Are No Notice Inspections Good For Schools?

During the early period of January, Ofsted, the independent inspectorate, announced it will be conducting a no notice period for all regular school inspections from September 2012.

Previously, inspections were performed on a six-year cycle. However, this changed in September 2005. Many, including teachers criticised the six-year cycle which involved a week-long inspection after a two-month notice period. Critics argued the system allowed schools to portray a different face to their normal day-to-day appearance and disrupted the normal operations of schools. From September 2005 the inspection cycle decreased to every three years with a two-day notice period, the inspection usually lasting two to three days.

However, the present system has obtained similar criticism. Aminur Alkas a secondary school teacher in South London believes that inspections without prior notice is the only way to really gauge the delivery of education in a school setting, "schools can roughly judge the cycle, a bow tie comes out when the letter arrives and inspections hinge heavily on the leniency of the head inspector."

His views are obviously shared by Ofsted, who in September 2012 will be adopting inspections to be conducted without notice. Sir Michael Wilshaw, Ofsted's chief inspector explaining the plans said: 'Ofsted has been moving towards a position of unannounced school inspection over a period of years. I believe the time is now right for us to take that final step and make sure that for every school we visit inspectors are seeing schools as they really are in the corridors, classrooms and staff room.' An obstacle that was preventing unannounced inspections in the past were parent questionnaires, this has now been overcome with the introduction of online questionnaires.

But is this system really good? Teachers often complain of overload, not enough support and too much red tape. Nearly half of all newly qualified teachers leave the profession within five years, will the added pressure increase this statistic?

The National Association of Head Teachers said the move to no-notice school inspections was an empty gesture which would "alienate schools while doing nothing to support rising standards."

General secretary Russell Hobby said: "If a school could conceal evidence of widespread failure in just two days then the whole concept of inspection is flawed and Ofsted's protestations that it examines progress and behaviour over the long-term ring hollow."

The pressure of delivering everyday is extremely difficult in any profession. Teaching is a profession that requires professional measure with a personal pinch to captivate students. The pressure will also be on pupils with the threat of unwanted guests in the classroom or the 'white elephant' at any given time.

It also gives an impression that lower achieving schools are 'taking it lightly' and need an eye over the shoulder.

The system has its support and critics but Ofsted's experience in dealing with failing school by exerting regular visits will give it confidence. We must wait and see if the new introduction raises the standards of education to a required level in the country.

Amin Rashid, topical commenter with School Management Software

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A Christian's Response to the Banning of Prayer in Public Schools

President Ronald Reagan broached the issue of prayer in public schools when he addressed the nation in February of 1984. He reminded American citizens that prayer in public schools was practiced freely for the first 200 years of our history without any adverse affects. Reagan was flummoxed by the fact that the first amendment of the Constitution permits the "Nazis and Ku Klux Klansmen to march on public property (and) advocate the extermination of people of the Jewish faith and the subjugation of blacks, while the same amendment forbids our children from saying a prayer in school. "

So, what dangerous prayer was struck down by the Supreme Court? I'm sure you might be shocked to know that kindergarten children in this country used to recite this prayer before the Supremes rushed in to protect them:

"We thank you for the flowers so sweet,
We thank you for the food we eat.
We thank you for the birds that sing.
We thank you, God, For everything."

Reagan went on to say, "The first amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people from religion; that amendment was written to protect religion form government tyranny. "He referenced God in the Mayflower Compact, in the Declaration of Independence, in the Pledge of Allegiance and The National Anthem. The dollar bills we carry in our wallets have the words "In God We Trust" inscribed on them. If God is so freely symbolized in all of these, why is he considered so dangerous in public schools?

No one in their right mind could possibly believe that this prayer is detrimental to the minds and lives of our youth. It is disturbing to know that the highest court of the land can take the Constitution and twist it to mean whatever they desire for it to mean. It is obvious that the decision to take Bible reading and prayer out of public schools is not an attempt to guarantee freedom of religion. It is an attempt to promote one religion over another. Arguing as the only dissenter in Abington v. Schempp, (the court decided 8-1 to eliminate Bible reading from public schools)Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, "a refusal to permit" religious exercises in the schools "is seen not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism." (1)

The fact is that the majority of Americans, perhaps as high as 65%, support the idea of allowing prayer in public schools. Democracies are founded on the idea that the greater good of the body of citizens must be protected. Americans are very alarmed that activist judges have twisted the constitution in ways to favor minority opinions over those of the majority. The majority of Americans oppose legalized abortion. The majority of Americans oppose redefining marriage to mean anything other than the union of one man and one woman. It seems the majority no longer have a voice in their own government.

What can proponents of prayer in public schools do? They can withdraw their children from public schools and home school them or send them to private schools. Homeschooling in America has increased over 75% in the last decade. Most Christian parents who advocate homeschooling take to heart the verses in Deuteronomy 6:6-7. "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. "They embrace the teaching that it is the primary responsibility of parents to teach religious values to their children and to educate them.

