Crib sheet 19.10.10

"I doubt any other area of publicly funded activity will fare as badly as universities in the spending review as universities," writes Steve Smith, president of Universities UK in a column for Education Guardian on the eve of the spending review. Smith accuses the government of planning to abandon state funding of higher education entirely, with the exception of a few priority subjects - which is why Lord Browne was at such pains last week to insist that students and their parents are going to have to cough up . We ask other prominent academics: What will universities be like 10 years from now? Danny Dorling, human geography professor at Sheffield, predicts "a lot of disappointed mums". Watch out for news of the TUC-organised Westminster rally against the cuts later today. Quote of the week Catherine Bennett locates the psychological origins of the Browne report in its author's recent memoirs. She recounts: He was with friends, walking through Cambridge, when they met one of his professors, the eminent physicist Brian Pippard. "He turned to his colleague and said, 'This is Browne. He is going to be a captain of industry. Isn't that amusing?'" Too late now for Professor Pippard to appreciate the long-term consequences, this anecdote prompts a still-smarting passage in Browne's memoir: "There was an unspoken but firm prejudice in the Cambridge environment that business was a waste of potential for high-fliers. It was considered vulgar." Report card Two must-reads about schools this week. First up is Mike Baker on Kipp schools , a US model much admired by Michael Gove. They've had extraordinary successes - 85% on free school meals, yet 90% ending up in college. But studies have shown their high-powered approach produces a lot of dropouts too. Bill Gates has blogged about Kipp schools. He's impressed, but amazed at the demands placed on their admittedly well-paid staff: "A teacher has to be a real performer and very dedicated to the kids to teach the way that Kipp expects. The amount of time they spend with the kids really is unbelievable. Between the long day (7:30 to 5) and every other Saturday and three summer weeks it is 60% more than normal schools. In addition the teachers are asked to let the kids call them any time." And our second fascinating school story comes from another educational pioneer, Sugata Mitra, who writes about his radical strategy to let pupils educate themselves using computers . What is most extraordinary is that his method is producing impressive results in the most far-flung and underdeveloped regions of the world. On the margins The Improbable Researchers have come up with a scientific way to unnerve power freaks : 1. Place yourself and your mate in front of your pet megalomaniac while they are making a speech. 2. Show obvious signs of boredom and communicate your disengagement to your mate. 3. Watch Mr Control Freak start sweating. You want the science bit? You got it . What you said Are parents to blame for bad behaviour in schools ? Jessica Shepherd asked in a blog last week. The NUT's Christine Blower had told MPs that parents frequently set a bad example to their children, for example, by encouraging them to "hit back". That did not go down well with many our readers, who turned out to big fans of a bit of physical retaliation. Here's Cameronmoonface: "I have 2 children in a state primary school. I'm also a parent governer for that school. The teachers frequently complain that there in not enough cover in the playground during breaks to enable them to see everything that's going on. It's all well and good for some to say that it's wrong for children to be advised to hit back, but I'm afraid I'd rather my son or daughter protected themselves against a pasting from a bully rather than wait for a teacher to come to their aid. Get real. Are we not allowed to tell our children to stand up for themselves?" Guardian stories of the day Joanna Moorhead takes her daughter to uni . The twist? It's the very same university she went to herself 30 years ago. Who can afford to be an apprentice ? Young people struggle to live on a typical wage of £100 a week Unfinished business: The plight of the medical students who can't complete their training Mark Corney: What will the spending review mean for over-16s? Why do bosses earn so much? Surprise answer: they're generally worth it Education maintenance allowances for poor teenagers are likely to be dropped Stories from around the web Cambridge University may go private , according to the Telegraph Teachers say citizenship lessons may disappear , reports the BBC The Independent tells us that four out of five education authorities are planning to shed staff A college is so confident its students will succeed, it is offering £5,000 to anyone that fails their A-levels Best of the blogs Two great blogs on pupil premiums. A thoughtful analysis from Warwick Mansell, who points out that it's not as if children on free school meals weren't getting any extra cash under Labour. He warns that schools with the highest number of deprived children could end up worse off. And a masterful tirade from Teacher Talks : "This policy - a lone investment in a desolate landscape of cuts - is designed to end (yes, end!) the scandal that is the age-old relationship between parental wealth and life chances of a child. The reality? It won't even touch the sides." Careers advice From day one at university, students can start gathering the skills and experience they'll need once they hit the jobs market. This afternoon between 1 and 4, a panel of careers advisers and student experts will be on the Guardian website to tell you how. The session is called " What can undergraduates do to start preparing for their careers? " and you can start submitting questions now. More education links EducationGuardian.co.uk All today's EducationGuardian stories EducationGuardian on Twitter Judy Friedberg on Twitter Jeevan Vasagar on Twitter Jessica Shepherd on Twitter Online learning and teaching resources from Learn Job vacancies in education Sign up to get Crib sheet as an email on Tuesdays To advertise in the Crib sheet email, contact Cal Roscow on 0203 353 2672 or email [email protected]