No More Failures: Ten Steps to Equity in Education

Education and Training Policy Education and Training Education and Training Policy Education and Training Policy No More Failures TEN STEPS TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION No More Failures No More Failures challenges the assumption that there will always be failures and TEN STEPS TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION dropouts, those who can’t or won’t make it in school. In fact, initiatives in many countries demonstrate that it is possible to successfully tackle school failure and dropout rates By Simon Field, Małgorzata Kuczera, – and to reduce the huge social cost of adults without basic skills. This book offers a valuable comparative perspective on how different countries have handled equity in Beatriz Pont education. Among the issues it explores: • tracking, streaming and academic selection; • school choice; • secondary education structures and second chance programmes; • grade repetition; • links between school and home; • early childhood education; • resource allocation; • targets for equity; • the special needs of migrants and minorities. The book identiﬁes three key areas for delivering equity in education: the design of education systems, classroom practices and resourcing. It proposes ten concrete policy measures, backed by evidence, on how to reduce school failure and dropout rates. It will be of special interest to policy makers, school leaders, teachers and parents. No More Failures No More Failures The full text of this book is available on line via this link: www.sourceoecd.org/education/9789264032590 Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: www.sourceoecd.org/9789264032590 SourceOECD is the OECD’s online library of books, periodicals and statistical databases. For more information about this award-winning service and free trials, ask your librarian, or write to us at [email protected]. ISBN 978-92-64-03259-0 91 2007 04 1 P �� -:HSTCQE=UXWZ^U: EDUCATION AND TRAINING POLICY No More Failures: Ten Steps to Equity in Education by Simon Field, Malłgorzata Kuczera, Beatriz Pont ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Also available in French under the title: En finir avec l’échec scolaire : Dix mesures pour une éducation équitable Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2007 No reproduction, copy, transmission or translation of this publication may be made without written permission. Applications should be sent to OECD Publishing [email protected] or by fax 33 1 45 24 99 30. Permission to photocopy a portion of this work should be addressed to the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, fax 33 1 46 34 67 19, [email protected] or (for US only) to Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, fax 1 978 646 8600, [email protected]. FOREWORD Foreword There is growing attention to the issue of equity in education. Mass expansion in education systems was linked to a wave of optimism that it would enable young people, regardless of background, to achieve their full potential. If much has been achieved, there has also been much disappointment. The spotlight of OECD’s PISA assessments reminds us that in many countries an unacceptably large number of young people are failing to acquire basic skills. No More Failures sets out a challenge to failure, both in individual learners and in education systems, and advances ten steps in an agenda for enhancing equity in education. The book is based on an OECD study on equity in education, but it also draws on evidence from across the OECD. The ten participant countries each prepared an analytical background report, and in five countries an OECD team of experts conducted a review visit and produced a report with policy recommendations. All these reports are available on the OECD website at www.oecd.org/edu/equity/equityineducation. No More Failures argues that equity in education is a key objective of education systems and that it needs to be addressed on three fronts: the design of education systems, educational practices and resourcing. The book is designed to be accessible to busy people. The ten steps are set out in a single page at the outset, then expanded – but still in summary form – to provide the key supporting evidence. The detailed report follows. The authors are indebted to the countries who took part in the study, to delegates of other countries, to the expert teams who participated in the country visits and provided invaluable comments on the report, and to OECD colleagues in the Directorate for Education and the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. Our particular thanks to Susan Copeland for her role in preparing the final text and to Christine Mercier for the French translation. NO MORE FAILURES: TEN STEPS TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION – ISBN 978-92-64-03259-0 – © OECD 2007 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents The Ten Steps. 9 Executive Summary. 11 Chapter 1. Introduction: Setting the Agenda . 25 1.1. Why look at equity in education? . 26 1.2. Background to this study . 27 1.3. The context: equity as a public policy objective . 29 1.4. Why equity in education?. 31 References . 34 Chapter 2. A Look at Inequities in Education . 37 2.1. Unequal improvements in educational attainment . 38 2.2. Equity as fairness. 41 2.3. Equity as inclusion. 44 2.4. The two dimensions of equity overlap . 48 2.5. Policy implications . 50 References . 52 Chapter 3. Structures and Pathways . 55 3.1. Differentiation in schooling structures and the risks to equity . 56 3.2. Early tracking and comprehensive schooling . 65 3.3. Designing an inclusive upper secondary education system . 67 3.4. Removing dead ends and providing second chances. 74 3.5. Summary conclusions and recommendations . 78 Annex 3.A1. Correlation coefficients between separation index and PISA outcomes. 81 Annex 3.A2. Regression analysis: Effects of selection by ability on different measures . 81 Notes . 82 References . 82 Chapter 4. School and Out-of-school Practices . 87 4.1. Equity in the classroom: interventions for those in need . 88 4.2. Schools reaching out to homes . 99 4.3. Home influence on school performance . 101 4.4. Summary conclusions and recommendations . 106 References . 108 NO MORE FAILURES: TEN STEPS TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION – ISBN 978-92-64-03259-0 – © OECD 2007 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 5. Resources and Outcomes . 111 5.1. Allocating resources across educational sectors. 112 5.2. Allocating resources across individuals, institutions and regions 121 5.3. Defining outcomes to take account of equity . 126 5.4. Summary conclusions and recommendations . 132 References . 134 Chapter 6. Groups at Risk: The Special Case of Migrants and Minorities . 139 6.1. The migration context. 140 6.2. Immigrant disadvantage in education . 143 6.3. Policy interventions . 147 6.4. Summary conclusions and recommendations . 150 Notes . 151 References . 152 List of Boxes 1.1. OECD Thematic Review on Equity in Education. 27 1.2. Two dimensions of equity in education . 29 1.3. Recognising equity and inequity . 31 1.4. Equity in the knowledge economy. 32 3.1. Who knows how things would have turned out? . 68 3.2. Parallel secondary education completion programmes in selected countries . 69 3.3. The Early College High School Initiative in the United States . 70 3.4. VET Reforms to improve equity and quality. 72 3.5. Adult learning institutions in different countries . 75 3.6. Work-based learning initiatives for the employed and the unemployed . 76 4.1. An alternative approach to year repetition in France . 93 4.2. Tackling learning difficulties in Finland . 97 4.3. The teaching profession in Finland . 99 4.4. Developing learning communities . 105 5.1. Directing resources to disadvantaged schools in France, Ireland and Belgium. 125 5.2. Targets for equity in education . 127 5.3. The impact of high stakes schools testing in the United States . 129 5.4. Different approaches to reporting of school-level tests across OECD countries . 131 6.1. Should data be collected on ethnic minorities? . 142 6.2. Swedish programme for Roma children . 148 6 NO MORE FAILURES: TEN STEPS TO EQUITY IN EDUCATION – ISBN 978-92-64-03259-0 – © OECD 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables 3.1. Selection and school choice practices . 61 3.2. Selected approaches to recognition of prior learning . 77 4.1. Year repetition in primary and lower secondary education .

Load more