THE INCREASE OF COMMERCIALISM IN EDUCATION

A concern of late has been the “middle class flight” of students from public education to private schooling. This issue is explored by a recent article about the commercialisation of private education due to extensive public funding which is segregating society and reverting to old class society ideals as the article points out that “Australians like to view themselves as egalitarian but, in terms of education, we are an increasingly segregated society.” (Young 2013) Clearly, then this is a highly debatable issue within society because of loyalties or beliefs about certain schooling systems. This article will be reviewed in conjunction with Beamer’s views of “budgeting affecting these institutions in critical ways.” (Beamer, 2011, p.7)

The transition from private to public education in Australia began in the 1980s as startlingly “In 1982, 76 per cent of Australian students attended government schools. In 2012, only 65 per cent did.” The similar education systems of America and the United Kingdom in which students educated in private institutions is 7% and 10% respectively, highlights the hugely privatised and commercialised workings of Australian education. (Young 2013) I suggest that this can be attributed to political matters as the private school system is used in political campaigns to sway voters. Indeed this is the case for coalition who “Ideologically… sees private schooling as an integral choice” (Young 2013) regardless of the fact that this is not a choice that everyone has the capacity to exercise. Whilst the backlash of redistribution funding in 2004 warned them off such an issue, so essentially is not touched by Labor. Thus we can see political parties are exercising their power to promote private education influencing parent voters.

Furthermore the effective marketing by private education to parents often speaks of ''academic excellence, values, opportunities, nurturing, quality facilities and academic results.'' (Young 2013) Consequently these social and student effacing features of private schools are hyped up to influence school choice. Also private school fees range up to $30,000-plus a year and these fees as further increased by government support in the form of subsidies as “Australian private schools receive extensive funding,” (Young 2013)demonstrating the money and marketing driven commercialistic minutiae of private education. Beamer supports is notion as she says, “private institutions often find it necessary to generate a large percentage of their revenues from their core business—in this way, behaving much like a commercial entity.” (Beamer, 2011, p.9)

Given this current situation of middle class flight partly due to school marketing and budgeting differences, funding should be revised to even the playing field for all students and lessen the pressure to receive private education. Also too commercialism should take less priority as I feel it is of utmost importance to ensure that both public and private schools are fulfilling their “fiduciary responsibilities” (Beamer, 2011, p.11) because higher education overall is essential to both individuals and the public.

References

Keating, J. Klatt, M. (2012). Australian concurrent federalism and its implications for the Gonski Review. Journal of Education Policy. Vol.28, No.4. pp.411-426

Kenway, J. (2013), Challenging inequality in Australian schools: Gonski and beyond. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. Vol.34, No.2. pp.286-308

Tovey, J. (2013). 200 schools worse off in the new scheme.  Sydney Morning Herald. Published on October 23^rd 2013. Viewed on October 25^th 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/200-schools-worse-off-in-new-scheme-20131022-2vz9n.html>

FOOD FOR THOUGHT – VIRTUAL CLASSROOMS

The explosion of technology in the 2000s is arguably the most distinctive characteristic of the 21^st century and certainly students acquiring an education in this era are most attuned to this notion. Accordingly this explosion of technology has rendered the internet and computers more accessible and prevalent than ever before prompting an “anytime, anywhere” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) attitude to education. A recent newspaper article expresses the consequent “rising popularity of massive open online courses" (MOOCs) detailing its nuances and benefits in in comparison to traditional learning. These implication can be furthered and challenged by scholarly works which I intend to bring forth and make a personal judgment of its worth.

MOOCs from an optimistic standpoint can be viewed as a valuable tool to gain entry and access to a higher education program regardless of perhaps certain trivial elements such as place of residence and grades at school. So this demonstrates Gerwitz’s equality of opportunity by nullifying these subjective determinants of educational accessibility.  (Gerwitz 1998) The utilisation of technology in MOOCs allows students to reap the benefits of the global database in the internet. Importantly this is beneficial as it provides, “tools for online discussion forums that provide another avenue for interaction and collaboration among students, and between students and teachers.” (Karena 2013) This would provide a medium for students also to help, support and share course information. Another advantage of “asynchronous learning” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) is it allows individual students with their inherent differing abilities to “work at their own pace” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) which is most advantageous for migrant and international students that speak numerous languages. Moreover this type of learning enables concealment of “personal identities” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) ensuring that there will be no prejudices

