NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

1. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES International Conference on Education Policy and Research Educational Trends in Latin America: Challenges for Future Research Agendas. Margarita Poggi IIPE-UNESCO Buenos Aires October 2013 - Beijing, China

2. Organization of thepresentation • A brief review of the 90s and 2000s. • Progress and achievements in educational policies. • Challenges for education research in the coming years. • Some characteristics of organizations that produce knowledge on educational policies.

3. Some precisions • Talking about general trends does not deny the characteristics of each sub region and country. • It is important to know about processes: why certain topics appear in educational agendas, what challenges are raised. • Decades as periods are not strict, but help understand movements, agendas, and actors involved. An organizing tool.

4. Increased social and educational inequalities. Neoliberal policies; state discredited. Increased enrolment, especially in basic education. Extension of compulsory education (including lower secondary and at least one year of pre-primary). Increased global investment, but this only compensates for what was lost in the previous decade. The 90s decade

5. Central debates: Education quality – student performance – standardized assessments. Decentralization / autonomy / accountability. Progress in the production of educational information. Policy decisions supported in empirical evidence. Inclusive education begins to have an important place in agendas (ensuring the right beyond ethnic and racial minorities, gender, or socioeconomic background). The 90s decade

6. The 2000s • Appreciation of the role of States. • New education laws modify those passed in the previous decade. • Almost all countries resume the design of national education plans (duration of approx.10 years). • Decade of economic growth. Increased investment in education primarily aimed at expanding the offer. • Efforts (some effective) to reduce social and educational gaps.

7. The 2000s • Efforts continue for universality and the extension of compulsory education (primary and secondary level). • Second wave of defining secondary education as compulsory, including the upper cycle. • Consolidation in agendas of the educational quality issue; debate about its definition. • Attention and promotion of diversity (ethnic, linguistic). • ICT policies in schools and classrooms. Different models: 1:1, digital classrooms.

8. Progress and achievements in educational policies LatinAmerica, completion of primary and secondarylevels High primary, High secondary High primary, Medium secondary High primary, Lowsecondary Medium primary, Medium secondary Medium primary, Lowsecondary

9. Progress and achievements in educational policies • Expansion of pre-primary education opportunities. • Important progress in primary education completion, except in Guatemala and Nicaragua. • Configuration of systems for integral child protection. • Considerable increase of secondary school enrolment in the last 25 years. • Progress in gender parity.

10. Progress and achievements in educational policies • Expansion of the rights perspective. • A more dynamic vision of planning in government action. • Consolidation of education funding models. • Progress in defining the concept of Care and Early Childhood Education with an integral approach. • Improvement of adult literacy by increasing access to education.

11. Deepen democratization process of education, quantitative and qualitative. Reducing inequalities (socio-economic status, area of ​​residence, group membership, gender). Quantitative: ensuring access and graduation, according to compulsory levels defined by each education system. Qualitative: education quality, access to knowledge defined as relevant for each level of education. Following trends, analysis of social and educational gaps. Analysis of policies and experiences for educational improvement. Research topics related to challenges in LA

12. Improve academic trajectories: indicators of repetition, over-age and drop out. These problems begin to occur in primary and are later more prominent in secondary education. Analysis of strategies related to pedagogical and institutional interventions in these issues. Research topics related to challenges in LA

13. Retention and graduation from secondary schools represent a great challenge. Gaps increase as we move up education levels. Producing knowledge on strategies focused on: Promoting innovations in institutional formats, contents and pedagogy in secondary schools to take into account the diversity of students. Providing specific support to improve learning outcomes. Designing “second chance” alternatives for adolescents and youth who have dropped out. Research topics related to challenges in LA

14. Education for diversity, intercultural bilingual education. Special attention to the persistence of cultural patterns, representations and gender stereotypes that are present in all countries of the region. Analysis of formats and strategies that modify traditional patterns of intervention based on an homogenous educational supply. Analysis of education policies to achieve progress in areas such as curricular relevance, contents and teaching materials. Research topics related to challenges in LA

15. ICT Policies. Expansion of  1:1 models.Social and Pedagogical dimension=> ICT can bring forward pedagogical changes and improve learning processes. Problems with the inclusion of digital culture in schools, how to guarantee universal access to the digital world, teacher training in this topic. Challenges for ICT integration in education systems: analysis of costs, ubiquitous technology, digital contents, connectivity, infrastructure and devices. Specific regulatory frameworks that shape the actions of states in terms of digital inclusion. Research topics related to challenges in LA

16. Social policies (SP) and education. More inclusive SP, expansion of CCTs (conditional cash transfers) in LA, new policy model for poverty alleviation and education equality. Scarce integration of SP with other sectors as health or education. Need to analyse potential synergies between sectors to improve design and implementation. Education challenges and social inclusion: how do educational policies address new social demands? How do schools deal with the arrival of longstanding excluded populations? Research topics related to challenges in LA

17. Networks of institutions in LA that produce knowledge on the educational systems and policies: Governmental organizations (Ministries of Education, National Institutes and Agencies). Universities and academic organizations. International and regional organizations. Think tanks. Teachers Unions (lesser development). Knowledge production and educational policies

18. Most of the govnm. organizations were developed from the ´60 onwards. The development was uneven in many countries due to different causes: dictatorships, strength or weakness of the states, degree of specialized agencies within the state, etc. Links between research and educational policies depend on the following: Capacity of the State to manage the educational system. Request for specialized knowledge. Formalized relationships. Brazil, Mexico: relevant examples of interesting links between knowledge production and design of policies. Knowledge production and educational policies

19. Knowledge production and educational policies at IIEP • Observatory of trends in the region. • Identification of courses of action and implementation of policy decisions on relevant issues for the educational agenda. Complemented with Program evaluation. • Comparative perspective of international and regional contexts. • Situational and contextualized analysis at country level. • Strong dissemination policy. Main audiences: policy-makers, counselors at MoE, researchers, teachers. • Different strategies: publication, policy fora, seminars. Use of online tools: webinars.

20. www.iipe-buenosaires.org.ar