[wrong]

SBSONE 8.30pm tomorrow/Tuesday
http://www.sbs.com.au/insight/episode/over.../Class-Struggle
With the release of the Gonski Report, tomorrow's edition of Insight asks if there can ever be equality in our school education system.

WDYT?

This might also be of interest:
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/doing-the-...0327-1vw9g.html
Are parents getting value for money at a private school, or would their children be just as happy, successful and well-rounded at the local government high school?

[peking homunculu...]

No.

The flight to private education coincides with a reduction in equity of outcomes in Australian education.

Education should be a budget priority. It's the only way of ensuring that the Australian value of the fair go is achieved.

[JRA]

I dare anyone to come in and answer yes.

Thanks for the heads up. It should be interesting to watch

[somila]

I dare anyone to come in and answer yes.

Thanks for the heads up. It should be interesting to watch

I double dare them!

[Overtherainbow]

No. I cant see equality in education as a posibility either.

Unfortunately, such a large part of education comes from home. A child who enters kindy and eats a crayon is already disadvantaged to the child who has been to playgroup, music lessons been read to daily, knows their alphabet, etc.

After being at a school where they cancelled fruit time because it was too hard to divide 1 apple among 30 children, I truly understand the up hill battle some children face.

To educate fairly, would be for the government/education system take on more parent responsibilities. Feeding children nutritiously, offering speach, OT, physio, etc in schools for all children who need them, making sure children get enough sleep per night, protecting children from drug/alcohol at the fetus stage, etc.

[MidnightDad]

What do I think?

Use more money to lower teacher/student ratios and separate teacher education time from discipline time in low socio-ecconomic high schools. Disengage teachers from pastoral care and discipline in these schools or simply continue to waste their education abilities.

Want to instil good education practices into kids themselves? You have until Year 5 to make it happen more cheaply and effectively. High school is either too late or takes ten times the money.

Recognise there is NO amount of money you can pour into public education of children that will change the woeful ratio of 10% of parents caring enough to turn up at parents and teachers night for some school classes, with all the attendant family attitudes to education that flow from that, so set aside money to educate/engage these parents in education as well, the earlier the better, for the good of their children.

Recognise that if you toss everything into a big pot, low socio-ecconomic, high socio-ecconomic, private, public, selective, etc, you don't end up with less rotten tomatoes, you just spread them around to conceal the problem better.

[mynoonmymidnight]

With the release of the Gonski Report, tomorrow's edition of Insight asks if there can ever be equality in our school education system.

I don't think there will ever be equality in our school education system. Because equality in the education system requires equality outside of the education system, in broader society. And in a capitalist society, where there is individual freedom, and individual responsibilities, this is not achievable.

[mumtoactivetoddl...]

No but to be honest that is because education can't replace cr*p parenting. Most parents turn up to parent teacher interviews (they have to do them over 3 days/nights to fit them in at our school). However there are a small number who can't be bothered to do things like the kids reader at nights (probably same parents who wonder why their kids need to be in reading recovery which the p & c has to fundraise for).

[April girl]

Short answer is no. We should move to the model used in Finland which often produces the best educational results world wide. But we won't .......

[MummaDiva]

No. We never will.
Politicians live in postcodes with good schools, and public servants live in postcodes with good schools, so they have no idea of reality. And the general public keep voting for the politicians (who keep the public servants in their jobs) because the general public get promised the baby bonus and free nannies.

This post has been edited by MummaDiva: 02/04/2012, 09:25 PM