Higher Education Policy in England: Three Empirical Studies of Influences on Enrollment Behavior.

This thesis consists of three stand-alone papers, each of which assesses a policy incentive that might alter the socio-economic gap in university enrollment in England; these incentives are encouragement, grade labels, and money, respectively. The rationale for examining these influences comes from a diverse range of theoretical backgrounds. In contrast, the analytical procedure used in each paper comes from the same empirical tradition, namely the Neyman-Rubin causal model, which quantifies the impact of a given incentive by determining counterfactual scenarios to estimate the difference in outcomes stemming from either the absence or the presence of a given incentive. As a set, these chapters demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of inequalities in access to higher education. By working from varied theoretical traditions, I provide evidence for a range of conceptualizations of behavior and influencing factors. My emphasis on socio-economic class disparities should not mask the fact that there are numerous sources of disadvantage that are likely to act in mutually dependent and re-enforcing ways. Yet, even when focusing on a single element of inequality, my findings demonstrate that many factors play a role in shaping disparities.PhDHigher EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113517/1/bmalcott_1.pd

Experience and lessons of learning intervention programmes across the PAL Network members

This report provides an analytical overview of the learning interventions that PAL Network members have developed over recent years. These interventions share two common principles. First, they work from children’s actual, rather than expected, learning levels. This is based on the approach most commonly known as Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), which entails grouping children by current ability and using pedagogical approaches tailored to each group’s level. Second, they treat education as a collective responsibility shared between citizens, communities, governments and school systems. Interventions work to bring these stakeholders together to view education as a collective responsibility that requires collective solutions

Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in education: A tool on whose terms?

The adoption of digital technology has resulted in many changes in education and learning, yet it is debatable whether technology has transformed education as many claim. The application of digital technology varies by community and socioeconomic level, by teacher willingness and preparedness, by education level and by country income. Except in the most technologically advanced countries, computers and devices are not used in classrooms on a large scale. Moreover, evidence is mixed on its impact. The short- and long-term costs of using digital technology appear to be significantly underestimated. The most disadvantaged are typically denied the opportunity to benefit. In asking ‘A tool on whose terms?’, the Report shows that regulations for technology set outside of the education sector will not necessarily address education’s needs. It is released along with a #TechOnOurTerms campaign, calling for decisions about technology in education to prioritize learner needs after assessment of whether its application would be appropriate, equitable, evidence-based and sustainable. It provides a compass for policy makers to use when making these decisions. Those in decision-making positions are asked to look down at where they are, to see if technology is appropriate for their context, and learning needs. They are asked to look back at those left behind, to make sure they are focusing on the marginalized. They are reminded to look up at whether they have evidence on impact and enough information on the full cost needed to make informed decisions. And, finally they are asked to look forwards, to make sure their plans fit their vision for sustainable development. The report underscores the importance of learning to live both with and without digital technology; to take what is needed from an abundance of information but ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant, the human connection on which teaching and learning are based. The focus should be on learning outcomes, not digital inputs. To help improve learning, digital technology should be not a substitute for but a complement to face-to-face interaction with teachers. Supporting the sixth Global Education Monitoring Report is a new series of country profiles on PEER, a policy dialogue resource describing policies and regulations related to technology in the world’s education systems

Transient fertilization of a post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin with dissolved phosphate by clay minerals

Marine sedimentary rocks deposited across the Neoproterozoic Cryogenian Snowball interval, ~720-635 million years ago, suggest that post-Snowball fertilization of shallow continental margin seawater with phosphorus accelerated marine primary productivity, ocean-atmosphere oxygenation, and ultimately the rise of animals. However, the mechanisms that sourced and delivered bioavailable phosphate from land to the ocean are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate a causal relationship between clay mineral production by the melting Sturtian Snowball ice sheets and a short-lived increase in seawater phosphate bioavailability by at least 20-fold and oxygenation of an immediate post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin. Bulk primary sediment inputs and inferred dissolved seawater phosphate dynamics point to a relatively low marine phosphate inventory that limited marine primary productivity and seawater oxygenation before the Sturtian glaciation, and again in the later stages of the succeeding interglacial greenhouse interval