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This paper concentrates on German school interventions with former right-wing extremists for preventive and educational purposes, in view of storytelling. The involvement of former extremists in schools is associated with well-intentioned aims and various assumptions about impacts and attributions. However, current research reveals that these projects feature more challenges than positive potentials. Thus, in this paper we take former right-wing extremists' self-narratives during these school talk interventions as a starting point for an in-depth examination of potential risks and challenges. Considering the present state of the art, we attempt to provide preliminary answers to the questions of whom these projects target, why they are conducted, what are their contents, and how they transfer information. In sum, we are inclined to conclude that caution is advisable when contemplating such interventions for educational settings with young people. • Involving former extremists in schools for preventive and educational purposes is popular. • Current research shows various challenges of the self-narratives in the projects. • The authors recommend a rethinking of practice and sensitization of teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is the ethnic representativeness of the teaching profession in England. The novel methodology does more than simply count how many ethnicities exist, but also takes into account the relative size of the different ethnicities and tracks changes in the diversity of the teaching workforce compared to that of the general population over the ten years between the 2011 and 2021 census. It finds that while the teaching profession is getting more diverse, it is becoming less representative of the general population, which is increasing in diversity more rapidly. The paper's methodology shows the way forward for policy-makers and similar analyses in Developing and Global South economies where the collection of relevant data is less established. • Measuring ethnic diversity should take account of the relative sizes of the different ethnicities. • The teaching profession should look and sound like the communities it serves. • The diversity of the teaching profession in England varies very significantly by region. • The teaching profession is getting more diverse, but becoming less representative of the population. • There are methodological lessons to be learned for measuring diversity in less data-rich countries such as those in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Structured pedagogy programmes' (SPP) have recently become a dominant approach in interventions across low and medium-income countries (LMICs) to address the so-called 'reading crisis'. SPPs entail a range of interventions including reading materials, lesson plans and teacher support aimed at changing instructional practice. This paper considers the impact of SPPs on pedagogy. As part of evaluations of the Literacy Achievement and Retention Activity (LARA) and the Read Liberia programmes, observations of 188 early grade reading lessons in Uganda and Liberia were conducted between 2017 and 2022. These included programme (treatment) classrooms and comparator (control) lessons. Both programmes aimed to improve the reading abilities of early grade learners through the training and coaching of teachers and the provision of materials, including daily scripted teacher guides. The article considers the intended curriculum of the two programmes and analyses the differences between treatment classrooms implementing the programmes, and control classrooms. The paper argues that while the 'what' of the SPPs (the textual base and curriculum content) is clearly defined and impacts pedagogy to some extent, the 'how', or interactive aspects of the pedagogy are diffuse in programme intensions and show little impact on instructional practice. The distinction between the what and the how of pedagogy highlights the need for a more developed theory of pedagogy underlying SPPs. Further, the analysis draws attention to the sociocultural aspect of pedagogy in shaping instruction, arguing for experimentation in contextually-sensitive pedagogies that work more with the grain of teachers' local, existing practices. • Considers 'Structured pedagogy programmes' (SPP) impact on reading instruction in Africa. • Progress has been made in text availability and structure of lessons. • Less progress made in changing how reading is taught. • Draws attention to the primacy of the socio-cultural context of teaching and to teacher knowledge. • Argues for the need for experimental research in novel pedagogic forms that work with existing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formal Western education in Nigeria was initiated by various Christian missionaries in 1842, and they continued to dominate the education system after independence in 1960. In a bid to reshape the education system, the military government centralised education management and outlawed missionary and other private school ownership in the 1970s following a civil war. Focusing on this forceful takeover of schools from religious bodies, this paper discusses how the takeover contributed to shaping the future of the Nigerian education system, including impacts on access and quality education and stakeholders' perceptions of the changes. The paper uses data collected from 2617 individuals who discussed their experiences of the changes as parents, students, teachers, head-teachers, principals, and administrators in the education sector between 1970 and 2003. Findings reveal that the military government's takeover of Christian Missionary schools encouraged parents in Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria to enrol their children in school. At the same time, respondents revealed that the expansion of access negatively affected the quality of education. The perceived impacts of these changes vary across ethno-religious groups, which is a manifestation of the political bargaining strategies adopted by the government. We discuss some implications of these findings for education systems in other developing countries. • The government of Nigeria took over school ownership and administration from Christian Missionaries and other private owners in the 1970's. • This paper examines how the takeover of mission schools affected the education system, specifically enrollment and education quality. • We find that enrolment increased, but quality decreased over time. Perceptions of the effects of the school takeover vary by region and religion. • Also find that the promotion of education through religious bodies may attract suspicion from outsiders, which may lead to a rejection of education. • Policymakers in multi-ethnic settings must consider the implications of their actions and policies, including perceptions and impacts on unity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caste is a unique marker of social stratification in India. There are significant eco- nomic inequalities and considerable disparities in educational achievements between historically disadvantaged caste groups and Others. Unequal investments in their chil- dren's human capital by caste can perpetuate income inequalities and reproduce class differences between caste groups. This paper analyses caste-based disparities in house- hold expenditure on children's school education using nationally representative social expenditure data on education from 2007–08 and 2017–18 in India. The paper uses a recentered influence function (RIF) based decomposition analysis to pinpoint the key factors underpinning the disparity in private educational expenditure between disadvantaged caste groups and Others. Further, to overcome the problem of heterogeneity of data the study also employs propensity score matching (PSM) as robustness check for the decomposition analysis. The findings from decomposition and