Cutting Education Slack-Policy Decisions

CUTTING EDUCATION SLACK-POLICY DECISIONS

Introduction

Governments make policy decisions. Citizens’ lives are affected. How can we know whether those decisions are good ones or not? Sixcharacteristics of good policy development stand out: consultation with stakeholders, consideration of evidence – particularly economic cost-benefit, political/social ideology, legal obligations, international references and international comparative evidence. Let us consider the recent Budget 2012 decision to eliminate the ex-quota career guidance[1] posts in second-level schools against each of those good policy development characteristics.

1. Consultation with stakeholders

The major stakeholders in the education/career guidance field are students and parents who are the direct beneficiaries and users of publicly funded education and career services. They were not consulted either formally or informally on the Budget 2012 decision.

Indirect beneficiaries are other teaching colleagues, school managements, further and higher education and training institutes and organisations, employers, and taxpayers. They were not consulted.

1. Evidence base

School inspection and public consultation evidence

The evidence base for policy decisions for career guidance in schools available to the Department and the Minister comes from several sources, none of which point to eliminating career guidance: the Department’s own Inspectorate of Guidance, opinion research undertaken by the ESRI and others, and opinion research from other public consultation exercises undertaken for the National Guidance Forum and for the Expert Group on Future Skill Needs (FORFAS).

The report of the Department’s Inspectorate, Looking at Guidance[2]based on 55 school inspection reports and on discussions with all school partnersin those schools, concluded that a high quality of career teaching and learning took place through a range of educational experiences managed by the guidance counselor. It noted that more attention should be paid to Junior Cycle students and that some schools did not use the full guidance allocation for the purpose of guidance and that a few used unqualified/untrained staff.

In the ESRI’s longitudinal study FromLeaving Cert to Leaving School[3], students expressed positive perceptions about career learning experiences in school but were critical of the limited time available for individual career discussions due to the guidance counsellor’s dual role of subject teaching and career guidance. The report highlighted the need to target career activities to Junior Cycle as decisions made there had significant impact for Senior Cycle and post Leaving Cert learning and work opportunities.

Perceptions of the General Public on Guidance Services[4] was a study undertaken on behalf of the National Guidance Forum. The majority of people who participated in the study reported their experience of career guidance in school as being very helpful or helpful, again stressing the importance of targeting Junior Cycle.

Respondents toCareers and Labour Market Information in Ireland[5], a study commissioned by the Expert Group on Future Skill Needs (FORFAS), stated that guidance counselors were the most helpful source of careers information and the easiest way to access such information. Respondents also expressed a preference for individual career counseling. The report concluded that given the key role of parents in young people’s career choices, the best way to reach parents with careers and labour market information was through the schools network.

Conclusion:The evidence base available to the Department and to the Minister at the time of the Budget cut shows that more andnot less ex-quota school time is required to provide career guidance in schools, and in particular at Junior Cycle.

Evidence studies of the economic value of career guidance[6]

Two studies on the economic value of career guidance have recently been undertaken by economists in Northern Ireland and in Scotland.

In 2008 the Educational Guidance Service for Adults (EGSA) had the economic value and impact of its work examined by Regional Forecasts, a division of Oxford Economics Ltd. The findings showed the employment outcomes attained through career guidance provision to adults produced net additional tax revenue of 9.02 GBP for every 1 GBP of public money invested in the service[7].

Careers Scotland (2007) used DTZ Consultants to address the question: does career guidance make a difference? It examined this from the perspectives of both outcome measurement (learning, economic and social) and the impact of its work with young people and adults. The findings[8] show that someone who has received career guidance is more likely to:

- gain a qualification, have stronger educational ambitions and expectations, and more likely to have achieved an advanced qualification (learning outcomes)

- be in a job, stay in the workplace and be financially successful (economic outcomes)

- experience higher confidence levels, especially young people from a lower socio-economic background (social outcomes).

The combined impact of those outcomes was estimated at 250 million GBP per annum in Scotland, a country with a population of 5.2 million.

