Reports

Teachers should be aware that although there are many different perspectives on ADHD, there is ample scientific evidence affirming its existence and its detrimental impact on individuals. Classroom practices can make a difference for children with ADHD.

Jamaicans have long been concerned about investment in and the equity of the education sector. Yet, contrary to
popular belief, the problem is not solely about money. Between 2005 and 2010, public investment in education as a
percent of GDP increased from 5.3 to 6.1 percent, more than the average for developed countries (5.2%). Most of
Jamaica’s children attend school at least through lower secondary, and the country has a robust assessment system,
which incorporates both national and school-based assessment.

However, low test scores at all levels of the Jamaican education system suggest that there are gaps in the system
that negatively impact the learning outcomes of many students. Poor children are particularly ill-served. Children in
prep schools—privately run primary level institutions usually attended by children from upper socio-economic groups
—outperform their counterparts in the public school system in all five Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) subjects,
sometimes by as much as 30 percentage points. Approximately 90% of the poorest persons have no secondary or
post-secondary certification compared with only 56% of the wealthiest.

Varying resources among schools remains a challenge. It is not uncommon to find better performing schools with more than one computer lab, wi-fi, and furnished school libraries co-existing with schools with a bare minimum number of computers, no library and severe overcrowding.

High levels of per pupil spending on tertiary primarily benefit students from wealthier households since few students from poorer households reach this level.

New systems for assessing school performance currently being implemented should help identify pressing needs and target resources to where they are most needed while ensuring accountability. Mechanisms for annual monitoring at the school level, including a more structured use of data from national tests and curriculum guidelines, will be critical to this process. However, it remains to be seen how well these systems will work in practice. Teachers’ education levels have improved, but making sure skills learned in training are applied in the classroom also remains a challenge.

The following table offers a summary of nine critical dimensions of education in Jamaica. For each of these topics, the table presents the current status (grade) and the prospects for progress (trend arrow). The evaluation, although necessarily subjective, is based on the best data available and is intended as a starting point for a shared conversation on needed improvements. All players, including the Ministry, parents, students, administrators, teachers, employers and community leaders have a part to play in ensuring students learn. Setting and enforcing standards that clearly lay out the resources and mechanisms needed to guarantee learning would go a long way toward providing Jamaican children with the education they need and deserve. The possibilities exist for us to build on the strong foundation we have laid over the years to provide all Jamaican children with a world-class education and unearth our nation’s potential. Success depends on us accepting that “we all can act and we all must act”. When we do, the possibilities are endless.

ABSTARCT

“Education for all,” or inclusive education, appears to be, on the one hand, a new educational philosophy aimed at creating an educational environment conducive to all special learning needs of students in primary education but, on the other hand, in its implementation, it is also an innovative educational strategy with many consequences and implications for the existing education structure at all educational levels. This monograph explores the possibilities of the implementation of inclusive special needs education as educational philosophy and innovative strategy in the Commonwealth Caribbean. This exploration is based on prevalence data of special needs students in the primary and special education system; data on service delivery to special needs students; and the availability of teachers both for special education and for a support delivery system. On the basis of these data, it looks at the different implications for the primary and special education systems. If inclusive special needs education for all children is to be implemented, it appears that a paradigm shift in primary education from mostly curriculum-oriented education to a more pupil-oriented education is necessary
and, in special education, from a pupil-oriented education to a more support- and resource-oriented education.

The exploration leads to the conclusion that implementation of inclusive special needs education would be feasible if there was a support and resource system in place for the primary education system. The most feasible model for full implementation of inclusive special needs education is the use of the principle of placing special needs children in the least restrictive environment within the framework of a continuum of educational services; the existing special education system should be part of this continuum of educational services. Some of these services already exist in Commonwealth Caribbean countries. In order to develop and implement such a non-segregated, inclusive special needs education system, a comprehensive approach and strategy, with a great deal of ingenuity and persistence on the part of all those involved, is necessary, especially the “active agents” in this process, namely, the management of the schools, the teachers, and parents who should be part of the decisionmaking process.

This report is mainly based on an analysis of the progress found in over 300 HMIE follow-through inspections on which reports were published between 2005 and 2008. The work was undertaken in schools in which we had  previously identified important or major weaknesses in key aspects. In those follow-through inspections we found much evidence of improvement and were able in most cases to disengage from further inspection activity in connection with the original inspection. This report identifies the key factors which led to improvement. It also draws on evidence from other HMIE tasks which identified successful approaches to school improvement.