matching approaches reveal that differences in endowments, specifically income differences, between caste groups explain most of the caste-based gap in children's human capital investments. The study has implications for public policy to address educational and economic disparities between disadvantaged caste groups (ST, SC and OBC) and Others in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of Ghana's Universal fee-free secondary education policy (FreeSHS) on educational attainment (completion rates). The policy was introduced in the school year 2017/2018, allowing every child to pursue secondary education irrespective of their background. We emphasize the educational outcomes of schoolgirls as they are shown to be at a greater disadvantage when accessing higher education in Ghana. Given the universality of the policy, we estimate a Difference-in-Differences model using variations in the treatment intensity across districts. The treatment and comparison groups are thus defined based on the differences in the uptake rate (changes in the uptake of education due to a price change). The paper draws from a comprehensive panel dataset capturing the demand and supply factors to education across 261 districts in Ghana. The empirical findings suggest that schoolgirls' completion rate increased by 14 percentage points in high uptake districts, whereas the reform impact is estimated at 14.9 percentage points overall (for boys and girls). In effect, the absorption of education costs by the state serves as a critical incentive for cost-constrained households and an efficient measure for correcting market failures related to access and completion of secondary education for girls. • The study shows that Ghana's Free Public Senior High School (FreeSHS) policy has a positive impact on girls' educational attainment. • The absorption of education is a critical incentive for secondary education completion of girls and for reducing gender disparities in enrolment. • The quality of education remains critical and must be enhanced to improve long-term gains beyond secondary education completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the recently launched initiative of the Kazakhstani government to establish a regional education hub in the country by providing an overview of the government's rationale, adopted policy documents, and some of the undertaken steps. In addition, the paper argues that a related initiative of creating an international research university in Astana was an important precursor of the regional hub idea. Drawing on the lessons from the creation of the Nazarbayev University the paper tries to forecast some of the possible challenges, which may face Kazakhstan's regional education hub and identifies some policy considerations, which could increase the likelihood of its success. • Several countries in Central Asia are becoming active in establishing regional education hubs. • In Kazakhstan the establishment of a hub was preceded by the creation of a world-class university with international partners. • Several lessons can be drawn from the experience in establishing a world-class university to create the regional hub. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Language acquisition and learning literatures favour mother-tongue education policies, particularly in the early years of schooling. However, English Medium Instruction (EMI) remains a popular language policy position in multilingual contexts. This paper studies EMI transition policies using a longitudinal dataset from Ethiopia, by leveraging regional variation in education language policy reforms for causal identification. Employing a dynamic value-added model, this paper shows that students in schools using English as a medium of instruction have lower mathematics test scores (−0.25 standard deviations) compared to students in mother tongue education schools. Furthermore, English medium learners do not perform any better in their English test scores compared to mother tongue learners. These findings are in line with the international education literature on skill development, learning and second language acquisition. The main results support the prolonged utilisation of mother tongue instruction in primary education. These results are particularly relevant for policy makers in linguistically diverse contexts. • This paper studies the impact of English medium instruction policies on children's learning outcomes in the context of Ethiopia. • A value-added model of student attainment is used to estimate the impact of English medium instruction on student learning outcomes. • The main results show that mother tongue instruction has a positive impact on student learning. • Social and political contexts matter. As such, there is not one optimal language policy for all multilingual contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how SDG4 augmented the aspirations contained in the MDGs for education, restoring some of the ambitions which had been articulated by the Education for All Process. The paper examines how much progress SDG4 stimulated, arguing that it yielded: a) progress towards the targets resulting from governments' efforts, b) more ambitious priorities for development organizations, c) reporting on those targets by international organizations, and d) adoption of those targets to shape strategies of universities. The paper then discusses whether SDG4 is still the right goal, examining elements of the goal not yet included in the benchmarks which have been developed to monitor progress. Lastly the paper examines what is missing from the goal, suggesting that new global challenges –war and violence, democratic decline and challenges to human rights—require revisions to SDG4. • SDG 4 replaced the poverty of education aspirations of the MDGs with a more ambitious vision. • There is a gap between the level of aspiration of the SDGs and the targets and indicators used to benchmark progress. • The SDGs are more likely to remain a work in progress than to ever be fully achieved. • The tensions around targets and benchmarks reflect competing views on the role of development agencies vs. governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using 13,584 observations of 4772 undergraduate students enrolled in 523 online classes offered synchronously at a research university in China, and using online-learning platform data and administrative data, this paper examines the impacts of class attendance on academic performance. Based on student-level and course-level fixed effects models with a unique set of student-course level control variables, this paper finds class attendance to have a significantly positive impact on academic performance. This effect is larger for low-performing students and smaller for students in courses with larger class sizes. The above findings survive a number of robustness checks, including a bounding technique, restricting sample to compulsory courses and limiting variation in attendance caused by whole day absence. • This paper represents the first attempt to examine the effects of class attendance on academic performance of college students in synchronous online courses. • Based on 13584 observations of 4772 students enrolled in 523 online classes at a research university in China, this paper uses a larger sample with a diverse range of courses and more accurate indicators of class attendance. • Employing student and course fixed effects, we find that students' class attendance has a significantly positive impact on their academic performance. For a one standard deviation increase in class attendance, academic performance increases by 0.08 standard deviation. • The positive attendance effect is stronger for lower-performing students and students in smaller classes, and remains substantial even for courses without mandatory attendance requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores whether mother tongues should be given a sustainable chance