The United States is not making the grade.

The 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows the United States ranks 12th of 25 countries among eighth graders in math and science skills. In the No. 1 and No. 2 spots: Singapore and the Republic of Korea.

“There is a critical need right now in this country to do research on math. We need to identify the skills that children need to improve upon, and hone in on factors that can predict development. We really want to answer the question, ‘Why do some children succeed at math and others do not?’ There is an epidemic when it comes to children who just don’t have basic math skills,” said Steven A. Hecht, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Children’s Learning Institute (CLI) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

“CLI is expanding its math intervention program through satellite clinics that can offer extra small group tutorials. We also want to address needs at the elementary and middle schools levels. Right now, CLI’s math initiative only involves students in pre-kindergarten,” said Susan Landry, Ph.D., director of the Children’s Learning Institute and Michael Matthew Knight Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

According to Landry, if children can be reached when they first begin struggling with math, a better educational foundation can be built. “We don’t want them just thinking ‘math is not my subject.’ We want to give them ways to succeed, so they can be anything they want to be. CLI uses only research-proven interventions that can help them pursue their dreams,” she said.

Hecht said the CLI group wants to find the most sensitive ways to measure math difficulties to identify early on what areas of math might require additional instruction.

To better understand how the brain processes mathematics, experts are using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). “We are studying the entire brain to obtain more information on how it responds to mathematics,” said Andrew C. Papanicolaou, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Clinical Neurosciences in CLI at the UT Medical School at Houston. “We are seeking more funding from the National Institutes of Health to further this study.”

In the future, those scans may be able to be used to correctly diagnosis individuals who are having trouble processing math, Papanicolaou said. Imaging could also be used to see if interventions are working.

CLI, which is in the Department of Pediatrics at the medical school, currently uses one-on-one testing to determine a child’s math ability. Once a learning disability is detected, interventions can be implemented to help the child succeed.

“I believe that most people do not realize how important it is to foster a love of science and math in our young people today. With special activities and interventions in these areas, we can grab their interest and entice these future leaders into careers in medicine and other areas of science, where there is so much need,” said Judianne Kellaway, M.D., the Stephen A. Lasher Professor in Ophthalmology and assistant dean for admissions at the medical school.

CLI is developing math satellite clinics, which would bring extra assistance into Houston Independent School District schools. The clinics are scheduled to open by next year. “If we could provide that extra help and encouragement, it could go a long way to improving our children’s math skills not only at the state level, but also nationally and internationally,” Hecht said.

According to Kellaway, the medical school is also responding through its students. “In the last two years, our medical students have designed and implemented several elementary science programs. We have tripled our outreach to high school students and are initiating elementary and middle school programs,” she said.

Hecht said math and science skills are vital for national security and American businesses. “The National Science Foundation has reported that most graduate students who are obtaining advanced training in engineering departments are not U.S. citizens,” he said. “How are we going to remain a world leader in designing and building new space exploration technology? Right now, we are also relying on other countries to fill positions in American businesses that thrive in the math and science industry. If we want to stay competitive, we need action now.”

Source: Newswise
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/543136/

The evidence from around the world is clear. Kindergarten and early education for very young children offer tremendous benefits for most children and great gains for society.

Thus the B.C. government’s look at full-day kindergarten and education for children as young as three is a bold step that could make the province a leader within North America.

The government is seeking comments on proposals for big changes to public education. In the February throne speech, it pledged to assess both full-day kindergarten for five-year-olds and the introduction of optional day-long kindergarten for four-year-olds by 2010 and for three-year-olds by 2012.

Quality early education benefits almost all children, but the greatest benefits flow to the disadvantaged. They are the ones most at risk of starting Grade 1 already behind their peers, wondering in those first school days — and for years after — why the other kids seem to know what to do and how to learn so much better than they do.

It’s hardly surprising. A child raised in an affluent home, perhaps with a stay-at-home parent and active involvement in preschools and play groups and reading programs, is likely to be well-equipped for school’s challenges. A child deprived of those experiences and facing other hurdles, like a weak grasp of English, starts at a great disadvantage.

Research indicates that early education provides social and academic benefits. Done well, it also strengthens families and prepares parents to play a more positive role in their children’s education and lives.

There are bound to be concerns. Staffing will be an issue. That can be addressed in part by avoiding unnecessarily restrictive qualifications.