However as with most things, the good comes with the bad and the main issue with MOOCs is the lack of real life social interaction rather than one that is cyber, which may be considered a great disadvantage in a learning environment. For example, Bullen (1998) conducted a casestudy that revealed “that some students felt disconnected from others in this type of learning environment, citing lack of facial expressions and other features common to a traditional classroom environment.”(Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.69) This can negatively impact their schooling by causing a lack of motivation and satisfaction, demonstrating “interaction among participants is critical in learning and cognitive development.” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.80)  Using the socio-cognitive framework these attitudinal and developmental ramifications of MOOcs can be explained as it emphasises “learning as an interactive group process in which learners actively construct knowledge and then build upon that knowledge through the exchange of ideas with others.” (Richardson & Swan, 2003, p.81)

So in considering the distinctive viewpoints of MOOCs, I believe virtual classrooms to be positive for students because it is beneficial in both an intrinsic and extrinsic sense since it allows equal access to education regardless of certain deficits. Also too this type of learning is flexible and convenient which is incredibly significant in the hustle and bustle of this globalised environment. Finally MOOCs promote “collaborative learning” which in a sense undermines the negative of lack of physical interaction as greater amounts of people can be reached using the internet to share knowledge around the world and gain perspectives from students with differing values, opinions and cultures whether these be expressed in video, audio or written form.

References

Cynthia Karena. (2013). Virtual schools finding vast support. Sydney Mornng Herald. Published on august 19^th 2013. Viewed on October 2^nd 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/virtual-schools-finding-vast-support-20130818-2s4z3.html>

Gerwitz S. (1998). Conceptualising social justice in education: mapping the territory. Journal of education policy. Vol.13, No.4. pp. 469-484

Richardson, J. & Swan, K. (2003). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students’ perceived learning and satisfaction. JALN. 7 . 69-88

THE OCCURRENCES OF DISCRIMINATION OF IDENTITY IN MODERN SCHOOLING…STILL

The idea that a student’s inherent identity can negatively impact their educational experience may be difficult to fathom. Though this is an everyday ordeal for many students who are discriminated against or bullied for not conforming to what has been perceived as the “norm” by society, cultures and institutions. More specifically I speak of individual students that identify themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual (LBG) that are treated unfairly and subjected to abuse in an educational environment that is supposed to be “a vital part of development.” (Greenwich 2013) A recent article exposes the homophobic culture in some schools, which I will discuss in reference to Depaul, Walsh and Dam’s article which addresses sexual orientation in schools.

It is reported that private schools in particular exhibit harassment and discrimination that is “unlawful for public schools” (Greenwich 2013) as one recount from a former Anglican college student reveals that after being openly gay he was regularly sent to counselling for apparently in their view being “sick.” (Greenwich 2013) Here, being demonstrated is the regressive ideology that homosexuality is a “disorder.” Consequently this ideology may confuse students who are exploring and recognizing their sexual identity. This emphasises the importance and need for teacher support as the student “remembers…locking himself in his room and crying for hours.” (Greenwich 2013) Therefore teachers who informed about aiding such situations can “facilitate conversations between LGB-questioning students and their families, who may be grappling with cultural or religious values that impede acceptance.” (DePaul, Walsh & Dam, 2009, p.302) This will ensure enhanced school performance and self-esteem. This supposition is supported by Kosciw (2004) who also believes that ,understanding teachers can enable a student to prosper both socially and academically as he says, “LGB students who can identify a supportive teacher…are more likely to report feeling safe at school, to achieve greater academic success, and plan to go to college” (as cited in DePaul et al. 2009, p.302)

Furthermore on a student level, Heterosexual students reported “harassment for being perceived as gay or lesbian.” (DePaul et al. 2009, p.301) This demonstrates there a bullying culture targeting LBG identities which is experienced by even those that do not posit themselves within this group. So clearly understanding and supporting diverse sexual orientations in school should be beneficial as students with different sexual orientations can gain “a greater awareness of issues of sexual orientation as they begin the process of exploring and integrating their sexual identities.” (DePaul et al. 2009, p.301)

