Education – a economic priority TUI Symposium - October 17, 2008 Presented by: Tony Donohoe, Head...
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Transcript of Education – a economic priority TUI Symposium - October 17, 2008 Presented by: Tony Donohoe, Head...
Education – a economic priorityTUI Symposium - October 17, 2008Presented by: Tony Donohoe, Head of Education and Social Policy
www.ibec.ie
Education and training
Education’s role in economic recovery– But its importance transcends economic issues
Cumulative nature of educational success– early childhood development to lifelong learning
Teacher quality and professional development Delivering for every child Curriculum reform Further and higher education Lifelong learning Investment at a time of fiscal stress
Importance of ‘generic’ skills Pay attention to teacher quality and professional development Integration of training and education systems Education and training system has played a key role in Ireland’s economic transformation over the
last three decades Need to innovate and change Demand for individuals who can combine discipline-specific technical knowledge with
entrepreneurial skills and an ability to think creatively
www.ibec.ie
National context
Source: Enterprise Strategy Group
World-class Skills, Education
& Training
www.ibec.ie
Heckman curve
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PISA rankings – 15 year olds
400
420
440
460
480
500
520
540
560
580
Fin
lan
d
So
uth
K
ore
a
Ne
the
rlan
ds
Jap
an
Ire
lan
d
Ge
rma
ny
Sw
ed
en
UK
De
nm
ark
Sin
ga
po
re
OE
CD
Fra
nce
Po
lan
d
US
Ind
ex
of
Lit
era
cy
Ra
nk
ed
by
Ov
era
ll A
ve
rag
e
Reading Literacy Scientific Literacy Mathematical Literacy
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McKinsey Study
Quality of a education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers ‘Variations in teacher quality completely dominate
any effect of reduced class size’ Get the right people to become teachers Develop these people into effective
instructors– Mentoring, coaching, peer-learning, teamwor Increase Government investment in CPD Improve autonomy for college/school
leadership …requires greater flexibility from teaching
profession
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School reforms and teaching practice
Similar effect to that that of a storm on the ocean‘The surface is agitated and turbulent while the ocean floor is calm and serene (if a bit murky). Policy churns dramatically … creating the appearance of major changes … while deep below the surface, life goes on largely uninterrupted’
Cuban (1984)
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Delivering for every child
Resources and funding targeted at those who need them most
Set clear and high expectations for student performance but less prescriptive curricula
Monitoring and intervene at school level– Examinations and school reviews
Monitoring and intervene at pupil level Special education teachers to support one-
on-one or small group teaching– 30% of all pupils in Finland– De-stigmatised– Teachers get an additional year of training
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Generic competences v ‘holistic’ education
Basic/fundamental skills such as literacy, using numbers, using technology;
People-related skills such as communication, interpersonal, team working, customer-service skills; and
Conceptual skills such as collecting and organising information, problem-solving, planning and organising, learning-to-learn skills, innovation and creativity, systems thinking
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Population with a Third Level EducationBy Age Cohort, 2006
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
EU-15
Ireland
UK
OECD
US
55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34
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Lifelong learning in EU member states
4.2%
5.0%
6.0%
6.2%
7.6%
8.0%
12.1%
12.7%
16.6%
24.8%
27.6%
29.1%
34.7%
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%
Hungary
Poland
Germany (2004)
Italy
France
Ireland
Spain
EU 15
Netherlands
Finland
Denmark
UK
Sweden
Lisbon Target 12.5%
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Lifelong learning
Time, money and motivation Flexible delivery
– Different modes (blended/e- learning, modularisation, credits, flexible hours of delivery etc.)
– Bluebrick.ie Increased awareness of benefits of education
and training Establishing a workable system on ‘who pays’ Systematic identification of the needs of
individuals and enterprises ‘Joined-up’ education and training policy
across government departments
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Investment at a time of fiscal stress
Economic return accrues mainly in the long term but must be a priority
Need to spend scarce public resources with maximum efficiency
Focus on inputs can be misleading Balance focus between absolute levels
of funding and other reforms that could improve student performance
Provide opportunities for teachers to use skills and commitment