Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Home Blog Page 2

Guest Post: Nearly Half of Students Showed up

0

Nearly Half of Teachers Had Students Who Never Showed Up to Class Last Year: Report

A new report marks the first big-picture look at the obstacles that kept students locked out and what it might take to bring them back.

Nearly half of public school teachers in the U.S. reported at least one student during the 2020-21 school year who was enrolled but never showed up for class, according to new federal data that provides one of the first glimpses from the national level of the major challenges that sidelined student learning and the types of schools they left behind.

The report, originally published by the Government Accountability Office last month but updated with new information this week, is part of the federal government’s ongoing efforts to understand how the pandemic affected the country’s public school system. The data was pulled from a national representative survey of public school teachers that the GAO contracted Gallup to conduct about their experiences during the 2020-21 school year.

High school teachers were the most affected, with roughly two-thirds, or 65%, having at least one student who never showed up, compared to less than half of teachers in kindergarten to grade eight.

In addition, teachers in urban schools were significantly more likely to report having students who never showed up compared to those in rural and suburban schools – 65% compared to 45% and 44%, respectively – as were teachers who taught in schools where the majority of students enrolled are students of color, 56%, compared to those who taught in majority-white schools, 45%.

Economic demographics of schools made a difference, too. For example, 32% of teachers in low-poverty schools, where 20% or fewer students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, reported having students who never showed up compared to 60% of teachers in schools where 80% to 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch.

While teachers reported a range of obstacles that interfered with their students’ attendance, the challenges mostly fell into two big buckets – limited or no adult assistance or support at home and difficulty learning in or adapting to the virtual environment.

For older students especially, competing demands on time – including providing care to a family member or work commitments that interfered with school – were common reasons for their absence. Nearly half of teachers in grades three through eight and grades nine through 12 said that providing care to a family member was “somewhat” or a “significant” factor for students, compared to about one-quarter of teachers in kindergarten to grade two. And among teachers in grades nine through 12, 57% said work commitments interfered with school – though just 17% of teachers in grades three to eight named work commitments as a reason.

Though data is scarce and patchy due to the varying ways states and districts collect it, education policymakers have been warning that the long-term effect of coronavirus-related disruptions to schools over the last two years on student enrollment and attendance remains to be seen, especially for students who became entirely detached from school. The report marks the first big-picture look at the obstacles that kept students locked out – even those enrolled in schools that provided support, like internet-connected devices and free Wi-Fi – and what it might take to bring them back.

“The high levels of chronic absences means positive conditions for learning are being eroded at a systemic level,” says Hedy Nai-Lin Chang, executive director and vice president of Attendance Works, a nonprofit organization that tracks absenteeism and its effects.

“And the challenges of ensuring school is a healthy and safe place in light of the last two variants is a huge issue – making sure kids and families have access to health care, making sure that when they get to school that school is a place where they feel a sense of belonging and support,” she says. “Those are all things that have had real challenges to put in place.”

“These are things that are more than attendance, but when they don’t exist, attendance is affected.”

The GAO report comes at a time when a handful of states and school districts are beginning to report their own chronic absenteeism data – that is, data on students who have missed 10% or more of a school year, or roughly 18 days.

In New York City, the country’s largest school system, 40% of public school students – roughly 375,000 in total – have been chronically absent this year, up from 26% during the 2018-19 school year. And in Los Angeles, the country’s second largest school district, 46% of students – more than 200,000 in total – have been chronically absent, up from an average of 19% prior to the pandemic.

But the challenges, which have been occurring alongside enrollment drops, aren’t confined to the country’s biggest city school districts.

Chronic absenteeism increased 30% among the 1.4 million students enrolled in New Jersey public schools, according to the annual New Jersey School Performance Reports, released earlier this month. In Camden, one of the last school districts in the state to pivot back to in-person learning full time, five days a week, the number of chronically absent students jumped from 34% during the 2018-19 school year to 57% during the 2020-21 school year.

In Akron, new data shows that half of all students are considered chronically absent. Among high school seniors, two-thirds have missed at least 10% of the school year and 44% have missed more than 20%. In Richmond, more than a quarter of students are considered chronically absent. And in Kentucky’s Jefferson County, 30% of its 100,000 public school students have missed at least 18 days of school so far this year.

Nai-Lin Chang is willing to bet that most states and districts are underestimating the actual crisis.

“The problem with the ‘20-21 data is that so much of it was remote and our attendance-taking practices during remote varied hugely and a lot of times we weren’t very stringent,” she says. “So you do see some increases, but my sense is that it’s probably, in most states, much higher.”

