APEC Low Cost Private Schools for Developing Nations

APEC Schools provide low cost education in the Philippines. At first I assumed this was an initiative of  the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group of countries. But it is actually a non-government for-profit company, Affordable Private Education Center Inc., set up by the UK education company Pearson PLC.The fees for a high school student are the equivalent of about AUD$800 a year.

Design Flaw in Queensland OneSchool Student Protection Module

The Deloitte report "Queensland Department of Education and Training: OneSchool – Investigation into the 2015 failure of the OneSchool Student Protection Module" (16 October 2015) provides an excellent analysis of the response to a serious fault in a contemporary software system. However, there appears to be a fundamental flaw in the design of the OneSchool system which is not addressed by the report and remains in the system. Queensland school children remain at risk as a result.

The OneSchool SPM is designed to allow teachers to report possible child abuse to the relevant authorities. A fault in the software resulted in 644 reports not being forwarded to the police. Deloitte were commissioned by the Queensland Minister for Education to "to assist the Department of Education and Training (DET) with a review of the Student Protection Reporting Module in OneSchool". Deloitte have provided a good description of the problem, how it was found and fixed and also a reconciliation to verify that all reports are now accounted for. However, this will not be sufficient to prevent a similar problem occurring in the future.

The OneSchool "submission protection" function (shown in Figure 4.2 page 18 of the Deloitte report), shows a purely one way process. The system sends email, to Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (DCCSDS), or the Queensland Police Service (QPS). There is no provision for the system to verify the report was received. Therefore a similar problem could occur again, in the OneSchool system, in the email system, or in the systems of the DCCSDS or QPS and it would remain undetected.

The OneSchool system needs to be modified so that there is positive acknowledgment of the receipt of every report by the agencies it was sent to. As it involves child safety, OneSchool is a "Safety Critical System", but does not appear to have been designed to the required standard.

Florida Students Allowed On-line Courses

The US state of Florida has passed legislation removing restrictions on online courses for school students (CS/HB 7029 2013). There are sixteen pages of amendments to existing education legislation. These remove restrictions on using on-line courses from outside the state, limits on class size and times when courses can be delivered

There is also a requirement for auditing of the "Florida Virtual School" (FVS).  This seems to have been an earlier initiative to provide on-line courses across the state and also teacher training. The tone of the Act suggests the legislators are not happy with the performance of FSV.

Reading Blitz Proposal Needs Update for Gen WiFi

The Prime Minister and the Minister for School Education today announced a "National 'Reading Blitz' for All Young Australians". From 2014, the Federal Government will ask  schools to sign up to a three-year program for Foundation to Year 3 students, to help with the basics of reading. The program would emphasize teaching methods with a  reading plan for each school, specialist teacher skills and records of student progress. These elements also appear in US President George W. Bush's "US No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLB) and it appears the Australian announcement is based on the US policy from a decade ago. Unfortunately, the Australian government proposals do not appear to take into account recent research and experience on what makes for effective education. More training for teachers has been found to be effective, as is student centered learning with on-line and classroom support.

The RAND Corporation has carried out several studies of the US NCLB, with the latest commentary stating: "While NCLB has produced some positive effects, the bill has not produced enough improvement to reach its goal of all students meeting proficiency standards by 2014 and has numerous flaws that policymakers should address." (Brian M. Stecher, January 14, 2013). A study of implementation of NCLB in Florida (Zeig J. L., 2007) found that the Act was implemented, with changed teaching practice and reporting of results. However, that study did not determine if NCLB improved student outcomes.

Before implementing the US policy, it would be prudent for the Australian Government to assess the US experience and correct any flaws found. The cost of the policy implementation for Australia and the estimated benefits would then need to be detailed, before a decision was made.

In "Educating Gen Wi-Fi: How We Can Make Schools Relevant for 21st Century Learners" (ABC Books, 2013) Australian educator Greg Whitby  provides a practical prescription for better education. Whitby suggests teachers need to be "... supported in the ongoing professional learning by close and regular collaboration with their colleagues". His proposals are based on practical experience in the Australian school system.

In "E-learning: Supplementary or disruptive?" (Telecommunications Journal of Australia, February 2013), James Barber Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England, reviews progress with electronic learning over the last two decades and its effectiveness. He concludes that blended learning, combining the classroom and on-line is most effective and that mobile devices will have a large impact. It seem likely this will not be confided to the tertiary sector and the Australian Government need to take this into account in its reading policy.
 

