GRACIAS!

On top of Monserrate our first day in Bogota

Whew!  Where to begin?  There are so many people to thank, memories to hold on to, pictures to admire, inside jokes to laugh over.

First off, a HUGE thank you needs to go to Cassandra and Kate for being the incredible program organizers that they were and making this trip go as smoothly as it did.  We are so thankful for all of your hard work, flexibility, interpretation (Cassandra, you are amazing) and humor that made this program so memorable.  The hours that they both put in were unbelievable- before and during the trip- and we are so appreciative.

Secondly, an equally huge GRACIAS needs to go to Professor Cecilia Velez for her dedication in making this trip happen.  Thanks to Prof. Velez, we were able to have such meaningful and insightful meetings with the Ministry of Education, various schools around Bogota and Cartagena, and other stakeholders in the Colombia education system.  We know she is extremely busy and can’t thank her enough the time she put in to help us with this trip.

Another thank you needs to be dedicated to our own very own Professor Reimers and Lola for their help with the grant and all the various details that needed to get taken care of with this trip.  We are very grateful for your support, not only on this trip but year round!

I would also like to personally thank the group for making this trip so memorable.  I loved having the opportunity to get to know all of you better and am excited for our last few weeks at school together.  Let’s never forget this trip my fellow cuchillos and bunk shackin’ gringos! 

Sophia Burton

Follow up: Indigenous/Multicultural Education

 Books on indigenous populations in a library in Bogota

At the Ministry with Prof. Velez

After reflecting upon indigenous education in a blog post earlier this week, I was given multiple opportunities continue reflecting on this topic. First, I presented my impressions to the Harvard-MIT Club in Bogota, and then asked related questions at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday. Additionally, I spoke to several Colombian university students who accompanied us to meetings. 

I approached the topic of indigenous education from two angles: how indigenous populations were being taught, and how other populations in Colombia were educated on indigenous populations.  This latter question is of particular interest to me because I believe that education should not only provide disadvantaged students with an opportunity to learn and use their own cultural capital, histories, perspectives etc., but also provide a space for more dominant groups in society to learn from these populations and gain a multicultural and global outlook that will help foster intercultural understanding and improved relations.  If dominant groups in society do not learn about marginalized groups, within or outside their borders, I fear that stereotypes and prejudices remain pervasive. This is harmful for both groups. 

At the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, I asked a group of approximately 50 educators from the Schools of Education about their perspectives on how teachers do or should incorporate these perspectives, address diversity, and promote intercultural and inclusive environments in their classrooms.  To my surprise, a large amount of the guests wanted to answer and showcase how their schools were addressing these issues.  They provided examples that addressed indigenous populations, citing field trips/pen pal exchanges, issues concerning disabled children, such as education for blind and deaf students, and training programs for teachers that taught them how to deal with diversity and different types of learners.  Their answers made me hopeful at first, but I soon became disheartened when after 7 or 8 responses, not one educator in the room stated that a change in the curriculum had to be made that included different perspectives and represented marginalized groups equally.  This was reinforced by discussions with university students from Bogota, who stated that they had learned nothing about indigenous populations in school, and all they knew they had learned at their university, which some indigenous students attended. 

I find it difficult to articulate an ideal multicultural model for any society because every classroom and teacher is unique, every situation and environment is different, and no matter how good a curriculum or policy may be, there are many levels and steps along the way that could alter, misguide or misinform the purpose or group it is addressing.  At the same time, I do not think it is impossible.  In the case of Colombia, I think it is absolutely imperative that students in urban settings learn about the indigenous peoples of their country.  In the same vein, I think Americans could do better in teaching students about Native Americans, and immigrant and racial/ethnic minority groups in a way that does not reduce them to food, holidays, or stereotypes.  A multicultural education model should be inclusive in a way that puts all cultures on an equal footing.  At the very least, each classroom should provide an environment that gives all students a chance to share and learn from one another.  

Sophia Burton

At the Cartagena Secretariat of Education

Visit with the Secretary of Education in Cartagena

After spending a few days in Bogota, including visits and meetings at the national Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educacion Nacional or MEN), we arrived in Cartagena on Thursday night. First thing Friday morning, we met with the Secretary of Education of Cartagena, Julio Alandete. We also were joined at this meeting and later in the day by the Advisor for Higher Education in Cartagena, Nereyda Correa Rosales. We did not have professional translators or university students with us, so Cassandra translated the entire meeting; normally she only had to do some of the translation, but today she was the only one! We were all impressed.

Julio spoke about the education model in Cartagena, which is part of a new plan for education development (The School is the Center) as a way to build social change. Although it is not visible, Julio told us, actually 60% - 70% of the population is extremely poor. They are working towards “Just One Cartagena."

We learned about the District Education Plan and the different areas they are working on. These include many areas, such as a project to prevent dropout by providing children with food and other supports, a program for adult literacy (which includes literacy, basic education and adult secondary education), and programs focused on technology, etc. Cartagena has also made sure that there are no school fees in any school. The city puts in a lot of funding and support, both from the MEN and additional funding from the mayor and the city.

