Changing Scottish education policy definitions of what it means to be a teacher: fit for a diverse system?

As countries seek to secure their economic future, education has become increasingly central to socioeconomic strategy in the United Kingdom and beyond. As a result, there is increased governmental expectation and scrutiny of the learning outcomes achieved by pupils. Following from this, teaching quality has become a significant focus in a number of countries. As part of the quality agenda, career-long professional learning has become a major policy theme from which a range of approaches has been implemented in Scotland: increased entry qualifications, the development of professional standards, and emphasis on the ongoing professional development of teachers. Within these approaches can be identified a reconceptualisation of what it means to be a teacher. While there is some expression of values related to social justice, equality and inclusion in education policy, the actions to implement policy tend to centre on instrumental approaches to career-long development. The idea of 'career-long teacher education' is underpinned by an assumption of a stable and readily accepted understanding of what it means to be a teacher. However, as expectations of schools have intensified, education policy indicates significant changes in the construction of the ‘effective’ teacher within an overall reconstruction of the nature and trajectory of the teaching career. This paper draws from a comparative policy study project and traces the evolving and competing ideas of what it means to be a teacher evident in recent key reviews (McCrone 2000; Donaldson, 2010; McCormac, 2011). It pays particular attention to how these ideas have been translated into expectations for initial teacher education and beyond in the form of the Standards for Registration (GTCS, 2012) and the Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning (GTCS, 2012). The paper considers the implications of the policy and the standards for the construction of teacher identity in both an increasingly globalised educational policy context and a more diverse Scottish society. It sets out for discussion the question of whether or not policy definitions of what it means to be a teacher in Scotland today are fit for a diverse, globalised and inclusive education system

Massive Open Online Courses as affinity spaces for connected learning: Exploring effective learning interactions in one massive online community

This paper describes a participatory online culture – Connected Learning Massive Open Online Collaboration (CLMOOC) – and asks how its ethos of reciprocity and creative playfulness occurs. By analysing Twitter interactions over a four-week period, we conclude that this is due to the supportive nature of participants, who describe themselves as belonging to, or connected with, the community. We suggest that Gee’s concept of an affinity space is an appropriate model for CLMOOC and ask how this might be replicated in a higher education setting

Individual Pay and Outside Options: Evidence from the Polish Labour Force Survey

Using Polish Labour Force Survey data, we examine whether competition for labour has induced individual pay to depend on outside options, availability and quality of jobs. Exploiting the lack of inter-regional job and worker flows we estimate the elasticity of individual pay, amongst a rich set of individual characteristics, to be approximately -0.1 for local unemployment (job shortages) and + 0.1 for local job reallocation (restructuring). Variations in local labour market conditions explain approximately 50 per cent of the differences in expected individual earnings across regions, while differences in inherited human capital and occupation structures explain the rest.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39748/3/wp364.pd

Individual Pay and Outside Options: Evidence from the Polish Labour Force Survey

Using Polish Labour Force Survey data, we examine whether competition for labour has induced individual pay to depend on outside options, availability and quality of jobs. Exploiting the lack of inter-regional job and worker flows we estimate the elasticity of individual pay, amongst a rich set of individual characteristics, to be approximately -0.1 for local unemployment (job shortages) and + 0.1 for local job reallocation (restructuring). Variations in local labour market conditions explain approximately 50 per cent of the differences in expected individual earnings across regions, while differences in inherited human capital and occupation structures explain the rest.

The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations and the health of Australians

The Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement has the potential to negatively impact the health of Australians by raising the cost of medicine and limiting the government\u27s ability to regulate tobacco and alcohol, argues this policy brief based on publicly available and recently leaked negotiating documents. Executive summary The purpose of this policy brief is to inform the debate from a health perspective in the final stages of the negotiations on the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), particularly during meetings of chief negotiators and ministers in February 2014. This policy brief outlines the evidence about the potential health effects on the Australian community of actions related to the TPPA, based on publicly available and recently leaked negotiating documents. The purpose of the TPPA is to enhance each of the countries’ economic development and that this may lead to improved social and health development. However, although there may be positive impacts on the health and wellbeing of Australians resulting from economic growth, there are also many ways in which the TPPA has the potential to have negative impacts on the health of Australians. This policy brief examines the potential impact of provisions proposed for the TPPA on the health of Australians, focusing on two specific issues: the cost of medicines, and the ability of government to take major steps to improve the health of Australians by regulating the areas of tobacco and alcohol policy. In each of these areas we trace some of the pathways through which provisions that have been proposed for the TPPA may impact on the health of the Australian population, and the health of specific groups within the population. We highlight the ways in which some of the expected economic gains from the TPPA may be undermined by health and economic costs. Concerning the cost of medicine we focus on how proposed provisions in the TPPA could impact the affordability of medicines through several different routes: by delaying the availability of cheaper generic medicines, by altering the operation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) making it more difficult to keep costs down, and by enabling pharmaceutical companies to sue the government over its pharmaceutical policies. These changes would increase the cost of the PBS for the government and taxpayers. Strategies to compensate for an increase in medication costs include increased cost-sharing, with patients assuming higher co-payments, or funding reallocation from other parts of the healthcare system. Provisions in the TPPA may impact the ability of Government to enforce existing policies and implement new policies that support public health. Australia is internationally recognised for the success of comprehensive strategies to reduce tobacco smoking. And more recently, there are multiple initiatives being proposed to achieve similar success to reduce harmful use of alcohol. We outline several of the many provisions in the TPPA that could affect tobacco and alcohol policies in Australia. Concerning tobacco these include an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism clause in the TPPA would provide more opportunities for tobacco companies to sue the Australian government over strong tobacco control measures. Rules about ‘indirect expropriation’ (i.e. depriving an investor of property, which, if broadly defined, can include intellectual property such as trademarks) and ‘fair and equitable treatment’ provide additional grounds for corporations to argue that their assets are being unfairly affected by government policies and laws. Provisions in the TPPA may impact the Government’s ability to implement effective alcohol control policies such as restrictions on liquor licences, bans or limits on alcohol advertising, and alcohol health warning labels. Concerning alcohol these include provisions in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Chapter of the TPPA which could limit possibilities for introducing innovative alcohol policies, such as requiring health warning labels. Provisions in the wine and spirits annex to the TBT Chapter may limit the options available to create a fully effective alcohol warnings scheme for wine and spirits. If Australia agrees to an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism applying to Australia, the alcohol industry will have access to a new legal channel to sue the Australian Government over alcohol policy decisions that adversely impact their investments. We conclude that while there is some potential for the TPPA to contribute to economic development, there is also significant risk that the economic gains which the TPPA may represent, as well as the health of the Australian community, will be threatened if certain proposed provisions are adopted for the TPPA. These include increased direct costs in terms of providing health care and increased use of hospitals, higher costs of obtaining pharmaceuticals, indirect costs associated with lost productivity across society, continuing or exacerbating inequalities in society, and worsening the health of Australia’s already vulnerable communities. Authored by: Katie Hirono, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, University of New South Wales Deborah Gleeson, School of Public Health and Biosciences, La Trobe University Fiona Haigh, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, University of New South Wales Patrick Harris, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, University of New South Wale

