C.E. Jottings

Can non-cognitive skills be measured? Are any skills 'non-cognitive'?

On Twitter, Sam Freedman (@Samfr) asked "Can non-cognitive skills be measured? Are any skills 'non-cognitive'?" His questions arose in response to an interesting Summary of a Report on the Thomas B Fordham website: Non-Cognitive Ability, Test Scores, and Teacher Quality: Evidence from 9th Grade Teachers in North Carolina Andrew Saraf / January 24, 2013 The teacher-evaluation debate follows a well-worn path: Traditional evaluation systems (in which upwards of 99 percent of educators are deemed “effective”) are meaningless, argue reformers. New... Read more →

Disability from an Islamic viewpoint

As we each toil away at our immediate daily concerns, rarely do we have time to enjoy seeing our world from another's wholly different perspective. A few days ago (oh, the wonders of the internet!), I saw that I had a new Follower on Twitter, by the name of Abdulelah Almusa. Curious as to who this person might be, I googled his name and found that Abdulelah now works in the Department of Special Education at King Saud University, Riyadh,... Read more →

The Organisation - reform of public services according to Jonty Olliff-Cooper of A4E

The Organisation "would provide a single source of advice and support, and help you with all your issues, an organisation which understood you, your family, and the place where you grew up; one that would stand by you for the long term; treat you like a human, not a number; and back you to build a different future for yourself." On this blog, I have rarely, if ever, commented on wider political issues, whether small 'p' or capital 'p'. But... Read more →

Is potential "spotted" as Les Ebdon says or created?

The Director of the Office for Fair Access, Les Ebdon, seems to think potential university students can be "spotted" at the age of seven. I find such a view in such a senior public servant unutterable sad, if not worse. In an interview published in yesterday's Sunday Times (£wall), it seems Les Ebdon has been saying that "universities must begin working with children as young as seven, especially those from poorer families, to 'spot their potential', track them as they... Read more →

"Risk averse civil servants" and the struggle for radical change in special needs education

A story caught my eye in today's Sunday Times (£wall) that may have passed you by. Under the headline "No, minister: scornful mandarins quietly kill government policies", it seems that a senior civil servant, one David Owen, has won a tribunal case for unfair dismissal. He was apparently sacked after blowing the whistle on civil service colleagues' attempts to obstruct a ministerial policy proposal. After winning his tribunal case, David Owen reportedly spoke of the "dismissive attitudes" of some civil... Read more →