Full Description
In this book, Martin Carnoy explores the surprising success of the Cuban educational system, where the average elementary school student learns much more than her Latin American peers. In developing the case for Cuba's supportive social context and centralized management of education, Carnoy asks important questions about educational systems in general. How responsible should government be for creating environments that encourage academic achievement? How much autonomy should teachers and schools have over their classrooms? Is there an inherent tradeoff between promoting individual choice and a better system of schooling?
Cuba's Academic Advantage challenges many prevailing views about the effectiveness of educational markets, school and teacher autonomy, decentralized decision-making, and government responsibility for children's social and economic welfare. Drawing on interviews with teachers, principals, and policymakers, as well as hours of videotaped material taken in more than 30 classrooms, this book brings new evidence to bear on controversial educational issues currently under debate in many countries.
Contents
Contents List of Figures vi List of Tables vii Acknowledgments ix 1. Context Matters 000 2. Three Educational Systems in Three Social Contexts 000 3. Understanding Why School Achievement Varies 000 4. Comparing Academic Performance in Cuba and Other Latin American Countries 000 5. The Long Road from Curriculum Construction to Student Learning 000 6. Opportunity to Learn and Teaching Patterns 000 7. Lessons Learned 000 Appendix A: Production Function Estimates of Student Achievement in Latin America, by Country 000 Appendix B: Defi nitions of Terms Used in Chapter 6 and Task Analysis Guide 000 Notes 000 References 000 Index 000