During the talk we heard about “megaschools” that the city is building – schools that are large, serve many children, and offer support services such as food and activities. Later in the morning we visited the Flor del Campo Megaschool. Cartagena is currently building 20 new schools, and some will be open seven days a week as community centers. Weekend activities will include training on capacity building of families and communities, sports, arts, culture, community development projects, etc.

Cartagena has done a lot of work around adult literacy. The Secretary told us that in the past few years they have had many ceremonies celebrating thousands of adults who have gained literacy skills. They believe that basic literacy is a step towards secondary education. The adult education teachers are paid and contracted by the Secretariat and classes are free to students.

It was great for me to learn more about adult education programs and I was happy to see that Cartagena seems to value the importance of adult education from basic literacy through adult secondary and even post-secondary (which we would learn about later in the day)!

Karen McCabe

Big Beautiful Schools

After a visit to two concession schools on Tuesday, I was looking forward to seeing a public school in Bogota that could present another point of comparison.   Thursday afternoon, after visiting an Escuela Nueva site, we headed off to visit a public school that is supported by a private company – Fundación Crem Helado.  The directions we were given included getting off the bus at a certain point and asking, “Donde está la escuela grande y bonita?” (Where is the big beautiful school?) This proved to be less successful than expected, and so we had a lovely tour of the rural parts of Bogota as the bus spent two hours taking wrong turns and searching for our destination.

When we finally did arrive, the school was in fact big and beautiful.  Located high up in the hills with canals built to channel the water running down the mountain into gardens for students to farm, the school consisted of several large buildings: one for the pre-school and kindergarten, and the others for the elementary and secondary school.  There were large places for gathering and recreation.  During the presentation by the administration and representatives from Fundación Crem Helado, however, we learned the school did not always look like this or run as well. 

This visit provided a look at a different kind of partnership.  At the concession schools we saw examples of schools that were privately managed.  At this school, Colegio Rural Jose Celestrinos Mutis, the school is publicly managed and supported by a private institution. Fundación Crem Helado is just one private company that supports public schools throughout Colombia.  More and more it seems that private companies are making social responsibility a priority and recognizing that education of the community is a great investment for the entire society. 

For Fundación Crem Helado, the process begins with schools contacting the foundation and applying for the partnership.  The partnership then includes 4 – 5 years of organizational and managerial training and support.   There are several steps in the support process including:

1.    Awareness.  A one-year process where the foundation helps the school to identify its areas for improvement, make the physical improvements necessary and develop a strong sense of collaboration between the school and the foundation.
2.    Strategic Plan.  Here the school develops its mission and vision and creates a long-term plan of 5-6 years.
3.    Implementation.  Here the school develops a process map and begins working to reach its established goals.

Throughout all of these steps, the foundation also provides training manuals and monthly classes that include deliverables or homework assignments that the schools must complete and bring to the next class.  For example, one session might be on writing a mission statement and the homework is for the school to bring their mission statement.  The foundation then helps the school to revise and strengthen the mission statement that all the goals and the long-term plan will build upon. 

The school really did seem to be well-managed and nicely kept, and the students and teachers all seemed invested. However, we did not get the opportunity to see any learning taking place, and there was no information presented on student achievement (perhaps because presentations were cut short due to our late arrival).

Questions

•    What is the union’s position on schools with these public-private partnerships?  The union is adamantly against the concession schools because they are privately managed, but does this model provide a compromise that the union can support?

•    While there does not seem to be any financial obligations on the part of the school, the food that was served to us was all from the CremHelado company; therefore, some members of the group were wondering if there are strings attached in this relationship.  Are schools required to promote their partner’s brand, and if so, does this have any negative implications?

•    The foundation explained that some of these partnerships have been more successful than others.  Has the foundation identified characteristics of schools that might indicate that it would benefit from a public-private partnership?  Has the foundation identified characteristics of a school that might suggest it will not benefit from the model?

•    Other than a desire to demonstrate corporate social responsibility – what are the incentives for private organizations to assist public schools?

Kate Cottrell

Federation of Colombian Educators

We had the pleasure of meeting (sadly, very quickly) with Senen Niño, the President of the Federation of Colombian Educators, a union with a membership of 300,000 public educators.  After introducing himself, Senen opened the conversation to questions from the group.

The first half of our conversation focused on the union’s belief that concession schools are one mechanism in the privatization of public education.  His argument against concessions included three issues:  1. Funding inequities – concession schools have higher publicly provided per pupil expenditures; 2. Corruption and manipulation of attendance records – concession schools inflate their attendance records to receive extra public funds; 3. Exploitation of teachers – teachers are constantly worried that their contracts will not be renewed.  Two of these points directly conflicted with our preparatory reading for the trip as well as our meetings with others in Bogota.  We read about the equal per pupil expenditures at concession schools and regular public schools, as equal spending but higher test results were actually highlighted as one of the greatest benefits of the concession model.  When we met with the Alliance on Monday, they explained that they have a problem retaining teachers after spending extensive resources training them, namely because public school teachers are paid higher salaries.  Throughout the conversation, Senen emphasized the importance of universal free public education, and argued that concession schools distracted Colombia from this larger goal.

