Published Monday, May 17, 2004
Don’t Cry for Me, GSE
Range of Scholars Unite for Conference on Education in Argentina
By Valeria Fontanals and Maria Paz Ferreres

Domingo F. Sarmiento, considered Argentina’s “father of education,” was inspired by his trip to Boston in the late 19th century. On Saturday, April 24th, another group dedicated to improving educational opportunities in Argentina gathered in the area for inspiration. Sarmiento’s inspiration came from Horace and Mary Peabody Mann and led him to introduce several progressive education policies in Argentina while this group sought inspiration from each other.

This conference, inspired by Sarmiento’s pioneering work and organized by the Harvard Argentine Society, created a forum to engage researchers, policy makers, students, and other guests in a dialogue concerning current Argentine educational practices and possible reforms. Interested students from across Harvard University, Babson, and Columbia’s Teachers College came together with professionals and reserachers to share their research and learn from experts.

Milagros Nores and Juan Diego Alonso, Ph.D. students from Columbia University, presented their current research on decentralization and financing of education in Argentina, and Juan Pepa, MBA candidate from Babson, and Veronica Martini, Ed.M. from Harvard, discussed involving communities in educational improvement through nonprofits entrepreneurship.

Former Secretary of Education of Argentina, Gustavo Iaies, discussed the tensions involved in constructing education policies for Argentina during the last decade. The big educational issues such quality versus access, using research to guide policy, and homogeneity versus heterogeneity continue to be debated during policy discussions in Argentina, much like in the rest of the world.

One of the day’s highlights involved a videoconference with another former Minister of Education, Juan Llach who is currently leading a research team on the equality of educational opportunities in the country. He presented his preliminary results illustrating a large gap in opportunity based on socioeconomic status, but found that the gap is narrowing. He described a variety of variables that impact educational outcomes and discussed implications for further research.

In the closing address Fernando Reimers, associate professor of International Education Policy at HGSE, emphasized the importance of staying focused on the purpose of education and keeping it at the center of reform discussions. He noted that Sarmiento aspired to promote democracy through education. Reimers challenged that schools carry on the important responsibility of educating children for citizenship, building social capital, and preparing students to live fulfilling lives.