“A doubling of chronic absenteeism is not at all uncommon right now,” Nai-Lin Chang says. “The 40% level is not that uncommon, which is incredibly problematic and distressing. And it means that we really are going to have to double down on engagement and support.”

It’s been difficult for policymakers to glean the situation from the national level since the school year is still in progress and data has been difficult to come by. A survey by consulting firm McKinsey & Co. from December 2021 showed that 22% of parents reported that their child had missed at least four days of school at that point in the year – in other words, on track to be considered chronically absent by the end of the school year. That’s a worrying data point since the figure is up from the 18% of families who reported chronic absence last spring. Just 8% of parents said their child was on track to be chronically absent prior to the pandemic.

Researchers at Attendance Works estimated that the high levels of absenteeism reported in the McKinsey survey could translate into an additional 1.7 million to 3.3 million students in grades eight to 12 dropping out of school, if historical correlations between chronic absence and high school graduation remain steady.

“The building blocks have been eroded for a lot of kids,” Nai-Lin Chang says. “And we’re going to have to reinvest.”

Article by: Lauren Camera , USNews

2022 Best-Educated Country Projections are here. Some may surprise you.

0

2022 Best-Educated Country Projections are here. Some may surprise you.

NJ MED has released their 2022 best education systems projections, and while some of the predictions will come as no surprise (South Korea is the projected favorite), there are plenty of intriguing projections and some significant surprises.

NJ MED used this year’s on-time school openings to determine probable outcomes based on each country last year’s performance in remote learning and their government response to reinvesting in school infrastructure. If countries have a 50 percent increase in offsite learning, it has prepared to keep their students up-to-date with the current learning conditions, and if a country has only a 10% increase in their offsite learning platforms chance of students staying up to date is lessen.

Here are ten interesting facts about this year’s rankings.

South Korea is projected to be the favorite

South Korea is leading the pack in terms of e-learning improvements among Asian countries, thanks to the country’s strong and rising high-tech economy and extensive high-speed internet access. It intends to use its resources to teach students not only in Korea but also in other nations across the world, by expanding English courses and promoting its ability to give “smart learning.”

France ranks second. During the Covid-19 pandemic in France, the Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports supplied several materials to teachers to help them establish educational continuity. Online tools, instructional platforms, and self-training guidelines for teachers are all included. The main distance learning platform is “Ma classe à la maison,” which was created by the Centre National d’Enseignment à Distance (CNED – National Centre for Distance Learning) and is available to all teachers and students free of charge. This platform enables virtual classes to be tailored to any level of schooling.

The United States ranks third. With hundreds of online colleges and thousands of online courses available to students, the United States is the clear global leader in online education today. Of course, the United States isn’t merely the most populous country on the planet. It has also served as a paradigm for the development of internet delivery systems. Even more influential are open educational programs in the United States, such as those offered at MIT, which have served as an example.

Japan is ranked fourth. Since the coronavirus outbreak became a national subject in Japan, the government and other public institutions have encouraged people to work from home as much as possible. The recent evolution of internet technologies—such as the emergence of The Cloud or remote meeting software—, the prevalence of computer, tablet, or phone-equipped households, and a new generation of kids who are tech-savvy from an early age are forming a set of conditions that could allow distance learning to succeed.

Denmark ranked fifth. As the COVID-19 epidemic spread across the globe, most governments took the precaution of closing schools to try to stop the virus from spreading further. In Denmark, each week of school closures represents around 30 hours of face-to-face compulsory instruction time at school (lower secondary school – general orientation), or 2.5 percent of the total time spent in school. The capacity of schools to innovate, adapt and support staff varies from country to country and school to school. Yet it is these school capacities that can prove to be valuable assets for responding to crises and uncertain times, as well as building resilience when facing challenges in delivering instruction.

Australia ranked sixth. Distance education has become a more popular alternative for Australians, with a growth rate of about 20% and a market value of US$4.68 billion predicted this year.

The international market for online programs headquartered in Australia that teach students from Asia is forecast to rise to millions of students over the next ten years, making Australia one of the world’s major providers of online education if it comes to fruition.

The Netherlands ranked seventh. The Netherlands has taken the route of establishing primary schools while keeping older pupils in distance learning environments. By reintroducing elementary school kids to the classrooms while national infection rates fell.

The United Kingdom ranked eighth. The government advocated a £100 million investment in online education to help the country grow its brand, develop superior online educational materials, and become a key worldwide player in the distance learning sector.

The financing idea is in reaction to rising tuition costs in the United Kingdom, which were once subsidized by the government but are now deterring students from pursuing higher education.

