Autonomous Schools and Strategic Pupil Exclusion

This article studies whether pupil performance gains in autonomous schools in England can be attributed to the strategic exclusion of poorly performing pupils. England has had two phases of academy school introduction—the first, in the 2000s, being a school improvement programme for poorly performing schools and the second a mass academisation programme from 2010 for better-performing schools. Overall, exclusion rates are higher in academies, with the earlier programme featuring much higher rates of exclusion. However, rather than functioning as a means of test score manipulation, the higher exclusion rate reflects the rigorous discipline enforced by the pre-2010 academies.

‘I think Irish schools need to keep doing what they’re doing’: Irish teachers’ views on school autonomy after working in English academies

Despite a lack of conclusive evidence connecting autonomous schools and academic success, school autonomy is regularly championed as being a way of not only improving schools but as a way of improving the quality of education in socially and economically deprived areas. This research builds on a recent paper published in Irish Educational Studies that argues that school autonomy should not be advanced in Ireland by exploring how teachers feel about features of autonomous schools. Irish teachers who have previously worked in academy schools in England, and who now teach in disadvantaged schools in Ireland, were interviewed about their experiences and how they would feel about features of autonomous schools being implemented in Ireland. The experiences the participants had in England indicate how school autonomy can be experienced in different ways – morally proper ways that engage with the broad purposes of schooling such as focusing on students and their learning, and morally improper ways that prioritise looking good on external measures at the expense of students and their learning. Overall, the participants were opposed to schools in Ireland becoming more like English academies but felt that having greater local flexibility over the curriculum in schools and offering a wider range of subjects would be beneficial, provided that it was embraced and enacted in a morally proper manner.

Democratization through education? Theory and practice of the Czech post-revolution education system and its reforms

The transformation process from an authoritarian/totalitarian system entails many institutional changes, however, the individual citizen is often being overlooked in this chaotic, fast-paced process and his or her “transformation” into a democrat is taken for granted. The changing socio-political system and its exigencies may lead to nostalgia and social frustrations, which in turn cause democratic backsliding. In order to cultivate a democratic society and avoid future backsliding, the post-communist states quickly set out to reform their educational systems, both in form and substance. By reviewing the reform process of the Czech educational system and discussing the prevailing legacies left by the communist regime, the article will show that through the “destruction” of the former system and its de-monopolization, decentralization and de-ideologization, the state deliberately lost significant means and power to transform Czechs from “homo sovieticus” to “homo democraticus” and is now left with a dependence on the highly autonomous schools and their propensity to foster democratic generations that will uphold the democratic state in the future. This paradox is reminiscent of the so-called Böockenföorde dilemma, claiming that the liberal democratic state “lives by prerequisites which it cannot guarantee itself”.

Educar para libertar: Las propuestas educacionales de los Sem-Terra en Brasil en la década de 1990

ResumenEl análisis de la ideología educacional del Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra (MST) en Brasil, en la década del noventa, y de su proyecto pedagógico en las escuelas autónomas de sus asentamientos, abre la posibilidad de comprender los fundamentos que orientan la relación entre Educación y Movimientos Sociales. La documentación histórica y educacional del MST utilizada para este estudio está localizada en el Centro de Documentación e Memoria (CEDEM) de la UNESP. Entre los documentos utilizados más importantes están: la Série Formação, Cadernos de Educação, Boletins Educacionais y las colecciones Fazendo História, Fazendo Escola y Pra Soletrar a Liberdade. El artículo presenta un breve resumen histórico de las reformas educacionales en América Latina que influenciaron directamente la educación oficial brasileña en los noventa. Es en ese contexto que se desarrolla el proyecto educacional del MST al cual el trabajo pone su atención.Palabras clave: educación, movimientos sociales, Sem-Terra, Brasil.Education for freedom: Educational proposals by the Sem-Terra in Brazil in the 1990sAbstractThe analysis of the educational ideology of the Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra (MST) in Brazil in the Nineties and its pedagogical project at autonomous schools of its settlements, gives us the possibility of understanding the foundations guiding the relationship between Education and Social Movements. The historical and educational documentation of the MST used for this study is located in the UNESP Documentation and Memory Center (CEDEM). Among the most important documents used are: Série Formação, Cadernos de Educação, Boletins Educacionais and the Fazendo História, Fazendo Escola and Pra Soletrar a Liberdade collections. The article presents a brief historical summary of the educational reforms in Latin America that directly influenced Brazilian official education in the Nineties. In this context, the educational project of the MST is developed, which is the focus of this work.Keywords: Education, social movements, Sem-terra, Brazil.Educar para libertar: As propostas educacionais dos Sem-Terra no Brasil na década de 1990ResumoA análise da ideologia educacional do Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem-Terra (MST) no Brasil, na década de noventa, e de seu projeto pedagógico nas escolas autônomas de seus assentamentos, abre a possibilidade de compreender os fundamentos que orientam a relação entre Educação e Movimentos Sociais. A documentação histórica e educacional do MST utilizada para este estudo está localizada no Centro de Documentação e Memória (CEDEM) da UNESP. Entre os documentos mais importantes utilizados estão: a Série Formação, Cadernos de Educação, Boletins Educacionais e as coleções Fazendo História, Fazendo Escola e Pra Soletrar a Liberdade. O artigo a presentaum breve resumo histórico das reformas educacionais na América Latina que influenciaram diretamente a educação oficial brasileira nos anos noventa. Én esse contexto que se desenvolve o projeto educacional do MST ao qual o trabalho põe sua atenção.Palavras-chave: educação, movimentos sociais, Sem-terra, Brasil