to thrive as mediums of instruction in tertiary education in Bangladesh and China. In the Bangladesh context, four universities located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, were included in this qualitative research study. Eight teachers of English, law, general education, and business participated in interviews. In the Chinese context, two international universities located in China's Greater Bay Area (GBA) were also chosen for study. Six teachers were observed in their classrooms to understand their classroom practices and were interviewed to determine their perceptions about implementing mother-tongue instruction in classroom interactions. The data show that teachers are aware that English, on the one hand, limits students' learning, fosters improper learning strategies, and marginalises them in academia while on the other hand, compromises students' opportunities to develop critical thinking skills. However, they do not believe introducing the mother tongue will prompt significant changes in higher education learning and teaching. The paper concludes that introducing mother-tongue-based translanguaging that challenges the monolingual biases towards English seems a utopian ideal that may take a long time to be accepted and implemented in these two Asian countries. However, fostering mother-tongue-based translanguaging by recognising the need for the mother tongue within a broad linguistic repertoire that promotes a de-colonising pedagogy and equality in education could be a promising approach in tertiary education in the Global South. • The paper explores whether mother tongues should be given a sustainable chance to thrive as a medium of instruction in tertiary education in Bangladesh and China. • Teachers in higher education in Bangladesh do not believe that introducing the mother tongue in higher education will prompt significant changes in learning and teaching. • Students' inadequate literacy and the lack of textbooks in their mother tongues may hinder their learning and knowledge construction in higher education in Bangladesh. • In the Chinese context, the content teacher thought that EMI teachers may face challenges in communicating their mindset and values to their students. • Introducing Mother-tongue-based translanguaging may take a long time to be accepted and implemented. • Fostering mother-tongue-based translanguaging that promotes a de-colonising pedagogy and equality in education could be a promising approach in tertiary education in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that while resilience connects many Sustainable Development Goals, it is not reflected in SDG4, and should be. Resilience typically refers to the capacities of communities to cope with effects of natural disasters, climate change, armed conflict and displacement. The SDGs also emphasize resilience in relation to health crises and economic and social disruptions. This paper contends that educating for resilience should be an explicit cornerstone of SDG Target 4.7, given its links to sustainable development, global citizenship and climate change, and its aim to address collective and global challenges and foster shifts in teaching and learning. The paper explores pedagogies of and for resilience and how these would influence how teachers design and conduct classroom activities. It concludes by discussing the limitations of current strategies to track country implementation of Target 4.7 and how new approaches are needed to capture the multiplicity of education for resilience initiatives. • Resilience is the capacity of people, communities, and systems to foresee and manage unpredictable natural and social shocks. • Resilience is mentioned in many Sustainable Development Goals, but not in SDG4; however, it is clearly linked to Target 4.7. • Education systems should boost resilience, not just sturdiness, to anticipate and adapt to volatile change. • Educating for resilience (EfR) should be integrated in national and global education policies. • EfR should encourage rethinking of what learners learn, and how teachers teach. • New approaches are needed to measure and monitor SDG 4.7 and the 2023 Recommendation, including educating for resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short note outlines some of the rewards and frustrations that have arisen during my 40 years as a consultant in education – mainly, but not entirely, in higher education. It is a personal picture, with no pretence to be an academic paper. It is illustrated by references based on my own experience rather than references to the work of others. The note considers consultancy projects in two parts: first, the set up stage before the work really begins, and then the analysis stage. A primary problem in the set up stage is to determine with true clarity who is actually the 'client' for the work and who is the 'decision maker' about it. This is often no easy task and the answer is rarely simple – especially for projects that are commissioned and paid for by one party, but with the claimed intention being that they are for the benefit of another. During the work, conflicts of objectives can appear that were not apparent at the start, sometimes between the parties, sometimes within them. Difficulties can also arise from being a 'foreign' consultant, in terms of needing to understand – and to take into account, the local culture and ways of doing things – not least, interpretations of corruption. Sometimes an attempt is made to 'import' a solution developed for one country into another, which in my view is a disgrace. A very rewarding 'result' for any consultancy work is for the 'client' to think that the answer developed is 'obvious'. The note also reflects on the frequent uselessness of so-called 'hard data'. The paper concludes by drawing on the 40 years to say a few brief words about the world of higher education and the importance of leadership both by and within universities. This is followed by four examples of issues in education more generally which, in my view, have not yet been satisfactorily resolved. It concludes with a brief note on my views as to whether it was all worth it. It was! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a conceptual evaluation of the 2014 code of practice for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The focus of the evaluation is the efficacy of the code for the youth justice population of England, with an emphasis on the resettlement cohort of young people leaving prison. The resettlement cohort has a range of complex needs, including SEND. These needs are reflected in the code of practice, which creates statutory expectations regarding SEND support for young people transitioning through resettlement. The paper uses secondary evidence to consider the efficacy of the code of practice. • The code of practice offers no clear framework or guidance for effective practice in resettlement. • Structural and socio-economic factors, relevant to both SEND and resettlement, are not acknowledged by the code of practice. • The conceptual analysis of the code suggests it is underpinned by pathologising discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aga Khan Foundation in Kyrgyzstan implemented the Community Engagement for Better Schools project in Kyrgyzstan in 2017–2022. The project promoted three key mechanisms - performance and budget hearings, social contracts, and community scorecards – that were innovative for schools in the post-Soviet lower-middle-income country with multiple education reforms. This paper examines to what extent the project succeeded in improving the accountability and responsiveness of teachers and school management and empowering parents from the perspective of parents/caregivers. It draws on the survey with 1750 parents/caregivers from the project and comparison schools collected at the baseline and endline stages. The paper concludes that the project improved the accountability and responsiveness