Days to end the review
One indicator of poor quality is to quote the Coleman Report to state that schools cannot overcome inequalities, hiding the scientific evidence that shows how such information is false. Already in 1973, Harvard Educational Review published several articles demonstrating the errors ok this statement and its consequences in terms of increasing inequalities. The Coleman Report and the Jencks Report were made under request and told what those who requested them wanted them to tell. As reported in the HER articles, those reports were used to justify the budget cuts in education and specially to the programs oriented to the overcoming of inequalities. To quote those reports hiding the scientific literature is scientifically and ethically harmful for those most in need.
Edmonds, R. et al. (1973) A Black Response to Christopher Jenck´s
Inequality and Certain Other Issues, Harvard Educational Review,
43(1), 76-91.
Flecha, R., & Buslon, N. (2016). 50 Años después del Informe Coleman. Las actuaciones educativas de éxito sí mejoran los resultados académicos. International Journal of Sociology of Education, 5(2), 127-143. https://www.hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/rise/article/viewFile/2087/1671
Yo estudié el grado de Educación Primaria y muchos de mis profesores nos decían constantemente que como profesores teníamos poco que hacer desde las escuelas para superar las desigualdades, especialmente con alumnado gitano con el que decían que no era posible mejorar sus resultados.
I’ve been told by partners (primary school teachers like me) “we have to choose; we cannot save every children. Some are meant to succeed and others… There is nothing we can do for them. You are wasting your time and energy with these ones.”
The report “State System of Education Indicators (SEIE)” has been published in Spain since 2000. This report collects in the section “ACTIVITY RATE AND UNEMPLOYMENT ACCORDING TO TRAINING LEVEL”, the increase in employability at higher level of academic training. It also includes “The male activity rate is always higher than the female; however, the differences are reduced as the level of training increases” (p. 100), therefore, the school helps to promote socially, economically and also overcome inequality of genre. https://sede.educacion.gob.es/publiventa/sistema-estatal-de-indicadores-de-la-educacion-2020/espana-organizacion-y-gestion-educativa/23979
In the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, two cities with low scores in the PISA reports, a 2010 investigation shows that one of the reasons expressed by people who left school early was to seek a job. However, two thirds expressed their regret for this decision and most would go back to study if they had the opportunity (p. 251). https://sede.educacion.gob.es/publiventa/el-abandono-escolar-temprano-en-las-ciudades-de-ceuta-y-melilla/educacion-ceuta-melilla/13896
The families, my family, wish for their sons and daughters a better future than they had and they know that this is only possible through academic promotion. Sometimes the immediacy of economic need truncates these dreams, therefore, the educational system must guarantee successful educational actions for all people regardless of the economic situation of children, overcoming social inequalities.
In this other post you can read more reflections about this topic.
https://socialimpactscience.org/education/2020/09/27/educational-success-depends-on-the-socio-economic-level-of-families/