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A comparative analysis of educational equity in Australia and Canada – the power of education policy. Institute of Educational Research Charles University, Prague June 17, 2013 Laura Perry l.perry@murdoch.edu.au School of Education, Murdoch University Perth AUSTRALIA.
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A comparative analysis of educational equity in Australia and Canada – the power of education policy Institute of Educational Research Charles University, Prague June 17, 2013 Laura Perry l.perry@murdoch.edu.au School of Education, Murdoch University Perth AUSTRALIA
The Australian economy & society • Dynamic and prosperous economy, large natural resources, low unemployment, large labour shortages • Multicultural; high levels of immigration; “advantaged” immigrants • Decent social welfare, national health insurance, income transfers, low(ish) poverty, moderate income inequality • Very high quality of life for most citizens, UNDP, low crime, world’s most liveable cities, long life expectancy, etc.
The Australian education system • Generally high quality, strong results on PISA • Concerns about equity; 3 main equity groups are rural, indigenous, and low SES students • Comprehensive system of education • Constructivist/progressive philosophy
Structural aspects of the education system • National curriculum and standardised testing • Public league table reporting • High levels of privatization: 40% of all secondary students • Some school choice within public sector • Low but growing levels of academic selection, probably around 5-10% • Centralized funding (state) for public schools • Public subsidies (plus fees) for private schools • High levels of school social segregation
Educational equity: between school differences • Theoretical ideal: it shouldn’t matter where one goes to school; between school differences should be minimal • Indicator: achievement gaps between low and high SES students and schools • How does this look in Australia, and for a comparator country like Canada?
Why compare with Canada? • Canada has a similar national context as Australia • Similar educational structures, philosophies and pedagogical approaches • One big difference – marketization of the education system • Canadian education system is high performing and equitable on PISA
Marketization of education in Australia and Canada • More variation/inequity in resources and funding to schools in Aus • More school choice in Aus • 78% of schools require local attendance in Can vs. 42% in Aus (PISA 2009) • More privatization in Aus • 38% in Aus, 6% in Canada attend a non-gov school (PISA 2009) • More league table reporting in Aus • More social segregation in Aus • 35% attend a mixed school in Aus, 60% in Canada (PISA 2009)
#1: Achievement gaps by school and student SES • Secondary analysis of PISA 2006 • Sample: approx. 22k Canadian and 14k Australian students • SES is very complex and rich; an advantage of PISA • Range of student SES is comparable (and even slightly larger in Canada) in the 2 countries
Summary of achievement gap findings • Gap between low and high SES students and schools is large in both countries, and especially in Australia • Students • Canada= 70 pts; Australia = 83 pts • Schools • Canada= 61 pts; Australia = 85 pts • Low SES students and schools perform better in Canada; high SES students the same; high SES schools better in Aus
How much does it matter where you go to school? • Achievement scores by school SES context
Mean Math Performance for Low and High SES Students in Australia and Canada, across School SES Quintiles
Conclusion I • Canada is more equitable • Canada shows that equity can be promoted without • harming high SES students or • reducing the number of high achieving students (proportion is the same in both countries) • Higher equity gives an overall higher country average on PISA
Conclusion II:Education policy matters!! • Substantial differences in educational equity between Canada and Australia • Not due to differences in culture or society or economy • Due to education policies; policy matters, even in low(ish)-poverty countries • Inequalities in school funding • Privatization and stratification between schools • Choice, competition and league tables • Result in social segregation • A positive message but a sobering one too
Policy and research recommendations for Australia • Need to decrease social segregation. How? • Equalize funding across schools? • Stop over-funding socially elite/exclusive schools? • What exactly is role of funding? Previous research says it plays little direct role but indirect role might be key.
Mean ESCS by Student-Level Quintiles for AUS, CAN and USA in PISA 2006