Vlaamse Onderwijsraad 2008Schools as Public Enterprise

17 September 2008

Schools and the demands of 21st century society: finding the right

balance

Peter MortimoreFormer - Professor i pedagogikk og Hans Christian Andersen Fellow

Syddansk Universitet and Director of the Institute of Education, University of London.

Plan

• Introduction

• 21st century life & implications for education

• System & school dilemmas

• Quality & equity of Flemish Belgium

• Can research provide any answers?

• System & school features of a balanced system

• What else can be done?

• Conclusions

What is so special about 21st century western affluent

societies?– More internationally aware – More aware of democratic rights & less deferential– More aware of value of knowledge & education– More participative but more consumerist– More child-centred– More open to media influence– Greater access to sophisticated communications

Implications for 21st century education systems

• Information is a key commodity• Greater international competition (PISA results)• Parents think of themselves as consumers and

can be more demanding on behalf of their children

• Pressure groups can organise more easily• Media can exert greater influence on schools• Elitism can be bought by the rich & super rich

Implications for 21st century schools

• They have to serve interests of parent groups as well as those of the state

• They can be pressured to act not as a sieve for society’s prestigious roles but as a vehicle for success of a particular group

• They can be caught between the needs of distinct communities

• They can be caught between the needs of such groups and those of society as a whole.

Can research provide any answers?

• Autonomy – PISA; OECD 2008• Student voice – Flutter & Rudduck 2004 • Disadvantage – PISA; Cox 2000• Expectations – Mortimore et al 1988• Immigrants – OECD 2006• Leadership – OECD 2008• Pedagogy – Mortimore 1999• Reading – Clay 1996.

Some specific system dilemmas

• How much should schools serve the whole society and how much specific groups within it?

• How much influence should the state; the local community; and the parent body have on schools?

• How much freedom should those who work in schools have?

• How much scope should the school leader have?

Some specific school dilemmas

• How much should schools listen to its students? • How much should the work of the school reflect

past needs and how much should it try to predict future ones

• How much emphasis on social issues and how much purely intellectual ones?

• How best to communicate with stakeholders?

Total education spending as % GDP in US $

[Table B4.1 EAG]

8,47,6

6,4 6 5,8 5,4 5,3 5,2 4,8 4,6 4,6

0

2

4

6

8

10

Denmark

Norway

Finlan

d

Belgium

France

Poland UK

Netherla

nd

Australia

German

yKorea

Gini index 07-08

COUNTRY AVERAGE RANK (LOWEST = BEST)

1 Netherlands 4.2

2 Sweden 5

3 Denmark 7.2

4 Finland 7.5

5 Spain 8

6 Switzerland 8.3

7 Norway 8.7

8 Italy 10

9 Ireland 10.2

10 Belgium 10.7

11 Germany 11.2

12 Canada 11.8

13 Greece 11.8

14 Poland 12.3

15 Czech Republic 12.5

16 France 13

17 Portugal 13.7

18 Austria 13.8

19 Hungary 14.5

20 USA 18

21 UK 18.2

PISA 2000 - 2006 Reading Meansfor 12 Countries

PISA 2000 – 2006 Maths Meansfor 12 Countries

PISA 2000 - 2006 Science Meansfor 12 Countries

PISA 2006 Average Means Combined subjects

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Fin Kor Flem Neth Aus Swe UK Den Pol Fra Nor

553 542 531 521 520 504 502 501 500 493 487

83 90 99 94 94 94 99 89 92 101 92

Average

SD

PISA 2006 Readers below or at Level 1

0

5

10

15

20

25

Fin Kor Aus Flem Neth Swed Den Pol UK Ger Fra Nor

4.85.7

13.414.1

15.1 15.316 16.2

1920.1

21.8 22.4

PISA 2006 % readers at Levels 4 or 5

Does this variation in PISA outcomes matter?

• No?

• Yes?

• Maybe?

• Also possible to examine data at more detailed level.

Gender status• How do girls’ and boys’ average reading

scores differ?

Girls Boys Difference

Reading score

540 506 34

OECD score

498 448 54

Difference +42 +58

Gender status• How do girls’ and boys’ average maths

scores differ?

Girls Boys Difference

Mathematics score

537 549 12

OECD score

478 489 11

Difference +39 +60

Gender status• How do girls’ and boys’ average science

scores differ?

Girls Boys Difference

Science score

528 530 2

OECD score

499 501 2

Difference +23 +29

Immigrant status• How do native and immigrants’ average

science scores differ?

Native Flemish

2nd Generation

1st Generation

Science score

536 440 459

OECD score

497 463 448

Difference +39 -23 +11

Socio-economic status(All Belgium scores)

• How do white and blue collar average combined scores differ?

White collar Blue collar Difference

Combined score

546 452 94

OECD score

524 452 72

Difference +22 00

Adult Literacy

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Nor Den Fin Neth Ger Flem Aus UK Pol

294 289 288 286 285 277 274 267

229

What is an evaluation

• A judgement based on clear, contestable criteria - inorder to put a value on an entity.

What is a culture of evaluation?

A society or organisation in which

there is a normal expectation

that all its members will engage in

honest inquiry in order

to reflect on and improve

performance.

Schools in a balanced society

Principles

• Equity [Fairness & Inclusion]

• Lifelong learning perspective

• Max autonomy within clear limits

• Contestability of didactics (curriculum/methods)

• Constant search for improvement

Positive features

• Ambitious for all• Outward looking• Optimistic• With excellent teacher

education and professional training

• Having a balance of collaboration/competition

• With many opportunities for innovation.

What other challengesdo schools face?

• How to foster better educated, flexible and adaptable working citizens?

• How to promote social cohesion, equity and social justice?

• How to create tolerant, responsible, democratic citizens?

What else can be done to find the balance

• More universal pre-school

• More reading support for those struggling

• Better support for immigrants

• Adopting a ‘culture of evaluation’

• Further investigating gender issues

• Reviewing setting and repeating policies

• Upgrading teacher training and trust

• Avoiding the league table market route.

Post script

• 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.