Feminist professor Becky Francis to lead shake-up of national curriculum, Government announces
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/07/19/feminist-professor-francis-shake-up-national-curriculum/?utm_content=telegraph&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1TzFjJmVb94r21tiLkUBbUUR4iXnBY-HKcsQv1DiDvwETxaNnBADO-KUA_aem_NZuG_bjPfHNYq1F0x1kY7Q#Echobox=1721389057
Posted by SojournerInThisVale
19 Comments
I’m sure a feminist professor will have the interests of white working-class boys, our lowest performing demographic, at heart.
Personally I’m interested in whether they’re going to remain with a focus on a knowledge based education or whether they’re going to revert to a skills based curriculum. The tories shifted us over to the former with some good results. Welsh Labour and the SNP fully embraced the skills approach and the results have been poor. The comments in the article about an ‘outdated’ curriculum, as well as the appointment of Jacqui Smith as an education minister, suggest we could be seeing a return to a ‘skills based’ curriculum, unfortunately.
It seems that the term “feminist” might be off-putting to a lot of people, especially when it seems more “humanist” in its approach nowadays. Feminism seems less about liberating women and more about helping all people to become equal. Maybe that is an optimistic take, but that is my experience.
Most of her body of work seems to be focusing on elevating the performance of girls and getting more of them into STEM. This certainly isn’t the primary issue in schools right now since boys are performing terribly. Hopefully her changes account for this and don’t focus on the themes of her previous work.
Seems there’s no details about what this changes might entail so too early to comment but I have doubts about a person who has focused their publications on feminism and ethnic minorities.
ITT: men who didn’t bother reading past the deliberately incendiary Torygraph headline.
And so it begins whenever there is a new government education has to change, I hope this isn’t just change for the sake of change.
I am confused about one thing. I am a university professor and it is standard procedure to call faculty members Professor so and so (usually as a kind way to avoid revealing a faculty member’s credentials – whether they have a PhD or just a Master’s degree). I have a PhD, so I am also Dr. so and so, but if I were no longer a faculty member I would no longer be Professor so and so, just Dr. so and so. Is Becky Francis still a professor at an institution of learning? It seems from the piece that she is in charge of a non-profit or something, which would make her a PhD (I’m assuming), but not a professor. She is still referred to as Professor Francis throughout the piece.
lol gonna send young white men right into the hands of Nigel Farage. Fucking idiots. More women are starting to go into the field of Science, IT and stuff this is just going to polarise people.
For those not in the know the EEF which she is CEO of is a group which do systematic reviews of literature and their quality to suggest better ways of teaching inline with Psychology and educational research…so a good person to head this up probably
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk
Since the election the telegraph has turned up it’s hateful rhetoric. God I hope the sale doesn’t go through and it folds to nothing. Burn it to the ground.
Taking a quick look at her background and I’m glad she’s an actual feminist and not just some random TERF given the way things are going these days. Highly doubt we’ll see any section 28 bullshit from her if she has a choice.
You have to give labour credit they get their ideological ally straight onto reforming the curricilum on week 2 of the new government. The Tories just whined about woke in public instititons for 14 years and never did anything about it.
I feel like a central problem in education is how boys and girls are thrust together with similar expectations without recognising how different the two genders are at those ages
I was always jealous of girls’ levels of concentration and found just being in a classroom with them distracting anyway
>Francis, Becky (1998). Power plays: primary school children’s constructions of gender, power, and adult work.
So a social constructivist who views everything through the lens of power… great.
Somehow I don’t think she will be addressing the attainment gap between boys and girls… except if it somehow advances her own social goals.
Having read the article a lot of the things they’re advocating for are good ideas, especially making trusts follow the curriculum, they should be allowed to go above and beyond for extra enrichment activities but having a baseline they must teach is a good thing, I would be wary about dictating too much though and allow them room in how to teach but just setting the what, I.e teach about an ancient empire but don’t define if it’s Rome, Greece, Egypt or Mesopotamia for example
No doubt the continued demonisation of boys will persuade them to join the fold, and not flock to the hands of Tate & Farage.
Considering it’s boys underperforming which would demonstrate girls are getting better assistance and generally paying more attention. Hopefully the changes would make it so it helps boys. There’s so much negativity around boys/men and being one that I’d like to she her shock everyone and make improvements for everyone not just girls.
Add on top boys are having to fight even harder to get places in college, uni and work because businesses have decided they want to employee women in some male dominant industries.
Imagine being a young man excited about STEM knowing no one wants to help you or give you a job, meanwhile a girl at your school is getting gifted everything because of her sex. Very motivating isn’t it. This is why I hope she shocks people and helps everyone.
A lot of the books will need reprinting, someone is gonna make a fortune. Follow the money.
She has excellent credentials and this is such a dumb take from the Torygraph if it’s meant to be inflammatory
EEF and Becky herself have had excellent cross party support