It’s easy to see why our schools sometimes feel under siege. It seems that everyone these days has an opinion on the ‘failing’ education system and how to solve the challenges. Naturally this fuels perceptions that education is in a state of constant crisis and in need of drastic reform.
Having spent more than four decades in education, I’ve seen just about every reform rolled out. Despite the massive investment of money and time, few if any, have delivered the universal outcomes sought. The recurring theme has always been to impose narrow assessment and reporting regimes or link education funding to student or teacher performance. Such responses fail to recognise the challenge implicit in the notion of sustainable change.
Sustainable change requires different thinking and approaches - not outcome-centric but experience-centric. We live in a world where customer experience is king and human-centred design is driving innovation. It’s ironic that the only significant reform yet to be universally applied to education is one that trusts the users (students and teachers) to help map out sustainable change in an increasingly complex world.
Addressing declining student attendance, increasing mental health issues and stagnating academic outcomes, requires a deep understanding of the experience of students. That can only happen when there is a willingness to listen, to understand and to co-construct solutions in an environment of mutual respect and trust.
Greg Whitby
ACEL NSW Branch Executive Member