.Grammar schools widen pay gap, research finds
The English grammar school system has widened the gulf between rich and poor, according to a new study. Researchers examined the pay of more than 2,500 people born between 1961 and 1983, and found that the gap between the highest and lowest paid was bigger in areas with grammar schools than those with a comprehensive system. The difference per hour between 2009 and 2012 was pound;16.41 in areas with selective schooling, compared with pound;12.33 in other areas, according to academics from the University of Bristol, the University of Bath and the University of London’s Institute of Education. Research leader Simon Burgess said schools with high-ability pupils were more likely to attract and retain the best teachers, putting students who miss out on a place at an “immediate disadvantage”.
Teachers sued for `indoctrinating girls into cult’
A high school and school district in Connecticut, US, are being sued by a couple who have accused three teachers and a guidance counsellor of coercing their daughters into joining a cult. The lawsuit claims that the three girls were “indoctrinated into a religious cult that promotes martyrdom and celebrates death”. The cult has not been named, but the parents allege deprivation of civil rights and constitutional violations, including the failure to separate church and state. The teachers are also being sued. One is alleged to have “taught her students to believe in superstition, magic and a non-scientific, anti-intellectual world view”.
Gove denies ban in quarrel over American novels
A row over whether US novels should be studied at GCSE has broken out between an exam board and England’s education secretary. Paul Dodd, OCR’s head of GCSE and A-level reform, said the board had removed traditionally popular titles such as Of Mice and Men because Michael Gove “really dislikes” them. But Mr Gove hit back, insisting he had “not banned anything” and had asked exam boards to “broaden - not narrow - the books young people study”. One petition opposing the change has been signed by more than 47,000 people.Nigeria abductions must `galvanise’ educators
The abduction of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants should “galvanise the world to make sure that the power of education is extended to children even in the most difficult of circumstances”, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard has argued. Ms Gillard, now chair of the Global Partnership for Education, said the extreme measures taken by the terrorists highlighted the transformative power of education. “They obviously believe education is powerful, so powerful that they want to deny it to those girls,” she added.
Rock your pupils’ world by winning gig tickets
Rock Assembly 2014, a free end-of-term concert for 10,000 secondary school students, is taking place on 9 July at Wembley Arena in London. Schools can win tickets by signing up to Transformation Trust partner programmes, including Barclays LifeSkills and BT Digital Champions. The event also includes a Futures Fair, featuring universities and employers.