Conclusion: While no similar study has taken place in Ireland and while there are some differences in terms of inputs, data from neighboring countries suggest significant economic benefits from the provision of career guidance. One can safelyhypothesize that the careers guidance service currently provided in schools in Ireland at a minimum pays for itself. Taking into account the economic value and impact of the broader learning, employment and social outcomes of career guidance as illustrated in these studies,it is very difficult to understand the decision of Budget 2012 to cut career guidance.

1. Political values: the contribution of career guidance to public policy goals

Career guidance in schools is not just about helping individuals and their parents. It is a socio-political activity that plays a significant role in achieving some of the public policy goals espoused by present and past governments.

Career guidance in schools contributes to learning goals/benefits by improving the efficiency of education systems. It contributes to increased educational access, school achievement and course completion rates at second level education. But such investment of a preventive nature at second level has a critical economic value forparticipation, motivation, and course completion at further and higher education and training levelswhere only ten years ago the annual costs to the taxpayer of non-completion and early drop-out (without counting the cost to individuals and their families) dwarfed the 32 m. euro spent annually on career guidance provision[9].

Labour economists have long recognized the role that career guidance can play in labour market efficiency. Career guidancecan improve the match between supply and demand by helping young people to search for a better fit between their interests, abilities and qualifications, and the available work opportunities. It also helps themto consider learning new skills for new/emerging occupations.As educational and labour market pathways become increasingly complex in nature and increasingly involve local, regional, national and international dimensions, career guidance is more critical than ever.

Career guidance contributes to social equity goals. It helps to ensure that education and employment opportunities are distributed equitably, and that people make maximum use of their talents regardless of their gender, social background or ethnic origin. Certain sections of the population are likely to be less familiar with educational and labour market information than others, and need more help in overcoming barriers to accessing these opportunities.

Conclusion:The Budget decision to cut career guidance services to schools runs completely contrary to stated Irish government public policy goals in the education, employment, and social spheres, and will ultimately hurt its knowledge economy aspirations.

1. Legal obligations

Schools are required by Section 9 (c) of the Education Act to “ensure that students have access to appropriate guidance”. What this looks like in reality is spelled out in the Department’s Guidelines on the implications of the Act[10]. The Guidelines cover (i) the aims and importance of guidance and counseling provision, (ii) the planning of a school guidance programme, (iii) elements of the school guidance programme, and (iv) resources and supports for guidance. Given the Budget decision to withdraw the ex-quota staff resource for guidance in schools, the Guidelines are now just aspirational. It leaves schools with no way to turn the Education Act guidance requirement into a reality for students and parents. The Budget cut in fact makes a mockery of the Act and of the Guidelines.

1. International reference points: review findings and common principles

In developing policies for education, employment and social equity, governments take as reference points international review findings, policy indicators, and commonly agreed principles and values, particularly as a MemberState of the European Union. The following is a brief summary available to the Department of Education and the Minister, all of which require that particular attention be paid to the provision of career guidance for the achievement of public policy goals.

OECD

The OECD is often used by Education ministers in Ireland as a stimulus for reform of social (includes education) and economic policy areas. The OECD undertook its last review of policies for career guidance in 2001-3, covering 14 countries that included a country review of Ireland at the invitation of the Department. In its conclusions on Ireland, the OECD referred to the strengths of career guidance provision:

-a solid legislative base

-a climate that favours initiation and experimentation

-a committed profession, and

-a service well received among the population[11].

The OECD’s final report[12] highlighted the importance of career guidance provision in schools: “…career services are necessary for effective transition systems…. career management skills are an essential literacy alongside other literacies for successful transitions into, within, and from education, training and work”.

World Bank

In its review of policies for career guidance in developing and transition economies,[13]the World Bank suggested that as such economies develop and restructure, the provision of career guidance can be an important ingredient in supporting social and economic development.

International Labour Organisation

Member states (including Ireland) agreed the Human Resources Development Recommendation of 2004[14] to assure and facilitate citizens’ access to career guidance and information throughout their lives including through ICT, to involve a range of stakeholders in such provision, and to promote the role of enterprise in increasing growth and decent jobs.