Some parents will likely seek not just the right to opt out of the programs, but equivalent funding. Choice is likely advisable, but special funding arrangements would not be.

Cost will also be a factor. Extending kindergarten to children of three and four could mean 80,000 extra students by 2012 and some $400 million in annual costs.

That’s certainly affordable, especially given the payback in a more successful, educated population and the harnessing of talent that might otherwise be lost.

But if the price is seen as too high, then one answer is targeted programs focused on the kids who need the early help the most — in First Nations communities and poor neighbourhoods, for example. The Education Ministry has already shown what can be achieved with its StrongStart B.C. drop-in program for children and parents.

The government is seeking public comments on the idea, with an Aug. 15 deadline. A discussion paper and response form can be found at www.bced.gov.bc.ca/ecla/.

This is a positive step, for children and the province. It is a great tragedy to deny children the basic right to make the most of their abilities. They are damaged, and society loses, when their chance to contribute and succeed is limited by an accident of birth.

Source: Times Colonist, Canada
http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/comment/story.html?id=96920524-3558-41aa-9973-e6e56c3f27be

My daughter will turn five years old two days before the new school year starts.

I didn’t think about this much when she entered her first year of preschool, but now as she is about to start kindergarten I suddenly started questioning whether or not she is truly ready.

It all started when I was chatting with some of the other preschool moms one day. We were comparing our children’s letter writing.

I was pretty surprised to see that many kids in my daughter’s class had much better handwriting and easily kept those letters between the lines.

Geez. Addie doesn’t really enjoy writing her “sight” words over and over. And I don’t really enjoy trying to get her to do it. I want her to have a love of learning and be excited about it, not moan over writing sight words.

After that day, the stage was set for my next worry project. (My husband thinks I purposely think of things to worry about and move from one worry to another.)

I remember getting all those birthday invitations last year for kids who were turning five in October and November. Addie had just turned four. That’s a big gap, and at this age I think it makes a big difference.

I am not worried about my daughter socially. Verbally, her vocabulary rivals mine. She uses words like “unfortunate” and “afforded” in the right context.

But she doesn’t always count to 20 perfectly. And counting beyond that is kind of a mess. Other kids in her class are counting to 100.

Her letters need some work, but I think she’s doing well.

I worry that if I make the wrong decision, Addie will struggle in school.

The Internet is full of articles about kindergarten readiness and forums where parents support both sides of “redshirting” or not.

My aunt held my cousin back and she ended up being the valedictorian of her high-school class. Impressive, but would she have had that title if she started on time?

All this worrying hasn’t really gotten me anywhere, so I turned to the U.S. Department of Education’s website.

In a survey, public school teachers ranked physical well-being, social development and curiosity as more important for kindergarten readiness than knowledge of skills.

Of the almost 1,500 teachers surveyed, more than half said it is not very important to know the alphabet or count in order to be ready for kindergarten.

Sounds good, but learning all seems to be moved up now. Many children learn to read in kindergarten, not first grade like I did. I notice one boy in my daughter’s class is doing math that seems to be on at least a first-grade level.

So what’s a parent to do? Are there any long-term effects of starting my early birthday kid in kindergarten on time? Is it better to be the oldest or the youngest in a grade?

According to Deborah Stipek, dean at the Stanford School of Education, I might be putting a little too much thought into this decision.

“It probably matters much less than parents believe. Most of the research suggests that any differences in achievement associated with age that are seen in the early grades disappear within a few years,” she said.

“‘Unless your child is very immature or is developing language unusually slowly or something like that, there is probably no harm in sending her on,” Stipek said.

OK. That makes me feel better.

Stipek added that what happens to children depends a lot of how good their teachers are at providing differentiated instruction that is appropriate for all of their students, regardless of skill levels and learning styles.

So for now I’m putting my worries aside, and next month, ready or not, it’s kindergarten here we come.

Source: The Canadian Press, LAS VEGAS
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hIf7t7_qrjR_OkFxr7-qca7hZITg

With 85 percent of brain development occurring between the time of conception and age five, early influences - both good and bad- affect a child’s ability to learn and function in society, a panel of state leaders learned at a Harvard University seminar.

What happens to a woman during pregnancy and to a child in its earliest formative stages “actually reprints your DNA and changes the DNA,” said state Rep. Hollis Downs, R-Ruston, who assembled a team to attend the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Harvard University June 26-28.