Equally, the benefit of a school recognising different sexual orientations is that ignorance and bullying behaviour can be mitigated. I say this because “For heterosexual students, an awareness of the process of discovery experienced by their LGB peers can enhance their appreciation of the various dimensions of sexual identity.” (DePaul et al. 2009, p.301) Also too, heterosexual students can benefit in regards to exploring and gaining greater discovery of their own identities as “a heightened awareness of sexual orientation may result in their beginning to acknowledge their identity as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.” (DePaul et al. 2009, p.301)

I say that the stability of one of society’s oldest institutions, the school is slow to change, though the social context of school is slowly changing the perception of “norms” by fostering an environment for individual identities regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation to flourish. This I believe to be greatly important because of the positive implications in facilitating the expression of identity such as enhancing understanding between peers and learning performance from teacher support.

References

Greenwich, A. (2013). Discrimination has no place in schools. Sydney Morning Herald. Published on September 19th 2013. Viewed on October 3^rd 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/comment/discrimination-has-no-place-in-schools-20130919-2u13f.html>

DePaul J, Walsh M.E. & Dam U.C. (2009).The role of school counsellors in addressing sexual orientations in schools. American Counselling Association. Vol.4, No.12. pp.300-308

Brilliantly Stupid Rankings that have Brilliantly Stupid Effects

 Accountability dictates that you are held responsible for your shortcomings, or your successes. In doing so, those schools that achieve great marks are ranked higher and thus receive a higher government income, and those that are on the lower end of the spectrum are given a bad reputation and a shitty income to boot. Fantastic, maybe that will improve their scores. Right? Or am I missing something here? John Therney on an article about, “Why High-School Rankings Are Meaningless-and Harmful” refers to a number of standardized ranking systems such as the, “challenge index” and then suggests how in this ranking index, “a given school can rise on the list by increasing the number of its students who take ‘advanced’ classes”, which is absurd if you have a school with everyone taking such ‘advanced’ classes yet nobody achieving anything above a 30. In this sense, we see how some ranking systems are brilliantly stupid in attempting to rank higher educational institutions, but then why do we continue to pursue such folly as seen with the myschool website and other similar sites from across the globe. The answer is simple, so that governments can reward quality, and so that parents can choose quality, but the funny thing is, “’What the hell is quality?’”(Bogue & Hall, 2003 pg. 1). Well apparently quality can be derived from, “school rankings that are based solely on observed outcomes such as average test scores or the college-bound rates of students”, in which cases, “schools located in districts with low SES” are penalized (Toutkoushian & Curtis 2005, pg 260). Therney in response to the question of quality states that:

“Quality is a very subjective matter, especially in something as intangible as education. And using a simple measure to rank thousands of schools certainly cannot capture the relative quality of schools or indicate which are better than others.”

Which begs the question, can’t a school located in an area of low SES have a teaching quality greater than its competitors? Indeed it can, however as a result of its location the school gets less than average results and is punished for it, but whilst the intellectual may pertain that there may be many reasons that could cause such scores, the parent may simply look upon these scores as a derivative to dictate whether the school is good or bad. Thusly, these standardized tests are not taking into account the countless other factors that may cause bad results, and one of the most primary factors causing this is a low SES. These factors are not properly represented in certain ranking systems such as the, “challenge index” that Therney explored in his article. Consequently resulting in an accountability educational system that rewards those schools fortunate enough to have a student body from a higher SES and demeaning those that do not. Thereby the ideas behind making results public to differentiate the ‘good and bad’ schools, is actually making public an analytical perspective on how an individual’s SES can have detrimental, or extremely beneficial impacts on his/her academic life. 

References:

 Article: http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/why-high-school-rankings-are-meaningless-and-harmful/276122/

Bogue, E. G., & Hall, K. B. (2003). Quality and accountability in higher education: Improving policy, enhancing    performance. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Toutkoushian, R. K., & Curtis, T. (2005). Effects of socioeconomic factors on public high school outcomes and  rankings. The Journal of Educational Research, 98(5), 259-271.

