately, I am interested in knowing why leaders in liberalizing areas of the Middle East turn to the United States and the West for models. Do they adopt Western institutions for their functionality (opening access and improving quality) or because of their legitimizing and certifying power (what they represent)? Both are useful. Both give additional international leverage to adopting states. However, both reasons for borrowing present challenges that can easily be overlooked in the frenzy and fanfair of "wonders" of globalization.

Do I think that borrowing is wrong? No. I think its a realistic enterprise of exchange between different parties; history has shown both the benefits and consequences of innovative exchange. However, I think reviewing and considering how and why those models are borrowed and implemented is vital in ensuring the equity among all education stakeholders.

Another Equity Education Outfit

2008-05-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

As I read more on the web about different organizations committed to educational equity, I realize there is no clearing house for them anywhere on the internet (like a portal, etc.). While I'm not convinced that this blog will turn out to be a hub for education equity websites/organizations/etc., I will post a note of recognition for the ones that I come across.

The latest one? The National Coalition for Equity in Education, run out of University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Here's their story: The organization seems to be a sub-division of the Department of Education at UCSB. Committed to promoting equity for all levels of education from kindergarten to university learning, they provide resources in the form of articles, links, and surprisingly consulting. It isn't clear whether the consultation for organizations is by fee or pro bono. There goal, however, makes their aims perfectly vivid:

To identify and promote practices and policies in educational settings that support human learning and develop strategies to eliminate those practices and policies that injure people and interfere with their learning.

It would be interesting to see if they are in league or at least collaborate with other university divisions on education equity (like Teachers College, Columbia University Campaign for Educational Equity).

Global Campaign for Education

2008-05-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

7.5 million children, adults, teachers joined politicians in over 100 countries to learn about the importance of everyone having the chance for a quality education.

So reads the headline news of the Global Campaign for Education, a non-government organization (centered in South Africa) launched in 1999 to advance and advocate basic access to quality education . Each year they have launched what they call a collective action. This year, on April 23, 2008, they launched the world's officially biggest lesson. The program was relevant for all ages and included an awareness campaign about issues related to the importance of education access and the educational challenges facing the world today. In this lesson, everyone is a learner, a stakeholder, and accountable.

As for there mission:

The Global Campaign for Education promotes education as a basic human right, and mobilizes public pressure on governments and the international community to fulfill their promises to provide free, compulsory public basic education for all people; in particular for children, women and all disadvantaged, deprived sections of society.

Check this video report of their project in 2007:

It goes to show what one website, networking organizations, and grassroots initiative can pull off. Congratulations GCE on advancing educational equity through action!

Although organization membership seems to have set fees, individual membership seems to be open (on a donation basis).

Seven Key Components of Education Equity

2008-05-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

I just ran across this site again (something I had visted a while back). The Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) in Portland, Oregon, has outlined what they consider seven "key components" of education equity. The general areas include:

Access
Instruction
Materials
Attitudes
Interactions
Language
Assessment

The website discussing the particulars of each component can be found at the NWREL WEBSITE. The components seem to address onsite educational experiences (i.e. by teachers and administrators). Moreover, it deals with top level equity issues (those nuances that generally may go unnoticed because bottom level equity seems in place). The outline is brief, but interesting. It is geared toward U.S. schooling, but can be applied almost anywhere (with some cultural adjustments).

Crossfire: Teachers in Politics

2008-05-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

In Zimbabwe, conflict has fomented among the current government holders and a contender for a change in the long standing political structure (see Dugger, NY Times, May 12, 2008). Fearing the challengers bid for power in the so-called democratic elections, the government has begun a sort of campaign of harassment and fierce coercion among teachers and school administrators nationwide because they have been appointed as "non-partisan" election supervisors. Now, the government claims the teacher monitors are biased in favor of the contending political party. The teacher-monitors have been accused of election fraud, among other transgression of partiality. As a result schools have been disrupted, most development non-government or non-profit organizations have stopped providing service in the face of violent commotion.

While the government is in no way warranted in harassing teachers, disrupting schools, and blocking development agencies, another problem in addition to the usual government corruption racket and education, is the involvement of teachers and school administrators in the political process. Politics in most parts of the world are contentious, and not uncommonly charged with risks and threats not necessarily found in high capacity open democracies. So why pick teachers do get involved?

Teachers are supposedly non-partisan actors in this process. But why? Is it because they are public sector employees? Is it a cheap way to carry out monitoring? According to the report, teachers were trained by the a non-profit outfit centered in D.C. focusing on democracy capacity building. But the teachers are at risk. Students are missing out of educational opportunity. Yet, the teacher-monitors are being kept in place.

Even if they can and are trained to carry out this function, is it fair to appoint teachers as supervisors of the election process--a process charged with political contention and now potentially violent reprise? How can teachers and educational institutions be safeguarded from the turbulent processes of electioneering, political group struggles, and other happenings of instability among other things? The fact that educational institutions are used as apparatuses of government agenda is not new, but why add to the burden of sustaining educational access?

Getting Started

2008-05-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

At the launch of this blog, I want to say a bit about its scope and range.

What do I mean by educational equity? I intend to talk about issues of educational equity in the broadest sense. Thinking about equity in the educational setting is quite relative. Thus, I'm more interested in exploring educational equity rather than confining my exploration to a preset definition (having said this, I have no doubt that the definition game will come to front once in a while).

Why international? I'm a comparative international educationalist (whatever that is); go figure that my range of discuss will cover the international sphere.

There you have it. Let's roll up our sleeves and get going.