Making Schools Relevant for the Next Generation

In "Educating Gen Wi-Fi: How We Can Make Schools Relevant for 21st Century Learners" (ABC Books, 2013) Australian educator  Greg Whitby  provides a practical prescription for better education. Whitby suggests teachers need to be "... supported in the ongoing professional learning by close and regular collaboration with their colleagues".
In the first chapter Whitby points out that the Socratic Method of  question and answer teaching goes back to ancient Greece. He then jumps forward to the invention of the printing press, which enabled mass produced text-books to mass schooling of the 19th century. After a brief history of Australian schooling from federation, Whitby then discuses the 1970's open classroom (which has some similarities to the MIT iCampus of the early 2000s). After briefly touching on the introduction of computers in NSW in the 1980s, Whitby  turn to the Progressive Education pedagogy of the last 19 and early 20th century.

Chapter 2 looks at today's schools, with information overload and rapid changes, such as email being already seen as out of date by students. In chapter 3 the idea of diversity being normal is introduced, but it is not until the next chapter it is explained how this can be done, with a "toolbox for toady's teachers". This toolbox is essentially a collection of today's online tools: which are now available through free open source software, such as Moodle. At this point Whitby  emphasises that teachers need to be learning focused, not teaching focused. But I would have liked to hear more about how teachers can get the assistance they need, including resources and training, to do this.

Chapter 5 addresses assessment, which is so important that perhaps it should appear earlier in the book. Assessment for learning is stressed, rather than assessment of content (as in the NAPLAN testes). After an all too brief chapter on assessment, Whitby moves on to classroom design in chapter 6. This classroom design is a topic I have spent considerable time on over the last few years in the university environment. I concluded that schools were at least a decade ahead of unviersit\ies in their design of classrooms, so I was interested to hear what was said about school design. Whitby  suf\ggeses classroom which are not fully enclosed. The classroom should have at least three points of focus(such as a board, stage and a reading chair). Also provision for three teachers should be allowed (much like a university TEAL room).

After trying out various learning commons, my ideal would be something like a space with:

1. Walls painted with whiteboard paint, with short through projects (so walls could be written or projected onto and easily cleaned).
2. Flexible flooring, which is comfortable to walk on but also can stand up to wheeled furniture and can be easily cleaned,
3. All furniture on wheels, for easy movement,
4. Movable walls, or partitions, so the facility can be opened out into one large space,
5. ICT hidden in the walls, with wi-fi for communications and computers in recessed equipment cabinets,
6. Open Grid Ceiling, with cable ways exposed so that cabling and lighting can be easily changed and acoustic panels adjusted to reduce noise.

One claim by Whitby will be a surprise for many, that class size is not an issue. Research shows that the quality of the teaching is much more important in terms of student results than the number of students in the class.  For anyone who as recently undertaken a course in education (as I have recently done) there will be little surprising or revolutionary in what Whitby  has to say. These are methods of education which have been researched and proven to work. The techniques advocated for schools are essentially the same as are now being applied at university for postgraduate learning. In 2008 I announced that I had given my last  lecture and would instead be using e-learning and seminars.  At the time this was seen as a little eccentric by my colleagues, but is becoming increasingly common.

What was disappointing was that Whitby does not provided clearer policy prescriptions for education. However, if anyone doubts the practicality of what is proposed, they need only need visit the multi-purpose learning centre at St Monica’s Primary, North Parramatta, NSW
 to see this form of education in action.

There is also a ABC Radio National interview with Greg Whitby (from 31 January 2013 8:42AM).

ps: Thanks to the National Library of Australia for the copy of the book and a PC to type this posting on in the main reading room.

Audit of Learning Technologies in Government Schools

The Victorian Government conducted an audit of Learning Technologies in Government Schools. It was found that the Victorian government's policy for ICT in schools, titled the Digital Learning Statement, lacks a clear action plan and framework for investment in learning technology. As a result there is "... little guidance on how future learning technology initiatives can be appropriately planned and integrated". More positively the planning for a fibre-optic network for schools was found to have a "robust needs and options analysis". However, the software project, called "Ultranet", was "...poorly planned and implemented". The system is 80 per cent over budget, late, has a low uptake rate and limited functionality. It would seem to me that the Victorian Government should retain the network and computer hardware, but replace the software with open source, including Moodle and Mahara.

The audit report is the equivalent of 53 pages of very clear analysis of a complex social and technical issue. The report would be of value for those interested in the issues of technology for education at all levels, not just schools. The Auditor-General has published the report as a well formatted and efficient HTML web page as well as the more usual (and harder to read) PDF.

