tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8888848804347928571.post39074965356226331..comments2024-02-25T06:41:19.588+00:00Comments on Conor's Commentary: Unequal statisticsConor Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13457628816008082005noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8888848804347928571.post-83473114036902801262008-08-04T16:44:00.000+01:002008-08-04T16:44:00.000+01:00The first is that Labour has done nothing to narro...<I>The first is that Labour has done nothing to narrow educational inequalities, and has lowered standards.</I><BR/><BR/>I'm not sure about the first part, because while I can see the education of the worst off getting worse, it might well have declined even more for the better off.<BR/><BR/>The second part is pretty hard to deny. Have a look at a SATs paper, GCSE/equivalent paper and an A-level paper from ten years ago and compare it to now and it is hard to miss, particularly in a subject like maths. There's no comparing the "vocational" qualifications that are meant to count for multiple GCSEs with the old GCSEs.<BR/><BR/><I>The second is that the intervention of the state is bad for the poor when it comes to education.</I><BR/><BR/>This is where he's way off. The worst things in education policy (mainly the collapse in discipline, the administrative disasters and the constant commissioning of reports by people who want to devalue education) have all happened largely under weak Education Secretaries who didn't intervene much, most of whom lasted only a short time in the job. The strongest, most interventionist Education Secretary of the last ten years was Blunkett and he is the only one who really did any good. <BR/><BR/>-----------------------------------<BR/>Teaching Blog <A HREF="http://oldandrew.edublogs.org" REL="nofollow"> here </A><BR/>Latest entry: 3/8/2008oldandrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754487569367573087noreply@blogger.com