Children of university-educated parents more likely to excel at school [Guardian.co.uk]
- Published: 26 April 2010
Being born to a parent with a university degree is more likely to guarantee a child top grades at school in England than in the US, Australia and Germany, a study has revealed.
Researchers found England was "significantly behind similar nations" in creating an equal chance of achieving high exam scores for pupils from the least well-educated homes compared with those from the most well-educated families.
A study of 16,000 14-year-olds, commissioned by the educational charity the Sutton Trust, found that in England, 56% of teenagers whose parents had degrees scored high enough grades to perform in the top quarter of their peer group. This was the case for just 9% of teenagers whose parents had left school without qualifications. The gap of 47 percentage points is more than twice Australia's (23 percentage points), and higher than Germany's and the US's (37 and 43 percentage points respectively).
Full Story: www.guardian.co.uk
Minister Haughey launches Northside Partnership Traveller Education Week [education.ie]
- Published: 26 April 2010
Seán Haughey TD, Minister for Lifelong Learning today launched Northside Partnership's Traveller Education Week at Coolock Library on Dublin's northside.
The Traveller Education week is organised by the Coolock Traveller Education Network to highlight the successes and the potential of education amongst the Traveller Community living in the Dublin 17 area, as well as spreading a wider understanding of Traveller culture locally.
Members of the Traveller Education Network will play a proactive role in supporting and running events during the Education and Traveller Culture Awareness week.
The Traveller Education Network consists of local schools (Home School Liaison Officers),the Visiting Teacher for Travellers and community-based organisations working with Travellers.
Since its establishment, the Network has been working on furthering Traveller education in its operational area, with a particular focus on increasing levels of progression to,and completion of, second level education.
Full Story: www.education.ie
Maverick Mary fights the good fight for the children [Independent.ie]
- Published: 25 April 2010
'Invidious" is an unusual word. It means "tending to arouse ill will, animosity or resentment". Admittedly, I had to look it up when I heard Minister for Children Barry Andrews use it in connection with a proposed date for the mirage-in-the-distance that is the Children's Referendum.
But "invidious" it is, according to the minister, to set a timescale for the referendum that was initially promised by Bertie Ahern as far back as April 2007. He said this last February, when the final report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Child Protection was published.
But then Mary O'Rourke rolled in last week and loudly insisted that a date be set for this referendum.
O'Rourke, who chaired the cross-party committee which produced the report, said: "We honoured the task that we were given. Now I hope that Government is going to honour the task it told the electorate it was going to do."
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Education is not a luxury: it is a great gift [Independent.ie]
- Published: 25 April 2010
There was a time in Ireland, before the inelegant and oxymoronic term "free fees" was ever heard of, when the only way you got to university was if your parents paid your fees, or you worked for enough years to earn your fees and then registered as a mature student. Before that, the only reason you got even to secondary school was because your parents could afford the fees -- or, in the case of boys, you either had, or pretended to have, what was called a "vocation" and the Catholic Church trained you from the age of 12 in a Diocesan School to become a priest. (And we've seen the unfortunate results of that sort of thing.)
Both states of being were outrageous, unjust, and indefensible. Then a far-seeing Minister for Education called Donogh O'Malley introduced (in the face of cabinet opposition) a scheme for extending free State education for everyone up to Leaving Certificate level. Later still, another Minister for Education called Niamh Bhreathnach introduced free third-level education up to a certain parental income threshold.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Coughlan awaits report on improving maths education [sbpost.ie]
- Published: 25 April 2010
Education minister Mary Coughlan expects to receive an expert report on how to improve the standard of maths education by the end of next month.
The Tánaiste has set a deadline of the end of May for the completion of the report from the Project Maths implementation support group.
It will consider the introduction of bonus points for the subject in the Leaving Certificate, as outlined by Coughlan at the Teachers Union of Ireland conference earlier this month. Following completion of the report, Coughlan will decide when bonus points should be introduced, the points to be awarded and whether they will apply for entry to all third-level courses.
Full Story: www.sbpost.ie
