Speakers for Schools’ Post

Latest from FE News: Speakers for Schools Report – Sector Response: A report by Speakers for Schools has revealed barriers faced by disadvantaged youth in accessing top universities, speakers underscored the critical role of work experience… Speakers for Schools Report – Sector Response was published on FE News by FE News Editor #EducationNewsUKHigherEducationNewsFENews Read more here:

GOT RANKING? Its always interesting to see when institutions of #highereducation celebrate their rise in US News ranking and challenge the appropriateness of the process when they fall. https://lnkd.in/e3b2mtZ9

Explore the OECD’s latest survey's findings which expose 'unprecedented' drops in student performance. Gain valuable insights from education experts who propose solutions to tackle the root causes of this and improve educational outcomes for all. https://lnkd.in/dSPJ4w-c #DevelopmentAid #ExpertsOpinions #OECDSurvey #PISAResults #EducationSector #studentperformance

My latest research paper (with Dr Shrehan Lynch) titled ‘I am struggling to survive’: financial inequity in postgraduate teacher education in England’ has just been published and is available in open access. This study delves into the challenging experiences of trainee teachers grappling with financial worries and the necessity or desire to work while pursuing their teaching qualifications. Through an extensive survey, we gathered insights from 438 trainee teachers across England, uncovering the significant financial burdens many face. From working additional jobs to relying on support from family, partners, or personal savings, the financial strain impacts their well-being and academic performance. This is particularly acute among students with disabilities, from lower socio-economic backgrounds, women with childrearing responsibilities, and immigrants. Our findings call for a shift towards a more socially just approach in postgraduate teacher education. It's crucial for those in initial teacher education and policymakers to consider our recommendations to foster a more equitable training experience for future educators. Read the full paper here: [https://lnkd.in/dXXRvjFm] #TeacherEducation #FinancialEquity #EducationResearch #OpenAccess #PostgraduateStudies #TeacherTraining

🎓 Is the University System Elitist? 🤔 I've been reflecting on how higher education can sometimes feel out of reach for those from less privileged backgrounds. The barriers to entry—like standardized tests with complex language, the expectation of high GPAs, and the need for recommendation letters—often seem tailored to benefit those who already have access to resources. For many students who attended underfunded public schools, these hurdles aren't just challenging—they're nearly insurmountable. The system often feels like it favors those who have had the best educational opportunities from the start. It's frustrating to think that the very structures meant to elevate and empower people might actually be reinforcing societal inequalities. But it doesn't have to be this way. There's a growing conversation around making education more accessible and equitable. We need reforms that level the playing field, ensuring that every student has a fair shot at success, regardless of where they come from. I'd love to hear your thoughts—how can we push for a more inclusive and fair educational system? 💬 #EducationReform #EquityInEducation #HigherEducation #DiversityAndInclusion #SocialImpact

There is a socioeconomic gap in who applies to selective colleges. In a study out this week, Wes Jeffrey and I are able to explain most of this, 12% of the gap is due to GPA differences and 29% is due to standardized test score differences. But a sobering 30% of the gap (almost a third) is simply due to the applicants expectations ("what school are you most likely to attend?") and the number of applications submitted. What this means is that even when more disadvantaged applicants have competitive records, they don't "reach" for more selective schools in the way that advantaged applicants do. They also submit fewer applications. So making the grade is important, but helping these talented students see themselves on some of the most elite universities in the country is a big part of a problem that high school / university administrators and policymakers need to solve. https://lnkd.in/g2H_D7Fu

Read a new article in FE News by Emily Tanner, Programme Head, Post-14 Education and Skills, outlining five insights to support the government’s skills agenda, backed by #NuffieldFunded evidence. It references key research projects including: ➡ Skills Imperative 2025 by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) ➡ The Economy 2030 inquiry by the Resolution Foundation ➡ Comparing Inequality and Outcomes Across Post-16 Education in the UK led by Luke Sibieta and Susan James Relly ➡ A New Mathematics GCSE Curriculum for Post-16 Resit Students by MEI. The article also sets outs options for funding, analysed by the Institute For Fiscal Studies. https://lnkd.in/dkrHubkh 

#Talentserve #Globaleducation A good education offers individuals the opportunity to lead richer, more interesting lives. At a societal level, it creates opportunities for humanity to solve its pressing problems. The world has gone through a dramatic transition over the last few centuries, from one where very few had any basic education to one where most people do. This is not only reflected in the inputs to education – enrollment and attendance – but also in outcomes, where literacy rates have greatly improved. key insights Global education The world has made substantial progress in increasing basic levels of education Access to education is now seen as a fundamental right – in many cases, it’s the government’s duty to provide it. But formal education is a very recent phenomenon. In the chart, we see the share of the adult population – those older than 15 – that has received some basic education and those who haven’t. In the early 1800s, fewer than 1 in 5 adults had some basic education. Education was a luxury; in all places, it was only available to a small elite. But you can see that this share has grown dramatically, such that this ratio is now reversed. Less than 1 in 5 adults has not received any formal education. RESEARCH AND WRITING For many children, schools do not live up to their promise: in many schools, children learn very little. This is a problem in rich countries. By the end of primary school, about 9% of children in high-income countries cannot read with comprehension.1 But it tends to be a much larger problem in poorer countries. This is what the chart below shows. The education researcher Joāo Pedro Azevedo and his colleagues estimate that in the very poorest countries of the world, 90% of children are not able to read with comprehension when they reach the end of primary school.

The comment below reminds me how often the conversations in response to performance metrics can lean towards highlighting deficits and divisions between home and school. I am sure the key to improving outcomes for our young people - not just academic but in many other important domains too - lies in building supportive connections between home and school. If we work well on the bits we can do together, the score will take care of itself!! ‘schools can't really compensate for what parents don't provide.’ Andreas Schleicher, of the directorate of education and skills in the OECD #workingtogether #oecd #education #educationpartnership Full article here

A Times Higher Education article on the UK's annual National Student Survey (NSS) in late 2023 revealed that some otherwise high-performing institutions score comparatively poorly across the five main questions related to assessment and feedback. Dr Simon Child explores how addressing assessment literacy in students could improve these scores. Visit https://cambrid.ge/SAL to learn more. #Assessment #AssessmentLiteracy