Seven big myths about top-performing school systems (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

By Andreas Schleicher
OECD director of education and skills

The man in charge of the Pisa tests, Andreas Schleicher, says the evidence from around the world reveals some big myths about what makes for a successful education system.
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What the comparisons do show is that socio-economic disadvantage has a particularly strong impact on student performance in the United State{s}.

In other words, in the United States two students from different socio-economic backgrounds vary much more in their learning outcomes than is typically the case in OECD countries.
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More interestingly, the highest performing education systems in Pisa tend to systematically prioritise the quality of teachers over the size of classes. Wherever they have to make a choice between a smaller class and a better teacher, they go for the latter.

Rather than putting money into small classes, they invest in competitive teacher salaries, ongoing professional development and a balance in working time.
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more: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31087545

Hmmm ... how many OECD countries finance their school systems through their *local* property taxes ? Just wondering.

[roody]

1. Why would you choose between smaller classes and better teachers?

They are both good things.

[Thor_MN]

2. I think it was the philosopher Jager that said "You can't always get what you want"

One on one teaching with crappy teachers does not create good outcomes, so smaller class size is not necessarily a good thing.

[roody]

5. It's a false choice.

[Thor_MN]

6. Only if you have unlimited supplies of money.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. If you have a finite amount of funding, you have to prioritize ...

the message here is that small class size should be lower priority than high teacher quality.

[roody]

7. This is a good argument for a unionized labor force with a negotiated contract.

Better teachers do not cost more than less good teachers, except that experience makes one a more skilled (better) teacher, and a good contract pays for experience.

[Cal33]

4. In addition to all of the above can be included the deliberate falsification of info and facts by

Corporations, Fox News ...etc... regarding science, climate, general information ... all for
the sake of extra profit. They really don't give a damn what happens to their own country,
as long as they can make a bigger profit.