New radiocarbon dates from the Bapot-1 site in Saipan and Neolithic dispersal by stratified diffusion

The colonisation of the Mariana Islands in Western Micronesia is likely to represent an early ocean dispersal of more than 2000 km. Establishing the date of human arrival in the archipelago is important for modelling Neolithic expansion in Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific, particularly the role of long-distance dispersals. This paper presents new ¹⁴C results and a ΔR estimate from the Bapot-1 site on Saipan Island, which indicate human arrival at ca. 3400-3200 cal. BP. Archaeological chronologies of long-distance dispersal to Western Micronesia and the Lapita expansion (Bismarcks to Samoa) show that the Neolithic dispersal rate was increasing during the period ca. 3400-2900 cal. BP. The range-versus-time relationship is similar to stratified diffusion whereby a period of relatively slow expansion is succeeded by long-distance movement. An increase in new colonies created by long-distance migrants results in accelerating range expansion

Negotiating healthy trade in Australia: health impact assessment of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Drawing on leaked texts of potential provisions of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, this health impact assessment found the potential for negative impacts in the cost of medicines, tobacco control policies, alcohol control policies, and food labeling. Overview The Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation (CHETRE) has been working with a group of Australian academics and non-government organisations interested in the health of the Australian population to carry out a health impact assessment (HIA) on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations. In the absence of official publicly available drafts of the trade agreement, the health impact assessment drew on leaked texts of potential provisions and formulated policy scenarios based on high priority health policies that could be affected by the TPP. The HIA found the potential for negative impacts in each of the four areas under investigation: the cost of medicines; tobacco control policies; alcohol control policies; and food labeling. In each of these areas, the HIA report traces the relevant proposed provisions through to their likely effects on the policy scenarios onto the likely impact on the health of Australians, focusing particularly on vulnerable groups in the Australian community. The report makes a number of recommendations to DFAT regarding the TPP provisions and to the Australian Government regarding the TPP negotiating process

The Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project

The Southwest Corridor Light Rail Project is an expansion of the MAX light rail system into Southwest Portland, Tigard and Tualatin. Not only will the project add 11 miles of light rail track and 13 stations to the system, it also includes new bicycle facilities, sidewalks, safer crossings, improvements to local bus service, and significant upgrades to stormwater treatment infrastructure. As a cooperative effort between regional partners, the project is seen as a catalyst to help realize broader shared goals of fostering equitable communities, ensuring healthy environments, and providing robust mobility options for all modes. Currently in the planning and environmental review process, the project expects to start early construction in 2022 with service beginning in 2027. This presentation will provide an overview of the partnerships, funding, conceptual design, and benefits of the project. It will explain the project’s guiding principles and walk through how the preliminary designs of station areas, structures, and other key corridor elements help achieve these goals.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/trec_seminar/1187/thumbnail.jp

Providing Prescription Drug Coverage to the Elderly: America’s Experiment With Medicare Part D

The federal government\u27s Medicare program did not provide general prescription drug coverage for the first 40 years of its existence. Thus, more than 30 percent of the 44 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries of the program lacked insurance coverage for prescribed medications. The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 established a voluntary outpatient prescription drug benefit known as Medicare Part D. This program took effect in 2006 and represents the largest expansion of an entitlement program since the start of Medicare itself. The design of Part D is of particular interest to economists for at least three reasons: First, the program has the potential to affect significantly both the health and the economic well-being of the more than 44 million individuals currently enrolled in Medicare. Second, Part D has substantially increased government spending on health care despite the projections that such spending was already on an unsustainable path. Third, Part D represents an ambitious attempt to use market mechanisms in the delivery of a large-scale entitlement program. Part D has been controversial. In this paper, we aim to shed light on the various issues raised by the Part D program, including the incentives inherent in the competition among plans, the forces that affect drug prices, and the sustainability of Part D in the face of adverse selection and moral hazard. We conclude that Part D has succeeded in a number of important ways, however, substantial room for improvement remains