Sweden ranks ninth. Sweden has a unique approach to school closures, and the overwhelming sense is that the transition to distant learning has gone smoothly so far. Schools have worked hard to solve digital problems and ensure that students have access to online resources. Even before the start of the epidemic, many schools were already using digital platforms and tools. A smooth transition to distant learning was made possible by the utilization of existing digital resources and instructional practices.

Germany ranks tenth. Germany has a reputation for being behind the times when it comes to digitalization. Students are currently experiencing technical difficulties as schools remain closed. Even countries with a better track record, however, are experiencing difficulties with distant learning.

Following the coronavirus epidemic in July 2020, an existing school digitization plan was accelerated, bringing the combined state and federal efforts to almost 7 billion euros ($8.6 billion).

Finland ranks eleventh. Even in the age of technology-driven educational offerings, Finns are passionate about face-to-face education. They’ve made significant investments in new or renovated twenty-first-century superschools, which provide excellent and well-resourced teaching and learning spaces that allow face-to-face and digital interactions between instructors and students. The school is no longer just a place to teach and learn subjects; it is also a phenomenon where the entire learning experience and children’s growth occur, thanks to a serendipitous policy mix of national, local, and school decisions. They put a lot of work into ensuring that the children feel comfortable in a pleasant environment where students and teachers interact.

Canada ranks twelve. The Canadian Department of Education took advantage of the situation by confirming that online learning would continue during the pandemic. The priority would be to keep schools open for in-person learning, but according to a Ministry of Education document, plans are in the works to allow parents to enroll their children in “full-time synchronous remote learning” starting in September 2021. Students would have access to a greater range of courses through online learning, which would assure continuity, prevent learning loss, and give students a wider range of options.

Ireland ranks thirteen. According to international research, Ireland’s schools have substantial digital infrastructure gaps when compared to other industrialized countries, which has become especially crucial during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Students in Irish schools were also more likely than students in other nations to attend schools with poor physical infrastructure, such as buildings, grounds, heating, lighting, and acoustics, which had an impact on teaching quality.

Belgium ranks fourth teen. As the COVID-19 epidemic spread across the globe, most governments took the precaution of closing schools to try to stop the virus from spreading further. Schools were required to replace this time in class with online learning and homeschooling, with teachers and parents assisting in most cases to assess how prepared students were. Teachers, students, and schools gathered in Belgium to confront the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal to prevent the spread of the disease. Therefore, using future policy solutions to the problem influences and guides the use of remote learning.

Switzerland ranks fifteen. Given the presence of the coronavirus in Switzerland, distance learning may be something that parents, instructors, and students will have to get used to.

Parents indicate that their children are doing their assigned tasks, but that there are some difficulties. Primary school students have been receiving worksheets in the mail or picking them up at school (at staggered, allotted times to avoid other pupils). Some students are already making use of current internet resources. Kindergarten students are given “homework” in the form of regular assignments such as counting or learning songs. Teachers communicate with one another via WhatsApp, email, and phone.

Norway ranks sixth teen. The COVID-19 epidemic has posed significant obstacles to the world’s education system. To slow the spread of the virus and prevent infections, most countries temporarily closed educational facilities. The physical shutdown of schools and university colleges in Norway on March 12, 2020, has hastened the transition to online teaching and learning methods. In comparison to traditional educator-centered pedagogies, active, student-centered learning practices are more effective. Because student-active learning (such as using student response systems and flipping the classroom) increases motivation and improves learning outcomes, the decision to increase the use of active student-centered learning methods and digitalization had already been made at both the governmental and institutional levels at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Slovenia ranks seventeen. Distance education was launched in Slovenia as a reaction to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020, and students found it more challenging than classroom instruction, but also more intriguing and innovative. They loved not having to perform in front of their classmates and being able to plan work during the day. Moreover, a third of pupils said it was simpler to study this way. The lack of social contact with classmates and teachers, as well as the lack of teacher explanation, were the bad features. Some children had trouble utilizing a computer, and about 20% of them had to share one with family members.

Singapore ranks eighteen. As the worldwide pandemic’s aftershocks continue to reverberate, K-12 students, parents, and teachers in Singapore are coming to terms with the fact that hybrid learning is here to stay. With the prospect of returning to full-time brick-and-mortar classes looming, Singapore schools took a bold and internationally lauded step to address mental health head-on by implementing classroom therapy sessions in which students (and teachers) were encouraged to share their experiences and concerns about lockdown and isolation.

China ranks nineteen. China has a long history of distance education, dating back to the 1960s with courses given via radio and television, but it is quickly becoming a pioneer in online education.