The second half of the conversation was focused on the tension between the interests of teachers and the interests of students.  Senen described the role of the union as fighting for the improvement of working conditions of teachers.  Although this is generally the role of a labor union, I often have trouble accepting teachers’ unions as typical institutions; I want students to be the center of all educational debates.  Senen reinforced that his role was to protect the interest of teachers, but he provided the example of reducing class size as an issue beneficial to students as well.  He also explained that the Federation organizes student committees at schools and regional meetings for students to share concerns.  He did not, however, speak about some of the fundamental issues that can make unions seem contrary to student interests.

The group left with a few key questions and thoughts:

1.       What are the data sources used by different institutions involved in education reform (i.e., the Ministry, the union, individual schools)?  What are the biases of these different resources?

2.       The analogies between concession schools in Colombia and charter schools in the U.S. were apparent again during this meeting.  Senen mentioned collaborating with unions in the US and Canada.  What issues are these collaborations focused on?

3.       Are there teachers’ unions in other countries that are more clearly focused on representing student interests as well as those of teachers?  Are there other organizations that allow teachers and other stakeholders to take on the role of student advocate?

Jessica

Teacher Education in Colombia 3.16.11

            Monica Lopez, the Director of Quality for Pre-school, Basic and Middle School Education, spent the morning explaining the extent of decentralization of the Colombian education system.  Essentially, the Ministry of Education provides quality guidelines but no curriculum to schools.  Some of the major goals of the Ministry to increase quality are: (i) reduce the drop-out rate, (ii) decrease the gap between rural and urban schools, and (iii) decrease the gap between urban and rural schools.  Furthermore, each institution develops its own improvement plan depending on their internal evaluation.  The Ministry currently faces a grand challenge on how to create an incentive system for improvement in a decentralized system.  Perhaps, something akin to the ‘Race to the Top’ scheme in the U.S. might be an effective means of getting schools at the local level to comply with national goals.

            The Ministry emphasized that their new system aims to get rid of nepotism and the system, and thus teachers are appointed by merit (based on their tests/resume).  Teachers are then assigned to vacant posts.  Initially, there is a probation period (3 years), and even afterwards teachers undergo annual evaluations.  There is a clear track for promotion, and teachers are evaluated based on their (i) skills, (ii) time of service, and (iii) competencies needed for further training.

The President of the Education and School Association then explained the teacher training system in Colombia in more depth.  The organization was founded in 1994, the same year that marks the beginning of major education reforms in the country.  Today, 83 out of 92 institutions are members.  The intent of the teacher training universities is to bring an academic perspective to the field—not just the voice of the teacher union.  Teacher curriculum is developed by a representative committee of faculty and students.  Each teacher must also complete a practicum (student teaching) for at least 2-3 semesters. 

High-school ends at 11^th grade in Colombia, after which you could attend higher education for an additional 2 years and be eligible to teach primary schools, while an additional 4 years translated to eligibility to teach secondary school.  The Ministry explained that there are extensive quality assurance processes in place to ensure that university programs are up to par.  More interestingly, there is now increasing emphasis on teaching diversity in terms of appreciation of indigenous languages and attention to students with disabilities.  In fact, one of the main teacher competencies is being able to communicate effectively in a foreign language.  It’s unclear, however, from our brief exposure to the public school system how much these policies are actually enacted and followed through.    

            One of the deans of a prestigious teacher university brought to our attention a study that found a decrease in applications for acceptance to the mostly private education institutions.  This was explained by socio-economic obstacles, as most students cannot afford the cost of a private university.  Furthermore, there is an over-supply of teachers in big cities, as urban teachers are averse to being placed outside.  Thus, the Ministry is trying to recruit local teachers and train them.  The deans also pointed out that teaching in the public sector has become an attractive option now, and the occupation boasts (gradually) higher rates of retention.

            Just like the U.S., however, the million dollar question is how to attract Colombia’s finest to commit to teaching in the public sector.  The deans posed an interesting question to us regarding how we attract great teachers in the U.S.  We mentioned the Boston Teacher Residency program, which significantly reduces the cost and barriers to entry, as well as the various teaching fellows programs.  It was interesting that they posed the question, since Colombia is in the process of potentially launching a ‘Teach for’ venture.  It was also unclear how difficult the barriers to entry are for a working professional who wants to transition into education.    

            I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of teacher education in the U.S. given the rise of alternative certification programs.  I don’t think Colombia is at that stage yet, but it will be interesting to see if education reforms ignite the creation of more alternative certification programs and whether these programs will be of higher quality than the traditional route of certification.

Ay-Nur