The Social Benefits of Learning: early identification, importance of good parenting and the need to take a wide view of what education consists

 Resources displayed below are from the UK, USA and Canada

1.  The Report "The Social Benefits of Learning: A summary of key research findings"

The report has much interesting and wide ranging information and concludes:

Our research confirms that education has wide-ranging and sizeable effects that extend well beyond the economy and the labour market. While these wider outcomes may also have knock-on economic impacts (for example, through reducing costs of health care or crime), it is important to remember that they enhance the quality of life, not only for individuals, but also for society.

WBL(Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning) research points to the importance of education throughout the lifecourse. It also illustrates the predictive power of academic, social and psychological assessments that can be carried  out in primary and secondary schools. In our view it would be socially and economically inefficient  and morally unacceptable - to ignore this very high level of capacity to identify early on those at risk of high-cost, high-harm outcomes.

 Another key message is that children's chances of educational success are significantly increased if they have parents who support their learning (this positive effect is seen, irrespective of the parents social class, education or wealth). Developing parents skills as the first teacher will therefore do a great deal to reduce inequalities.

The findings in this report also support the argument that a narrow focus on academic achievement is ill-advised. It limits the capacity of the education system to encourage children to engage in learning and to experience it in ways that will encourage lifelong participation. It may even limit attainment levels in terms of narrowly defined cognitive skills. This point is now generally well-understood within policy-making circles but it bears re-iteration.

If we fail to recognise this, we may also fail to capitalise fully on the benefits that education hasto offer not only this generation, but those to come.

From  the Report: The Social and Personal Benefits of Learning: A summary of Key Research Findings by Leon Feinstein, David Budge, John Vorhaus and Kathryn Duckworth ,Centre for Research on the
Wider Benefits of Learning, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way,
London WC1H 0AL
ISBN: 978-0-9559488-0-0n
web site with  updates: www.learningbenefits.net

2. A study on similar themes from the USA  The Impact of Educational Quality on 

the Community can be found at

http://www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/DB562/ 


Canadian Sources:


3 The high cost to society through health, crime, and lost income of students dropping out of school is  discussed in the Canadian Council on Learning: Lessons in Learning:The High Cost Of Dropping Out http://www.ccl-cca.ca/CCL/Reports/LessonsInLearning/LinL20090204CostofDroppingout.htm?Language=EN
There is also a full report "Cost Estimates of Dropping Out of High School" by Olena Hankivsky 2008 prepared for the Canadian Council on Learning.

4.  Using the International Adult Literacy Survey, a survey that tests functional literacy levels, researchers at the Centre for International Statistics and the Canadian Council on Social Development have been able to demonstrate that there is an established 

“link between literacy and economic security, showing that Canadians with weaker literacy skills are more likely to be unemployed, work in lower-paying jobs, and live in low-income households."

5. January 2008 Human Resources and Social Development Report, Canada:
In 2002 high school graduates earned an average of 1.3 times more than those without a high school diploma. 
Higher education levels contribute to financial security through higher earnings, higher earnings growth, lower job loss risk, greater accumulation of net worth, and higher income in retirement. For example those with education completed after secondary school earn $23,000 annually more than those who have just a high school diploma.