Steven Barnett: UK Needs Creative Solutions & New Policy Framework for Media Plurality

Speaking for the annual Charles Wheeler Lecture on Journalism at Westminster University, Shadow Culture Minister Harriet Harman called for a cross-party process for new regulation on media plurality. Professor of Communications Steven Barnett, who has advised various parliamentary, governmental and European bodies on media issues, hosted the event. LSE Media Policy Project’s Sally Broughton Micova asked him about his views on some of the solutions Harman proposed and discussed his new project on media plurality and expectations for future policy in this area

BBC Charter Green Paper: Unprecedented threat to BBC’s future

In his response to the Green Paper on the BBC Charter Review, Steven Barnett of the University of Westminster argues that the vision the paper sets out would severely limit the BBC’s freedom to be popular and result in a small, unloved broadcaster

Is Cameron surrendering to press power?

Professor Steven Barnett Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster, explains why John Whittingdale’s announcement that the Government might not enact key provisions of the Leveson framework on press regulation – if pursued – would fatally undermine the historic cross-party agreement passed by Parliament. It would, he argues, be worse than the climbdown by John Major’s Government 20 years ago and proof of the continuing power of the British press

Early childhood development and social mobility

Steven Barnett and Clive Belfield examine the effects of preschool education on social mobility in the United States. They note that under current policy three- and four-year-old children from economically and educationally disadvantaged families have higher preschool attendance rates than other children. But current programs fail to enroll even half of poor three-and four-year olds. Hispanics and children of mothers who drop out of school also participate at relatively low rates. The programs also do little to improve learning and development. Barnett and Belfield point out that preschool programs raise academic skills on average, but do not appear to have notably different effects for different groups of children, and so do not strongly enhance social mobility. In such areas as crime, welfare, and teen parenting, however, preschool seems more able to break links between parental behaviors and child outcomes. Increased investment in preschool, conclude Barnett and Belfield, could raise social mombility. Program expansions targeted to disadvantaged children would help them move up the ladder, as would a more universal set of policies from which disadvantaged children gained disproportionately. Increasing the educational effectiveness of early childhood programs would provide for greater gains in social mobility than increasing participation rates alone. The authors observe that if future expansions of preschool programs end up serving all children, not just the poorest, society as a whole would gain. Benefits would exceed costs and there would be more economic growth, but relative gains for disadvantaged children would be smaller than absolute gains because there would be some (smaller) benefits to other children.early childhood education; social mobility; benefit/cost analyses; income disparity; disadvantaged children

Press regulation: three reasons why a 30 year old campaignmust continue

A government consultation on press regulation which asked for views on whether to commence Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013, and whether or not to proceed with Leveson Part 2, recently closed. Steven Barnett argues that it is important to take a longer term perspective on the issue of press reform

Media ownership policies: Pressures for change and implications

We are witnessing a wholesale restructuring of media ownership statutes throughout the world. It is difficult to think of a single developed or developing country which over the last 10 years has not introduced at least one change – and in many cases more – in its media ownership regimes. The direction is almost entirely one-way: towards a more liberal and deregulated environment which allows for more conglomeration of media companies, greater flexibility in foreign ownership, and fewer restrictions on ownership across different media. I want to address two important aspects of this worldwide phenomenon: first, why it is happening and the main forces driving these changes; and second, the implications for a free press, for diversity, and for journalism

The government scuppers Leveson part 2: is Britain’s press undermining democracy?

Recent amendments to the Data Protection Bill, supported by the House of Lords and then narrowly defeated in the Commons, would have revived Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry into unlawful conduct and corporate cover-ups in national newspapers. Steven Barnett argues that in opposing Leveson Part 2 the government has surrendered to press lobbying, betrayed promises made to the victims of phone-hacking and undermined the public interest

How Much Can High-Quality Universal Pre-K Reduce Achievement Gaps?

Many children of color and children from low-income families enter kindergarten without the academic skills they need to succeed. Compared to their white peers, African American and Hispanic children are anywhere from 9 to 10 months behind in math and 7 to 12 months behind in reading when they enter kindergarten. These achievement gaps are concerning: Math and reading abilities at kindergarten entry are powerful predictors of later school success, and children who enter kindergarten already behind are unlikely to catch up. Moreover, in the past 50 years, minimal progress has been made toward reducing these achievement gaps. Ensuring that all children are entering kindergarten with the foundational academic skills they need to succeed is a major priority for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners alike. Early childhood education programs show promise toward this goal. Research suggests that participation in a high-quality early childhood education program can enhance children's development, reduce achievement gaps at kindergarten entry, and even have long-term benefits for children's school trajectories. However, access to high-quality pre-K in the United States remains quite low and highly unequal due to two problems. First, although pre-K attendance has increased in the past two decades, rates of access to early education vary widely as a function of children's socioeconomic backgrounds: African American, Hispanic, and low-income children are less likely to access center-based early childhood education than their white and more affluent peers. Second, the quality of most early education programs -- particularly those attended by low-income children of color -- is not high enough to substantially improve academic readiness. Recognizing the tremendous potential for high-quality preschool to improve children's outcomes, this report considers how a universal publicly funded prekindergarten program in the United States could decrease both disparities in access to early learning and achievement gaps at kindergarten entry. Data from two nationally representative datasets and prior results from evaluations of high-quality universal pre-kindergarten were analyzed to estimate the extent to which a national high-quality universal pre-K, or UPK, program would reduce achievement gaps at kindergarten entry based on children's race/ethnicity and income

Mentor Principals’ Perceptions About a Mentoring Program for Aspiring Principals

The purpose of this study was to assess the perceptions of principals who serve as mentors for an internship program for aspiring principals at East Tennessee State University. Each mentor was interviewed to gather information about the internship program, the benefits of mentoring in the program, and what the mentors may have learned about their tacit knowledge as a result of the experience. Mentors and the professors in the Educational Leadership Policy Analysis department at ETSU may benefit from the findings as the design of the school leadership program continues to advance. Mentoring is an important component of training for aspiring and beginning principals because interns learn on the job in a supportive environment where they can take chances. Mentors also learn from the experience of being a mentor. The literature reviewed for this case study supported the need for standard-based mentoring programs. The ISLLC standards are an excellent example of standards that are used to provide structure and coherence for mentoring programs. Positive and negative outcomes for the mentor were reviewed to support the research. Leadership and the change process were also reviewed to support the importance of the mentor\u27s role in the process we call mentoring. Several themes emerged from the analysis of data provided by mentor principals about mentoring aspiring principals. Mentoring resulted in reflection about the decisions the mentor makes during the day while explaining procedures to the intern. It was also found to be an experience that works best when a positive relationship is developed between the mentor and the intern; often leading to a relationship that lasts long after the internship is over. Principals examined their understanding of tacit knowledge and the possible ways tacit knowledge could be taught to their intern

DEVELOPING AND PRICING PRECIPITATION INSURANCE

Production agriculture and agribusiness are exposed to many weather-related risks. Recent years have seen the emergence of an increased interest in weather-based derivatives as mechanisms for sharing risks due to weather phenomena. In this study, a unique precipitation derivative is proposed that allows the purchaser to specify the parameters of the idemnity function. Pricing methods are presented in the context of a cotton harvest example from Mississippi. Our findings show a potential for weather derivatives to serve niche markets within U.S. agriculture.Risk and Uncertainty,