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Re: VS: [xmca] Finland
Hello Leif, Ruano, other:
Privatization of public education is taking another form in San Francisco.
Usually, it's the familiar combination of a high-stakes tests (which cost
$), closing schools, dismissing elected school boards and shifting funds
and support to charter schools run by private corporations. That works
fine for K-12. But how do you privatize higher ed?
California still has a huge (112 institutions) system of low-cost
community colleges that form the basis of the pyramid of educational
opportunity here: community colleges, state colleges and universities, and
the University of California. Back in the 1960s, the California Master
Plan declared that public higher education would be "free," meaning,
no-cost.For a while, that actually happened. Even today, this ideal has
been damaged but not destroyed.
Now along comes the ACCJC (Accreditation Commission for Community and
Junior Colleges). Although the ACCJC is not part of the Department of
Education,they are "approved" by it and are effectively the gatekeeper to
federal funds. They have issued a decision to withdraw accreditation from
City College of San Francisco as of July 2014. This would effectively shut
the place down. This is a huge campus with over 1,000 faculty, 100,000
students, founded in 1935 and deeply integrated into the civil society of
the city. The reasons for withdrawing accreditation have little to do
with the quality of education the students are getting -- which everyone
agrees is good and often really great. The reasons have to do with
governance, mission, too much democracy - elected department chairs --
too much non-credit adult education (San Francisco has a huge immigrant
population and CCSF has a great ESL program) and too generous working
conditions for adjuncts/part-timers (job security, 80% pro rata pay,
health benefits).
Here's a link to a critique of the accreditation commission:
http://www.aft1493.org/other/accjc-gone-wild-1.pdf
Who will benefit when SFCC shuts down? Where will these students go? To
the for-profits, which are springing up everywhere these days. And for
which they'll have to borrow money in order to pay the tuition.
Here's a link to the ACCJC newsletter:
http://www.accjc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Final-fall-2012-newsletter.
pdf
Amazing what these guys will come up with!!
Helena
On 7/5/13 12:50 AM, "Leif Strandberg" <leifstrandberg.ab@telia.com> wrote:
>Good Luck Finland...
>
>don't do what we have done... a massive support to private schools
>("private" is an euphemism... for s.c. risk capitalism)
>
>and the result is segregation and bad quality
>
>Leif
>Sweden
>2 jul 2013 kl. 18.49 skrev Rauno Huttunen:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Pasi Sahlberg is respected educational scientist in Finland. He
>> knows what he is talking about.
>>
>> In 50th and 60th there was big debate in Finland concerning grand
>> school reform. Existing school system was reproducing unequality.
>> Finally party called "Maaseudun puolue" (Agrarian Party) agreed to
>> work together with social democrats and communists in order to plan
>> and execute of a grand school reform which would guarantee every
>> child equal opportunities in educational system. Right wing parties
>> gave heavy resistance but school reform was executed.
>>
>> Actually I am personally perfect example of this new Finnish
>> elementary school system. I have working class background and my
>> school success in lower grades was poor. In old school system I
>> would have never make it to "Lyseo" (high school/gymansium/college)
>> and university. I had only some distant relatives who make it to
>> Lyseo and only one who make it to university.
>>
>> Now we have to fight for our school system and not let private
>> schools run over the well working public school system.
>>
>> Rauno Huttunen
>>
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> Lähettäjä: xmca-bounces@weber.ucsd.edu [xmca-
>> bounces@weber.ucsd.edu] käyttäjän Bruce Robinson
>> [bruce@dolphy.eclipse.co.uk] puolesta
>> Lähetetty: 2. heinäkuuta 2013 19:16
>> Vastaanottaja: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>> Aihe: [xmca] Finland
>>
>> Hello xmcaers,
>>
>> Following the recent discussion on Finnish culture, you might be
>> interested in this interview about the Finnish education system and
>> `why
>> it is so successful from today's Guardian. There's some interesting
>> speculation about the relationship between relative equality and the
>> education system.
>>
>> http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/jul/01/education-michael-
>> gove-finland-gcse
>>
>> Bruce R
>> __________________________________________
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