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>Duncan > >It is a thorny issue I agree. I'm not sure who speaks for us even if >there was a consensus. But presumably, the unions, the university >education departments, the exam boards, associations like the EBEA >all have a say. > >When I started my PGCE at London in the early 90s Sir Peter Newsom >gave a lecture - he said that 100 years ago teachers were paid the >equivalent of £70,000 - the erosion of status and money he largely >put down to deciding to become unionised rather than become a Royal >college similar to doctors, lawyers and the like. Certainly our >voice is disparate in economics, let alone teaching, so it is >difficult in the extreme to affect anything. But fighting our corner >is a must I think. > >First we have to recognise that we produce a product - the educated >student whom we sell on to an employer or a university- but we also >sell a service to the student/parent/society. With 50% going to >university now the universities are of increasing importance. > >The universities need to be able to discriminate between students - >we can argue that they are wrong and we might continue to do so if >we wish but ultimately they are the customer for 50% of our product >as teachers and even more as A level teachers- and we are very >limited in being able to tell the customer what he wants. > >We must also be true to ourselves - we must surely educate our >students in Economics and business to levels, topics, capabilities >and values to which we collectively and individually believe to be >right. > >I do not believe these are incompatible. > >One way for example might be just to abandon grades in A levels and >just issue raw scores. The grade boundaries may have come down but >the standard of teaching, student effort, teaching materials have >not. > >Whatever the cure might be, it wont be decided here - but the EBEA >might put forward its collective view after doing some work on it - >perhaps we could commission some work. > >We should also fight tooth and nail any SAT drift in government >thinking. But as a back up consider that if we do have SATs we also >have subject specific SATs too, not just the English and Maths. SAT II is subject specific. > >A radical suggestion - The EBEA should set syllabuses for economics >and business, set exams, help coordinate university research, give >grants for research. Much as the work at the moment is outstanding >regarding the exam boards and publishers (as a previous thread >discussed) - the relationship is a little cosy. The EBEA is as I >understand independent and non-commercial and I would have thought >the perfect institution for determining content, standards and >values. Bridges to universities, employers and local communities >must be maintained and strengthened - and respect for the A level >(or whatever we call it) is regained. If we don't do it ourselves, >others will do it for us. -- ________________________________________ From the Headmaster Runnymede College Calle Salvia 30 28109 La Moraleja Madrid Spain http://www.runnymede-college.com phone: +34 91 650 8302 fax: +34 91 650 8236 ________________________________________