In China, however, issues with internet connectivity in rural regions and the growth of diploma mills have hampered progress. The country has experienced significant expansion, thanks in part to a rise in demand for highly skilled members of the global labor from China. The online learning business is predicted to grow by leaps and bounds in the next years, and it has been steadily growing since 2006, indicating that it is on track to exceed all projections.

Latvia ranks twenty. Because of COVID 19, online learning has been implemented in Latvia for a longer period than in other European nations, raising worries about the mental health of children, particularly teenagers. Several national and local support programs have been created to help teachers prevent burnout. To ameliorate the situation in schools, the Minister of Education says that by the end of the year, support for instructors, as well as self-help courses for students, parents, and teachers, will be in place.

Unlike other years, the 2021/2022 school year will see a lot of moving parts. Which nations are best prepared for those changes will dictate whose education systems are the most successful.

How to Develop a solid hybrid learning strategy

According to the 2021 UNESCO COVID Response Toolkit, successful, meaningful hybrid learning involves a three-step methodology supported by continuous monitoring and adjustment:

  1. Understand and Envision: Assess students’ needs and capacities
  2. Decide and Design: Determine the hybrid learning model
  3. Enable and Execute: Operationalize the hybrid learning method for each grade level.

Educators are being encouraged to look both inside and outside the box: According to UNESCO, a successful hybrid education plan is based on a what, when, who, and how to approach. Choosing which educational activities and subjects should be prioritized for in-person or remote learning, organizing a shift system to determine when in-person or remote learning should occur, defining who supports in-person or remote learning by allocating teachers (and parents) shifts and tasks, and determining how we can strengthen hybrid learning capacity.

The Black Hole – 2020-2021

0

The Black Hole – 2020-2021

The world came crashing down and ate a future generation of children.

Climate change, poverty, and conflict are all threats. After a pandemic that kept 1.5 billion children out of school, a quarter of countries’ education systems are on the verge of collapsing, according to a new study from Save the Children.

Their study warns that the education of hundreds of millions of children is on a knife’s edge due to an unprecedented severity of dangers, including COVID 19 and the climate crisis.

According to Save the Children, a quarter of nations – the majority of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa – have school systems that are at extreme or high danger of collapsing.

According to the UN, over 1.5 billion children were out of school for the first time in history during the epidemic, with at least a third unable to access remote learning.

The terrible effects of COVID-19 are causing us to lose a generation.

According to UNICEF, while most of the industrialized world is looking forward to a return to more normal schooling during 2021-22, more than 100 million children in other areas of the world are still out of the classroom due to statewide COVID closures in 16 countries.

Between 10 and 16 million children are thought to be at risk of not returning to school at all, with females being the most susceptible.

This year, governments throughout the world will spend $5 trillion on K-12 education. This generation could lose twice or three times that amount in earnings unless they get all children and young people back to school, keep them in class and reclaim the core principles of learning.

The first impact was the loss of millions of lives due to the COVID 19 virus’s sickness. The second factor was human misery brought on by job insecurity and poverty. The third focuses on youngsters and teenagers who were supposed to be in school but were instead told to stay at home.

The link between Education and Poverty

The pandemic has been going on for two years. Almost all governments determined that keeping students out of school and colleges was one of the most effective approaches to combat the pandemic. Keeping educational facilities open, according to public health experts, would encourage the virus to spread further. Kids would have to stay at home to “flatten the curve” and minimize hospital overcrowding.

Many European and East Asian countries swiftly reopened schools this fall, recognizing both the evident costs to children and the lack of evidence of the benefits of a complete closure. However, school closures were continued for unusually lengthy durations in several nations in South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and even East Asia.

By the end of 2021, the number of school days lost had surpassed 200—roughly a school year and a half. This lengthy pause in learning could have serious long-term consequences, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The majority of the impact will be seen by children and youth aged 4 to 25 in 2020 and 2021, resulting in significant intergenerational inequity. When children are absent from school for an extended period of time, they not only cease learning but also forget a lot of what they have learned.

According to the World Bank, a 7-month absence from school would increase the percentage of pupils in ‘learning poverty’ from 53 to 63 percent by late 2020. A total of 7 million pupils would be forced to drop out of school. The consequences on women, minorities, and girls will be even harsher. The loss predictions have been revised upwards, and now expect learning poverty to approach 70% unless immediate and aggressive action is taken.

Those with the fewest resources have suffered the greatest losses.

Children from the poorest families suffer the most losses in all countries—rich, middle-income, and poor—because their possibilities to maintain any educational involvement through distance learning are limited. Only half of all students in middle-income nations and a tenth of pupils in the poorest countries have access to the internet. The usage of television and radio, as well as learning materials that make learning easier, has aided, but it cannot replace interactive education. ‘Learning’ cannot be defined as a few hours a day spent watching television or listening to the radio.

