The Week in Review / Educational Policy Institute

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A Load of Bologna

May 9, 2008

Alex Usher, Vice President, Educational Policy Institute

If I hear the phrase “Canada needs to have its own Bologna process” again this year, I shall scream. Loudly and intemperately.

A bit of background: the Bologna process, as most of you know, is of European origin, and possibly this in itself is what makes Canadians of a certain persuasion go weak at the knees. Its purpose, in so many words, is to create a “European Higher Education Area”, by making university degree and quality assurance standards more common across Europe. READ MORE...

WHERE HAS THEIR HOME TRAINING GONE!?...

In 2005–06, 24 percent of public schools reported that student bullying was a daily or weekly problem. With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once a week, 18 percent of public school principals reported student acts of disrespect for teachers, 9 percent reported student verbal abuse of teachers, 3 percent reported daily or weekly occurrences of racial/ethnic tensions among students, and 2 percent reported widespread disorder in classrooms. With regard to other discipline problems occurring at least once per school year, 17 percent of principals reported undesirable gang activities and 4 percent reported undesirable cult or extremist activities during 2005–06.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics





	Changes at New Orleans schools bring gains in test scores Adam Nossiter, New York Times A broad education overhaul under way in New Orleans has produced improvement in test scores, results released Tuesday (050608) showed, though many students are still struggling. School districts changing approach to technical education Stella M. Chávez, Dallas News School leaders across North Texas are changing their approach to provide students with job skills that educators say are every bit as important as the tools needed for college success.	Teachers agree: Bad teachers with tenure too tough to fire USA Today More than half of teachers believe it's too difficult to weed out ineffective teachers who have tenure, and nearly half say they personally know such a teacher, according to a survey released Tuesday evening by the Education Sector, a non-partisan think tank.


	College grads face tougher job market Tom A. Peter, Christian Science Monitor 1.5 million college grads are expected to have a harder time landing a job this year as the United States slides deeper into recession. Although the job market continues to expand, its growth rate has slowed to the lowest in five years as employers gauge how the economy will take shape in the months ahead. Can increasing access to college degrees for underserved Michigan residents boost the state’s economy? Tia T. Gordon, Institute for Higher Education Policy New research shows significant investment in higher education could offer enormous benefits for both the state and its residents.	Older students are hot new thing on California college campuses M.S. Enkoji, Sacramento Bee The number of California college students between the ages of 50 and 64 rose 61 percent between 1986 and 2006. Among people ages 40 to 49, enrollment increased 32 percent. Overall enrollment climbed 33 percent during the same two decades. Congress weighs Veteran’s Adjustment Aid Carl Hulse, New York Times An emergency Pentagon spending measure scheduled to be considered by the House as early as Thursday (050808) would provide $720 million over two years to set up a program that would essentially underwrite a four-year public university education for anyone who has served on active duty for at least three years.


	50% of Italian adults did not finish school AGI News (Italy) In Italy, in 2007, 48.2% of the population in the 25-64 age range left school before the age of 14. An Istat report entitled “100 statistics for the country” was presented today in their offices located in Via Cesare Balbo in Rome. Students, teachers demand changes to curriculum Adnan Lodhi, Daily Times (Pakistan) Students and teachers in colleges and universities of the city are demanding the new government change the curriculum and include subjects of environment, health, human rights and gender study in it.	Education ministry plans to train ‘super science teachers’ Daily Yomiuri (Japan) The Education, Science and Technology Ministry plans to train "super science teachers" specializing in science education at primary, middle and high schools, with the aim of getting children interested in science at an early age, it has been learned.


	Governments commit to improving First Nations education in N.B. CBC News The New Brunswick Education Department will use 50 per cent of tuition payments it receives to cover the costs of educating aboriginal students in the public school system to improve First Nations programming. Standardized tests get parent support in survey Jennifer Moreau, Burnaby Now The majority of B.C. parents support the Ministry of Education's province-wide testing and standardized tests and believe they should be able to use the results to compare schools, according to a survey commissioned by the Fraser Institute, a right-wing Vancouver think-tank.	The still-gaping gender gap Marlene Habib, Globe and Mail According to the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT), the proportion of women enrolled in undergrad engineering programs has been declining steadily since 2002, from a peak of 20.7 per cent in 2001 to 17.5 per cent in 2005, after nearly a decade of slowly increasing numbers. Challenges faced by aboriginal students discussed Paige Desmond, Branford Expositor Aboriginal education leaders and experts gathered last week to discuss the challenges faced by aboriginal students. The conference was organized by Laurier's Indigenous Studies program and the school's Aboriginal Student Services department.


	Teachers win new agreement for work trade-offs Nick Higginbottom, John Ferguson, & Jane Metlikovec, Melbourne Herald Sun The Brumby Government struck a controversial Budget-eve deal with the teachers' union in a move that delivers one-off bonuses of $1000 to teachers and $2000 to principals. School’s tool speaks volumes for children’s literacy Sarah Price, Sydney Morning Herald More high schools are turning to the Premier's Reading Challenge as a tool to encourage adolescents to read.	Gaps show failings of Youth Alliance Bernard Lane, The Australian The Youth Allowance program appears to have lost its rationale, as a growing number of university students from affluent backgrounds sidestep the parental income test.


	Education Beyond the Rhetoric: Making “Rigor” Something Real” Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Education Beyond the Rhetoric: Making “Rigor” Something Real” is a new policy brief published by the State Scholars Initiative, which is administered by WICHE and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Written to serve as the foundation for substantive discussions during the State Scholars Initiative National Summit on Academic Rigor and Relevance, this policy brief underlines the need to define academic rigor, demonstrates how students today receive a confusing array of messages about what is necessary in high school and required in college, and outlines suggestions for how to create systems of education that are more responsive to the needs of students entering a rapidly changing world. Higher Education in Michigan: Overcoming Challenges to Expand Access Alisa F. Cunningham, Wendy Erisman, & Shannon M. Looney, Institute for Higher Education Policy The report, Higher Education in Michigan: Overcoming Challenges to Expand Access, examines specific concerns about higher education in selected Michigan communities. It presents a summary of findings regarding access to higher education in underserved areas of Michigan and provides broad recommendations and policy alternatives to address the challenges of access to postsecondary degrees and institutions statewide.


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.