Scotland: The Austerity Effect

News articles, interviews, research, events and lots more - ready for your comments.
Post Reply
User avatar
Anne Glennie
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 4:51 pm
Location: Isle of Lewis
Contact:

Scotland: The Austerity Effect

Post by Anne Glennie »

http://www.thenational.scot/news/terry- ... -away.3348

An interesting article considering various aspects of the attainment gap in light of the SSLN (Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy) in Scotland and how austerity and poverty impact on this. Well worth a read.

I respond in the comments below the article:
Super article and I agree with many points. Our greatest shame is the attainment gap and how we are failing those who need the transformational power of education the most - and it is now urgent that we do all we can to eradicate poverty at every level. However, I also feel that it is essential that we teach all of our children how to read, regardless of their social-economic background or barriers, instead of using that as an excuse. This is what will ensure a level playing field throughout school. It is entirely possible to teach all of our children how to read - it is being done in many schools England. In particular, there are schools with high levels of deprivation / poverty and high numbers of children who have English as a second language - that manage to not only close the gender gap - but close the attainment gap too. We need to equip our own teachers with the skills and knowledge to do this in Scotland. We cannot afford to wait for poverty to be sorted out, but more importantly neither can our children.
JIM CURRAN
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat May 30, 2015 3:47 pm

Re: Scotland: The Austerity Effect

Post by JIM CURRAN »

Hi Anne, I have just read the article by Dr. Terry Wrigley and it was well worth the read.

The most important predictor of academic achievement is the socioeconomic status of the child's family ,and the second most important predictor is the socioeconomic status of the classmates in her school ( Coleman report : Equality of Educational Opportunity 1966 ) In other words , being born poor imposes a disadvantage ; but attending a school with large numbers of low income children presents a second ,independent challenge.

It's not to say that schools which serve disadvantaged areas can't be good schools ; they can but they are the exception to the rule.In 2000 the Heritage Foundation published a report entitled ' No Excuses', meant to show that high poverty schools can work well.The authors proudly declared that they had found not one or two high poverty, high performing schools but 21such schools. Unfortunately these 21 schools were dwarfed by the 7,000 high poverty schools identified by the US Department of Education as low performing. Research ( Harris 2006) shows that a school that serves a middle class population is 22 times more likely to be in the top quarter of schools than a school that serves a predominantly disadvantaged population.

Here in the UK we have the most socially segregated schools anywhere in Western Europe and it is these concentrations of poverty in too many of our schools that is causing huge problems for teachers and pupils.

Teaching all our children to read must be a first priority but it will prove much easier to achieve this aim if we have a more equitable social mix in our schools.

Here's a piece from Professor Richard Kalenberg of the Century Foundation,it first appeared in the American Educator (Winter 2012- 2013) it's a long piece but well worth the read.

http://www.aft.org/ae/winter2012-2013/kahlenberg
User avatar
Debbie_Hepplewhite
Posts: 2499
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 4:42 pm

Re: Scotland: The Austerity Effect

Post by Debbie_Hepplewhite »

At last, here is Anne Glennie's talk at the March 2015 Reading Reform Foundation conference - featuring 'The Attainment Gap'.


This is one of the most powerful, ironic and clever talks ever provided in the shortest possible time (only 15 minutes) and MUST viewing - watch right to the end folks please!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxqpNzA ... e=youtu.be

(I confess - I had a tear or two in my eye by the end of this - just watch and see!)

:roll:

It's shocking that Anne's findings reflect such lack of professional knowledge and training in Scotland itself - the very country of the 'Clackmannanshire' research (Johnston and Watson) which has helped to inform us all!
User avatar
Debbie_Hepplewhite
Posts: 2499
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 4:42 pm

Re: Scotland: The Austerity Effect

Post by Debbie_Hepplewhite »

This is a thread I developed a year ago which features Sue Ellis talking about developments in England and Scotland post the Clackmannanshire research - it shows what people are up against in Scotland when you consider that Sue Ellis is an influential academic....

http://www.phonicsinternational.com/for ... .php?t=707

I have also posted this same link on the thread featuring Sue Ellis.
User avatar
Debbie_Hepplewhite
Posts: 2499
Joined: Sat May 23, 2015 4:42 pm

Re: Scotland: The Austerity Effect

Post by Debbie_Hepplewhite »

Article via schoolsimprovement.net:
High student pass-rates under scrutiny in Scotland, despite exam reforms and low literacy rates
http://schoolsimprovement.net/high-stud ... racy-rates
Figures from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) show there have been a record 156,000 Higher passes this year – up 5.5 per cent on 2014…

However, this year’s record grades have been achieved despite the 2014 Scottish Survey of Literacy finding literacy standards have fallen at all years measured in Scotland’s primary and secondary schools.

Now, teacher-turned-politician, Elizabeth Smith, Scottish Conservative young peoples’ spokesperson, acknowledged how the Scottish Government has made “great play” in recent months about exam-marking becoming ever more rigorous.

However, she expressed her concern over the pass-rate of Higher English and said: “Yet, in English, at a time when there are concerns about literacy skills amongst school leavers, we learn that the English Higher pass rate has increased hugely…”
Post Reply