|
on Education |
|
Issue of 2007‒06‒02
eleven papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao University of the Beira Interior |
| By: | Jeremy Gibberd |
| Abstract: | While some South African schools have excellent infrastructure, others lack basic services such as water and sanitation. The school infrastructure performance indicator system (SIPIS) project offers an approach that can address both the urgent provision of basic services as well as support the development of more sophisticated and more effective education environments over time. |
| Keywords: | evaluation, learning environment, educational buildings, school infrastructure |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:eduaaa:2007/6-en&r=edu |
| By: | Amanda Bell |
| Abstract: | Brisbane Girls Grammar School’s new Creative Learning Centre was conceived to group arts studies which were previously scattered across the campus and to serve all students as a meeting place and technology hub. The building is specifically designed to provide the most flexible and innovative environment for teenaged girls, having special regard for the way girls learn and interact socially. The unique design also helps ensure protection from Brisbane’s hot and humid environment. |
| Keywords: | innovation, technology, secondary schools, school building design, learning environment, educational buildings |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:eduaaa:2007/5-en&r=edu |
| By: | O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects; Shán Ó Cuív |
| Abstract: | This recently completed primary school illustrates how architecture can contribute to creating a safe and warm environment in a difficult area and can meet the particular needs of the student community. In its first year in operation, Cherry Orchard National School is proving to be a successful project. Presented here are the architectural description and comments from the client, the school’s Board of Management. |
| Keywords: | security, learning environment, educational buildings, school infrastructure |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:eduaaa:2007/7-en&r=edu |
| By: | Nekby, Lena (Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS); Özcan, Gülay (Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS) |
| Abstract: | The importance of investing in host country-specific human capital such as domestic language proficiency and domestic education is often cited as a determining factor for the labor market success of immigrants. This suggests that entirely domestic educations should even out the playing field providing equal labor market opportunities for natives and immigrants with similar (domestic) educations. This study follows a cohort of students from Swedish compulsory school graduation in 1988 until 2002 in order to document ethnic differences in education, including grades and field of education, and subsequent labor market outcomes. Results indicate both initial differences in youth labor market status and long term differences in employment rates, most notably for those with Non-European backgrounds. Differences in level or field of domestic education cannot explain persistent employment gaps. However, employment gaps are driven by differences among those with secondary school only. No employment or income gaps are found for the university educated. |
| Keywords: | Ethnic minorities; Education; Employment; Income; Discrimination |
| JEL: | I21 J15 J71 Z13 |
| Date: | 2007–05–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:sulcis:2007_003&r=edu |
| By: | M. C. Portela (Faculdade de Economia e Gestão, Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Porto)); A. S. Camanho (Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto) |
| Abstract: | This paper describes a performance analysis of Portuguese secondary schools us- ing data envelopment analysis (DEA). The type of assessment carried out in schools may be di®erent depending on the perspective. Therefore we adopted in this pa- per two perspectives for assessing schools: a society perspective where schools are viewed as promoting students achievement (ideally including not only academic re- sults but also interpersonal capacities) given the students characteristics in terms of academic abilities and socio-economic backgrounds; and an educational authorities perspective where schools are viewed as transforming a set of resources (including students with given characteristics in terms of academic abilities and socio-economic backgrounds and also school resources, such as teachers) into students achievement. Two types of DEA analysis were performed: one using an output oriented model allowing factor weights to vary freely from school to school and another using a model that restricts factor weights to be equal for all schools. The ¯rst model is well suited for identifying worst performing schools, whereas the latter is best suited for identifying best performing schools. Our data set comprised a small number of schools and in some cases there were missing values. The problems associated with missing data were overcome following a procedure described in the literature. The empirical DEA analysis was followed by an exploratory analysis of contextual indicators that potentially a®ect schools' performance, in order to understand their impact on the educational process. |
| Keywords: | Data Envelopment Analysis, Secondary Schools. |
| JEL: | C61 D24 I20 |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cap:wpaper:072007&r=edu |
| By: | Paula Giovagnoli (Centro de Estudios Distributivos, Laborales y Sociales (CEDLAS) - Universidad Nacional de La Plata; London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)) |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dls:wpaper:0050&r=edu |
| By: | Jesse Rothstein; Cecilia Elena Rouse |