of teachers and school management to some extent from the perspective of parents/caregivers, especially women and those from low-income households. Most changes were observed in relation to making budget information available and reporting on school expenses. The project outcomes offer validated mechanisms for promoting accountability and responsiveness of schools that can be rolled out to other schools. However, a multi-actor commitment at the national and local levels is required for long-term sustainable results. • The project improved the accountability and responsiveness of teachers and school management. • Most changes were observed in relation to making budget information available and reporting on school expenses. • The project outcomes offer validated mechanisms for promoting accountability and responsiveness of schools. • A multi-actor commitment at the national and local levels is required for long-term sustainable results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the influence of male peer proportion on a student's academic performance. The sex ratio at 10–14 was 117.16 in 2011, and it has increased to 119.1 in 2019. The sex ratio imbalance at 10–14 tends to expand. This paper uses China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) 2013–14 and 2014–15. Considering the selection bias, this paper restricts the sample to schools that satisfy randomly-assignment conditions. The results highlight that students with a high proportion of male classmates have a lower performance in Mathematics and English but not Chinese. To explain these effects, this paper uses three channels to interpret: (1) cognitive ability, (2) learning effort, and (3) the quality of the classroom environment. It provides implications for policymakers and school administrators to take precautions in advance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the persistent effect of the 1998–2000 Ethiopia–Eritrea conflict on human capital accumulation. The empirical findings indicate that exposure to conflict during early childhood increases the probability of grade repetition (for boys and girls) and school dropout (especially for boys), and decreases student achievement in mathematics and language scores (mainly for girls) a decade later. Identification of the effect is based on a difference-in-difference approach that exploits temporal and regional variation of the conflict. These effects are robust when including region-specific trends, school, grade, class, and teacher level fixed effects, and other student and family characteristics. The paper provides the first estimates on the long-term effect of exposure to conflict at early (before school-age) childhood on test scores of primary school students. • I examine the causal effect of Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict on human capital accumulation in Ethiopia. • The analysis uses school survey data from Ethiopia and applies reduced form difference in-difference analysis. • Exposure to the conflict decreases maths and language scores and increases likelihood of grade repetition and school dropout. • Exposure to the conflict during early childhood persists more than exposure at a later ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that children's enrolment in both academic and non-academic out-of-school activities is related to their parents' social class. Middle-class parents, rather than working-class parents, are the primary consumers of these activities. Drawing on literature on shadow education, parenting, and social class, our paper analyzes class differences in parents' choices of activity types, spending habits, and reasons for participation. We found that parents from all social classes have remarkably similar preferences, although there are some nuances. These similarities may be attributed to Hong Kong's unique educational setting or converging trends in parenting more globally. This study uses a qualitative comparative approach, based on interviews with 80 parents in Hong Kong, to provide new answers to the age-old question of whether parents from different social backgrounds make different parental choices. By comparing patterns of class-based academic tutoring and extracurricular activities, this paper contributes to theories that conceptualize social class as a factor that shapes parental choices and strategies. • Despite varying social backgrounds, parents from all social classes share similar parenting styles when it comes to hiring tutoring. • Access to resources or capital shape parental demand on tutoring, which may then have an effect on parenting styles. • Our findings suggests a convergence in parental choices that transcends social class distinctions. • Local school parents highlighted academic pressure, while international school parents cited peer pressure influencing tutoring demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite several education policies related to the Sustainable Development Goals, educational inequalities persist at the primary school level in Cameroon. However, little is known on students' circumstances and efforts in an attempt to reduce these inequalities. The aim of this paper therefore is to analyse inequality of opportunity in Cameroon's primary education sector. Using the 2014 and 2019 PASEC databases, we decompose students' reading and mathematics test scores based on Shapley and non-parametric approaches to assess the role of household, school and environmental circumstances. Results show that inequality of opportunity contributes between 38.1 % and 46.3 % of total inequality for between 2014 and 2019 in test scores. Interestingly, school factors like school type, location, resources, and class size, have a bigger impact than students' family background. Policies to improve school conditions should focus on rural and under-resourced areas in terms of educational materials, while improving school inspections and reducing class sizes may be more effective in reducing educational inequalities. • Inequality of opportunity in reading decreases between 2014 and 2019. • Inequality of opportunity remains constant for both years in mathematics. • School factors contributes more to inequality than student background. • Child labour are equally responsible for poor learning performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the life trajectories of low-income children who, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were integrated into Saint George's College, an elite private school in Santiago, Chile. Utilizing primarily qualitative methods, this study focuses on the retrospective experiences and perceptions of former students. It investigates the outcomes for low-income students who attended Saint George's as part of a socio-economic integration program, which has inspired both a film and recent policy debates on reforming Chile's national school choice system. Findings indicate a significant perceived impact on educational attainment and social mobility for former low-income students, primarily through transformed aspirations, as well as positive experiences for elite students entailing broadened social perspectives, empathy, and greater commitment to equity in social and political spheres. The study discusses theoretical contributions and policy implications related to aspirations formation, the social composition of schools, and the role of social integration in elite educational settings. • Low-SES students that attended an elite Chilean school experienced large status attainment gains. • The degree of social integration students experienced influenced long-term outcomes. • Raised aspirations via peer role model effects (despite large SES gaps) are a primary mechanism of social mobility. • Elite students reported growth in social awareness, empathy, and an equity orientation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pursuing Sustainable Development Goal 4 has led to more children and youth accessing schooling