Scotland's school daze
One warning this morning is that the fallout from the credit crunch is the financial equivalent of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Another says that swine flu - with its impact on lost productivity and lower discretionary spending - could substantially knock back economic recovery.
But another warning caught my eye this weekend, with more substantial long-term significance for the Scottish economy.
It comes from Lindsay Paterson, professor of educational policy at Edinburgh University, and it's about the effectiveness and competitiveness of Scotland's schools.
The fact that it appears on page 21 of the Times Education Supplement Scotland (TESS), on what must be the week of the year with the fewest educationists taking any interest, underplays its significance.
What he argues is not wholly new.
What fascinates me is that he's the one saying it.
Prof Paterson has taken dog's abuse in the past for defending Scotland's comprehensive schooling system against the changes being introduced south of the border.
He was sceptical about driving more diversity into the schools system. The fear from self-described liberals like him was that "it would create the worst kind of competition and would allow invidious selection to be introduced".
The emphasis on core skills, it was argued, would destroy children's confidence.
And after 10 years of devolution, with the different parts of the UK able to go their own ways on education policy, what's the evidence?
That Scotland and Wales have improved a bit, but that England has improved much faster.
Not without its problems, of course, including pressure on teachers and pupils, and with the claims of competition sapping morale. But it has done so without the feared effects on inequality and segregation.
Does it matter that England's education system is closing the gap with Scotland's?
If Scotland is to be an attractive place for businesses to locate for the quality of the workforce, and for universities to excel, then that long-running competitive advantage would have depressing effects on Scotland's already-sluggish economic growth path, and could prove hard to claw back.
The front page of TESS this week reports on concerns about drift and the loss of a lack of vision in Scotland's curriculum reforms.
Taken together, there are implications for Scottish society and the competitiveness of the Scottish economy that can't be ignored.
Hullo, I'm Douglas Fraser, and I'm business and economy editor at 91Èȱ¬ Scotland. Welcome to my blog, where you can read my take on money matters, viewed from a Scottish perspective.
Comment number 1.
At 20th Jul 2009, Anonymous Please wrote:I lecture at a Scottish university, have 2 children in Scottish schools, and serve on the Parent's Council of our local secondary school. I see many strengths in the Scottish system, but there are glaring weaknesses: First, both parents and teachers conspire to keep parent participation in education to a bare minimum. Second, the managers of the schools are responsible to the local government, and not to children they teach nor their parents. The Parent Councils, which replaced school boards and the PTA, have no say whatsoever regarding the curriculum and are allowed only to provide only advice and consultation on other issues. Third, the setting of minimal standards encourages exactly that: minimal performance. Schools are judged on test scores, not on how well their graduates actually contribute to society. Who's to blame? The Scottish voters.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
At 20th Jul 2009, oldnat wrote:Douglas
A link to Lindsay Paterson's article would have been useful. It is
It was obvious from the inception of the Standards in Schools etc Act of 2000, that New Labour were foisting a monster of a system on Scotland through legislating a particular form of managerialism to control it centrally.
The elephant in the room are HMIe, who wield far too much power and influence - even after the exam debacle of 2001(?) which they helped to create.
A better model for Scotland to have looked at would be Finland, where educational standards rose dramatically once they abolished their Inspectorate.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
At 21st Jul 2009, astronomy_dominie wrote:Lyndsay Paterson is writing about improvements in attainment: the number of GCSEs and A levels and grades. Given the focus on this on both sides of the border, it would be surprising if improvements had not taken place. The relatively greater improvement in England may reflect the greater distance English schools had to come to catch up? I would certainly like to know more about the research data.
His comments would seem to be contradicted by other evidence which suggests that societies which, like Finland now and perhaps Scotland in the past, have a unifified and consensual approach to education are more successful.
Complain about this comment (Comment number 3)