BCTF Information Services—Research & Reports

Canadian Teachers' Federation
Federal Party Leaders: Our Questions, Their Replies
September 25, 2008; 22 pages

CTF asks federal party leaders where they stand on issues related to child poverty; environment; technology; tax deductions for professional expenses; early childhood education and care; minority children; healthy schools; domestic violence; copyright and international trade agreements; and Canada's overseas assistance.

Faith Boninger, Josephy Fogarty, Alex Molnar, and Gary Wilkinson
At Sea in a Marketing-Saturated World: The Eleventh Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends: 2007-2008
September 2008; 56 pages

Author Alex Molnar notes that now, more so than ever, "advertising is entwined with content and often demands the active engagement of its targeted audience."

Co-author Faith Boninger points out that while children may ignore or dismiss a marketing message, the advertising environment as a whole "creates a materialistic atmosphere that encourages more buying, more identification with brands, and more commercialized values." Molnar claims that research shows higher materialistic values are related to lower self-esteem, chronic physical symptoms, and higher rates of psychological distress.

Caitlin Scott
A Call to Restructure Restructuring: Lessons from the No Child Left Behind Act in Five States
Center on Education Policy, September 23, 2008; 33 pages

For a quick synopsis of the report, read Nanette Asimov's article, "Schools fail to meet No Child Left Behind Goals," in the San Francisco Chronicle.

She points out that far more U.S. schools are now entering the required restructuring phase, which by itself has not lead to improvement and in many cases has ended in schools having to shut down and re-open as charters.

SRI International
San Francisco Bay Area KIPP Schools: A Study of Early Implementation and Achievement (Final Report)
September 2008; 140 pages

While KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) schools have posted significant achievement gains in the middle grades, student attrition is high and it is the lower-performing students that leave most often. For example, of a 5th grade cohort in San Francisco in 2003-04, 60% had left before the end of the 8th grade.

UT Dallas researchers hope to train teens in reasoning skills
Dallas Morning News, September 14, 2008

Researchers at the UT Dallas, Center for BrainHealth "used cognitive neuroscience findings to create a program called SMART - for Strategic Memory and Reasoning Training - to teach teens how to think critically and effectively use the information they learn."

Improvement was seen in the reasoning skills of 98 per cent of the youth. It is hoped that a web-based training program can be made available for students, teachers, and parents.

OECD
Education at a Glance 2008 (525 pages); or
Highlights (4 pages)

OECD's Education at a Glance is the quintessential global education almanac covering almost every imaginable indicator. Significant focus is given to the learning environment and organization of schools, educational performance, education spending, how educational resources are allocated including public and private investment in education, teacher salaries, and the economic benefits of education in general. Canada's standing in comparison to other countries is nicely laid out in easy-to-read charts.

For a quick synopses of the major findings, simply read the 4-page "Highlights."

OECD
Trends Shaping Education, 2008, 91 pages

This latest OECD read-only publication looks at the impact on education of global trends such as aging societies, fewer children, affluence and poverty divisions, environmental challenges, the changing workplace, the digital revolution, the new economic landscape, and more.

Information Services has ordered a print copy for our collection.

Unionization
Perspectives on Labour & Income, August 2008, 10 pages

Reports on the change in unionization rates from 2007 to 2008, the differences between the provinces, gender differences, and differences between unionized and non-unionized employees. Also includes a table on wage settlements, inflation, and labour disputes.

Kevin G. Welner
Under the Voucher Radar
Education Week, September 3, 2008

In this article, Welner describes how tuition tax credits for private schools are actually vouchers in disguise. Beginning with a taxpayer donation to a private, non-profit organization, the money is then forwarded to parents in the form of tuition vouchers, while the taxpayer receives some or all of the donation back in the form of a tax credit. This is what Welner refers to as "neovouchers." He estimates that approximately 100,000 students are receiving this type of voucher as opposed to traditional ones.

Welner has a new book coming out called, "NeoVouchers: The Emergence of Tuition Tax Credits for Private Schooling," published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Erin Dillon
Lost in Transit: Low-Income Students and Massachusetts' Statewide School Choice Program
Education Sector, Sept. 9, 2008

While advocates of Massachusetts' school choice law touted it as a means towards making choice available to lower-income families as well as spurring reform through competition, the author of this report notes the effect has been opposite. Dillon claims that "more affluent students and more affluent districts seem to have benefited the most."

She explains why this happens and how it has left some districts in dire straits.

Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc.
Teaching as a Second Career
September 2008, 30 pages

Interviews with more than 2,000 college-educated adults revealed that many would be interested in teaching (42%) but almost half of those interested said that ensuring adequate salaries that are competitive with other professions would be the most important element in making that decision.

Woodrow Wilson senior fellow David Haselkorn says that "raising starting pay is the single most important step states and districts could take to increase the attractiveness of teaching for career changers." However, he also commented that money alone was not the answer; that teachers also want better working conditions, quality preparation programs offering classroom experience, and ongoing support as practicing teachers.