Towards a Better Future

Recommendations

Info

Chapter Seven: The School System: Equality, Inclusion and Rights CHAPTER SEVEN The School System: Equality, Inclusion and Rights ‘The educational system is shaped by public policy, criteria of selection for different tracks, the way it is financed, the cost of study for students and their families, and the availability of continuing education…To sum up: the best way to increase wages and reduce wage inequalities in the long run is to invest in education and skills’. (Piketty, 2014, pp. 305 & 313) ‘Although good schools make a difference, the biggest influence on educational attainment, how well a child performs in school and later in higher education, is family background…More unequal countries and more unequal states have worse educational attainment’ (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009, pp. 103 & 105) — 111 —
Towards a Better Future: A Review of the Irish School System INTRODUCTION The focus on equality and inequality in education has been a significant feature of educational research. This is because of the marked variation in educational experiences and outcomes of a number of social groups. Research on equality and inequality poses questions. These questions are vital to successful policy-making, concerning the capacity of schools to foster social solidarity, inclusion, academic achievement and personal growth, on the one hand, and to assess the impact of power and inequality on the outcomes for different groups, on the other. In this chapter, we will review the evidence on equality, rights and inclusion in the Irish educational system in order to assess the gains, achievements and remaining challenges, and to highlight potential directions for policy and improvements. Equality is a concept about which there is sometimes a lack of clarity. It does not mean that the ambition is to make everyone the same. On the contrary, equality involves respecting and valuing diversity. Nor does it mean treating all individuals exactly the same. Sometimes trying to achieve equality necessitates giving additional resources to disadvantaged groups. As the Educational Disadvantage Committee (2005) pointed out, equality of opportunity, access and participation has been the focus of many previous policy interventions in Ireland. However, equality of outcomes is the more challenging aim insofar as research has “ Equality is a concept about which there is sometimes a lack of clarity. It does not mean that the ambition is to make everyone the same. On the contrary, equality involves respecting and valuing diversity. ” consistently found that even when improvements in access and participation occur in the school population as a whole, there are still persistent inequalities between the different sub-groups. In defining equality, Baker et al. (2009) endorse the concept of equality of condition, which, in the area of education, would involve providing educational and occupational options that give everyone the prospect of self-development and satisfying work. Baker et al. (2006: pp. 413-414) argue that material inequalities - sexual orientation. Therefore, inequality in education is the obvious ‘elephant in the room’ in any discussion on education. Inclusion is also a key concept at national and European levels. Finally, the various obligations arising from human rights covenants and treaties place great obligations on education systems, schools and teachers to maximise the participation and achievement of all children. We will now look at the evidence on gains and challenges in the above-mentioned areas and will start by looking at the findings relating to social class/socio-economic disadvantage. — 112 —
Page 1 and 2:
Towards a BETTER FUTURE A Review of
Page 3 and 4:
Published in Ireland by IPPN (the I
Page 5 and 6:
Towards a Better Future: A Review o
Page 7 and 8:
Page 9 and 10:
Page 11 and 12:
Page 13 and 14:
Page 15 and 16:
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
Page 43 and 44:
Page 45 and 46:
Page 47 and 48:
Page 49 and 50:
Page 51 and 52:
Page 53 and 54:
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76: Towards a Better Future: A Review o
Page 125: Towards a Better Future: A Review o
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Page 199 and 200:
Page 201 and 202:
Page 203 and 204:
Page 205 and 206:
Page 207 and 208:
Page 209 and 210:
Page 211 and 212:
Page 213 and 214:
show all

Towards a Better Future

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?