Reviews of National Policies for Education Reviews of National Policies for Education : Chile 2004.

282 Pages·2004·1.49 MB·English

by  OECD

«
Reviews of National Policies for Education Reviews of National
Chile Policies for Education
Chile
Education has been a central priority for Chile since the return of a democratic
government in 1990. Thanks to a sustained economic growth and a commitment
to increasing public investment in education, Chile has made a number of key
improvements to the education system during this period. A recent reform ensures
twelve years of free and compulsory schooling for all Chilean children. Enrolment
in secondary education has expanded rapidly and teachers’ salaries have
increased by 140%. If current trends are anything to go by, more than
800 000 students will be enrolled in higher education by 2010. Chile has achieved
a great deal in a short period, becoming the leader in Latin America for improving
the quality of, and access to, all levels of education.
Reviews of National Policies for Education: Chile covers the entire system of
Chilean education from pre-school through tertiary education and lifelong learning
for all, and analyses it in terms of its economic, social and political impact.
The review is based on the OECD’s ongoing co-operation with non-member
economies around the world. It is particularly interesting for those involved in
educational policy as well as professionals directly working in the education
system of Chile.
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CENTRE FOR CO-OPERATION WITH NON-MEMBERS
Reviews of National Policies for Education
Chile
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT
ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION
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Publié en français sous le titre:
Chili
© OECD 2004
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FOREWORD
Chile embarked on wide ranging social and economic reforms in 1990 and
the talents, skills and knowledge base of the Chilean population are crucial in
this process; hence the ambitious scale of the reforms for education of the last
decade. Education has been a central priority of Chile since the return of a
democratic government in 1990. Chile has been a leader in Latin America for
improving the quality of and access to education at all levels of the system.
This report offers a comprehensive picture of the significant progress in
education reform during the last decade. Changes have occurred in the contents
of instruction (a new structure and content of curricula), the system of
education, institutions (a new vocational school network and a wider range of
tertiary education opportunities), education provision (extension to a 12 year
compulsory cycle and a 6 hour school day), improved textbooks, use of
technology (a very sophisticated distance education system and provision of
ICT equipment to schools), teacher policies (upgrading of pre-service teacher
training linked to important salary increases for teachers), and a wide range of
programmes to increase access to education for minority and lower income
populations. The OECD report provides and overview of the impressive
forward thinking and steadfast application of education reform in Chile, and
supports these national strategies and offers advice on issues of access, equity,
quality, ICT and decentralisation of management and financing responsibilities.
Against the background report prepared by the Chilean authorities (Part I
of this volume) and information supplied in meetings in the course of site visits
(Antofagasta, Calama, San Pedro de Atacama, Temuco, Nueva Imperial and
Concepción), the examiners’ report covers the entire system of Chilean
education from pre-school through tertiary education and lifelong learning for
all. The report gives an analysis of these sectors in light of the economic, social
and political context of Chile. The final chapter brings together in the form of a
synthesis those specific recommendations and sets out how policies can and
should be addressed system-wide, linked to priority issues of access and equity,
student evaluation, pre- and in-service teacher training, and efficient use of
resources.
3
This review of education policy was undertaken within the framework of
the Latin American Regional Programme of the OECD Centre for Co-operation
with Non Members (CCNM) and was financed by the Chilean authorities with
additional in-kind assistance from Ontario, Canada. The conclusions and
recommendations were discussed at the Education Committee on 27 October
2003 in Paris. The Chilean delegation was headed by Minister Sergio Bitar and
included Cristián Cox, Pablo Gonzales, Ignacio Jara and Ana-María Quiroz.
Members of the review team were: Martin Carnoy (United States),
Rapporteur, Stanford University; John Coolahan (Ireland) National University
of Ireland, Maynooth; Fernando Reimers (Venezuela) Harvard University;
Sylvia Schmelkes del Valle (Mexico) Secretariat for Public Education and Chair
of the CERI Governing Board; Simon Schwartzman (Brazil) former President
of the Brazilian Statistical and Geographical Institute; Greg Woodburn
(Australia) University of Technology, Sydney; Judith Wright (Canada)
Assistant Deputy Minister of Education, Ontario; and Ian Whitman (OECD
Secretariat).
This volume is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of
the OECD.
Eric Burgeat
Director
Centre for Co-operation with Non-Members

4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD..................................................................................................3
Part One EVALUATING CHILE’S EDUCATIONAL
POLICIES 1990-2003.....................................................................................9
PREFACE.....................................................................................................11
Chapter 1 THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN THE 1990s:
ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE, POLICIES AND RESULTS............13
Chile’s school system: structure, enrolment, administrative
categories, public and private funding.......................................................13
Structure.................................................................................................13
Enrolment...............................................................................................14
Administrative categories of schools.....................................................14
Funding..................................................................................................15
Structure, coverage and issues in higher education...................................17
Institutions..............................................................................................17
Coverage................................................................................................17
Equity.....................................................................................................18
Quality....................................................................................................18
Financing................................................................................................19
Curricular reform...................................................................................19
Educational policies in the 1990s..............................................................19
Continuity and rupture...........................................................................20
Policy dimensions and components.......................................................20
Three strategic components involved in changing
learning opportunities................................................................................22
The Enlaces (Links) Project: the reform’s information technology
programme.............................................................................................22
Curriculum reform.................................................................................28
Full school day.......................................................................................30
Results of the policies from the 1990s.......................................................33
Access and coverage..............................................................................33
Changes in teaching practices................................................................35
Learning results......................................................................................37
5
Chapter 2 FIVE STRATEGIC ISSUES: TEACHERS, EQUITY,
ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT, TECHNICAL
EDUCATION AND EVALUATION...........................................................45
Teachers.....................................................................................................45
Teachers’ characteristics in 2002...........................................................46
Policies in the 1990s: on the job protection and wage increases...........47
The policies of the 1990s: teacher training and
professional development......................................................................52
Critical knots..........................................................................................55
Equity.........................................................................................................57
Educational opportunities and equity.....................................................57
Education’s inequity as an educational policy problem.........................65
Administration and management...............................................................68
Municipal administration.......................................................................68
Critical knots and problems in municipal education..............................72
The basic unit of administration.............................................................74
Technical Education..................................................................................76
Technical education at the secondary level............................................76
Technical training at the tertiary (post-secondary) level........................81
Evaluation..................................................................................................84
SIMCE tests...........................................................................................85
International measures...........................................................................85
Current uses of the SIMCE....................................................................86
Current challenges and questions...........................................................89
BIBLIOGRAPHY.........................................................................................91
Part Two EXAMINERS’ REPORT..............................................................97
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION: THE POLICY SETTING............................99
The setting for the review..........................................................................99
The mission..............................................................................................103
The organisation of the report..................................................................106
Chapter 2 THE TEACHING CAREER AND TEACHER EDUCATION.107
Background..............................................................................................107
The changing policy context....................................................................108
Profile of the teaching force....................................................................111
Teacher evaluation...................................................................................117
Challenges of the reform agenda.............................................................119
Teachers and the reform agenda..............................................................122
Support for teachers and pupils...............................................................125
Initial teacher education...........................................................................127
6
Continuing professional development for teachers.................................137
Educational research................................................................................143
Recommendations...................................................................................145
The teaching force................................................................................145
Initial teacher education.......................................................................146
Induction of teachers............................................................................148
Continuing professional development of teachers...............................148
Educational research............................................................................148
Chapter 3 STUDENT EVALUATION.......................................................151
Introduction.............................................................................................151
National Evaluation Programme (SIMCE)..........................................153
International assessment......................................................................160
Recommendations................................................................................161
Chapter 4 INCENTIVES, EDUCATIONAL MARKETS,
AND EFFICIENCY....................................................................................163
Is Chile’s system of subsidising private education an efficient
means to increasing student achievement?..............................................164
Would more competition among schools improve student achievement?168
Are private subsidised schools more effective than municipal schools?.170
Do achievement-based teacher pay incentives raise
student achievement?...............................................................................173
Conclusions and recommendations.........................................................175
Chapter 5 SECONDARY EDUCATION...................................................179
Introduction.............................................................................................179
The reforms of the 1990s.........................................................................181
Reform achievements in the secondary school system............................183
Summary..................................................................................................184
Secondary vocational education in Chile................................................185
Improving the skills of the Chilean work force...................................185
Reform initiatives for improving work skills.......................................186
Vocational education in the secondary schools prior to the reforms.......188
Key features of the reforms in vocational education...............................190
Enrolments, expenditure and school performance...................................192
Performance of the system.......................................................................194
Some key issues facing vocational education..........................................195
Maintaining relevance..........................................................................196
Improving quality.................................................................................197
Measuring success................................................................................200
Higher technical education......................................................................202
Conclusions.............................................................................................203
7
Recommendations...................................................................................204
Chapter 6 HIGHER EDUCATION............................................................205
Introduction.............................................................................................205
Historical development............................................................................206
Policies in the 1990s................................................................................207
Financing.................................................................................................208
Growth and segmentation........................................................................209
Quality assurance.....................................................................................212
The Labour market for graduates............................................................213
Supply and demand..............................................................................214
Efficiency.................................................................................................218
Graduate education and research.............................................................223
Conclusions and recommendations.........................................................225
Specific recommendations.......................................................................228
Chapter 7 EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN IN CHILE......231
Education policies and equity..................................................................233
Principal strengths of the educational reform fostering equity................235
What is the case in Chile?........................................................................239
Weak points in Chilean educational policy concerning equity................240
The view from the classroom. What do students learn in
Chilean schools?......................................................................................247
Looking at policy from the vantage point of the school..........................250
Structures and management and equity...................................................253
Does the highly privatised basic education system work
at cross-purposes with equity?.................................................................254
The administrative weaknesses................................................................257
Social traditions.......................................................................................258
Recommendations...................................................................................262
Chapter 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.....................265
Conclusions.............................................................................................265
Recommendations...................................................................................268
Teacher initial education......................................................................269
Teacher professional development.......................................................270
Student evaluation................................................................................271
Secondary education............................................................................272
Higher education..................................................................................273
Equality of opportunity to learn...........................................................274
BIBLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................................277
8
Part One
EVALUATING CHILE’S EDUCATIONAL POLICIES 1990-2003
Background Report Prepared by the Chilean Authorities