 

 

A REFLECTION ON A CURRENT EDUCATIONAL ISSUE IN SYDNEY RELATING TO CULTURE AND IDENTITY

A current educational issue that is of concern in Australia is the decline in Australian reading, mathematics and scientific literacy for students aged 15 as indicated by PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results. This is an issue as it highlights, “the challenge facing the federal government in reaching its goal of having a top-five school system in the world by 2025.” (Preiss 2013) While Australia is not performing poorly against the OECD, certain other countries such as Canada, Finland and Singapore are consistently performing better. Of equal concern is the fact that “other countries are doing a better job at closing the gap, whilst maintaining performance.” Whereas worryingly Australia has only slightly increased equity within the past nine years while simultaneously suffering a significant decline in overall performance.

Lobascher proposes that this PISA testing have been adopted by nations such as Australia to “close the gap between socially advantaged and socially disadvantaged students” (Lobascher, 2011, p.9) Although if we look at the case of Australia, “reading scores dropped 13 points to 515 between 2000 and 2009, compared with the OECD average of 496.” (Preiss 2013)  According to the OECD “On average, a socio-economically advantaged student scores 88 points higher on the PISA reading test than a socio-economically disadvantaged student, a difference that is equivalent to more than two years of schooling.” (OECD, 2013, p.1) Australia’s lack of equity may be because 35% of schools are private, causing equity problems in the public.

Also it can be questioned as to “why Australian policy is being borrowed from the UK or USA when Australia outperforms these two nations on key international measures.” (Lobascher, 2011, p.11) Instead of emulating the education system that is leading the rest of the world on the PISA evaluation, Finland. “Finland has embraced loose standards, holistic learning, and has entrusted teachers to monitor student progress” (Lobascher, 2011, p.11) whereas in contrast Australia has moved towards a standardised, centralised national curriculum.

Hence I believe it is beneficial for Australia to emulate the educational culture of top countries both in terms of equity and academic performance rather than the UK or US. Australia must look past its connections with these two nations as Australia is already performing better and imitating their education systems seems nonsensical as results indicate that Australian education is on the decline. Also these results have shed light on the disadvantaged students and schools. Therefore the government should implement policies that foster improvements in both equity and performance in order to lessen the deficit of those parties that are disadvantaged by providing them, “high quality instruction; and offering additional educational opportunities to disadvantaged” (OECD 2013) as this may not be possible to be afforded by a parent.

References

Preiss, B. (2013) Student achievement levels slip. Sydney Morning Herald. Published on August 16^th 2013. Viewed on July 31^st 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/student-achievement-levels-slip-20130815-2rznc.html>

Preiss, B. (2013). Reading decline for 15 year olds. Sydney Morning Herald. Published on August 16^th 2013, Viewed on July 31^st 2013. <http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/reading-decline-for-15yearolds-20130815-2rzo0.html>

Lobascher, S. (2011). What are the Potential Impacts of High-stakes Testing on Literacy Education in Australia? Literacy Learning: the Middle Years. Vol. 19, No. 2pp.10-20

OECD, “Are countries moving towards more equitable education systems?,” PISA in focus 25, 2013, pp.1-4

A REFLECTION OF YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY IN RELATION TO EDUCATION

Being a lifelong public school student in Western Sydney, I am well aware of the stigma that is associated with such a profile. One that at times is exaggerated and perpetuated some by biased media and consequently assumed by others. These include the stigma being less intelligent or poorly behaved. Though unfortunately some perceived qualities of the West are true but this does not define who we are individually as students– yes we have lower levels of socioeconomic status and yes we have a greater proportion of students from diverse backgrounds. This advances my expression on my schooling experiences as projected generalisations and labels can be damaging to any student. For instance during my secondary education, my teachers vain attempts to motivate us would only stimulate the regressive response, “but we’re only from the West,” from students, which sadly is an attitude passed down to subsequent grades in a vicious cycle. So I ask why is it that such notions of labels can so greatly impact how we view education and how can this be aided.

In order to examine how social attitudes cause a perceived idea of disadvantage for some students I draw on Bourdieu’s notion of habitus. He theorises that students view themselves in the same way that others perceive them perhaps via the aforementioned stereotypes or as he claims, "to make the world conform to the myth." (Crossley, 2013, p.150) Essentially then, students are conditioned to accept the stigma placed on Western Sydney education because of the generalisations they are exposed to. So it is clear that this can be damaging to students own attitudes towards school and their lives, finding it difficult to escape society’s degrading views and expectations and like in my example reproduce these unmotivated behaviours to other students. This can negatively influence their goals for the future by inducing a disposition of hopelessness.  

