The Week in Review / Educational Policy Institute

| Forward to a Friend | Printer Friendly |

Eurostudent III: Welcome to the Future of the EU

May 2, 2008

Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute

This week I had the pleasure of visiting Ljubljana, Slovenia for the unveiling of the Eurostudent III Report (not officially online as of this blogging). As the title may suggest, this is the third report on an EU-based survey of 23 countries on the “social dimension” of higher education. For context, Europe has seen an increase of 27 percent in the share of the national population undertaking higher education between 1998 and 2005. And this trend is likely to continue. Higher education has become very popular in Europe, and people are taking advantage of relatively low costs. However, this is changing. Costs continue to climb in most EU countries, and all are struggling with how to alter an entrenched system of higher education that have historically provided free or almost free. There is increasing pressure on low-fee countries to raise their tuition prices to meet the fiscal demands for this widening participation. READ MORE

“A nation, like a person, has a mind - a mind that must be kept informed and alert, that must know itself, that understands the hopes and needs of its neighbors - all the other nations that live within the narrowing circle of the world.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt

In universal primary education, the global net enrolment ratio rose from 83% to 87% between 1999 and 2005, faster than from 1991 to 1999. Participation levels increased most rapidly in sub- Saharan Africa (23%), and South and West Asia (11%).

Source: Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, 2008





	Study: Bush’s Reading First program ineffective Greg Toppo, USA Today A $1 billion-a-year reading program that has been a pillar of the Bush administration's education plan doesn't have much impact on the reading skills of the young students it's supposed to help, a long-awaited federal study shows. School choice report card earns poor grades Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice Choice and Education across the States, a new report from the Heartland Institute, gives letter grades to states based on the extensiveness of their school choice systems. A review of the report for the Think Twice project concludes that it offers little or no useful information for policy makers.	Judge dismisses Connecticut’s challenge to education law Sam Dillon, New York Times A federal judge has dismissed a closely watched challenge to President Bush’s signature education law, ruling that the State of Connecticut failed to prove that federal officials had forced it to spend its own money to comply with the law’s requirements.


	Higher education, zero tuition Ron Grossman, Chicago Tribune Decades of tuition inflation have left many families wary of the financial hurdle posed by higher education — and fearful their offspring could be denied the American dream of a path that runs through a college campus en route to the middle class. Student loan plan goes to Bush Kevin Drawbaugh, Reuters The Bush administration will get broad price-setting powers under a student loan market stabilization plan given final approval on Thursday by the U.S. Congress, lifting the stock prices of student loan providers.	Lawmakers should focus on adult education Libby Sander, Chronicle of Higher Education Colleges and universities are increasingly looking for ways to lure adult students to their campuses, believing that the education of older students may well hold the ticket to bolstering local and regional economies. For graduating university and college students, there’s no place like home Megan Scott, CBC News When the class of 2008 graduates this spring, nearly half are expected to move back home, according to Susan Shaffer, co-author of “Mom, Can I Move Back in with You?: A Survival Guide for Parents of Twentysomethings.” They're called Boomerangers, and their number has remained pretty consistent since the dot-com bust, she says, a result of financial and social pressures unknown to previous generations.


	Increasing education expenses put education out of reach Erwida Maulia, Jakarta Post (Indonesia) Many children in Indonesia who are not fortunate enough to be able to continue at school, and hence, not lucky enough to have better lives in the future. Sierra Leone: EFA-SOL organizes global campaign for education Ben Samuel Turay, Concord Times (Freetown) Despite overwhelming issues affecting Sierra Leone's education system, including overcrowded schools, teachers taking children's lunch money, lack of qualified teachers and learning materials, it is still the most effective way forward for the country.	Total revamp of education system soon Preeti Kannan, Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) The Ministry of Education (MoE) yesterday (050108) unveiled ambitious plans to entirely revamp and reform the educational system and announced a strategic plan for the next three academic years which would impact teachers, supervisors and students of all public and private schools in the UAE. Changes include longer school hours and an increased calendar year for students in public schools.


	Education minister announces launch of Anglophone initiative Miramichi Leader Education Minister Kelly Lamrock has announced the launch of a new Anglophone education initiative, as well as more enrichment opportunities available to students in grades 1-4 at Anglophone schools next school year. Ontario grade 8s top the class Louise Brown, Toronto Star In a study that tested 30,000 13-year-olds across Canada last spring in reading, math and science, Ontario's English-speaking students topped everyone in reading, beat the national average in math and came second only to Alberta in their grasp of science.	Canadians in their 20’s earning less Statistics Canada Canadians in their 20s have been earning less than their parents did, despite higher education, according to new census data by Statistics Canada. ‘Big win for students’ Kristen Lipscombe, Chronicle Herald Student groups let out a long-awaited victory cry Tuesday (042908) after hearing the Tories are giving upfront grants worth an average of $775 annually, with even more money going to those who are juggling academia and parenthood.


	Call to deregulate education Marissa Calligeros, Brisbane Times The Federal Government's plan for a national education curriculum will not avert a “looming crisis” in Queensland's education system, according to a new report for the state's independent schools. No revolution going on here, move along Des Moore, The Age Prime Minister Rudd is set to implement various "education revolution" measures designed to lift education standards. No one doubts the need to do this and stop the continued drift out of government schools.	Remote education reforms not enough ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) The Australian Education Union says the rapidly growing Indigenous population will prove one of the biggest challenges to the Northern Territory Government’s new framework for improving Indigenous education outcomes.


	“Why Access Matters” Revisited: A Review of the Latest Research Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation In a review of the latest research on PSE, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation concludes in a report that the need for higher education in Canada will continue to grow, and demographic factors will make it more challenging for the country to graduate the number of skilled and educated young adults its economy and society requires. Canada's population of 18- to 24-year-olds will peak in 5 years, after which it will start to decline, by 2016 becoming less than it is now. According to the report, longer-term gains in enrolment will depend on producing graduates from populations currently under-represented in PSE: low-income youth, children of parents with limited PSE, and Aboriginals. Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being Foundation for Child Development The Foundation for Child Development's Special Focus Report, “Trends in Infancy/Early Childhood and Middle Childhood Well-Being, 1994-2006,” presents the first wide-ranging picture of how children in their first decade of life are faring in the U.S. It is the first report to look comprehensively at the overall health, well-being, and quality of life of America's youngest children - from birth through eleven years old, using the FCD Child Well-Being Index (CWI), and to track and compare child well-being across three primary stages of development - early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Choice & Education Across the States Michael Van Winkle, Heartland Institute Choice & Education Across the States is a new “report card” published by the Heartland Institute that ranks state efforts to increase accountability and improve student achievement with four kinds of school choice: vouchers, charters, tax credits, and public school choice.


The Educational Policy Institute is an international non-profit think tank dedicated to the study of educational opportunity. The Week in Review is a weekly publication that highlights the top news stories, reports and statistics related to academic preparation and access and success in the US, Canada, and beyond. The publication also features a commentary written by either President Watson Scott Swail, EdD or Vice-President Alex Usher. To submit comments, news releases, or submissions, please email Dr. Watson Scott Swail at wswail@educationalpolicy.org or call (757) 430-2200.