Disability Rights California’s Post

Super excited about this research we published today - a game-changer in #education reform. ⏳ At a time when: - The attainment gap is growing, exacerbated by COVID - We are facing an attendance crisis, with 22.3% of pupils classified as ‘persistently absent’ - Students who need additional support are facing dreadful wait times for services that oftentimes don't meet their needs - The school workforce is in dire straits, with teachers at a breaking point - A cost-of-living crisis that has exacerbated the pressures on families, compounding these existing problems. 📢 This research, which represents the voices of parents, teachers, and leaders calls for: - Increased focus on extra-curricular activities - this is not a 'nice to have' that so often only middle-class students at fee paying schools get to enjoy - Embedding life skills like healthy eating and digital literacy in the curriculum, preparing students for a rapidly evolving world - A more transparent, detailed school accountability system, beyond simple one-word labels - Significantly boosting investment in educational facilities, leadership, and teachers, recognising their crucial role in shaping future generations. ➡ Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/eb34Pr73 Commissioned by Laidlaw Foundation, authored by Public First (Sally Burtonshaw, Ed Dorrell, William Yates), designed by yours truly.

3 key takeaway's that caught my attention: "...all are supportive of the expansion of extra-curricular and enrichment activity" . "There is a need to define ‘life skills’ and to create a curriculum offer which meaningfully embeds these as part of the curriculum". "The ultimate reward for getting this right would be the creation of a new generation of happy and healthy young people. Schools...could once again become community and civic institutions...capable...of playing a role in helping to rebuild our fractured society and local communities". I see this as confirmation that kids need an education system that helps them find and explore their intrinsic motivations. What fascinates and inspires them? A child's mind starts out open to all the wonder they see around them. Priming them with exposure to new concepts, avenues of exploration and expression, and scaffolding to help them acquire and build skills through active, extracurricular/co-curricular, and experiential learning, goes an enormous way to building the happier/healthier minds we need in the future. Assessment is needed, but the emphasis and balance, and high stakes nature of testing needs to be re-designed.

As seen in The Times, new research commissioned by the Laidlaw Foundation on the crucial topic of public support for education reform, is published today, with thanks to Sir David Carter and Public First. This comprehensive study delves into the perspectives of parents, teachers, and trustees, providing invaluable insight into the current state of our education system and the collective desire for reform. Researchers found strong support for re-thinking the curriculum as well as for a more transparent school accountability system. This is reflected in the clear set of recommendations. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/duib5u-Q #BuildingTomorrowsCitizens

Everything that Laidlaw Foundation does stems from our belief that education can transform lives. Yet education is simply not working for too many young people today. It isn't working for businesses either who constantly bemoan that workers do not have the necessary skills. So we commissioned a piece of research to discover for what parents, carers, teachers, and educationalists really thought schools should be held accountable; and what an education that builds tomorrow's healthy, confident and productive citizens would look like. You can see the results below. We think the proposals are compelling economically and as an issue of social justice. We cannot go on in a world where much of the wonderful diversity and character-building benefits of a rich co-curricular offer are too often limited to independent schools, state schools that service middle-class catchments and those, like ours, that belong to one of the few Multi Academy Trusts with a philanthropic sponsor. We hope you agree and will join us in advocating for the recommendations to be implemented.

This is important and powerful work by the Laidlaw Foundation (also featured in The Times). One doesn't have to agree with every observation or recommendation to endorse the case for urgent and wide-ranging reform of our education system; or to believe that a schooling system governed by principles of equity and relevance is fundamental to the creation of a more just society. #education #schools #students #london #socialjustice #socialmobility

ICYMI: The Hunt Institute released its annual Across the Aisle: Bridging the Education Divide report last week. This year's edition includes data points such as: 8 in 10 surveyed voters believe that hiring quality teachers is a very important issue for education leaders to address. Parents believe they know how their child is doing academically and social-emotionally. Voters view curriculum oversight as a partnership between teachers and parents. Voters nationwide believe we are spending too little on public education. For more insights from the report, visit this link: bit.ly/47Zz8qP

MUST READ 👉🏼👉🏽👉🏾Addressing Educational Disadvantage in Schools and Colleges: The Essex Way Paperback – 15 Feb. 2021 by Mark Rowland (editor) (Author) The genesis for this book, and the strategy within it, is a longstanding commitment from Essex County Council to improve the life chances and life choices of disadvantaged pupils being educated in Essex. The purpose of the book is to set out a strategic, evidence-informed approach with pupils, families, teachers, leaders, system leaders and wider agencies which puts learners first. This approach is rooted in best practice. It centres on improving the day to day learning experiences of disadvantaged pupils, leading to better long term choice and opportunity. Unity Schools Partnership and Essex County Council hope it will support efforts to address the impact of socio-economic disadvantage on learning in schools and colleges nationally. 'Few national challenges deserve greater priority than closing the disadvantage gap in education. This book provides carefully considered, practical and impactful advice for schools' - David Laws, Schools Minister 2012-2015

Equal Education for Every Child in Arizona A Game Changer! Join us for a compelling discussion on education policy with SPEAKER_00 and SPEAKER_08 as they explore the importance of equitable education options. Discover how to reform funding for Arizona public schools and ensure quality education for every child, regardless of their background. #EducationPolicy #EquitableEducation #ArizonaSchools #SchoolFunding #QualityEducation #PublicVsPrivate #EducationReform #AccessToEducation #FamilyChoices #Campaign2023

Equal Education for Every Child in Arizona A Game Changer! Join us for a compelling discussion on education policy with SPEAKER_00 and SPEAKER_08 as they explore the importance of equitable education options. Discover how to reform funding for Arizona public schools and ensure quality education for every child, regardless of their background. #EducationPolicy #EquitableEducation #ArizonaSchools #SchoolFunding #QualityEducation #PublicVsPrivate #EducationReform #AccessToEducation #FamilyChoices #Campaign2023

Please sign & Share. Currently dyslexic students in Ireland studying for Junior Cert & Leaving Cert are not granted extra time. Extra time does not give a dyslexic student an advantage. Far from it. But it does level up the playing field. As the mother of a dyslexic child it is so frustrating for both your child and you when you know your kids know the answers but cannot articulate it in a timely manner without the provision of reasonable accommodations such as extra time, reader, scribe etc. Typically with my daughter course work took ages but was of a high standard but exams were a different story. Typical exam scenario she would complete 60% of the exam and 90% of what she had written was correct but you are marked on the whole paper making a good pass grade impossible. 3rd level education in Ireland dyslexic students are automatically granted extra time but these students have less chance of making it to 3rd level if the extra time is not available for the Junior Cert and Leaving Cert. So sad that 9 years on from her LC little if anything has changed. it's high time the SEC granted extra time to JC & LC students without it becoming a battleground like it was for us.