Rep. Don Trahan, R-Lafayette, chairman of the House Education Committee, said the symposium confirmed his belief that “pre-natal to age five is the most important time in the development of child. Our duty now is to determine how to satisfy that need in Louisiana.”

“We actually have a road map,” Trahan said. “Zero to three in Head Start, LA4 for four-year-olds, five in kindergarten and by the first grade, everybody is on the same page, able to read.”

It will take a serious education effort to get parents to realize the importance of prenatal and early childhood factors that can make or break a child’s chances for success, said Linda Johnson, president of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, another member of the Louisiana team attending the conference.

Johnson said she will take the information to BESE and see what policies it can develop to improve the education climate.

Downs said scientists at the symposium showed evidence that numerous “stressors,” the most damaging of which is alcohol, can have long-lasting effects on brain development. Other factors include physical abuse, drugs, loud music, lack of nurturing, poverty and malnutrition.

Downs said alerting parents to these problems would improve their children’s school performance and “yield a 15-to-1 return on money spent.” He said the state for years has alerted mothers-to-be of the dangers of drinking and smoking while pregnant and “that was before we knew (other factors) had an impact on predisposition to heart disease and diabetes.”

Danny Bell, superintendent of schools in Lincoln Parish, said the stress factor “many times evolves into learning problems,” even autism. Also, “doing more from birth to the time a child enters school can have a significant impact on the success of a child.

“We learned from the science that stressors can have a lifelong impact that is almost impossible to reverse,” Bell said.

Janie Humphries, McGehee Professor of Early Childhood Development at Louisiana Tech University, said the group learned “Louisiana is doing things right.”

She said smaller class sizes, particularly in day care and pre-school, are important to development because children prosper from more personal attention.

“These are critical periods in a child’s growth” that “lay the foundation of higher thinking skills,” Humphries said.

Downs said having smaller classes is crucial because two-thirds of Louisiana’s pre-schoolers are in daycare. “Small is better and having a high ratio of adults to children is important.”

Trahan said the Legislature opened the door to universal access to the Cecil J. Picard LA4 Program but the state budget only covers at-risk children. Also, not every parish offers it. Parents of children who don’t qualify for state aid can still enroll their children in LA4 and pay on a sliding scale based on income.

Downs said the Louisiana team, which also consisted of Erin Bendily, education policy advisor to the governor, Senate Education Committee Chairman Ben Nevers, Joe Salter of the Department of Education, and Department of Social Services Secretary Ann Williamson, is planning a “mini-symposium” this fall to present the information to state policy makers. He said he expects legislation to be offered in the next session to address some of the issues that state government can influence.

Source: Opelousas Daily World, LA
http://www.dailyworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080723/NEWS01/807230304/1002

From the moment a child is born, he or she begins developing cognitive skills.

According to the Bush Administration’s Early Child-hood Initiative, found at www.whitehouse.gov, developmental scientists have found that the brain obtains a great amount of information in the first year of life. Long before babies can talk, they are learning about language.

“By the time babies utter or understand their first words, they know which particular sounds their language uses; what sounds can be combined to create words; and the tempo and rhythm of words and phrases,” the Bush Administration said.

The opportunity of success later in a child’s life is greatly enhanced by the development a child undergoes early in life, according to the Bush Administration.

“For example, infants who are better at distinguishing the building blocks of speech at six months are better at other more complex language skills at two and three-years-of-age and better at acquiring the skills for learning to read at four and five-years-of-age,” the Bush Administration said.

“When young children are provided an environment rich in language and literacy interactions and full of opportunities to listen to and use language constantly, they can begin to acquire the essential building blocks for learning how to read. A child who enters school without these skills runs a significant risk of starting behind and staying behind,” the Bush Administration said.

Parent’s are a child’s first and most important teachers, according to the Bush Administration. For this reason, the Bush Administration said it is important for parents to be provided with support in educating their children.

The USD 234 school district and the USD 235 school district in partnership with the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, Greenbush has been offering support to some parents by providing a 4-year-old preschool program. The free program, which is funded by grants through the Kansas Department of Education, provides 4-year-olds opportunities and experiences that will prepare them for school success. In addition, it develops their social-emotional, physical, cognitive and language skills.

The 4-year-old preschool program is designed especially to meet the needs of children who are economically or environmentally disadvantaged, according to www.greenbush.com.

According to Greenbush. Early Childhood Director Cassandra Elsworth, the preschool program operates the same schedule as the regular school schedules. The preschool sessions are half-day sessions, Elsworth said. Most classes contain about 14 students.

The preschool program offers much needed support to parents and children by preparing children for kindergarten, Elsworth said.

“This free preschool will provide fun-filled, hands on opportunities and experiences to enhance a child’s cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical development in preparation for kindergarten,” a press release from Elsworth said.

According to the Bush Administration programs like the 4-year-old preschool are essential in the effort to improve early childhood learning.

“Efforts to improve early childhood learning will not work unless they involve States and school districts, which shoulder the primary responsibility for providing public education,” the Bush Administration said.

“Since States and districts are directly responsible for student learning and achievement in school, preparing children to learn before they start school is in their best interest.

“This is particularly true now that the No Child Left Behind law requires standards and accountability for every school in America. Many States and districts have already taken concrete steps in recognition that, in order for students to succeed once they reach school, they must come prepared to learn.”

Source: Fort Scott Tribune, KS
http://www.fstribune.com/story/1446042.html

Your child starts kindergarten next month, and you’re worried.

Is she prepared?

Does she know everything she needs to know?

How does she compare to other kids?

We consulted educators and compiled a list of the top 10 things a child should know before she starts kindergarten. Don’t worry if you haven’t nailed all of these — you still have time to catch up, these teachers said.

But don’t wait, because these skills are important.

If a child is behind, it can affect her attitude toward learning, said Melinda Wyssmann, kindergarten teacher at Mark Twain Elementary in Springfield.

“If they can’t read or write or do the math like other boys and girls, they start feeling frustrated and not wanting to come to school,” Wyssmann said. “It can set a pattern of how they feel towards academics.”

The academic rigor in kindergarten has increased, and parents aren’t always prepared for it, she said.

So here’s what your little one needs to know and how you can help her learn:

1
Know the alphabet. Just because your preschooler knows the alphabet song doesn’t mean he knows the alphabet, said Wendy Russell, a kindergarten teacher at Bingham Elementary who has been teaching for 26 years.

Children should know the alphabet without singing it, said Mea Childers, kindergarten teacher at Espy Elementary in Nixa who has been teaching for 15 years.

Children need to understand that the alphabet is made up of letters and that letters make up words. It’s just as important that he can grasp that concept as recite the song, said Russell.

What you can do: Talk to them about this concept, and practice the alphabet without singing it.

2
Know the difference between uppercase and lowercase letters. On the first day of school, most children write their name in all uppercase letters, said Debbie Hightower, a Wanda Gray teacher who taught kindergarten for four years.

It’s important to teach both upper and lowercase, these teachers said.

What you can do: Buy or make your own flashcards with upper and lowercase letters, Wyssmann said. Leap Frog products are great for teaching letters, she said.

As you read to your child, point out the difference between lowercase and uppercase letters, Hightower said.

3
Counting and number recognition. Your child should be able to count to 10 at a minimum, although 20 is becoming more mainstream.

Thirty is ideal, Russell said.

It’s also important that numbers are not an abstract concept. Children should understand the difference between one spoon and three spoons, Wyssmann said.

What you can do: Numbers can be a hard concept for kids, so take every opportunity to count with them, suggested Jennifer Newberry, former kindergarten teacher who now teaches preschool at the Nixa Early Learning Center.

A mother of three, she counts when she cooks, when she reads to the kids, when they look at the stars.

Use objects to demonstrate numbers: one cookie, three spoons, four plates etc., Wyssmann said.

4
Random letter recognition. This means your child actually knows her letters, instead of just memorizing the order of the alphabet, said Karen Evans, Wanda Gray teacher who taught kindergarten for six years.

She may know ABC, but does she know FSQ?

What you can do: Buy alphabet magnets and work with your child to identify letters. This is also good for learning upper- and lowercase, Wyssmann said.

You can also give your child random letters to trace or shape out of modeling dough, Wyssmann said.

5
Pencil grip: If your child learns improper pencil grip, it’s hard to unlearn it.

Improper grip affects the neatness of a child’s handwriting, Hightower said.

What you can do: Practice and demonstrate it for your child. He should grip the pencil with the pointer finger and thumb, resting on the middle finger, Hightower said.

More things your kids should know

6
Social skills: Social skills are almost more important than the academic, said Childers.

The reason: when school starts, the teacher knows she will have children on different academic levels.

“What makes it more difficult is if they are not mature enough, not ready to sit still, can’t take care of personal needs. Probably a parent’s most important job is to make sure their child is ready to come to school,” Childers said.

Russell agrees.

“I always tell parents the academics are very important, but even more important is that they learn good social skills: how to get along, how to make decisions, how to cooperate, take turns. Those are life skills,” Russell said.

What you can do: Make sure your child knows she will have to share toys, take turns, line up, take care of bathroom needs, zip her own pants, etc …

If your son has never seen one, the urinal can be surprising for boys, so parents should talk to sons about this in advance, Newberry said.

Children also need to be able to express their views and listen to other people’s views without arguing, Newberry said.

Talk to your child about each of these social skills and practice scenarios in advance.

7
Be able to focus: Listen and sit still for at least 15 minutes.

Children do this when they watch television, so it can be done, Hightower said.

What you can do: A good way to teach this is by reading to your child or telling your child stories, Hightower said.

“Reading to them helps them clam down and focus and pay attention,” Russell echoed.

Also try making your child sit at the dinner table, Childers said.

8
Responsibility: Children need to be responsible for their belongings, Childers said.

If she has 18 students, she can’t help all 18 put on their coats or track their jackets.

What you can do: Make them demonstrate responsibility at home by taking their plate from the dinner table to the sink, Childers said.

Have them do daily tasks, such as putting their toys back, and picking up after themselves, Evans said.

Give them different instructions and have them practice, Evans said.

9
How to use classroom tools. It’s surprising how many children haven’t used basic tools such as scissors, pencils and paper, said Russell.

Parents sometimes fear their child may cut themselves or color on the wall, but children need to know how to use those tools.

What you can do: “Let them cut things out of magazines and make collages. That develops their fine-motor skills, which in turn helps with handwriting,” Russell said.

10
Confidence. Children are more confident when they are familiar with something, teachers echoed.

What you can do: If you haven’t already, take your child to his school, let him play on the playground, meet the teacher, walk the halls, Childers said.

Talk to him openly about school and familiarize him with school as soon as possible, Newberry said.

When he has these skills, he will be more ready to learn as an individual and a class.

“Then they will absorb everything I throw at them,” Childers said.

Source: News-Leader.com, MO
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008807150318

Children as young as four are set to be given compulsory sex education in primary school classes, it has been revealed.

They will be taught about the names of body parts and basic ideas about different relationships.

Government advisors claim that ‘gradual education’ from such a young age would help children not rush into sex when they are older.

They argue that the basic sex education that children receive in science classes does not go far enough.

But the recommendations caused a storm of protest yesterday, with family campaigners claiming that the views of parents and teachers are being ignored.

Norman Wells, director of the pressure group, Family and Youth Concern, said: ‘What this is really all about is the sex education establishment trying to force schools to do something many parents - and many teachers - are uncomfortable with.’

At present, primary heads and governors decide whether or not to provide sex education and what it should involve beyond the compulsory science requirements laid down by the national curriculum.

They must have a policy on whether or not they provide sex education, which is usually delivered in personal, social and health education classes. If they do provide it, parents have the right to withdraw their children.

But the fpa (formerly the Family Planning Association), Brook and the Sex Education Forum are recommending the introduction of compulsory lessons.

They are taking part in a Government review of Sex and Relationship Education in primary and secondary schools.

The charities sit on a panel, which is currently examining ‘the right age to begin teaching what they key messages are and content that young people should receive at each key stage’.

They have pre-empted publication of their final report later this month and publicly announced their recommendation for statutory sex education from primary school onwards.

This would bring sex and relationship education on to the curriculum alongside other compulsory subjects such as maths and English.

Anna Martinez, head of the Sex Education Forum, confirmed they are recommending making PSHE statutory to give it ‘the high status it deserves as an essential part of all children’s education’.

But Mr Wells said there was no evidence to suggest that starting sex education at the age of four would reduce sexually transmitted infection and abortion rates among teenagers.

He said: ‘It’s quite extraordinary that the fpa and Brook should be calling on the government to impose something on every child in every school that has no proven benefit whatsoever.

‘Schools already have to have a sex education policy, but that policy must be developed in close consultation with parents, and schools must be sensitive to the wishes of parents. But the fpa want to take parents out of the equation and remove discretion from schools.