As a result, the existing significant disparities in opportunity are widened. COVID-19 may result in lesser growth, higher poverty, and greater inequality in the developing world for a generation, posing a devastating triple danger to global prosperity for decades to come.

The UN has hard data on learning losses in middle-income nations like Brazil and India by late last year. Educators in the state of So Paulo, for example, elected to measure the status of learning on a continual basis, in contrast to many other countries, who have postponed any form of learning measurement, possibly to avoid bad news. Students learned 27 percent less than they would have learned in regular circumstances after a year without in-person classes, according to the researchers. Pratham, a well-known education NGO in India, discovered that minimal competence levels in the state of Karnataka have been lowered in half.

The three new “Rs.”

Many countries had restored schools by the end of 2021, which is encouraging. However, approximately one out of every four school systems remained closed, and many others had just partially reopened. Although 300 million children still need to be securely transported back to school, 1.5 billion youngsters were back in class. But that was before the virus’s Omicron version. Since the beginning of the year, these figures have changed.

Experts believe that a combination of reopened schools, remote learning, and remedial programs can mitigate the effects of the disruptions, serve as a model response for future shocks, and possibly even improve public education compared to a few years ago.

Securely reopen schools. If the idea of millions of children sitting in front of the television disturbs you, consider this: more than half of the households in 30 African countries lack access to power. For far too many children around the world, home settings are not favorable to learning; far too many lack access to the Internet, a suitable device, funds to purchase data or books, and a place to study at home.

And education is a social effort by definition: it necessitates constant engagement. This entails the establishment of physical schools, which must be opened and made safe for students and teachers. It is necessary to make investments. Money is frequently available for this, and there is no shortage of guidance from international organizations on how to do it.

A national feeling of urgency is generally lacking in many countries.

Invest in online education. During the two years of the epidemic, teams from the World Bank and the OECD undertook an assessment of remote learning. The outcomes aren’t always positive. The epidemic, on the other hand, demonstrated that hybrid learning approaches, which combine in-person and remote instruction with the use of smart digital technology, are here to stay. However, technology investments must be carefully paired with investments in learning skills.

The pandemic has hastened a shift in attitude toward the use of technology, and nations only have a little time to persuade teachers and administrators to consider technology as an integral component of the learning process. After all, this isn’t the first time a virus or natural disaster has forced schools to close. Better learning tools in the classroom can make the system more effective both when schools are open and when they must close by supporting the continuation of the learning process at home.

Remediate to make up for lost or missing learning. In the United States, pupils returned last fall with about a third less reading learning than they would have had in the previous academic year. In many nations where schools are closed for long periods of time, kids begin a new grade without having absorbed even a small percentage of what they were taught in the prior grade.

If children do not catch up, especially those in the early grades, when losses are greater, they may drop out. Schools all across the world must adapt to students’ needs, including their basic literacy and numeracy abilities, as well as their mental health and well-being, say experts. Students who learned less last year, on the other hand, tend to rebound faster than others if they are given remedial help. However, without extra assistance for teachers and principals, this will not be possible.

Keeping a lasting loss at bay

The World Bank Group is assisting in these efforts by working on around a hundred COVID-related education programs in over 60 countries. The total cost of these projects is $ 11 billion. These are World Bank records, but they are a drop in the bucket compared to the $72 billion the US government has set aside to help public schools reopen safely.

More efforts are needed to fund the return to classroom-based teaching and assist public schools in adopting teaching strategies that integrate online and in-classroom learning and teach kids at the level they require today, focusing on fundamental skills and in their native language, say experts.

A billion children’s futures are in jeopardy around the world. COVID-19 will be a big setback for this generation until we get them back in school and find strategies to mitigate the effects of the disruption. When the effects of the coronavirus are fully assessed, it will be obvious that the greatest loss of learning is the result.

In a decade, we may look back and realize that the pandemic’s most devastating loss could have been avoided. We have the opportunity to act now and avoid regret later.

2022 International Education Power Rankings

0

2022 International Education Power Rankings

During COVID 19, most countries saw a drop in their nation’s education performance

The International Education Power Rankings measure the effect education has on a nation’s economic and social development. Because of COVID-19 the pandemic has disrupted education in over 150 countries and affected 1.6 billion students. In response, many countries have implemented some form of remote learning.

Africa and South Asia, on the other hand, accounted for roughly two-thirds of the world’s schoolchildren who were unable to access remote digital learning. These children have fallen behind in their educational and social development because of a lack of access to the internet.

