Educational Fellowship in London
Debra Hodson,
Career and Technical Education Director
Recently I was selected to travel with a group
of educational professionals to London as a
part of the Institute for Educational Leadership
Washington D.C. Global Education Policy
Fellowship Program (GEFPP). There were 14
educational professionals who made the
journey to London. The purpose of our group
traveling to the United Kingdom was to provide
GEPFP Senior Fellows with the opportunity to
study education policy in the Age of
Globalization by investigating education
development challenges in economically
developed and developing countries.
The goal of our trip to the United Kingdom was
to become aware of the approaches that the
schools in London are taking to ensure their
educational systems are preparing young
people for a globally competitive economy,
develop a global perspective of the United
States’ efforts to ensure its schools are globally
competitive, and observe first hand and
engage with policy makers shaping the United
Kingdom’s school reform efforts. Finally,
networking relationships were developed with
influential U.K. policymakers as well as a
growing network of professionals working in
the global education policy arena.
in which they turn 16. This year, for the first
time ever, 17 year olds must also be in
education or training for at least one day per
week.
Next year, this will also apply to 18
year olds.
Most students stay in primary
school until ages 11, then they attend
secondary school. There is only a hand full of
middle schools in the U.K.. Students attend the
middle school at ages 8 or 9, they then go onto
secondary education at age 12 or 13. The
secondary schools in England are
comprehensive and do not have a selective
entrance system. However, there are some
schools that require primary students to pass
an entrance examination to move to secondary
school.
In England 90 percent of children are educated
in state-mandated schools; the majority are
referred to as mainstream or “ordinary”
schools. The schools have a lot in common;
they are all funded by local authorities, follow
the national curriculum and are regularly
inspected by the Office for Standards in
Education (Ofsted).
Just as in the United States the schools in
England follow standards. The schools are
required to show adequate yearly growth and
are held responsible for student achievement.
The National Curriculum and the way
secondary school staff are set up are also very
similar to schools in the U.S.
There are so many things that would be
interesting to share that it is hard to choose. I
could write for days about the students and
how wonderful they are. Yes, some of them
have trouble reading, some struggle in
mathematics, and certainly some get into
trouble just as in the United States. The
students from London are very bright,
energetic and face the challenges and
triumphs that our students face in the States
which leads me to believe that “kids will be
kids,” no matter where they live. However, our
study was to focus on Programs For StuBringing Great what schools are doing
to create a learning environment to help
prepare students to compete and become
successful in a global economy and how
schools in London differ from the school
systems in the United States.
And so are our
students & parents.
Here is what they
have to say!
“
Goal Academy, you are my
favorite school! Amber Sandoval
"
Rodriguez, GOAL Academy Student
“
I think it (GOAL Academy) is
terrific and just what Moffat
County needs! Debbie DeWitt,
"
GOAL Academy Paren