Those in favor of prayer in public schools could support a law that allows all teachers to begin the day with prayer but not all teachers are Christians but many teachers would pray to whatever god they choose. They might pray to Allah or Buddha or even Oprah Winfrey. Though there are many loyal Christian educators laboring away in the public school systems, they are hampered by what they can and cannot say about God. Modern education in the United States is going to assume a denial of God or they are going to take the polytheistic (belief in many gods), politically correct approach which says that there are many gods and they all deserve equal respect in our society. Modern education reveals a type of schizophrenia, a tension between atheism and polytheism, but never a promotion of monotheism, (the belief in one God).

In many areas of the country students are given a moment of silence. It is assumed that during this time they may pray silently. The fact is, government can never take away a privilege that God grants to his children. For many, this is all a non-issue. Our children can pray anytime, anywhere they choose. God doesn't designate a certain place or a certain method but he does command that we "pray without ceasing."

When our children are being taught knowledge their education is limited and inadequate if they are not being taught the truth about Christ. The Apostle Paul warned the Colossians, "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. "Education is an expression of what we believe and it is incomplete and inadequate if it doesn't include the truth of Christ. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The beginning of wisdom and knowledge is the fear of God. "If we don't expose our children to the teaching of the truth of Christ then we are cheating them because Christ cannot be separated from true education. We are disobedient if we replace the truth of God with an impotent belief in secularism.

Instead of focusing so much on what the government and the courts are not doing, perhaps we should focus more on what we should be doing. It is not the government's responsibility to teach our children about God and to educate them in the truth of God's word. That is very clearly the responsibility of Christian parents. We should teach our children to "pray without ceasing". The prophet Daniel prayed in many places he wasn't supposed to. He prayed several times a day with the windows wide open. He was rewarded by being thrown into the Lion's Den. But there, God miraculously revealed himself to Daniel and delivered him from evil. As Christians, we need to pray often in places we are not supposed to with the windows open. Some of us will lose our jobs, some will be ridiculed and cast into the Lion's Den but God, "who sees what is done in secret, will reward you openly". (Matthew 6:4)

1. William T. Cavanaugh, " The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict", p. 189

Kevin Probst lives in Columbus, Georgia. He is a teacher of History and Apologetics at a private high school. He submits articles pertaining to theology, apologetics, Christian living and American culture. If you have an interest in those ideas please visit his website at: http://www.kpprobst.blogspot.com/ and offer your opinions or join the conversation.

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34 N.J. schools investigated for possible cheating

An examination of standardized test score data revealed irregularities, state officials sayNew Jersey's acting education commissioner notes that the data does not confirm cheating"A small handful of unethical people sometimes do unethical things," he says

(CNN) -- Thirty-four schools in New Jersey are being investigated for possible cheating after an examination of standardized test data revealed irregularities and raised questions, the state Department of Education said.

State education officials said some schools showed especially high deviations from the normal amount of wrong test answers being erased and a right one marked.

Since 2008 the New Jersey Department of Education has had the state's assessment contractor, Measurement Inc., provide reports on erasure patterns at schools and at each grade level. These reports show the number of times answers on standardized test forms are erased and changed.

The 34 schools now under investigation showed erasures from wrong to right two to five times as often as the state average, state school officials said. According to the reports, 25 district and charter schools were found to have these high averages in at least one grade level, while nine schools had abnormally high levels of erasure schoolwide.

In numerous U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Philadelphia and Washington, accusations and findings of test cheating being condoned and organized by teachers to make their schools look better have put the issue in the national spotlight, and prompted education officials across the country to re-examine testing procedures and protocols.

New Jersey's acting education commissioner, Christopher Cerf, noted those incidents in a memo sent to all districts and charter schools on Tuesday.

"The recent wave of cheating scandals across the country has reminded us that even though the vast majority of our teachers and administrators are honest, hardworking professionals, a small handful of unethical people sometimes do unethical things," Cerf wrote Tuesday.

But, he insisted, "in no way do these reports prove that cheating occurred, nor do they implicate any school or teacher in wrongdoing,"

"High instances of erasure marks, where wrong answers are changed to right answers, happen for many reasons, including students checking their work or students making mistakes in tracking their test with the answer folder," he wrote.

All told, 120 schools registered higher erasures than the state average, according to the reports. The percentage of erasures from wrong to right was 58.5% in 2010, higher than the 56.9% in 2009. In his memo however, Cerf asserted, "In conversations with testing experts, we believe these results to be in line with trends across the country."

"By themselves these numbers tell us nothing," said Justin Barra, director of communications for the state Education Department. "This is one data point that we use to investigate schools for wrongdoing."

Barra explained that a combination of the test data, unannounced classroom observations, tips, and other investigations is the best way to maintain secure and accurate testing data and to catch potential cheaters.

As a result of standard oversight, the test erasure data and tips from other teachers and concerned parents, eight instructors were found guilty of breaching protocol last year, according to Barra. Of those eight, two worked at schools among the 34 highlighted in the reports.

The investigations into possible wrongdoing are expected to be wrapped up in August, according to the Department of Education.

In his note Tuesday, Cerf wrote, "We will continue to be vigilant in monitoring potential testing irregularities and acting with the full authority of the department when we find an infraction."

Quoting : CNN.com