In the next 20 to 30 years, the uneven economic infrastructure and inadequate social development in those countries will worsen. The International Education Power Rankings will show you which countries are suffering and which are at risk of civil unrest.

We hope that enough people are paying attention and are willing to help solve Africa and Asia’s problems before they turn into a holocaust.

Here are the Education Power Rankings for 2022, which showcase the strengths and drawbacks of numerous countries:

Tier 1:

South Korea
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Primary Levels Test Scores
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Work Force Participation Women Labor Statistics
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Poverty Level

Finland
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio College Graduation Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Poverty Level Access to Internet

Russia
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Academic Levels Early Childhood Enrollment Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Women Labor Skills
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Crime Rate

  1. South Korea
  2. Denmark
  3. Netherlands
  4. Germany
  5. Ireland
  6. Sweden
  7. Finland
  8. Slovenia
  9. France
  10. Belgium
  11. Australia
  12. Iceland
  13. Japan
  14. United Kingdom
  15. Norway
  16. Canada
  17. Spain
  18. Israel
  19. Russia
  20. Poland

Tier 2:

Hong Kong
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
College Graduation Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Average Income Missing Economic Data
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Missing Social Data

United States
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Free Schools Early Childhood Enrollment Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Average Income National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Crime Rate

China
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
College Graduation Rate Academic Levels
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Gross Domestic Product Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Adult Illiteracy Levels Crime Rate

  1. Hong Kong
  2. Singapore
  3. Portugal
  4. Lithuania
  5. Estonia
  6. New Zealand
  7. Switzerland
  8. Hungary
  9. United States
  10. Taiwan
  11. Latvia
  12. Greece
  13. Czech Republic
  14. Austria
  15. Italy
  16. China
  17. Turkey
  18. Argentina
  19. Mexico
  20. Chile

Tier 3:

Costa Rica
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio College Graduation Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Poverty Level

Saudi Arabia
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Early Childhood Enrollment Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Female Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Female Adult Illiteracy Levels

Vietnam
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Access to Internet

  1. Slovakia
  2. Luxembourg
  3. Kazakhstan
  4. Costa Rica
  5. Saudi Arabia
  6. Grenada
  7. Brunei
  8. San Marino
  9. Fiji
  10. Samoa
  11. Seychelles
  12. Mongolia
  13. Vietnam
  14. Ecuador
  15. Malta
  16. Nepal
  17. Belarus
  18. Oman
  19. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  20. Maldives

Tier 4:

Sri Lanka
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Clean Water Access to Internet

Indonesia
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Academic Levels
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation Female Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Access to Internet

Philippines
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Free Primary & Secondary School Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation Female Work Force Participation
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Poverty Level

  1. Sri Lanka
  2. Macau (PRC)
  3. Uzbekistan
  4. Kyrgyzstan
  5. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  6. Albania
  7. Indonesia
  8. Serbia
  9. Timor-Leste
  10. Georgia
  11. Philippines
  12. Kiribati
  13. Algeria
  14. Colombia
  15. Antigua and Barbuda
  16. Croatia
  17. Peru
  18. Mauritius
  19. Gibraltar
  20. Montenegro

Tier 5:

Iran
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Free Primary & Secondary Schools Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation Female Work Force Participation
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Adult Illiteracy Levels

Egypt
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Secondary School Completion Rate Students to Teacher Ratio
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Gross Domestic Product National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Adult Illiteracy Levels

Kenya
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate Out of School Children
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Work Force Participation Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Adult Illiteracy Levels

  1. Iran
  2. Bahrain
  3. Liechtenstein
  4. Egypt
  5. Belize
  6. Azerbaijan
  7. Tajikistan
  8. Bhutan
  9. Malaysia
  10. Kenya
  11. Qatar
  12. Nauru
  13. Kuwait
  14. Dominica
  15. Bolivia
  16. Dominican Republic
  17. Saint Lucia
  18. Armenia
  19. Romania
  20. British Virgin Islands (UK)

Tier 6:

India
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate No Free Secondary School
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation Female Work Force Participation
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Adult Illiteracy Levels

Venezuela
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Female Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Crime Rate

South Africa
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
High School Graduation Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Unemployment Rate
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Crime Rate

  1. India
  2. Laos
  3. Uruguay
  4. Tunisia
  5. Eswatini
  6. Ghana
  7. Thailand
  8. Moldova
  9. Burma (Myanmar)
  10. North Korea
  11. Venezuela
  12. El Salvador
  13. Morocco
  14. South Africa
  15. Jamaica
  16. Panama
  17. Solomon Islands
  18. Cape Verde
  19. Sao Tome and Principe
  20. Cambodia