than at any point in history. However, this expansion of provision has not been without workforce challenges. UNESCO modelling indicates a global shortfall of 44 million teachers by 2030. The challenge of having a sufficiently qualified school education workforce where it is needed is amplified in locations where affordable quality stock of housing is limited. With most of the world's population urbanising, cities represent a new frontier in understanding the complexity of current and forthcoming teacher shortages, with significant public policy implications. Interventions aimed at individual workers, schools, or administrative boundaries have failed to arrest staff shortages as they are frequently applied too late or based on potential rather than realised data. This paper develops a novel measure, the Workforce Catchment Area (WFCA), and tests its applicability in the Australian city of Sydney. Analysis demonstrates that when integrated with housing and transportation costs it is possible to identify workforce distribution as a contributor to teacher shortages, and generate the data and evidence required by policy makers to set explicit policy goals and markers of success. • Housing the school education workforce is an under-studied issue in seeking to address teacher shortages. • Introduces a novel measure, Workforce Catchment Area (WFCA), and tests its applicability in the Australian city of Sydney. • Overcomes limitations of supply and demand ratios, closest workplace, and is based on realised rather than modelled flows. • Provides data on workforce distribution and a basis for targeted and tailored solutions by identifying areas under stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its onset in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has globally disrupted school operations, leading to a shift to some form of homeschooling arrangements. After two years, in March 2022, the government of Malaysia officially reopened all schools, ending its homeschooling program. In this paper, we exploit a purposefully designed, nationwide, cross-sectional survey of government-owned primary and secondary schools in Malaysia to document student learning experiences during the early months of the home-to-school transition. Our empirical analysis and choice of indicators is guided by a conceptual framework that distinguishes between two competing hypotheses related to school reopening experiences: resumption vs transitional disruption. We find that 59 % of secondary and 72 % of primary level students report that they are happy to be back in school. School reopening also coincides with a significant reduction in educational-related worries (e.g., concerns over dropout, learning loss, and loss of interest in study) and indices of negative emotions (i.e., feelings of being tense, depressed, and restless), particularly among secondary school students. More importantly, those satisfied upon return to school report a statistically significant reduction in worries related to learning loss. These correlations support the resumption hypothesis. Yet our data highlights an important puzzle: Even after school reopening, one-third of students report that they do not learn more, at least one-fifth report a struggle to catch up on studies, and up to 40 % are concerned about learning loss. The majority of learners additionally report not receiving more support from teachers and parents. Recipients of public aid as well as private (i.e., parental) support report being happy about school reopening and are less likely to report "not learning more." We conclude by discussing these somewhat paradoxical findings and the need for remedial measures beyond financial support for struggling learners to minimize post school reopening, transitional disruptions. • We develop a conceptual framework for the home-to-school transition, differentiating between resumption and disruption hypotheses. • Data from Malaysia's "Trust Schools Programme" is collected to analyze student experiences during the initial transition months. • Student responses show support for the resumption hypothesis, with reduced education-related worries and negative emotions upon school reopening. • Students satisfied with home schooling (PdPR) also reported positive experiences with school reopening, including less absenteeism, more study time, and increased happiness. • Significant disruptions were also reported, such as limited learning progress, struggles to catch up, learning loss concerns, and lack of support from teachers and parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental education provides people with the information they need to understand the causes and consequences of environmental issues, helping to promote positive attitudes toward nature. This paper uses a multivalued treatment effects model to evaluate the effects of a green school certification program on children's pro-environmental behavior in Chile. Pro-environmental behavior is measured by knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the consumption and disposal of plastics. Results evidence a positive effect of schools' higher certification level on children's plastic waste behavior. This effect seems stronger in practices where children have more decision-making power (e.g., packing a lunch box). The observed reverse effect when switching from basic to intermediate level of certification is in line with the potential non-linear effects of environmental education on pro-environmental behavior regarding the consumption and disposal of plastic. To improve the design of the program, it is important to redefine incentives in the certification system to differentiate better the benefits of reaching each level of environmental certification • There is need to better understand the consequences of plastic pollution. • Green school certification programs play a role in promoting waste beneficiation behavior • We perform a multivalued treatment framework to evaluate the effect of the program. • We found a non-linear effect of different levels of environmental school certification. • It is important to redefine incentives so that a higher certification level is valued by school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the controversial literature on the nature, perceptions, causes, social contexts and consequences of school violence in Cameroon. This study adopts the process tracing method that is valuably instrumental in qualitative studies. On the causes of school violence, this study reveals that lack of parental guidance, abusive use of social media, sociocultural factors, poor working conditions of teachers, inadequate number of guidance counsellors in schools, lack of trained discipline masters/mistresses in security-related issues, and rigidity of the educational system to technological advancements constitute the main causes of school violence in Cameroon. On the consequences of school violence, the study reveals that school violence results to: (i) the disruption of the teaching-learning process, which impacts negatively on both the student and teacher's output, thereby leading to falling educational attainment rates, (ii) psychological, emotional and mental trauma, depression, frustration, perpetual disability and death of the victimized individual (learners, teachers, and school administrators), and this negatively impacts on the educational life of students, (iii) destruction of school property, thereby leading to huge financial burdens on the educational stakeholders, which inevitably weakens existing social ties among students, teachers, parents and the school administration, thereby making it difficult to foster peace within the school environment, (iv) social unrest, high crime wave, school dropout, and loss of lives, which generally constitute an impediment to socioeconomic development of the country. Contingent on these findings, it is apparent that fostering peaceful school environments through the