European Social Charter (revised 1996)

Article 9 of the European Social Charter refers to European citizens’ right to vocational guidance. Signatories to the Charter including Ireland undertook to provide a service to assist persons to solve problems related to occupational choice and progress, and that such a service should be free of charge to young people, including school children[15].

The EU Council of Education Ministers

The provision of career guidance in a lifelong learning context has been the subject of two EU Council Resolutions, the first proposed under the Irish Presidency in 2004 and the second under the French Presidency of 2008.

The 2004 Resolution[16] noted the importance of career guidance in schools: “Guidance provision within the education and training system, and especially in schools or atschool level, has an essential role to play in ensuring that individuals’ educational and careerdecisions are firmly based, and in assisting them to develop effective self-management of theirlearning and career paths. It is also a key instrument for education and training institutions toimprove the quality and provision of learning”.

The 2008 Resolution[17] confirmed the importance of career guidance in assisting citizens through multiple transitions, particularly from school to vocational education and training, higher education, or employment. Other Resolutions of the Council: Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2006)[18], New Skills for New Jobs (2007)[19], and the Joint Progress Report of the Council and the European Commission on delivering lifelong learning for knowledge, creativity and innovation (2008)[20] all noted that particular attention must be given to lifelong/career guidance.

Conclusion:It is very clear that the Budget cut on career services in schools runs completely contrary to European social policy values and education positions to which it is a party and to international knowledge andexperience.

1. International comparisons: evidence from experiences on devolving responsibility for career guidance provision to schools

We already have evidence from the Department’s Inspectorate’s report (see Section 2 above) that under existing devolution arrangements, some schools do not use all of the ex-quota guidance allocation for guidance purposes – they divert it into subject teaching, and that some schools use unqualified/untrained staff to provide a service. With the Budget cut, one can expect that schools will quite quickly have to use existing guidance counselors for subject teaching part-time or full-time, and that,within a year or two, all existing guidance counselors will be full-time subject teaching. This will be an unsurprising consequence ofschools no longer having a separate staff resource allocation for career guidance. As the recent Department circular nicely put it “schools will have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice.” (emphasis added).

In that context it is worth examining how this discretion, through devolved decision-making to school management on career guidance provision, has operated/operates in other countries. Here are some examples.

6.1 New Zealand

In New Zealand, a country of comparable size to Ireland, schools are legally required to provide careers education to all students. How they do it is at their discretion. School principals tend to appoint long-servingsubject teachers to the positionof Careers Advisor on a part-time basis for which they are awarded a management allowance in addition to their teacher’s pay. Nearly all of the teachers appointed to the position are untrained and unqualified[21]. The public perception (students, parents in particular) of the service provided is generally negative[22].Successful completion rate at upper secondary educationis significantly less than in Ireland[23]. While participation in tertiary education (VET and further education) is high by OECD standards, completion is low and there is concern about tertiary course drop out. There is general public concern that young New Zealanders do not have the knowledge and skills sets for a knowledge based economy.

6.2 Netherlands[24]

Career guidance provision in schools in the Netherlands developed historically as extra paid duties for any subject teacher for hours in addition to his/her teaching load. There was no requirement for the teacher to have a qualification. Since the 1990s this approach has been replaced by giving schools a grant to use as they wish to provide career guidance in schools. As in New Zealand, this discretion has led to schools purchasing services from outside the school or not at all. There is no quality assurance of provision. Student perception of career guidance in schools is very negative. Participation, completion, and achievement rates at all levels of education and vocational training are major public concerns. Significant numbers of students change courses after the first year of higher education.

6.3 England

Schools in England have statutory responsibility for the provision of career guidance. But schools must pay for this from their existing budget-they receive no specific allocation for guidance provision. They are required by the Department to purchase it from an independent impartial source and this may include unqualified sources. Equally schools can refer pupils to online resources and that will meet their statutory responsibility. The net impact is that there is huge variability among the career learning experiences of students according to the school he/she attends. This is evident from the following results of the FutureTrack longitudinal study where in response to questions about access to careers guidance and information prior to applying to higher education, first year higher education students reported[25] that they did not have enough or none at all of: