Nearly as weary as the Spanish, probably as miserable as the Estonians, no its not me, it has to be another survey of UK happiness http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/24/british-identity-new-economics-foundation-happiness the full report http://www.nationalaccountsofwellbeing.org/public-data/files/national-accounts-of-well-being-report.pdf In my opinion, it is worth considering this kind of research because happiness is essential for optimism and optimism is necessary for people to even try to begin to overcome disadvantage. Also, if one takes a broader view of social wellbeing then I guess one has to take a wider view of what is social disadvantage. However, I can see this debate becoming contentious, especially when it seems to question the appropriateness of mothers entering paid employment instead of engaging in full-time child care, as here in another report about to hit the streets http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article5627605.ece
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Where there is hope
1 Digitally challenged
Following an investigation by Lord Carter, an interim report into the UK's digital future has been published by the UK government http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7858498.stm the full report can be found at http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digital_britain_interimreportjan09.pdf This report will be a disappointment to anyone who is worried about the effect of the digital divide in the UK: the division between those who use the internet and those who don’t. Curiously, this report seems to assume that the lack of a household internet connection by 17 million people or around 30% of households is because they don’t understand or see the advantage of using the internet. One of the report’s recommendations is that there should be a popular champion to encourage the take up of the technology by these excluded people. Frankly, I think this is a marginal point, however my only plea, is please, lets not have another Tsar, if the champion has to be named after some feudal relic, how about a people’s Kaiser or a community Shah.
In my opinion, the main problem isn’t ignorance or fear or indifference to the internet, I think the problem for poor families is almost entirely about cost; and moreover, not the cost of a device to access the internet but the cost of an ongoing connection for that device. As far as I can see, this is not seriously addressed anywhere in this report. Instead we are treated to many pages about reassuring adults about child safety, ensuring every building in the country is able to connect to the internet, stopping illegal file sharing and the future of publicly funded broadcasting. On the issue of access for disadvantaged groups there are only two short sections. First, there is praise for what is claimed to be the widespread availability and success of UK Online Centres.
“Since their creation in 2000 UK Online Centres, based in libraries, citizens’ advice bureaux, internet cafes and other publicly-available locations, have helped millions of people in England. They have particularly helped the disadvantaged or older people who have not encountered digital technology at work or do not have supportive family networks. The Centres provide a safe and supportive environment, often working well with voluntary and community organisations, to show the practical uses and benefits of the internet and the essential skills to use it. The Government is currently looking at how to harness the potential of UK Online Centres for supporting digital inclusion policies as a whole.” Page 61
However, at a recent Brightside Trust team meeting, when we discussed single parents accessing potential e-mentoring schemes, the general feeling was that one of the problems with any such scheme was that public access to the internet was in reality very poor, rendering such initiatives problematic. So, I’m sceptical.
The nearest the report gets to addressing the problem of cost is this second, delphic paragraph,
“This will include working with industry to develop affordable, reliable and easy-to-use IPTV boxes – particularly relevant to those households currently without a PC and, when a critical mass of digital public service delivery is reached, around 2012-13, there could be a new scheme to assist remaining elderly and disadvantaged households to get online. This would draw on key lessons from the digital switchover scheme in television, notably the vital role of engagement with the third sector in identifying those most in practical need and providing the level of trusted quality contact to demonstrate the practical benefits of the technology and impart the basic skills to use it.” Page 62
Yet between now and 2013, many thousands of children will find their relative disadvantage increased because of this gap. Nowadays, even primary school students routinely use internet resources to complete their work, which gives them a major advantage over those without home internet access. A recent survey found that a third of young people insisted that they “could not live” without their computer http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/19/internet-generation-parents
I still think that the only real answer to the digital divide would be to offer internet connections free at the point of use to every household, as part of the local infrastructure provided by the local authority, like rubbish collection or schooling. To make it a little more acceptable to middle England, then perhaps restrict it to families with children and pensioners. Unfortunately, I cannot see anyone pursuing that policy in the UK today and so the digital revolution will only exacerbate the social divide. Lord Carter’s full report is due in June of this year, so still time for a revelation, but judging from this report he’s going to need the full road to Damascus experience.
2 Not so clever
A recent report found that 1 in 7 of those students categorised as gifted and talented failed to get 5 GCSE A to C including Maths and English. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/scheme-for-gifted-pupils-is-a-failure-1452286.html My first thought was that this reflects the confused criteria for selecting pupils for the gifted and talented scheme. However, maybe there is more to discover here, perhaps this is an interesting insight into the disillusionment of bright children.
3 Good news items – a jumble of disadvantage overcome
City mentoring program http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jan/14/young-people-social-exclusion Oxford success story http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/17/elitism-oxbridge-university and a more traditional way of getting disadvantaged students into Oxbridge http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5626714.ece Physics female role model http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/13/athene-donald-physics Medical school, the example of an access course http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5536362.ece
5 Diplomas: it needn’t have been this way
6 The context of e-mentoring
The higher education learning environment has changed significantly over the past few years and that pace of change shows no sign of diminishing http://www.guardian.co.uk/universitychallenge/weapon I think this could be relevant to the evolution of our e-mentoring projects.
7 Campaigning for science
A campaign to promote a more positive view of science launched by celebrities and government http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/28/science-terry-pratchett and as this article shows, it’s needed http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/14/league-tables-science
Monday, 12 January 2009
1) Social Mobility
The government will hope that the launch of their white paper on social mobility will be a big news story tomorrow (Tuesday). The policy direction of this paper has been widely leaked http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7822562.stm and http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article5489213.ece and from the Observer http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jan/11/labour-government-education-social-mobility
I think our mentoring into the professions schemes could feature strongly in the considerations of the social mobility commission if we push ourselves to the fore.
