Peter Mortimore. What do we expect of education? Do schools need to improve? Australian reforms...

Peter Mortimore

What do we expect of education? Do schools need to improve? Australian reforms English reforms Other system models including Finland & USA

Some comparative data A way forward Conclusions.

Skills for employmentKnowledgeRespectA trained mindEmpathy and imaginationAppreciation Character

• .

No Done a good job up to now - why mess with them?

Yes National economies need to improve Too many young people are handicapped by school failure

All institutions need to keep improving or they start to decline.

‘Tough action against failing schools’ ‘Sacking principals & teachers’ ‘Individual school report cards’ “We should not tolerate underachievement”

‘Parents should vote with their feet – move their children out of unsatisfactory schools.’

Strengths◦Designed to improve children’s achievement

◦Intended to lessen achievement gap

Weaknesses◦Overly focused on accountability & dominated by testing

◦Possibly imbued by anti-teacher attitudes

◦Insufficiently radical.

Ongoing since 1988◦Removal of local authority powers◦Abolition of HMI & creation of OFSTED◦Changes to Teacher Training◦National Curriculum◦New types of schools –Technology, Faith,

Specialist and Academies◦Marketisation of schooling based on

League Tables◦High stakes assessments.

QualificationsCompetitive entranceTesting as part of learningTesting as part of accountability

National monitoringHigh stakes testing.

[Base line testing @ age 5] Key stage SATs @ 7, 11,(14)

GCSE @ 16 Intermediate A/S levels @ 17 A levels @ 18

On average each student will take over 100 formal tests or examinations (Bethan Marshall)

Teaching to test Turning learners off Unreliability Collusion and even cheating Stressed children/parents Huge costs Lack of reliability Negative effects of league tables on all aspects of schooling.

Denmark◦ Interdisciplinarity

Flemish Belgium◦ Freedom to experiment

Norway◦ Comprehensive 16-19 education

Scotland & Wales◦ Increasingly different to English model.

Comprehensive systemNo streaming or settingNo inspections or national testing

5 year university based teacher education

Trust and esteem.

Great aspirations◦Every child will get a good start…◦Raise standards to exceed global ones…

Methods◦Encourage debate◦Sensible use of resources◦“Confront data” – “Hold schools accountable”

◦District Report card – paradox.

PISA 2000 - 2006

0

5

10

15

20

25

Fin Kor Aus Neth Swed Den Pol UK Ger Fra Nor

4.85.7

13.415.1 15.3 16 16.2

1920.1

21.8 22.4

Order Country AVERAGE RANK (LOWEST = BEST)

1 Netherlands 4.2

2 Sweden 5

3 Denmark 7.2

4 Finland 7.5

7 Norway 8.7

11 Germany 11.2

14 Poland 12.3

16 France 13

20 USA 18

21 UK 18.2

Quality Equity Within a lifelong learning perspective

Max autonomy within clear limits Contestability of curriculum/methods

Constant search for improvement.

Optimistic, ambitious & fairTeaching seen as a worthwhile profession

High quality teacher educationBalanced collaboration & competition

Constant opportunities for experiment & innovations.

Universal preschool educationReading recoverySupport for immigrants groups and minorities

Second chance opportunitiesAdopting a general ‘culture of evaluation.’

Build on strengths of existing system Work with teachers not against them Include the pupils in the planning Evoke a culture of evaluation in all schools Ensure that needs of disadvantaged are addressed Use tests to support learning not for accountability Establish monitoring procedures Reserve powers of intervention Encourage innovation & experiments Avoid league tables.

The scope of effective schooling◦ “I had nothing but my school; but having my

school, I had everything” Ernest Barker 1953

And its limits ◦ “Education cannot compensate for society” Basil

Bernstein 1970

The challenge for schools & school systems◦ To do all that is possible (and a little bit more)

within the context of a society’s culture.