Suchergebnisse

In 2000, the OECD began the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds. For each survey, Canadian students placed well above the OECD average and remain among the top performers for each domain assessed (reading, math and science). Canada is unique by the very large size of students' samples because education policy is decided by each of ten provincial governments. This paper investigates neglected issues related specifically to 15-year-old students' educational achievement across Canadian provinces. The analysis estimates empirically across provinces the link between the family background, measured by socioeconomic status (SES), and educational skills measured by PISA test scores in reading and math. The SES used is more conventional then the arbitrary character of the index developed by PISA. First, average gaps in students' educational attainment between the lower and top SES quintiles, across provinces and years, provide evidence on the SES gradient in literacy and numeracy competencies. Second, gradients are estimated over the entire achievement distribution (SES gaps over nine deciles) for Canada and across provinces. The third research question relates to proficiency levels and socio-economic gradient, a forgotten subject but a decisive factor for later educational and economic success of young adults. The fourth research question assesses the trends in socio-economic inequalities from the lorgnette of skills measured over five PISA waves (2000 to 2012). Results show large socioeconomic differences in average PISA reading and math scores across provinces. There are wide-ranging variations in the size of score gaps in the SES family background, a proxy for the extent of inequality of opportunities. Quintiles regression estimates expound that the gaps move up and down over the achievement decile scores distribution, and across provinces and waves for both reading and math scores. The association between family background and proficiency levels in both main domain tests is strong, with estimates illustrating significantly large socioeconomic gradients. Summary statistics and estimates on scores changes in bottom and top SES quintiles across provinces suggest that children's reading and math skills are still heavily linked to their family background.

In this article, we document the trends in cognitive skills gaps across Canada. We use Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test scores over seven cycles, from 2000 to 2018, to provide an exhaustive portrait of the trends in the test score distribution over time and the score gaps by parental socio-economic status (SES). We find that the achievement gap between top-performing students (90th percentile) and students facing challenges (10th percentile) is large and represents more than four years of schooling. We also show that socio-economic differences in PISA scores for reading, mathematics, and science are large but generally stable over time. There are variations in SES score gaps by province, a proxy for the extent of inequality of opportunities, but these variations are not large.

Schools have been closed across the country and will remain closed until September in most provinces. The decision to reopen should take into account current inequalities in cognitive skills across the country and the impact of school interruptions on knowledge accumulation. In this article, we use information from a companion article to estimate the socioeconomic achievement gaps of 15-year-olds across Canada and assess the impact of the pandemic on inequalities in education. Using estimates from the literature on the impact of school closures, we find that the socioeconomic skills gap measured using Programme for International Student Assessment data could increase by more than 30 percent.

Cette étude suggère des mesures à adopter dans le cadre de la révision de la politique sociale du Canada, afin d'accroître les sommes consacrées aux enfants. Ces mesures découlent du point de vue critique adopté quant aux résultats de l'application des mesures de sécurité du revenu et d'une analyse du bien-être économique réel des enfants. Les auteurs font ressortir les principales transformations familiales survenues au Canada durant les vingt dernières années et décrivent la situation économique des enfants dans une perspective temporelle. Le bilan présenté repose sur des microdonnées de coupes transversales relatives aux revenus et aux caractéristiques socio-économiques d'un très large échantillon de familles canadiennes.

A comparison of labor union protests against Renault's decision to close its plant at Vilvoorde, Belgium, with actions by unemployed workers across Europe points out differences in how they were portrayed as "European" by the media. It is noted that the intense media coverage of the Vilvoorde mobilization focused on transnational aspects of the collective action, labeling it a "Eurostrike." Examination of two marches organized by the European Network of the Unemployed in 1997 & 1999 indicates that significant media coverage was given to the first march & references were made to its European nature. In contrast, the second march received little positive coverage, suggesting that the link between the Europeanization of protests & media framing of them as European is not automatic, & media framing of an action as "European" does not guarantee its success. It is contended that these differences are affected by the internal dynamics of each movement; changing cultural understandings of the EU's relevance; the degree of participants' self-identification as "European;" & the process of consciousness-raising. 3 Tables, 1 Figure. J. Lindroth

A comparison of labor union protests against Renault's decision to close its plant at Vilvoorde, Belgium, with actions by unemployed workers across Europe points out differences in how they were portrayed as "European" by the media. It is noted that the intense media coverage of the Vilvoorde mobilization focused on transnational aspects of the collective action, labeling it a "Eurostrike." Examination of two marches organized by the European Network of the Unemployed in 1997 & 1999 indicates that significant media coverage was given to the first march & references were made to its European nature. In contrast, the second march received little positive coverage, suggesting that the link between the Europeanization of protests & media framing of them as European is not automatic, & media framing of an action as "European" does not guarantee its success. It is contended that these differences are affected by the internal dynamics of each movement; changing cultural understandings of the EU's relevance; the degree of participants' self-identification as "European;" & the process of consciousness-raising. 3 Tables, 1 Figure. J. Lindroth