eradication of school violence requires the joint efforts of all education stakeholders (parents, teachers, students, school administrators and educational policymakers). Consequently, there is need for the creation of a National Violence Prevention Council (NVPC) in Cameroon. Besides, several preventive measures for practical policy implications are discussed in the context of this study. • Exploring the nature, causes and consequences of school-based violence. • Need to create a national violence prevention council. • The process tracing methodology is adopted. • Violence is observed to result from direct, cultural and structural sources. • Violence negatively impact academic performance, increasing financial burden on stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses a theoretical perspective known as organizational institutionalism to explain the higher test scores observed among private school students in Nepal. We argue that the differing "institutional charters" of public and private schools in Nepal result in different forms of school governance, external monitoring, and instructional practice in public and private schools and that these organizational features of schooling affect students' learning outcomes. Empirical analyses presented in the paper show that public and private schools in Nepal do show expected differences in school governance, external monitoring, and instructional practice, but that only the instructional practice variable positively affects student achievement. • Public and private schools in Nepal differed in organizational characteristics. • Private schools showed more unitary governance than public schools. • Private schools were subject to less external monitoring than public schools. • Private schools showed higher quality of instruction than public schools. • Instructional quality in schools was associated with student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Bolsa Família improves test scores performance of beneficiary pupils compared to similar disadvantaged pupils who are non-beneficiaries of the program. Prova Brasil (Brazil Exam), Censo Escolar (School Census), and the Attendance System (Sistema Presença) of 2011 are used to answer this question in a Propensity Score Matching design. We find a significant positive association of the Bolsa Família program on test scores in language and mathematics, but the effect is very small: between 2 and 3 of a standard deviation. We also find small heterogeneous effects by region as beneficiary pupils from the richer regions of southeast and south perform, on average, 1 of a standard deviation higher than beneficiary pupils from the poorer north and northeast. This paper extends the scarce literature on the impact of CCTs on test scores performance in the developing world. • The Bolsa Família program has a small significant positive association on test scores performance of beneficiary pupils. • Beneficiary pupils from richer regions perform slightly higher than beneficiary pupils from poorer regions • This article shows the importance of accounting for sample bias to assess the potential effects of social protection programs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed at examining the efforts towards ending corporal punishment in African contexts. The interest for the study was drawn from the prevalence of corporal punishment (CP) in regions despite the existing concerted efforts to end it regionally and internationally. The study used experiences from Tanzanian respondents involving five representatives from NGOs dealing with children's violence; 60 secondary school students; 40 teachers; five (5) religious' leaders; and 20 parents sampled from the members of the school committees. Data was collected through open-ended questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and the review of documents. Findings of the study attribute the prevalence of CP to hegemony of cultural and traditional practices, porosity of laws and guidelines for managing CP and the African historical context. Moreover, the prevalence of CP is ascribed to attitudes of the community towards CP, social conditions such as social economic status, family size and knowledge about CP. It was further noted that stakeholders had differing views on the use of CP for managing behaviours. It is argued in this paper that such attribution can be addressed through reimagining the entire line of thinking towards CP. The study recommends concerted efforts in managing CP both in schools and in the families. • The prohibition of violence and corporal punishment (CP) against children is a human rights obligation that has been signed by most African countries, including Tanzania. • Several initiatives have been made by African countries by initiating various agendas, national bills and seculars to discourage and eliminate both physical and psychological punishments in schools. • In several African countries including Tanzania, CP is not fully prohibited in all settings. • The existence of porous laws and guidelines promote the practice of CP in both homes and schools. • Various social conditions such as family economic status, family size, class sizes, age of children are responsible for the prevalence of CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, there has been a significant focus on collecting and utilizing extensive data to enhance governance in the education sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), primarily through the Education Management Information System (EMIS). However, the potential consequences of EMIS on national data-gathering efforts to assess educational quality and learning outcomes remain relatively unknown. In this paper, I analyze the relationship between EMIS activities or projects by the World Bank (WB), a prominent advocate for such initiatives, and national learning assessments in 144 countries. I find that each such project by the WB increases the likelihood of conducting an additional national assessment, consistently observed across different model specifications. As the movement towards evidence-based policymaking gains momentum, large-scale data gathering has become a common practice in many LMICs. I argue that EMIS initiatives may have prompted countries not only to collect basic statistics, such as the number of students and teachers, but also more resource-intensive data by assessing students' learning outcomes. Nonetheless, the extent to which data is integrated into policymaking and countries' capacity for such usage remain inadequately explored. The paper concludes by highlighting potential issues related to data collection and utilization, and providing policy-relevant suggestions. • Large-scale data gathering in the education sector of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has received increasing attention, primarily through the Education Management Information System (EMIS). • I analyze the relationship between EMIS activities by the World Bank (WB) and national learning assessments. • Each WB EMIS activity increases the likelihood of conducting an additional national assessment. • EMIS initiatives may have prompted countries not only to collect basic statistics but also more resource-intensive data on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communicating the means and ends of internationalization can be daunting amidst competing agendas in higher education. This paper examines how elite global journals in social sciences deal with discursive dilemmas while addressing geopolitical agendas in the internationalization of post-Soviet higher education. In particular, this paper seeks to understand how the "prestige economy" agencies have shaped explanations of problems of the Soviet legacy in disparate national contexts of post-Soviet higher education. Under the growing resurgence of Russian imperialism, the study delves into claims and concerns of social scientists from post-Soviet republics, who remain on the