Ed Affair

The age old debate between religion and science has been played out again in a Pennsylvanian courtroom over whether or not ‘intelligent design’ theory should be taught in the science curriculum. For those not aware, it is stated in the United States constitution that there is to be a separation of church and state - which means that religion is not allowed to be taught in any state schools. The judge, John E. Jones III ruled that intelligent design pushes a religious motive in its teachings that life must have been designed by an intelligent source as opposed to Darwin’s theory of evolution. While Judge Jones acknowledged that there were gaps in Darwin’s theory

“However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis grounded in religion into the science classroom or to misrepresent well-established scientific propositions.”

And therefore should not be taught in Pennsylvanian state schools as part of the science curriculum.

It was interesting to note how many newspapers picked up this story and a list of some of those that did are listed below. A few papers just reported on the ruling, while others added related articles as a local response to the decision.

New York Times

The Australian

Daily Herald Utah

Washington Post

Washington Post opinion

The Guardian

The Independent UK

The Times (brief article)

Globe and Mail Canada

Daily Telegraph

Gulf News (UAE)

There have been in recent times many studies and articles about how Generation Y (those born in 1978 and 1994) will cope in a future of an aging population, lessened job security and rising property prices. The Sydney Morning Herald recently published another such article based on a qualitative survey carried out by senior strategist, Catherine Heath at advertising agency George Patterson Y & R. The surveys were conducted using focus groups of up to 10 participants, although it does not say how many focus groups were used. The article states

“…they truly believe that one day the lifestyles of the rich and famous they eagerly follow in the gossip mags will be theirs.”

“the universal theme among interviewees was money and a desire to make lots of it.”

An interesting point that the article brings up is the “proliferation of gossip mags” that have made the lifestyles of today’s celebrities seem attainable by Gen-Y. In the movie Good Night, and Good Luck based on the work of journalist Edward R. Murrow, there is a speech made by the lead character about how the content on television in the 1950s was heading down a path of simply insulating those who watched it and making them complacent in their own small world. Perhaps the instantaneous nature of how Gen-Y lives is leading to an unexpected and unpleasant shock “with the realisation that the pinnacle of its achievements is a job as a middle-ranking accountant, a Toyota-Camry and a semi the wrong side of Parramatta road”.

It seems that the way to avoid this disappointment is through education, as Adele Horin argues. She states

“More than ever, education and formal skills dictate how people fare in the new economy. To the credentialled go the spoils”.

This does in some part explain the pressure and hype placed on the results of the HSC as it can smooth the pathway for economic prosperity. This sentiment is also echoed in South Africa with a push for the educated to become entrepreneurs as there is a shortage of jobs to the number of those that completed final year exams.

It seems that the race is on for qualifications, skills and bargaining power and while it means a more competitive job market and therefore economy, what has it been at the expense of?

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald today reported that the attendance of children in years 5-8 fell from 95% in year 6 to 85% in year 8. The reason for this is that the transition from primary school to high school is a difficult period which is not made easier with the number of core subjects and few electives that students are required to complete. The article stated that

schools had to be “tailored to the needs of individual students” rather than being part of an amorphous “large system of schools”.

This point is interesting especially considering the amount of funding currently going to public schools at the moment, I find it hard to believe that a school will have the resources to tailor education to an individual’s needs. While it is acknowledged that some students have learning difficulties, having compulsory traditional subjects is necessary in the early years of education so as to give students an idea of how such information is applied in everyday life. This is especially indicative in the many reports about literacy levels - has anybody noticed that correct grammar and spelling has gradually gotten worse in adults?

The SMH was the only paper to run with this story today, the others are still concentrating on the Sydney riots. It is interesting to note that they seem to have taken heed of criticism with regard to the role of the media in how they are presenting the conflict.

Remember back in school when everybody was talking about somebody the only way that gossip was spread was via hand-written notes passed back and forth and whispered comments made with our hands covering our mouths? Well, in the digital age and the increased use of blogs, this conduct has now transpired to the internet which has a far greater reach and consequently led to more traumatic experiences for the victim.

Cyber-bullying has become a new way for bullies to torment their targets with schools seemingly helpless in trying to stop personal abuse, name-calling, insults and sexually explicit comments on student blogs as reports in the UK and US have found. Even child celebrities cannot escape this, as Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter films discovered when a mock profile of him was posted on a blog and fellow students made the following comments:

“friends: none” and “[the] media’s sucking **** **** and you still deny u like punk and wear tartan trousers. When u coming back anyway?? suppose u dont need education when ur as rich as u r”.

One entry from Ranelagh Church of England school in Bracknell, Berkshire, last week read: “Thought I would repeat how much everyone hates you and that my lifetime wish is for you to [be partly] sliced into pieces.”

Although it is possible to block users from a blog to prevent re-offenders, the damage is usually done once the target reads the comments. A blog host has refused to take down names from their site after a request by British schools claiming that this type of bullying is safer because it’s not taking place in the real world.

Welcome all to Ed Affair, a blog about education news and current affairs happening in Australia and around the world. While it will be looking at the issues discussed in the articles themselves, I will also be examining how the news has been dealt with by the journalist/publisher based on academic paradigms.