Conclusion

DEECD’s Digital Learning Statement (the Statement) does not provide a clear action plan or framework for investment in learning technologies. There is no supporting strategy or further detail to the Statement. This means that departmental staff and school leaders have little guidance on how future learning technology initiatives can be appropriately planned and integrated to build upon past and present ICT investments.
Planning for the VicSmart high-speed fibre-optic network for all government schools was underpinned by a robust needs and options analysis. Although the project was a less complex infrastructure rollout, it was well executed and is delivering its desired benefits. The high-speed connectivity that VicSmart provides is a key enabler of current and future digital learning in government schools.
In contrast, the Ultranet, the Statement’s key foundation plank and key enabler, was poorly planned and implemented. Six years after its announcement as a government priority, it is yet to achieve expected benefits for students, parents and schools. It is significantly late, more than 80 per cent over its first announced budget, has very low uptake by users, and does not have the functionality originally intended.
This audit identified a number of serious probity, procurement and financial management issues surrounding the Ultranet project. DEECD’s tender process lacked rigour and was seriously flawed. There is little confidence in the costing and financial management practices around the Ultranet project, and limited assurance that the selected outcome represented value for money.

Findings

Digital Learning Statement

The Digital Learning Statement—the government’s current policy document on the use of learning technologies—was not informed by robust and comprehensive research and does not make a clear and cogent case for government investment in learning technologies.
The Statement does not deliver on the directive in the 2008 Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development to provide a plan of action to use learning technologies in teaching and learning. A review of DEECD’s advice to the Minister for Education shows that the government was not advised that the Statement did not comply with the Blueprint’s directive to develop and deliver a strategy.
To date, there has been no accompanying detailed strategy developed to support the Statement, even though this was originally planned.

VicSmart high-speed broadband for schools

Planning for VicSmart was underpinned by a robust needs and options analysis, as demonstrated by its 2005 business case, which articulated the needs to be addressed and provided a clear rationale for the purchase of high-speed fibre-optic broadband connectivity. The business case provided confidence that the project was achievable and could be delivered as planned.
The VicSmart procurement process was streamlined by using a mandated whole-of-government single-source provider. The fibre-optic system is performing as expected and has been upgraded incrementally to meet emerging data and connectivity needs across the government school system.

Ultranet e-learning system

The Ultranet project was poorly planned and implemented. None of its three business cases had a well thought out needs analysis or gave considered options to deliver the project. The various business cases did not answer the ‘Why invest?’ question for the Ultranet, nor did they provide a sound basis for the project’s approval.
Some six years since its announcement as a government priority, the Ultranet has not delivered its main objectives:

• to improve responsiveness to individual learning needs
• to provide better information to parents, the school system and government
• to improve the efficiency of the learning environment and school administration.

Consistent with public sector practice, the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) and the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) provided advice to government at key decision points over the life of the Ultranet project.
The project continued despite advice from central agencies that it should cease or be delayed. Further, there is no trail of documentary evidence to explain whether or how DEECD addressed the many critical issues raised by DPC and DTF.
It is difficult to understand why the Ultranet procurement was able to proceed to contract execution, given the significant concerns raised by DPC and DTF, as well as the many adverse ratings that DEECD had received from various Gateway reviews since the project first commenced.
Further, this audit detected a number of serious process and probity issues in relation to tendering and procurement for the Ultranet. DEECD has advised that it has commenced a number of actions and further detailed investigations in response to these matters.
There is little confidence that the financial management practices relating to the Ultranet were sound and that full costs have been adequately recorded. VAGO estimates that actual capital and operating expenditure for the Ultranet was approximately $162 million as at June 2012, and by June 2013 it is likely to have cost approximately $180 million. DEECD has advised that it is currently investigating the financial practices in relation to this major ICT project.
Despite this significant expenditure, no cost-benefit analysis has been conducted to determine whether the Ultranet provides value for money, or whether the same functionality could have been delivered more cost effectively.
Performance indicators for the Ultranet have been revised down over time and do not provide appropriate measures of whether the Ultranet is achieving what the government expected when it funded the project.
Use of the Ultranet is low, and declining. On average, only 10 per cent of students and 27 per cent of teachers logged in on a monthly basis from July 2011 to May 2012.
An underlying factor which has limited the effective implementation of the Ultranet is the significant discrepancy between the original scope of the project and expected benefits and what has actually been implemented and delivered. This underscores the urgent need for DEECD to review whether it should continue to invest in this project.
Further, DEECD did not adequately manage the change processes required to maximise the Ultranet’s acceptance and, therefore, the state’s return on investment. Teachers and parents were not appropriately trained and supported to use the Ultranet. Ultimately, the Ultranet is only a technology tool, and cannot by itself deliver the benefits intended from it.

