And behind the news today...

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Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

And behind the news today...

Post by Amber »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-23465178" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ok, so I suppose the 'news' that 1 in 4 parents will hire tutors this summer is not going to shock anyone on here. But, a little digging reveals...

The 'research' behind this was conducted by Pearson. Pearson is now headed in the UK by Michael Barber who has already 'helped' English education policy along in a former existence with the infamous McKinsey report, and his contributions to New Labour's data love-in.
Sir Michael Barber was New Labour's mad professor and master of the flow chart, the man responsible for the literacy and numeracy strategies of the first term and, later, when he worked for Tony Blair as head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, for top-down targets across the public sector. He moved in 2005 to the world-renowned management consultancy McKinsey, and its unofficial motto could be his own: "Everything can be measured, and what is measured can be managed". (Guardian)
Should we care? Depends how rich you want to make him and Carol Vorderman. Luckily for those without a tutor, Pearson has just set up an online summer school for those unfortunate but 'obviously concerned' parents who can't afford an actual tutor but want to ensure their children 'don't fall behind'. From just £9.99 a month, it is so much cheaper...and all he and Ms Vorderman need to do is ensure they 'measure' their bank accounts accurately and 'manage' their tax returns correctly.

Nice to be able to commission 'research'; feed it into the newspapers to play into the anxieties of parents, and then lo and behold! supply the solution in one easy move.

Cynical, me? :(
scary mum
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Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by scary mum »

I think I might cry :cry: :cry: :roll:
scary mum
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by mystery »

About what?
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by Amber »

mystery wrote:About what?
I think scary meant she wanted to cry with sheer gratitude that there are selfless individuals like Mr Barber and Ms Vorderman around who are prepared to give of their meagre resources and spare time to help ensure equality of opportunity for all our children.

Hope I got that right, scary?
scary mum
Posts: 8841
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:45 pm

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by scary mum »

Couldn't have put it better myself :D
scary mum
KS10
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Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 12:39 am

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by KS10 »

:lol: :lol: :lol:
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by mystery »

I have used the occasional month or two on the maths factor, and bought a c v workbook from time to time. It is very shocking that I have done so and that anyone should set up a profit making company related to education, and that they should commission a piece of probably worthless research to say that 25 percent of parents paid a tutor this summer.

I was taken in and fooled by something I read in the daily mail one day suggesting this would be a good thing to do.

Scandalous. My children are ruined. Their childhood is wrecked. They have forgotten how to play. They never laugh. They competed a survey the other day and ticked the box which said they were the most miserable children in the world. I am inviting Mary boosted round to help us all out of our terrible predicament.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by Amber »

As I think you know, mystery, that was not my point at all.
Sally-Anne
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Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by Sally-Anne »

Amber wrote:What I do think is scandalous and wrong is that something appears in a reputable newspaper (I'm not talking the Daily Mail - I saw it in the Times) as 'news' when in fact it is based on a clever press release from a profit-making multinational corporation, and is designed to boost sales of their latest maths package.
I am afraid that if you scratch the surface of at least 75% of such "surveys" there will be a vested commercial interest behind them.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: And behind the news today...

Post by mystery »

I didn't really read it that way, but yes you could interpret it that way. Maybe they added Mary busted for a bit of balance.

There has been a lot of negative press about tutoring etc in recent years. Even my dh has started to notice it in his daily commute news reading and it is really not his thing at all.

My gut feeling is that the anti tutoring articles greatly outweigh the pro tutoring ones. Personally I think that is more if a shame because some people who could afford a little bit of good tutoring (if they can find it) if they are easily influenced by such prattle will truly believe it could wreck their child's childhood, and not do it when it could greatly benefit their child e.g if their reading is very poor. I know some children whose childhood is ruined by the stigma of very low achievement but I do not know any that lost their childhood due to tutoring. Is there any research to back this assertion?
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