Tier 7:

Papa New Guinea
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Not Available Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Average Age 23 Adult Illiteracy Levels

Jordan
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Average Income Women Labor Statistics
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Access to Internet

Pakistan
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate Secondary School Completion Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Female Adult Illiteracy Levels

  1. Togo
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Papua New Guinea
  4. Tuvalu
  5. Sierra Leone
  6. Guatemala
  7. Jordan
  8. Suriname
  9. Lesotho
  10. Benin
  11. Yemen
  12. Honduras
  13. Rwanda
  14. Bulgaria
  15. Cote d’Ivoire
  16. Pakistan
  17. Djibouti
  18. Sudan
  19. Mauritania
  20. Barbados

Tier 8:

Cuba
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Free Primary & Secondary School Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Female College Level Jobs
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Access to Internet

Brazil
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Early Childhood Enrollment Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Male Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Crime Rate

Liberia
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Free Primary & Secondary School Students to Teacher Ratio
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Average Income
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Clean Water Adult Illiteracy Levels

  1. Cameroon
  2. Eritrea
  3. Burkina Faso
  4. Cuba
  5. Brazil
  6. Afghanistan
  7. Niger
  8. Madagascar
  9. Tanzania
  10. Liberia
  11. Burundi
  12. Comoros
  13. Marshall Islands
  14. Senegal
  15. Mali
  16. Uganda
  17. Bahamas
  18. Gambia
  19. Mozambique
  20. Chad

Tier 9:

Ukraine
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Primary School Completion Rate Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Work Force Participation National Debt
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Access to Internet

Puerto Rico
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Average Income Work Force Participation
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Crime Rate

Lebanon
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Students to Teacher Ratio No Free Secondary Schools
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Average Income National Debit
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Adult Illiteracy Levels

  1. Central African Republic
  2. Guinea
  3. Cyprus
  4. United Arab Emirates
  5. Aruba (Neth.)
  6. Ukraine
  7. Republic of Macedonia
  8. Niue (NZ)
  9. Turkmenistan
  10. Trinidad and Tobago
  11. Guyana
  12. Puerto Rico (US)
  13. Palau
  14. Lebanon
  15. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  16. Malawi
  17. Namibia
  18. Vanuatu
  19. Ethiopia
  20. Paraguay

Tier 10:

Palestine
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
High School Graduation Rates Early Childhood Enrollment Rate
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debt Unemployment Rate
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Adult Illiteracy Levels Child Mortality Rate

Nigeria
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Missing Education Data No Free Secondary Schools
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debit Unemployment Rate
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Crime Rate Adult Illiteracy Levels

Kosovo
Education
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Missing Education Data Missing Education Data
Economic
Strengths: Weaknesses:
National Debit Unemployment Rate
Social
Strengths: Weaknesses:
Access to Electricity Poverty Level

  1. Palestine
  2. Tonga
  3. Bermuda (UK)
  4. Republic of the Congo
  5. Botswana
  6. Equatorial Guinea
  7. Libya
  8. Iraq
  9. Nicaragua
  10. Federated States of Micronesia
  11. Nigeria
  12. Zimbabwe
  13. Haiti
  14. Gabon
  15. Guinea-Bissau
  16. Angola
  17. Syria
  18. Zambia
  19. Kosovo
  20. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  21. Andorra
  22. South Sudan
  23. Somalia

Did we have to close schools to stop population growth?

0

Did we have to close schools to stop population growth?

According to UNICEF, 102 million children’s were added to the 270 million of out of school children total, because of COVID 19

That is 372 million children’s lives ending before they get started. What are we going to do about it?

According to a new UNICEF report, at least 200 million kids live in 31 low- and middle-income countries that are still unprepared to use remote learning in the event of future school closures. 102 million of those pupils live in 14 nations that have kept their schools closed for at least half of the COVID-19 outbreak, effectively shutting many schoolchildren out of any type of education.

The Remote Learning Readiness Index, which covers over 90% of students in low- and lower-middle-income countries, assesses their readiness to deliver remote learning in response to interruptions in in-person education. The study looks at three areas: the availability of home-based assets and parents’ educational levels, the implementation of policies and teacher training, and the education sector’s emergency readiness.

Even among those with better national scores on the index, within-country differences mean that children from poorer families or living in rural areas are significantly more likely to lose out on school closures.

The Harm is done

Learning to read can shift a child’s life trajectory, but the older they get, the more difficult it is for them to gain basic literacy skills. Studies show the learning loss caused by school closures would be catastrophic. Even kids who fall behind in general education have a hard time catching up. Children in the lowest school districts are already four grade levels behind their peers in the best districts by the sixth grade. Third-graders who struggle with reading are four times less likely to graduate from high school, and the National Center for Educational Statistics estimates that up to 21% of adults in the United States are illiterate or functionally illiterate.

