Devastating Critique of US Education Policies

Posted on Wednesday December 14, 2011

Diane Ravitch has made another devastating critique of market-based education policies in the United States, many of which have been copied by the Gillard Government. >> Read on...

The Logic of the Education Market Revealed in English State School

Posted on Tuesday August 2, 2011

An English state school has taken the logic of the market to its ultimate end. It is colour coding and segregating students by ability. >> Read on...

School Vouchers Are Another Failed Market Reform

Posted on Saturday July 30, 2011

A new review of research studies on voucher programs over the past decade in the United States has found that students in receipt of vouchers to attend private schools had similar gains in achievement as comparable public school students. < >> Read on...

Save Our Schools March on Washington DC

Posted on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Save Our Schools USA has organised a march on Washington DC this weekend and a national call for action against market-based education policies which are destroying public education. >> Read on...

School Autonomy Leads to More Social Exclusion and Inequality in Education

Posted on Wednesday July 20, 2011

Academy schools in England have increased social stratification and education inequality according to a new study. >> Read on...

Education Should Not Be a Race

Posted on Friday July 1, 2011

A leading educator says that the competitive pressure placed on students has become an epidemic which is damaging their education. She calls for schools to focus more on student engagement in learning instead of test grades. >> Read on...

Marching With Save Our Schools (US)

Posted on Sunday June 26, 2011

Diane Ravitch explains why she is marching in the Save Our Schools (US) march on 30 July in Washington DC. >> Read on...

US National Research Council Fails Test-Based Accountability Programs

Posted on Sunday June 12, 2011

An expert report just released by the US National Research Council says that test-based accountability programs have had little to no effect on student achievement in the US over the past decade. It is a devastating verdict on programs being introduced by the Gillard Government which use test results to reward schools and teachers. >> Read on...

The Impact of Choice and Competition on Student Results is “Underwhelming”

Posted on Thursday June 9, 2011

A new review of choice and competition between schools finds that its impact on student achievement is underwhelming and that key assumptions of free market theory are not present in education. >> Read on...

Another Nail in the School Voucher Coffin

Posted on Friday April 1, 2011

The latest test results for students in the much vaunted Milwaukee school voucher program were worse than or about the same as students in Milwaukee public schools. It is another nail in the school voucher coffin. >> Read on...

School Choice Means Increased Social Segregation

Posted on Tuesday March 29, 2011

More evidence that school choice increases social segregation between schools. >> Read on...

What ‘Superman’ Got Wrong

Posted on Saturday February 26, 2011

The documentary education film Waiting for Superman soon to be released in Australia gets a lot wrong. >> Read on...

The Myths of Waiting for “Superman”

Posted on Tuesday February 22, 2011

There are many myths about charter schools in the education documentary Waiting for Superman which is about to be released in Australia. >> Read on...

Charter Schools Segregate Students by Race and Class

Posted on Friday February 18, 2011

A new study shows that charter schools segregate students by race and class in the United States. Charter schools are more racially isolated than traditional public schools in virtually every state and large metropolitan area in the US. < >> Read on...

No Compelling Research Evidence For School Autonomy

Posted on Saturday January 15, 2011

Another of Labor’s education polices is found not to have a solid evidence base. A recent review of research studies has found there is no compelling evidence to support giving school principals autonomy over hiring and firing teachers and for financial management of schools. < >> Read on...

The Year In Research On Market-Based Education Reform

Posted on Tuesday January 11, 2011

A review of research studies in 2010 on market-based education reforms shows that performance pay for teachers, charter schools and value-added measures of school and teacher performance are not succeeding in raising student achievement. >> Read on...

OECD Study Shows that School Autonomy is no Silver Bullet

Posted on Wednesday January 5, 2011

An OECD report shows that schools which have control over budgets and the hiring and firing of teachers do not achieve better results. < >> Read on...

Learning from Finland

Posted on Monday January 3, 2011

A leading Finnish educator says that choice and competition policies should be replaced by policies which focus on equity and co-operation. Gillard and Garrett should take note. >> Read on...

PISA Study Says that Competition Between Schools Lowers Student Achievement in Australia

Posted on Saturday December 18, 2010

A report published as part of the PISA 2009 study shows that competition between schools has not increased student results across OECD countries, while in Australia it has lowered results. >> Read on...

The Things They Don’t Tell You About Charter Schools

Posted on Sunday December 12, 2010

The Wall Street Journal explains that charter schools are not the success claimed by the Obama administration and other advocates of competition in education. >> Read on...

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