Developing ESD: what role for indicators?

William Scott

Centre for Research in Education and the Environment

University of Bath

cree@bath.ac.uk

www.bath.ac.uk/cree

What is an indicator?

a device for showing the operating condition of some

system

a signal for attracting attention

an indirect measure of a broad concept which cannot

be measured directly

any of various statistical values that together provide

an indication of the condition or direction of a process

or system

Functions of indicators

to monitor change and assess trends

to evaluate the effects of actions

to engage people and help communicate

to focus attention on important issues

Functions of indicators

Talking about sustainable development is not enough… .

We must hold ourselves to account as a government,

but also as a country. All this depends on devising

new ways to assess how we are doing

Tony Blair, introduction to the UK Sustainable Development Strategy, 1999

Properties of indicators

selective / simplifying

technical or resonant

assessing performance or process

qualitative or quantitative present / absent

Limitations of indicators

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not

everything that counts can be counted

Albert Einstein

Limitations of indicators

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a widely-used indicator

for economic development

are data available and valid?

does all economic activity contribute to economic development?

is GDP a valid indicator of economic welfare, or economic potential?

Selecting indicators

single or multiple indicators?

do indicators relate to process or system?

do they meet the needs of policy makers / practitioners?

do they indicate what’s important / show trends?

are they understandable: simplifying, but not oversimplifying?

are they easily measurable?

can they inform action?

Indicators in the UK strategy

Indicators are central to the monitoring and reporting of

progress towards sustainable development. They are also

powerful tools which can help focus public attention on what

sustainable development means and to give a broad overview

of whether we are achieving ‘a better quality of life for

everyone, now and for generations to come’.

UK Sustainable Development Strategy, 1999

Indicators in the UK strategy

147 indicators, 15 headline indicators

split into ‘economic growth’, ‘social progress’, ‘environmental protection’

headline indicators published annually as ‘quality of life’ barometer

mostly performance indicators

mostly existing national statistics

indicator model problematic (Foster et al.)

Learning indicators in the UK strategy

Level 2 qualifications at Age 19

Other indicators include those on adult literacy and numeracy, participation in lifelong learning, truancies and exclusions from school

Awareness of Sustainable Development in Schools

- how does awareness relate to understanding?

- how does understanding relate to sustainable development?

New Indicators

But we need indicators that are …

• beyond attendance (and percentages staying on at school, or going to higher education) – though spending more rather than less time being appropriately educated is to be encouraged

• beyond qualifications and proportions qualifying – though the more learned and skilled we are, the better all our lives will surely be.

New Indicators

… and that are …

• beyond content (that is, expert-specified concepts, outcomes and assessment) – though knowledge is important

• beyond experts (ie, having to know exactly what others know otherwise it doesn’t count as knowledge - although we need to take seriously people’s experience (wherein, after all, lies their expertise)

Current Education Learning Indicators

Level 2 Qualifications at Age 19

The impact of formal learning on knowledge and

awareness of sustainable development

Some possible indicators

process indicator:schools judged higher than satisfactory against Ofsted

ESD good practice guidelines

output indicator:number of people with qualifications linked strongly to

sustainable development / ESD

outcome indicator:performance in surveys of understanding of sustainable

development

Developing ESD: what role for indicators?

William Scott

Centre for Research in Education and the Environment

University of Bath

cree@bath.ac.uk

www.bath.ac.uk/cree

Your Task:

In a context that makes sense to you, generate one

indicator that you think could be used as an effective

measure of whether an ESD programme is building

our capacity to live sustainably.