Because children academic and social success are on the line, educators must kept a close eye on the COVID-19 data from the start. Education experts discovered that school closures were both unreasonable and ineffective. COVID appears to have a 99.995 percent survival rate among children and adolescents, according to the most extensive research to date. COVID child fatality rates are similar to those of the respiratory syncytial virus (about 500 pediatric deaths per year), for which schools have never been closed. COVID data from March to June 2020, when Swedish schools were open without masking, was the subject of one Swedish study. During that time period, no child died from COVID, according to the analysis. According to research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, COVID cases for children in California hospitals were overcounted by 45 percent between May 2020 and February 2021. In several other studies, children were found to be significantly less likely than adults. Closing schools had no influence on community transmission, the effectiveness of closures for containing spread was, at best, highly unclear, and the effectiveness of closures for containing spread was, at best, highly unclear. Closed schools were also not connected to lower COVID mortality.

When it became evident that California public schools would remain closed despite the lack of proof that they were effective and the vast quantity of evidence that they could safely reopen.

However, finding teacher unions who shared this viewpoint is hard. While schools were open in Europe or Florida, many teacher unions disagree. Prior to the school closures, the teachers’ union leadership were in favor of keeping schools open. Now, many teachers believe that the way children were treated during the COVID era was a moral stain on the profession. An unspeakable crime was done against public school children and families over the course of a year of online learning.

Remote learning was a complete failure, and for many children, it was the equivalent of not going to school at all, according to national data in the US. Failing grades have risen dramatically across the country, and first-graders are now far behind in reading. Children dropped behind by 3-6 percentile points in reading and 8-12 percentile points in arithmetic across the country, with younger students falling further behind.

Years of life have been lost as a result of these learning losses. Longer lifespans have been linked to higher literacy and education levels. This link isn’t only economic—better health is linked to education’s behavioral and social effects as well. In addition to academic loss, when pupils were confined to their homes, childhood obesity, which has serious long-term repercussions, surged dramatically. According to the CDC, adolescent mental health visits to the ER climbed by 31% in the United States in 2019, while teenage girls’ suicidal thoughts and attempts surged by more than 50%.

Children are falling behind in their development. Went will it stop?

While school closures were necessary due to valid public health concerns, our data reveal that pupils have paid a high price in terms of lost learning. There’s also evidence that the stress and isolation of online learning are leading to mental health problems among teenagers.

However, these children’s fundamental services were unexpectedly cut off in March 2020, and their legal rights were effectively forfeited. For lower-income pupils of color in the US. The majority of the pupils did not have access to the internet at home, and many of them relied on the school for meals, health care, and counseling. What could be more “important” than school, you may ask?

These students were more than capable of academic advancement, but they lacked sufficient instruction.

However, children who face problems such as learning disabilities, loneliness, or a lack of resources will find it difficult to succeed.

After schools reopened this fall, teachers notice disengagement and learning loss in their students, ranging from missing assignments to dropping test scores, with long-term consequences for certain students’ economic well-being.

It is possible to function in simple ways, such as being healthy, having a good job, and being safe, as well as more sophisticated ways, such as being happy, having self-respect, and being tranquil. This would be a world that is far more peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable than the one we currently live in.

No Girl Power

The Yidan Prize Foundation, based on 70 years of research, demonstrates that education, above all else, may help to create that world. The most important step we can take now is to empower women via quality education in order to close the gender gap in education.

However, there are still many more women over the age of 15 who are uneducated globally (451 million women vs. 278 million men in 2020)

The Covid-19 epidemic has very likely exacerbated the problem. For example, classrooms in southern Asia have been closed for longer than the worldwide average, making remote learning impractical for many. Many youngsters, especially girls, will likely never return to school.

Women choose to have fewer children when they are well educated and have knowledge about (and access to) contraception. And those children grow up to be healthier and more educated, increasing the chances of a demographic dividend that will help their country thrive and prosper.

According to Yidan findings, alternative future scenarios of female education alone might result in a global population differential of more than one billion by the middle of this century, influencing the possibilities for a sustainable future.

For many years, the development community has focused on basic schools, but secondary school education is also required to go out and work productively.

For both students and countries, the optimal strategy would be for all countries to demand 10 to 12 years of compulsory schooling and education for both sexes. In richer countries, this has been in place for a decade.

By 2050, over 60% of the world’s young people will be living in Sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia. Climate change, politics, economy, peace, and stability will all be shaped by this generation.