‘It’s vital that parents’ views should continue to be respected and that schools should remain sensitive to parental concerns on such a controversial issue.’

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families insisted that no final decision has been made by Ministers on the subject yet.

He said: ‘Effective sex and relationships education is essential for young people to make safe and healthy choices about their lives and prevent early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

‘That is why Government is currently reviewing the delivery of SRE in schools to improve the quality and consistency of provision to young people.

‘The steering group, jointly chaired by Schools Minister Jim Knight and a member of UK Youth Parliament, will make recommendations to Government later this month.’

Source: Mail on Sunday, UK
http://tinyurl.com/6ou3dm

A powerful coalition of England’s leading independent schools is demanding that the Government scale back its new national curriculum for the under-fives, claiming that it violates parents’ human rights by denying them the freedom to choose how they educate their children.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents 1,280 fee-paying schools educating more than 500,000 children, has written a blistering letter to Beverley Hughes, the Children’s Minister, complaining that the new curriculum will mean that the education of under-fives is subject to greater government interference than that of any other age group.

A leaked copy of the letter, seen by The Times, says that the curriculum, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, will compromise its member schools’ independence. “This clumsy intrusion into the early years’ curriculum of independent schools is both unjustified and unnecessary. More importantly, this interference conflicts with the rights of parents to privacy in their home life, which includes the freedom to choose how they educate their children and to educate them free from the control of the state,” the letter states.

The letter, copied to the Schools Secretary, Ed Balls, also complains that the framework is likely to hold back children’s progress and to lower standards. George Marsh, who is headmaster of Dulwich College Preparatory School in South London and chairman of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, said he was concerned that the framework might eventually herald greater interference in the curriculum for older children.

The framework becomes law in the autumn and will affect all 25,000 nurseries and childcare settings in England, whether they are run by the state, charities or private companies. It sets out up to 500 developmental milestones between birth and primary school and requires under-fives to be assessed on 69 writing, problem solving and numeracy skills.

The framework has come under heavy fire from a number of leading child development experts and academics, including members of the Government’s own early education advisory group.

Some argue that it relies too heavily on formal learning at the expense of free play, while others fear that its formal literacy targets will instill a sense of failure in teachers and children because they are beyond the reach of most under-fives.

There are also fears that the legislation, which requires nursery staff to make constant written observations on children to note their progress, will interfere with teachers’ ability to interact with children.

Ms Hughes has so far resisted any attempts to water down the new curriculum, arguing that standards have to be set high to ensure that children from deprived backgrounds are given the same opportunities for learning in the crucial early years as middle-class children.

She said that the 69 early learning goals were aspirations, and not targets.

The entrance of the ISC into the debate will raise the stakes considerably, not least because the independent schools have chosen parents’ human rights, not just child well-being, as their main point of attack.

Unlike the national curriculum for schools, which does not apply to independent schools, the framework will apply to all pre-school settings.

The letter, signed by Chris Parry, the ISC’s chief executive, outlines a number of other objections to the framework, which will apply to 946 of its member schools, which cater for children up to five years old.

It complains that an anomaly in the legislation will leave independent schools with stricter staffing controls than the state sector, requiring private schools to hire three or four adults for each reception class of 30, compared with one in the state sector.

Mr Parry says: “It seems ridiculous that [the framework] should dictate rules relating to staffing in the independent sector and this prescription smacks of an ideological approach.”

The ISC also complains that the requirements for teachers to produce written observations on each child will result in teachers “acting as time and motion experts hovering around children with clipboards, Post-it notes and cameras to collect ‘evidence’ ”. This will not raise standards, but will “simply distract teachers from their teaching responsibilities”.

Mr Parry says that there was inadequate consultation with ISC members over the new law, adding that the regulatory impact assessment which followed the so-called consultation was “materially misleading”.

ISC schools, the letter adds, have been given contradictory advice from local authorities as to how the framework should be implemented. Some have not been able to get any advice at all. It says that, given this lack of consultation, there should be a 12-month transition period for the implementation of the framework.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said that individual parents would have the option of applying for an exemption for their child for some or all of the learning and development requirements of the framework.

He added that the framework was flexible enough to support a wide range of approaches to education.

Source: Times Online, UK
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article4004420.ece

Australian children should be learning a second language from early childhood to keep up with their European and Asian counterparts, a leading language expert said.

