EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN MEXICO LAURA MCCAMBRIDGE HDFS 892 JUNE 22, 2013

SCHOOL SYSTEM IN MEXICO Primary School: Grades 1-6 Junior High: Grades 7-9 High School: Grades Public and private schools available Much of the material focuses on culture and heritage (Levison, 2001). Memorization of material is more often taught instead of ways to solve problems (Rama, 2011).

THE PROBLEM Many schools in Mexico lack buildings; must hold classes outside Lack of drinkable water Teacher absenteeism (Agren, 2012). Mexican children receive an average of only 8 years of school (13 years in the U.S.) Only 50% of students attend high school Mexico ranks among the lowest according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international economic advisory group (Agren, 2012). Only.7% of Mexican children reach the advanced math level in Program for International Student Assessment 10% of children in the U.S. reach this level (Agren, 2012).

THE UNION Teachers are often absent They work for the union, which protests teacher evaluations Union is currently a dictatorship run by Union president Elba Esther Gordillo (“La Maestra:” The Teacher) (Rama, 2011). Arrested earlier this year for embezzling $2 million, but still has many followers Mexico spends about 5% of their budget on education (comparable to other countries) Much of this money doesn’t translate to educational gains because of corruption (Rama, 2011).

SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT Focus on teacher education Schools must be more holistic- take into account children’s role in the labor force with their educational achievement Governmental reform!!! Educational policies must be more transparent Data and educational research needs to be more readily available to educators and public Policy making must become more democratic The positive: Mexico is currently ranked #2 in science, math, and reading for the Latin America region (behind Chile) (Santibañez, et al., 2005).

EXISTING SOLUTIONS

APOYO A LA GESTIÓN ESCOLAR (A.G.E. – SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SUPPORT) Gives funds to parent associations They can invest in materials and/or infrastructure to improve their schools Improves drop-out rates and student engagement (Gertler, 2008). Gives important stakeholders (i.e. parents) more voice in important decisions involving their children’s education (Economist, 2011). Randomized trial of the program from shows improvement in test scores; drop out rates fell by 1.5% in most schools (Patrinos, 2012). Beneficial program, but only improves parent engagement and empowerment; teacher accountability must also improve (Gertler, 2008)

ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) Published a report emphasizing the importance of teacher accountability and more teacher training in Mexico Teachers must be evaluated based on performance and skills “Content needed to better identify strengths and weaknesses (Solano, 2013)” Evaluations include: Classroom observations Self-evaluations Extent to which teacher is prepared for class Teachers who do not meet a minimum score on evaluations after 3 times will not be eligible for a permanent position (Solano, 2013). Teachers and schools should agree on whether teacher’s position is a good fit, instead of basing decision solely on teacher’s preference (Solano, 2013).

“ADOPT AN ACADEMY” PROGRAM Established as a partnership between the Cisco Networking Academy, Fundación Televisa, and the Unión de Empresarios por la Tecnología y la Educación (UNETE) Established to help schools integrate technology into their learning (Cisco, 2008). Students improve their understanding of technology through practical experiences and hands-on activities Students who attend the academy then travel to local schools and provide technology training to teachers and other students (Cisco, 2008). Organization has also donated equipment and computers to many schools Educates about 100 students per year who pass on their knowledge to others (Cisco, 2008). This program is beneficial, but mostly only available to schools with existing technology

IN CONCLUSION In the context of Latin America, Mexico’s educational system is doing fairly well. In the context of the rest of the world, Mexico’s education of their children is falling far behind. There must be significant governmental reforms to see a vast improvement in the quality of education Teachers must be made more accountable and the Union must have the education of children as their main goal, instead of selfish monetary gains Many organizations have sought to improve the education system, and they are inspiring with what they have done so far! With continued development and reform, Mexico can provide more resources, infrastructure, and effective teachers for its children to receive a quality education

RESOURCES Agren, David (2012, March 30). Education System Holding Mexico Back, Critics Say. USA Today. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from Levison, D., Moe, K. S., & Marie Knaul, F. (2001). Youth education and work in Mexico. World Development, 29(1), Rama, Anahi (2011, April 11). Factbox: Facts About Mexico’s Education System. Reuters. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from Santibañez, L., Vernez, G., & Razquin, P. (2005). Education in Mexico. The Economist (2011, May 12). Education in Mexico: Schooling the Whole Family. The Economist. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from Patrinos, Harry A. (2012, January 25). Empowering Parents to Improve Schooling: Powerful Evidence from Rural Mexico. Education for Global Development. Retrieved June 15, 2013 from rural-mexico rural-mexico

RESOURCES Gertler, Paul J. (2008). Promising Practices. Harvard Family Research Project. Retrieved June 18, 2013 from involvement/empowering-parents-to-improve-education-evidence-from-rural-mexico involvement/empowering-parents-to-improve-education-evidence-from-rural-mexico Solano, Laura Poy (2013, June 19). OECD Urges Mexico to Maintain and Improve Teacher Evaluation. Mexico Voices. Retrieved June 20, 2013 from Cisco (2008). Academy Outreach Program Improves Learning in Mexico. Cisco. Retrieved June 20, 2013 from