periphery of the global "prestige economy," as well as in the subaltern position to the geopolitical agendas championed by the Russian government. While examining the research on geopolitics in the internationalization of divergent systems and institutions of higher education in the region, the paper also tries to shape a more nuanced analysis of the under-investigated tensions within the post-Soviet world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the understudied yet greatly relevant relationship between entrepreneurship and skills development for refugees in India from five different communities: Afghan, Rohingya, Tibetan, Chin, and Somali. Building on interviews, focus groups and participatory drawings from 66 refugees and staff respondents, it foregrounds the compounded interplay of skills development with intersectional oppression of refugees and their socio-political freedoms in navigating livelihoods and entrepreneurship avenues. By combining capabilities with intersectionality, the paper argues that the idea of entrepreneurship for refugees should seek to move beyond the neoliberal agenda of self-employment and self-reliance and towards well-being, social integration, and holistic development. • Restricted freedom and agency of refugees in attending and utilising skills training. • Intersectionality of multiple refugee identities and multidimensional refugee poverty. • Multiple and overlapping factors and freedoms shaping skills utilisation for refugees. • Differences in refugee capabilities to convert skills into entrepreneurial functioning. • Emphasising diverse and quality opportunities for training and entrepreneurship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data from China Education Panel Survey, this paper uses the fixed-effect model and PSM-DID method to examine the causal effect of opposite-gender friendships on the learning performance of Chinese students. We find that opposite-gender friendships significantly reduce girls' test scores, but have no impact on boys. The change in learning habits caused by the quality of social networks is the possible mechanism that drives the effect. The paper also suggests that parental regulation increases the probability that children associate with friends of the opposite gender, which leads to lower test scores. In contrast, class rearrangement can be effective in improving girls' learning performance by reducing their opposite-gender friendships. The evidence in this paper sheds new light on the debate over whether and how to intervene in students' social interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the views and perceptions of randomly selected education policy makers in Southeast Asia, based on surveys of 651 senior public officials in 14 middle-income countries globally. The findings show that officials tend to prioritize increasing secondary school completion over improving learning quality, despite global evidence suggesting that improving learning quality is more crucial for economic growth. Additionally, the surveyed Southeast Asian officials severely underestimate learning poverty and do so at twice the rate of officials from other countries. Officials were most likely to cite system capacity as the primary constraint to improving learning. The findings show that officials' support for gender equality and disability inclusion is high. Interviewed officials prefer to invest in in-service teacher training or early-grade reading compared to other options such as EdTech or inclusion for students with disabilities. This mix of alignment and misalignment between policy makers' goals and the stated goals of development partners can inform future engagement in policy dialogue, analysis, and information campaigns. • Officials prioritize secondary school completion over learning quality in a new global survey of education policy makers. • Southeast Asian officials participating in the survey severely underestimate learning poverty. • Surveyed officials were most likely to cite system capacity as the primary constraint to improving learning. • In a discrete choice experiment, officials chose to invest in in-service teacher training or early-grade reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yemen witnesses a heinous war and continual conflict that devastates its fragile infrastructure. The country's development indicators devolve significantly, and, among other sectors, higher education and its quality have been imperiled. The objective of this paper is to explore the effects of war on the quality of higher education in Yemen from the standpoint of Yemeni scholars. This qualitative study is based on grounded theory design and used semi-structured in-depth interview methods to collect data from Yemeni scholars within and outside Yemen. The core questions focused on the impact of war, the actions taken by scholars, and the prospects of higher education quality. Seventeen diverse scholars were included in the study. The analysis of data outlined six war-related factors that affect the quality of higher education: attacks on scholars, financial constraints, corruption, human capacity shortage, poor research performance, and lack of physical capacity. Realities are reconstructed through descriptions of the trajectory of the war and its negative consequences on scholars and their endeavors. Quality as a sign of the good functioning of higher education institutions is not an exclusively sectorial issue. Actions and prospects need to fit within frameworks of national reconciliation, regional peace, and frameworks of international cooperation. Further research tackling other dimensions of education quality and including other stakeholders is needed. Rethinking and reforming Yemen's higher education system in its different aspects and challenges, are paths to peacebuilding and the recovery of the country. A roadmap prioritizing this reform is urgently needed. • The devastating effects of war were examined from the perspective of Yemeni scholars. • The endurance of scholars to cope with the situation was exposed, analyzed, and compared with other countries in the region. • A prospect for national, regional, and international actions was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fierce competition in China's basic education system results in students spending too much time on homework. However, few studies have explored the mental health effects of homework time. Using data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this paper empirically examines the impact of homework time on adolescent mental health through the fixed-effects model and instrumental variables regression. Additionally, this study explores the moderating effects of teacher support and parent involvement. The results indicate that homework time has a negative effect on adolescent mental health, but only when the amount of time spent on homework exceeds about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Overall, there is a non-linear relationship between homework time and adolescent mental health. Teacher support, particularly emotional support, can mitigate the adverse mental health effects of excessive homework time, whereas parental involvement does not show the same positive effect. The analysis of heterogeneity reveals that adolescents from rural schools or medium family economic backgrounds experience a more pronounced negative impact from excessive homework time compared to those from urban schools, poorer or richer family backgrounds. Furthermore, students with outstanding academic performance are affected more significantly than their peers with poor academic performance. The empirical results echo the targets of the Chinese "double reduction policy" which requires strict control of homework time. Education policymakers should reasonably regulate homework time and systematically explore education concepts and teaching methods that are compatible with the reduction of homework