UKC

Education is 2nd Best

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Steve Perry 28 Nov 2012
In Europe!! and 6th best in the World. USA is 17th.

I thought our famous schools, colleges and universitys may have topped the charts but maybe 6th is good?

http://uk.lifestyle.yahoo.com/uk-education-comes-sixth-global-league-table-...
In reply to Steve Perry:

As a teacher I am incredibly surprised by this as sixth in the world is much better than I would have expected.
If this table is a true measure of educational standards then I pity those that are lower than us.
Removed User 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry:

"The study by Pearson concludes that having a culture that is supportive of learning is vitally important to educational success."

No shit Sherlock!
In reply to Steve Perry:

bump
 Chris the Tall 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry:
Report on the news last night seemed to claim that 50% of British schools are below average....
OP Steve Perry 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Chris the Tall: World Average?
 Alyson 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Chris the Tall:
> (In reply to Steve Perry)
> Report on the news last night seemed to claim that 50% of British schools are below average....

And 50% above average? Meaning the average is in fact right in the middle???! Who would have guessed?
 ripper 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry: Interesting to see there's no France (or any Euro country anywhere south of Switzerland) in the top 20.
 timjones 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Christheclimber:
> (In reply to Steve Perry)
>
> bump

If thats the contribution that we can expect from a teacher it's hardly surprising that we missed out on the number one slot!

Are the kids on holiday? If not why aren't you in the classroom?
 BigBrother 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry: I see it includes graduation rates form higher education as one factor. So if you have a large number of low standard higher education courses then you score highly. Whether those courses are any use to the individuals or society is irrelevant to the the study.

The rankings and scores just reflect the methodology decided by the people who carried out the study.
 Chris the Tall 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry:
> (In reply to Chris the Tall) World Average?
No

To be fair I don't think they did use the term average, and were on whether schools were ranked Excellant or Good, but I'd be very suprised if those terms don't include a comparative element.

A similar one is talking about the poverty line, which is based upon average income. So as average income rises, more people fall below the poverty line.

I'm not questioning the efforts being made to improve equality of oppurtunity, but justifying it by misusing statistics annoys me.

 Bruce Hooker 28 Nov 2012
In reply to BigBrother:

How did you find the original article? I tried looking at the link near the top to a medical site but couldn't see the article, even though I was educated in Britain
 lithos 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Alyson:

median yes, mean not necessarily only if non skewed distribution
Removed User 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Alyson:
> (In reply to Chris the Tall)
> [...]
>
> And 50% above average? Meaning the average is in fact right in the middle???! Who would have guessed?

Jeeze Alyson, I hope you aren't a teacher
 Alyson 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Removed User: I was just poking fun at the statistic itself, and how without context it says very little (or it can say whatever you want it to say). Hence the smiley. It was not a serious post!
In reply to timjones:
> (In reply to Christheclimber)
> [...]
>
> If thats the contribution that we can expect from a teacher it's hardly surprising that we missed out on the number one slot!
>
> Are the kids on holiday? If not why aren't you in the classroom?

See original post at 4.00 in the morning. Am I not allowed a break now?
 BigBrother 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Bruce Hooker:
> (In reply to BigBrother)
>
> How did you find the original article? I tried looking at the link near the top to a medical site but couldn't see the article, even though I was educated in Britain

I was just going on the press release which states it includes graduation rates.

The study was commissioned by Pearson who are a private company who make money by selling courses and running exams. Unless something has changed they also own a large stake in The Economist Group who carried out the 'study'.
 Cuthbert 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry:

Is there such a thing as the "UK Education" system?
ice.solo 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Steve Perry:

the top 10 out of a potential 250-odd are likely compressed into a fairly tight squeeze of splitting hairs.

its the bottom 20 that needs our attention.
 Mark Morris 28 Nov 2012
In reply to BigBrother:
> (In reply to Bruce Hooker)
> [...]

> The study was commissioned by Pearson who are a private company who make money by selling courses and running exams. Unless something has changed they also own a large stake in The Economist Group who carried out the 'study'.

This is what needs to be looked at. Pearson will probably also run supply agencies, providing exploited teachers for schools.

They will probably also have an eye on running academies in England. If they get these statistics, provided by themselves, as evidence of improvement in their schools, they will of course be on to a winner, financially.

There are other measures out there though, each with their own failings. How does one compare education standards amongst even European nations when there is such a variation in attitudes towards schooling in the nations invovled and the amount of monet taxpayers are willing to pay?
 Timmd 28 Nov 2012
In reply to Alyson:
> (In reply to Chris the Tall)
> [...]
>
> And 50% above average? Meaning the average is in fact right in the middle???! Who would have guessed?

Lol. Funny. ()
 Offwidth 29 Nov 2012
In reply to Alyson: Ignore them. I though Chris's post was a funny joke at first. Yours obviously was. Did you know that research showed 78% of statistics used in web forums are made up?

For all the fuss made about problems (some very real) and the current governments wrecking tactics I'm not surprised we could come out high. I think we still have something special in the education system in the UK in the mix of knowledge vs imagination/analysis. People worried about things like having any coursework and trivia like spelling and the dates of Kings are trying to send us back to a mythical golden age. Almost everyone older than me was there in the reality and most of those that didn't make it past an arbritrary test and quota at age 11 thought it was pretty shit. At the top end (world class unis research outputs, the arts etc) we still punch way above our size as a nation.
In reply to Steve Perry: I'm amazed that Aus is below the UK, I'd have thought it way better in terms of education.
 Chris the Tall 30 Nov 2012
In reply to Offwidth:
> (In reply to Alyson) Ignore them. I though Chris's post was a funny joke at first.

Damned with faint praise
 Bruce Hooker 01 Dec 2012
In reply to stroppygob:
> (In reply to Steve Perry) I'm amazed that Aus is below the UK, I'd have thought it way better in terms of education.

Quite, you are the living proof!

Sorry, couldn't resist it after reading your posts on the Rotheram thread
 yer maw 01 Dec 2012
In reply to Steve Perry: To rate education as a UK wide system is far fetched IMO as Scotland is moving very far away from what is a plethora of systems in England.
 Offwidth 03 Dec 2012
In reply to Chris the Tall:

Ah, it was a joke, thank goodness for that! (and my apologies for mistaking the intent and hence understating how funny it was)

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...