Though Giroux points out some obvious flaws in Bourdeu’s theorisation of habitus as he fails to take into account the optimistic effect of this, which is by viewing students as an active agent of change to break out of these suppressive moulds through personal initiative for improvisation, what Giroux sees as reinvention and reconstruction (Crossley 2013). Also too I propose that exposure to the uniqueness of Western Sydney’s environment should be seen as advantageous given the diverse multiculturalism and experience with different languages and culture, perhaps adding to their cultural capital. This is significant as knowing how to interact and socialise with numerous people is essential in society and employment and such skills are acquired in environments like multicultural schools not learnt through books.

So I say these social attitudes and judgements with negative connotations need to be altered to lessen unfavourable generalisations. In fact Western Sydney’s commendable attributes such as the diverse demographic should be utilised as an advantage to educational experience. This can be achieved if students from Western Sydney can maintain strong individual identities and not succumb to poor projected expectations of them.

References

Crossley, N. (2013). Habit and Habitus. Body and society. Vol.19, No.2&3. pp.136-161

“Promoting acceptance by forcing God unto thee” Said the Educational System

Religion, one of the most controversial topics in all of creation… or existence? In any case, this grand debate doesn’t stop at the social level, indeed, the educational system in Australia and the United Kingdom perpetuates mandatory Religious studies in catholic educational institutions, whilst, “According to one survey, 65% of teenagers do not consider themselves religious” – An article by Andrew Jones (Link: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/oct/23/religious-education-include-atheists-humanists ) In doing so however, students are exposed to a subject that is underlined with the teachings of cultural acceptance and social equality. If this is the case, should we not simply create different means of perpetuating cultural acceptance rather than through forced religious studies? However keep in mind that almost everything we do now, is in a multi-cultural environment, and as such, we may not even need to, ‘create different means’, since our daily lives are already perpetuating cultural acceptance. 

Firstly, learning religion would allow an individual to be more accepting as they grow up, as it provides the basis by which an individual may connect with people from differing cultures. However, it is my belief that the individual should still have the choice to pursue this option, and if that, “one survey” is solid, then 65% of teenagers may be exposed to a course that they have no real interest in. But if learning about God is providing the basis for acceptance, then why shouldn’t the same truth hold for learning about atheism or humanism? They are both represented by a firm belief, and they are both representing a large group of individuals. Andrew Jones states that there may be possible changes in the future to include the study of atheism and humanism perspectives, but that, “In spite of these possible changes, an objection to the inclusion of further atheist viewpoints and humanism may simply be that they are not religions”. If this is the case, then what we are exposed to in Australia, and also what the UK is exposed to, is simply a forced subject that may be an attempt to perpetuate a notion of acceptance that is taught in any other multi-cultural classroom. Consequently this gives rise to questions as to why it is mandatory in some schools. 

Jones states that, “it is best if RE includes the views and opinions of atheists and humanists, even if this seems oxymoronic; secularisation affects religion as much as religion affects society.” (RE = Religious Education). Thereby suggesting that in order to truly achieve something representing cultural acceptance, that the course itself should in turn culturally accept atheism and humanist perspectives into its teachings. In any case, we can see through this large example that religion in education is highly controversial, and also, we see the importance of cultural diversity and acceptance in the postmodern society. As it is through notions of acceptance that allows society to prosper and grow. Arthur (2013) states that, 

“Education in all its many forms, will naturally consider questions such as: how and what can we know (epistemology), what is the purpose and goal of life (teleology), what does a good life consist of (ethics), what happens after death (eschatology), and where do we come from and who are we (anthropology and ontology).”

 He continues to state that, a secular educational system may limit the answers to some of these, yet adds that secular education does not change an individual’s original mindset, whilst exposure to religious studies may have a great impact. Consequently, this ideology gives rise to arguments for and against religion and secularism in education. All of which may be dispelled if religion in schools could accept the perspectives of atheism and humanism. 

Reference List

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/oct/23/religious-education-include-atheists-humanists

James Arthur, (2013) The de-Catholicising of the curriculum in English Catholic schools. International Studies in Catholic Education 5:1, pages 83-98.