News, updates and reports

Over the past two years or so, a diverse group of concerned educators in Pakistan have attempted to highlight the issues of quality education by studying some of the better schools and school systems catering to low-income groups. The study, therefore, marks a shift in emphasis from providing descriptions on education in Pakistan toward a search for the existing positive examples.

The pre-assumptions of the study were that there exist good schools in almost all districts of Pakistan in both public and private sector, and their experience and good practices could be transferred to other schools.

As a multi-case study the analysis employed qualitative methods of inquiry in individual schools as the unit cases. The schools were selected to cover a broad spectrum of organizational forms and support mechanisms. In the data collection, primary emphasis laid on factors such as teacher professional development, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms at the school level and community participation, and secondary emphasis on language, world view and gender.

Based on student scores, fifteen top schools were identified at each site for in-depth visits for classroom observation and teacher interviews. A reasonable level of enrolment and availability of teachers as well as basic infrastructure and facilities were also considered. A core research team of professionals was set up to provide technical advice on research design, data collection and analysis, and writing of cases.

The study show that investments in education in Pakistan in the past decade or so, both from government and donors, have been biased in favor of direct delivery of educational services such as teacher training, creation and training of school councils, supply of missing facilities, and financial and other incentives for students to attend schools. The findings of the study suggest that these investments are not a sufficient condition for sustainable reform.

The study provides recommendations for policy makers for investing in other areas: identification and promotion of the promising human resources present within schools in Pakistan; provision of a meaningful system of incentives to teachers and school leaders in improving the quality of schools, and re-conceptualizing the current focus on the ability of schools councils to ensure community support to schools.

A brief of the study is available: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp/ ....

In 2005 the Fund for an Open Society Serbia launched the initiative: Inclusive Education, from Practice to Policy. The Education Support Program (ESP) financially supported the initiative in 2006 and 2007. The goal is to promote better access to quality education, especially for those children and young people who are marginalized, discriminated against or segregated due to their ethnic background, social deprivation, mental capabilities, disability or illness. A coalition of ten non-governmental and governmental organizations has been set up not only to promote better access to education but also to build flexible, needs-based, child-centered, measurable educational practice. The members of this coalition helped to put the issue of inclusive education on the agenda of professional discussions, public debates and media reporting.

The initiative has achieved the following results:

An Inclusive Education Network of 150 teachers was launched to serve as the change agent in the field of education, which is engaged in exchanging experiences and good practices, horizontal learning and providing mutual psychological and professional support.

The Service for Inclusive Education Facilitation was set up as a horizontal and vertical advising support for teachers and parents in September 2007. Advisors in several cities provide information on inclusive education on a daily basis, provide support for children and assist teachers in developing educational plans.

The Practical Guide for Improving Inclusive Education Practice for teachers and other participants in teaching has been developed. Publication is expected by the end of 2007. The Guide will include best practices examples and a list of criteria indicators for the advancement of inclusive education practice, which have already been pilot tested in pre-schools and primary schools. It will provide new information about the current level of inclusive practice in educational institutions.

The Network of Local Inclusive Teams was established to mobilize local community support for improving local conditions for better access to education. Owing to the advocacy activities of the Network several roundtables and street events were organized, garnering considerable media and web presence.

As a part of the Initiative, the project Intercultural/Multicultural Education - from Practice to Policy was launched to address the problem of the lack of inter-cultural pedagogical practice in Serbian educational institutions. The main objective is to advance and develop multicultural co-existence in multi-ethnic communities through educational practice and policy, as well as to disseminate good practice in the field of intercultural/multicultural education.

For more detailed information, please visit: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp/news/serbia_20071025 or contact: tstojic@fosserbia.org

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute (OSI-ESP) jointly organized a symposium during the XIII World Congress of Comparative Education Societies in September 2007 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The symposium featured the presentation of research papers on eight countries from the Balkans to the Baltics: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Serbia. Researchers from these countries used advanced statistical methods to analyze data from the 2003 TIMSS (Trends in Mathematics and Science Study) and the 2003 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) in order to understand the status of quality and equity of students' learning outcomes. One of the main conclusions of the study was that although a divide in the learning achievement of students based on their family backgrounds is apparent in Central and Eastern European countries, there is an important role for schools to play in both reducing this gap and raising the level of learning for all students. According to the research results, raising and leveling the learning bar remains a serious challenge in most of the countries, after more than a decade of drastic political, economic and social change in the region. Aside from less-than-desirable overall levels of quality, there are disparities among schools and regions in learning achievement in reading, mathematics and sciences among secondary school students. The research revealed that much of these achievement disparities are associated with students' socio-economic status.

