OLDaily

Leaders Commit to Education Financing; UNESCO Report Warns of ‘Learning Crisis’
Catherine Benson Whalén, IISD SDG Knowledge Hub, 2017/09/27

I realize that it's not a zero-sum game, and that we can work toward both quality and access, but I nonetheless caution against voices who look at the issues and proclaim "a wake-up call for greater investment in the quality of education." No it isn't. The vast bulk of the problem isn't the quality of education. It's access. The money directed toward access will ensure that learning resources (teachers, support materials, environments) reach those in need. The money directed toward 'quality' will end up in the hands of publishers and academics in the U.S. and Europe (which, my cynical voice intact, is I feel why they continually call for investment in 'quality'). People who are starving need food now. 

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As the University of South Africa Considers Predictive Analytics, Ethical Hoops Emerge
Manuela Ekowo, EdSurge, 2017/09/27

"In order for the University of South Africa (Unisa)  to use predictive analytics to improve these outcomes though," writes Manuela Ekowo, "the school may first have to jump through some ethical and technical hoops." The tone implies that the hoops are unnecessary, but I don't think ghata was the author's intent. "For example, how can institutions avoid mischaracterizing students with labels such as 'at-risk'." It matters how you define 'at risk'. Here's Angelo Fynn, manager of student success projects: "I don’t share the common view that students are inherently at risk but rather that risk is contextually and historically located."

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