time. • Chinese adolescents are burdened with an excessive amount of homework time. • There is a non-linear relationship between homework time and adolescent mental health. • Homework negatively impacts adolescent mental health, but only when exceeding about 1 h and 15 min. • Teacher support, particularly emotional support, can mitigate the adverse mental health effects of excessive homework time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the distributional effects of a multi-school districting reform, involving lottery property allocation, on families' school choice behavior in Beijing, China. Employing a competitive school district housing market model, we investigate the reform's implications on housing prices and school enrollment patterns. Using a unique dataset that combines second-hand housing transaction records and school enrollment data, we document this notable consequence: a substantial 4.57% decrease in housing prices in Haidian District post-reform, resulting in enhanced access to high-quality schools for middle-income families. However, the impact on school choice behavior exhibits structural disparities. While the reform creates opportunities for middle-income families, lower-income families may encounter challenges in accessing public primary schools, where housing prices with improved educational quality have risen by 1.21%. Conversely, affluent families opt for private schools to secure high-quality educational resources, evident in a 4.25% increase in corresponding rent. Additionally, Chinese families prefer proximity to schools to minimize commuting expenses, as reflected in a 0.56% rise in rents near public primary schools. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing both "excessive school choice competition" and the diverse educational preferences of families when implementing school assignment rule reforms in developing countries. Our research expands the literature on primary education and extends concepts for education reform in other developing countries. • Study constructs a competitive school district housing market model. • District-wide housing prices drop by 4.57%, helps middle-income families get good educations. • Housing prices increase with improved educational quality (1.21%) and especially rent price increase near private schools (6.42%). • Poor families challenged to get housing near good schools. • Wealthy families may opt to send their children to private primary schools in order to ensure access to high-quality educational resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000 s, average standardized test scores of Brazilian public primary and middle school students in both reading and mathematics on the national test, the SAEB, have risen substantially. Although the increases cut across all race and socioeconomic groups, the increases were unequal across groups and varied greatly across states and municipalities/school districts. In this paper, we describe student achievement gains in Brazil among municipalities in 2007–2017, with the goal of understanding the variation in these gains and the socioeconomic, race, and school resource correlates of that variation. Our results suggest that student social class and race were highly correlated with municipal test score gains: those municipalities with higher social class and proportionately more White students made significantly larger gains. However, municipalities with greater social class inequality made smaller gains. Certain average characteristics of teachers in a municipality and the incidence of school violence were also significantly related to student performance gains. Thus, our estimates suggest that it may be possible to soften the effects of social structural inequality among and within districts by increasing the quality of teacher resources and reducing school violence in lower academically gaining districts. • Student test score gains in 2007–2017 were large but varied greatly across districts. • Districts with higher average SES and lower proportions of Blacks made larger gains. • Controlling for SES and race, districts with lower SES inequality made larger gains. • Better-educated teachers and less school violence were also related to higher gains. • SES and race are closely related to school learning gains in an unequal society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many education systems within sub-Saharan Africa are affected by the problem of over-aged learners. Children who are above the expected age for their grade experience poorer outcomes relative to other learners and it is therefore of interest to policymakers to accurately identify them for the purposes of informing effective remedial interventions. UNICEF's sixth round of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey's [MICS6] are among the relatively few robust nationally representative data sources that can be used to calculate the share of over-age for grade learners within education systems. This paper identifies variability in the estimation method used to identify the same target over-age population (i.e. learners who are older than the official age for the grade they are currently attending) across MICS6 country reports in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Nine countries utilise a different method which captures only part of the desired target population. This approach fails to identify at least 50% of learners who are over-age for grade by two years in their primary education system and up to 57% of over-age for grade learners in lower secondary. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for supporting policymakers to plan and implement effective school-based education and health interventions, using Comprehensive Sexuality Education as an example. • There is variability in the estimation method used to calculate over-age for grade rates across some MICS6 country reports. • Nine out of 14 sub-Saharan African countries use a different method which captures only part of the desired target population. • This approach fails to identify at least 50% of learners who are over-age by two years at both primary and lower secondary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of qualitative research on new practices (habitus) of researchers in higher education (HE) in Mexico during the pandemic in three institutions in the State of Sonora. The research focused on modified or new practices or habitus during the pandemic, the challenges those scholars faced, and their view on remote scientific production in this period. Bourdieu's concepts of Habitus, Discipline, and Socialization are instrumental in interpreting data. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using coding and MAXQDA software. The main results refer to the individual, academia, and the constraint to produce knowledge. The results show that for individuals, habitus refers to the care of people. In the face of a health emergency, the focus is on it combined with academic, administrative, and research activities. Such weight is distributed unequally among the female gender; it is about caring for the family, attending research, and more work. In the case of academia, the specific tasks of some disciplines, such as economics, do not present restrictions on productivity, while others do. The regulations of Mexico's National System of Researchers, SNI constitute a rule that constrains researchers. We assume that it is the primary mechanism for evaluating his/her productive habitus. • Scholars had to modify the volume of research they were used to produce (most of them presented a decrease). • Remote work (academic activities overall) was met with hesitation and restraint by most of the participants. • Neither researchers nor institutions were prepared to work remotely. • Higher education institutions should comprehend the need to identify the areas of opportunity to enhance their scholars' production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]