For a detailed report on the symposium, please visit: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/esp/events/symposium_20070903/report

The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation - Armenia within its higher education support program prioritizes issues including higher education policy development, upgrade of education quality and contribution to professional faculty growth, advancement of humanities and social sciences, and reinforcement of collaboration between higher education institutions (HEI) and research, business and industrial communities. In addition, the Foundation attaches special importance to the issues of internal quality assurance of HEIs.

To advance the implementation of Bologna reforms in Armenia in general, especially quality assurance in HEIs, the Foundation supported four Armenian universities (Yerevan State University, State Engineering University of Armenia, Yerevan State Medical University and Vanadzor State Pedagogical University) to conduct self-assessment on internal quality assurance according to European standards and develop guidelines for internal quality assurance with the help of international experts. The assessment will touch upon issues like faculty skills and professionalism, adequacy of education content and teaching methodology, correspondence of graduates' skills and knowledge to job market demands and existence and conformity of such resources as libraries, contemporary literature and laboratories.

As the projects near completion, a joint round table is planned with participation of all four universities to introduce the initiative to stakeholders and discuss the findings. Based on the findings and recommendations, the universities will be further supported to develop the internal quality assurance system within their institutions. Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Sciences, National Institute of Education, various local universities and respective international organizations engaged in higher education reforms are invited to take part in the round table, which will take place in the northern town of Vanadzor at the premises of Vanadzor State Pedagogical University.

For more information, please contact: Lusine Geghamyan, lusine@osi.am

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) has started a new series of training of trainers on Education for Social Justice (ESJ) Program for Adults. The purpose of the training is to increase participants' knowledge, understanding, and sensitivity to the mechanisms which perpetuate and maintain systems of oppression and inequity. The training addresses all forms of oppression including racism, sexism, classism, ageism, ableism, religious and linguistic oppression and homophobia. They promote the concept that each person must intervene, challenge, and counter the personal and institutional behaviors that perpetuate the systems of oppression. ISSA is preparing a cohort of new trainers from its member NGOs; educators, psychologists and psychiatrists who have chosen to work in the program are among the future trainers.

While ISSA has sponsored these training sessions to help its members and other educators promote the understanding of how educational systems may also address inequities in societies, the training can be used in multiple contexts outside the educational system, for instance by training policy makers, social workers, police, business people, etc.

For more information and to request training visit www.issa.nl or contact ISSA at issa@issa.hu

For several years the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) has provided the ISSA Pedagogical Standards as a tool for professional development and assessment of teacher performance. Teachers in many countries in the ISSA network have received the ISSA Certificates of Excellence in Teaching. ISSA has started the process of revising the standards in order to make sure that they reflect the most current research on best teacher- and program-practice and how to assess that practice. It is planned to have the revised ISSA Pedagogical Standards and the documents that support them in operation by January 2009. Until that time, the current ISSA Pedagogical Standards will be in place as ISSA's definition of quality practice in teaching.

The ISSA Pedagogical Standards form a foundation for professional development (including mentoring) and are available for all interested in the quality of education. ISSA, through its Pedagogical Standards, focuses on helping teachers provide stimulating and enriching learning environments and interactions, inclusive practices, respect for diversity, family and community involvement in a child's education, as well as developing and practicing life-long learning skills both for students and teachers.

For more information and to request training on using the ISSA Pedagogical Standards visit www.issa.nl or contact ISSA at issa@issa.hu

Recognizing ISSA's experience in providing stimulating materials and activities for children in the early years, IBM has contracted ISSA to develop and deliver materials for their employees in Belgium, the UK, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Three different kits were developed, each containing four children's books from the ISSA Reading Corner series, accompanied by an activity book, "Opening Magic Doors. Reading and Learning with Children". The activity books include ideas on supporting the development, curiosity and learning of children of different ages (2-3, 4-5 and 6-7), with appropriate activities for each age level, along with guidelines about what parents or caregivers can do with their children around the themes presented in the books.

These activity kits as well as the Reading Corner books in multiple languages are available through the ISSA office; Reading Corner books are also available through on www.amazon.com.

For more information and to order kits contact ISSA at issa@issa.hu.

Upcoming conference

On November 5-6 2007 at its headquarters in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNESCO and the OSCE/ODIHR (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights) is organizing a Regional European Meeting on the World Programme for Human Rights Education (WPHRE).

From 150 to 300 participants will be invited: officials and representatives of international institutions, civil society and foundations all involved in the national implementation of the Action Plan at the decision-making and executive level. Interested international and national NGOs can apply for participation by using the on-line application form. The selection will be made on the basis of the NGOs role and experience in the promotion and development of Human Rights Education.

For more information, please contact: aurora.ailincai@coe.int.