The Sutton Trust has already begun making its contribution to this debate with a couple of articles by Lee Elliot Major in the Daily Telegraph. The first article considered social mobility and parental influence http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4015830/Wed-be-better-off-if-we-educated-everyone.html with the second suggesting 10 measures that could usefully be implemented http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/4015925/Ten-education-reforms-to-improve-social-mobility.html
2) Is it Worth the Debt?
The government’s plans to encourage internships for unemployed graduates has generated some comment
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/10/graduate-employment-crisis-rescue-package Much of the discussion has emphasised the disappointment of the unemployed or underemployed alumni, such as here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article5488978.ece while this focus on disappointed graduates is understandable, it was my experience in the last recession (I was teaching at a university and was known as a soft touch for a good reference for people I didn’t know), that many graduates once employed in an organisation, even on a temporary contract, would then move onto permanent better paid positions with those same organisations. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if these internships prove to be useful and also that some people who would never otherwise have considered a job in retailing end up pursuing it as a rewarding career. However, from memory, it was the school leavers with low or no qualifications who were the real long term losers in the recession. Work creation schemes and temporary jobs just didn’t seem to serve this group in the same way as they did for graduates. For them, temporary jobs are just that, temporary low paid employment. These young people never really joined the workforce; instead they become a new cohort in the army of the long-term unemployed. Despite the debt, it’s still worth going to university.
3) Good News Item
For the rest of the month, there is an exhibition at London’s City Hall of artwork by disadvantaged young people from some of the capital's poorest boroughs
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jan/07/art-youth-young-people-culture-london-dulwich-kennington-kids why not take a lunch-time stroll to view? It’s on the walls at City Hall from the reception area down to the canteen; also you might see Nance: what a win/win scenario.
4) Uneven Results
The self styled ‘top universities’ Russell group’s widening participation programs have been found to have had varying levels of success http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5439367.ece
5) Brightside Farm?
Care farming seems to work; ever heard of it? Who’d be the farmer? http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jan/06/care-farms-teenagers-badly-behaved-youth
6) Happy Now?
A survey of happiness levels among young people in the UK has been produced http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/08/ofsted-children-friendship there is even a happiness map http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/01/07/HAPPYMAP.pdf
Note the unhappy NEETS http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7810902.stm I think the mental health aspects of disadvantage and social exclusion are often underestimated or ignored and that unhappiness is the nearest we’ll get to recognition.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
1) What are the chances of a British Obama?
The Independent newspaper recently carried a provocative but well founded article by the research director at the Sutton Trust, who pointed out that Barack Obama is the product of an elite private education and that any British Obama would need to follow a similar educational route if he were to aspire to be prime minister. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/higher/lee-elliot-major-a-british-obama-would-need-an-elite-education-1035966.html I agree that the road to joining the establishment is largely restricted to those who pass through the right schools and the right universities.
However, to pose a very old question, does this arrangement make for a good society? I think the limitations to this system will be seen quickly in the case of Obama himself. The fairy tale will peak on January 20th 2009 with his coronation. The news coverage will be pure Disney – the poor mixed race boy who by sheer hard work and talent rose from humble origins to the highest office in the land. An example to all, anyone can succeed if they try hard enough. Unfortunately, the day after he takes the throne then the problems will start, not least, how to construct the “and they all lived happily ever after” ending. This fairy tale has been sold to the American people on the basis that his election will not just herald the good society for Obama but for everyone else as well. So, when this fails to happen, as it will fail, the disappointment will embitter sections of American society for a generation.
During the election I thought one of the best turns of phrase I heard, was from Bill Clinton, when he said that the world had always been more impressed by the force of the USA’s example than the example of its force. However, I think this is less true than it was. During the 20th century I can well believe that for most people in most countries their dream was to live in a society that was like the USA. For us in the first world, that dream came true, we are now all living a version of America but there are signs that many people are increasingly disillusioned, as for many, equality of opportunity isn’t real.
This is an element in the on-going Greek riots, where many young people clearly have no faith in the democratic and meritocratic society in which they live. Many of the rioters are young graduates who have found that their higher education has not brought them advancement or opportunity, however hard they worked. To what extent it is possible to improve the system and restore their faith, will in my opinion, be the recurring question for social policy during the first part of the 21st century, not only in southern Europe but also in the USA and the UK. However, I suspect that any credible answer to this will have to include breaking up that elitist path that Obama trod to the White House.
2) Slow lane
A recent report found that WP activities aimed at increasing the numbers of disadvantaged students attending English universities have not resulted in "significant increases" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/3548867/Fewer-poor-students-attend-university-in-England-says-report.html
3) More please
Half the children in poverty do not receive free school meals http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/16/school-meals-education-government-funding I think it is often forgotten that half of all families living in poverty have at least one adult member who is working: those on benefits are literally only half the story.
4) There will be trouble
Disadvantaged white boys are falling even further behind the educational achievements of their peers http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/12/white-boys-gcse-results and http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1093898/Poor-white-boys-lagging-schoolmates-GCSE.html
5) Where to get the biggest bung
6) The good news
Applications to study engineering at degree level continue to rise, but be careful which course you choose http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/dec/09/engineering-degrees