University of Queensland Professor Ken Wiltshire has called on state and federal governments to do more to encourage children to learn a second, or even third language.

“In Europe it’s now going to be compulsory for children to learn two languages and ideally three,” he said.

“In Australia kids get an exposure to foreign language for about four or five years from primary school but from then on they can actually escape it, which is a great pity.”

He said Australia’s physical isolation and the position of English as a global language meant many did not see the need to learn another language.

However, he said being fluent in only one language meant Australians would miss out on cultural experiences and it could also prove a disadvantage in international business.

Professor Wiltshire, formerly Australia’s representative on the executive board of United Nations Education Sciences and Culture Organisation (UNESCO), said foreign languages needed to be included in Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s “education revolution”.

He said while Mr Rudd’s fluency in Mandarin provided a good role model, the prime minister needed to do more to encourage young Australians.

“There is no point in having a prime minister who speaks Mandarin if he doesn’t introduce good coherent policies that are going to encourage foreign languages,” he said.

Part of the problem was a shortage of foreign language teachers, Prof Wiltshire said, and measures similar to those implemented by the Rudd Government to encourage maths and science teachers were necessary.

“If we can have special incentives and HECS exemptions for science and mathematics teachers why can’t we do it for foreign language teachers?”

Ideally, he said, Australians should learn two foreign languages - one Asian and one European.

“There is a wonderful emphasis in Australia on the importance of early childhood and what would be better than if all these early childhood centres start introducing children to some aspects of a foreign language”.

Source: Courier Mail, Australia
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23745220-5003402,00.html

A new report declares that a “boy crisis” in education doesn’t exist and that both sexes are about equal in their standardized tests scores. At least that’s the analysis of 40 years of these tests by the American Association of University Women, which promotes gender equity for women.

So much for those of us who have doggedly maintained that single-sex education — bitterly opposed by some women groups — is far better in the below high school grades, when boys and girls would seem to learn at a distinctly different pace, one that puts male pupils at a disadvantage. But then our contentions are unsubstantiated by anything other than personal experience, clearly making them invalid. Observations from the parenting and grand parenting of 13 children hardly can compare with certified academic analysis.

The study states that success in school depends more on family income and ethnicity (African and Hispanic Americans do worse, it says) than any sign that female teachers might quite naturally possess traits and skills in exercising their craft that are far more favorable to girls. It is a myth apparently that the verbal and cognitive abilities come earlier to girls, that their attention spans are longer and their understanding of written assignments generally keener than those of their male counterparts of the same age and that boys exposed to male teachers do well.

Those boys who don’t progress at the same speed are, as we all know, “late bloomers.” There is nothing to worry about as the AAUW study of the tests from fourth grade to college shows. Junior as we all know will come along even if he is now fidgeting, pounding on his seatmate, or staring out the window as if in a trance even when not zonked out on some anti-hyper drug. He is just a bit of a dreamer who ultimately will overcome these traits and turn toward math and other scientific disciplines with such fervor as to completely overwhelm any female competitor.

Like boxers, education theorists spend a great deal of their time jabbing and counterpunching one another with tests and studies to build support for their opinions on how to save the public schools. In the process much of what is just plain common sense disappears in a welter of statistics that appear irrefutable, if obvious, but completely miss the point. Boys do catch up, given half a chance. Girls certainly can be superlative mathematicians (my daughter is one), and parental support is obviously vitally important to academic progress. Children of families who can afford books and other educational tools are bound to do better. How startling is that?

But the elusive point is that despite all the stats, separate classes for the sexes are a good idea in theory but are impractical it seems in reality. Why? Because those teaching the boys most likely would be women, not the males that could both understand their charges and provide them with authoritative role models. The public school system from the first to the ninth grades has been the overwhelming domain of women for a variety of reasons. This matriarchal society subconsciously has created an atmosphere, set an agenda and established the standards that clearly favor girls, at least in the early stages. There is nothing sinister about this and they will deny it until hell freezes over. But every parent with a mixed household of children who is paying attention can attest to its authenticity.

There is nothing sexist in single sex education. It is just a practical solution that probably will never come about in any widespread way. The social interplay between the genders at that level can be accomplished in a variety of ways including recess and mixed activities during and after school. But again this isn’t likely to take place anytime soon, certainly not as long as there are studies like the AAUW’s that miss the point.

Source: Scripps News, DC
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/33410