| Abstract: | In the early 2000s, a highly selective university introduced a "no-loans" policy under which the loan component of financial aid awards was replaced with grants. We use this natural experiment to identify the causal effect of student debt on employment outcomes. In the standard life-cycle model, young people make optimal educational investment decisions if they are able to finance these investments by borrowing against future earnings; the presence of debt has only income effects on future decisions. We find that debt causes graduates to choose substantially higher-salary jobs and reduces the probability that students choose low-paid "public interest" jobs. We also find some evidence that debt affects students' academic decisions during college. Our estimates suggest that recent college graduates are not life-cycle agents. Two potential explanations are that young workers are credit constrained or that they are averse to holding debt. We find suggestive evidence that debt reduces students' donations to the institution in the years after they graduate and increases the likelihood that a graduate will default on a pledge made during her senior year; we argue this result is more likely consistent with credit constraints than with debt aversion. |
| JEL: | D91 H52 I20 J24 |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:13117&r=edu |
| By: | Taleb Ahmed; Wolfgang Härdle; Sigbert Klinke |
| Abstract: | E-learning plays an important role in education as it supports online education via computer networks and provides educational services by utilising information technologies. We present a case study describing the development of an Arabic language elearning course in statistics. Discussed are issues concerning e-learning in Arab countries with special focus on problems of the application of e-learning in the Arab world and the difficulties concerning the design Arabic platforms such as language problems, cultural and technical problems, especially ArabTeX works difficulty with LaTeX format. Thus Wiki is offered as a solution to such problems. Wiki supports LaTeX and other statistical programs, for instance R, and^Wiki offers the solution to language problems. Details of this technology are discussed and a solution as to how this system can serve in building an Arab platform is presented. |
| Keywords: | E-Learning, MM*Stat, Wiki, ArabTeX, Statistical Software. |
| JEL: | I21 C19 |
| Date: | 2007–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hum:wpaper:sfb649dp2007-031&r=edu |
| By: | Frankel, David M.; Volij, Oscar |
| Abstract: | We propose a set of axioms for the measurement of school-based segregation with any number of ethnic groups. These axioms are motivated by two criteria. The first is evenness: how much do ethnic groups’ distributions across schools differ? The second is representativeness: how different are schools’ ethnic distributions from one another? We prove that a unique ordering satisfies our axioms. It is represented by an index that was originally proposed by Henri Theil (1971). This “Mutual Information Index” is related to Theil’s better known Entropy Index, which violates two of our axioms. |
| Keywords: | Segregation, indices, measurement, peer effects, schools, education, equal opportunity. |
| JEL: | R0 |
| Date: | 2007–05–24 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isu:genres:12818&r=edu |
| By: | Stenberg, Anders (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University) |
| Abstract: | This study is the first to explore the earnings effects of credits attained in adult education at upper secondary level (AE) in Sweden. It is also investigated whether individuals with and without AE prior to enrolment in higher studies differ in their achievements at university and/or in their subsequent earnings. The analyses are based on register data of the cohort born in 1970 of which more than one third at some point has been registered in AE. In the preferred specification, credits equal to one year of AE are found to increase annual wage earnings by 4.1 per cent for males and 3.6 per cent for females. The results are mainly driven by course credits with an element of specific knowledge such as health related subjects and computer science, while more general subjects such as Mathematics, Swedish or English are linked with zero returns. Concerning higher education, the results indicate a lower payoff for AE individuals if higher studies are limited to less than two years. There is also evidence of a lower probability of completing four years of higher studies, in particular among females. |
| Keywords: | Adult education; wage earnings |
| JEL: | H52 J68 |
| Date: | 2007–05–23 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2007_006&r=edu |
| By: | Rémy Herrera (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - [CNRS : UMR8174] - [Université Panthéon-Sorbonne - Paris I]) |
| Abstract: | Ce cahier de recherche portant sur le droit à l'éducation est à l'origine d'une déclaration écrite présentée par le Centre Europe Tiers-Monde (CETIM) lors de la 4e session de mars 2007 du Conseil des Droits de l'Homme de l'Organisation des Nations Unies à Genève (point 2 : application de la résolution 60/251 de l'Assemblée générale du 15-03-2006, cote A/HRC/4/NGO/18). L'éducation est l'une des clés de stratégies de développement réussies et un moyen de réaliser les objectifs de socialisation, d'épanouissement de l'être humain et d'égalité. Les principes qui doivent fonder ses politiques sont leur caractére public, leur universalisme et leur gratuité à tous les niveaux. Il s'agit de construire un monde fondé sur la reconnaissance du statut non marchand de l'éducation, des savoirs scientifiques et des productions culturelles. |
| Keywords: | Education, service public, développement. |
| Date: | 2007–05–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:papers:halshs-00145438_v1&r=edu |