Recommendations

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development should:

1. develop a comprehensive and evidence‑based strategy or plan of action for use of learning technologies to underpin and guide the significant investment in ICT for government schools
2. develop performance indicators that measure both VicSmart’s ongoing operational performance and its achievement of intended benefits
3. urgently review its investment in the Ultranet, with a particular focus on:
   • assessing whether the contractor has delivered all functionality as required by the contract and what action, if any, needs to be taken to enforce the state’s rights
   • rigorously assessing its financial management practices and identifying the real, current cost of the Ultranet to determine the extent to which further investment is warranted
   • identifying and addressing the underlying causes of low take‑up rates across the school system by teachers, students and parents
   • providing advice to government on the cost-benefit of decommissioning the system now against continuing to fund and rectify the system so that it can be implemented as originally expected
4. conduct an agency-wide review of its internal tendering, probity and financial management practices in light of the serious issues identified by this audit
5. expedite the provision of guidance to schools on the current status of the Ultranet as the department’s key learning technology investment, and clarify the policy context of schools’ autonomy in purchasing non-Ultranet learning technologies. ...

From: Learning Technologies in Government Schools, Victorian Auditor-General, 12 December 2012

Finland's School Success Based On Well Trained and Paid Teachers

Anu Partanen argues in "What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success" (The Atlantic Monthly 29 December 2011), that the success of Finland's high level of education is due to the absence of private schools. However, I suggest a more significant factor may be that Finish teachers are required to have much higher levels of education and are paid much better. A Finnish school teacher is required to have least a Master's degree, 35 weeks study in a school subject and 35 weeks teacher training.

Finish teachers get paid 13% more than miners, unlike Australia, where teachers get paid 29% less than miners.

One way the education of Australian teachers can be improved is by providing on-line courses. But then if their salaries are not also increased, they may go and work for the mining industry. ;-)

Digital Technologies in the Australian School Curriculum

The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority has released a Consultation Report on the Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies and revised report The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies. This includes Digital Technologies. These follow a draft document published in March 2012.

In Digital Technologies students use digital systems, digital information and computational thinking to create solutions that enable the articulation of human knowledge. They develop understanding of the relationship and interconnectedness between the components of digital systems in authentic situations. They consider social, cultural, legal, environmental and ethical issues. They use computational thinking methods and strategies to understand and solve information problems. They develop conceptual, collaborative and technical skills to systematically create information processing solutions (such as means of communication, databases, digital media, robotics, transactions and websites) for specified audiences, end users, clients or consumers. They learn to operate and manage digital systems to locate, manage, organise, analyse, represent and present information; create digital products; troubleshoot, control and monitor processes and devices; communicate with others; and support computational and design thinking and production. ...

From: The Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, August 2012

Key strengths

There was support for the following directions:

• Technologies as a learning area in the Australian curriculum the emphasis on the entitlement of all students to access Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies from Foundation to Year 8
• two discrete technologies strands/subjects: Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies
• the overarching idea: engaging in creating preferred futures
• the scope and sequence (with minor amendments to progression and clarification of language, in particular for Digital Technologies)
• the broad descriptions of the relationship of the General capabilities and Cross-curriculum priorities to the Technologies curriculum.

Matters for improvement

The following issues were consistently raised in the consultation feedback:

• concerns around nomenclature and the clarity between subjects, strands and sub-strands
• a need to strengthen references to agriculture as food and fibre production
• a need to strengthen references to food, nutrition and health
• inclusion of a paragraph to describe how ICT capability is addressed in Design and Technologies (although 86 per cent of respondents supported the statement about the ICT general capability and 72 per cent understood the difference between the capability and the Digital Technologies curriculum)
• further clarity needed around how technologies contexts are described and which would be prescribed
• clearer explanation about which electives are to be developed by ACARA and which can continue to be offered by states and territories
• the paper needs to be more accessible to its audience; a number of respondents described it as clear and coherent, however, others found it difficult to navigate, repetitive and including technical language not appropriate for primary years’ practitioners (especially in Digital Technologies)
• implementation issues:
  • the proposed indicative hours for writing Technologies curriculum were interpreted as time allocations for teaching and were generally deemed as insufficient for in-depth and sustained learning
  • factors such as teacher training, professional learning, resources and equipment will require consideration if the intention of the Technologies curriculum is to be realised. This particularly applies to Digital Technologies in the primary years.

From: Consultation Report on the Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, August 2012