SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Creating an Educated Elite

A former British education minister has decided to speak out after 13 years of self-imposed silence.  His candid and scathing observations can be read in this UK Telegraph article here. 

Ex-minister George Walden observed, “Reforming education was like trying to disperse a fog with a hand grenade: after the flash and the explosion, the fog creeps back.” Seems that for all the efforts to improve education nothing has changed and things may actually be worse than ever. 

Considering that some of our notable Canadian education gurus were part of that UK reform movement we should have lots to worry about here.  The fog is creeping back on this side of the pond too.  Many of the reforms put in place here in Ontario are slowly being eroded—-school governance, choice, testing, standards, curriculum content.  No more failure, grade inflation, pressure to eliminate testing are becoming common topics for debate. 

Walden also poses this:

“Why is there so little honest discussion about the failings of the system, and their causes? Because the debate on education is mendacious and hypocritical to the point where it demeans our public life. The rot starts at the top, with the issue of selection*, to which all political leaders are opposed. The fact that they were selectively educated themselves is not the point; what matters is how they use the power and influence their privilege helped give them.”

Trying to reform an education system that was quite happy chugging along as usual was a challenging, time consuming, and exhausting effort for some of us too long in the trenches.  The system put up the appearance that it was changing, but it did it kicking and screaming all the way.  Some are still screaming.  School for Thought’s conclusion?  It’s the same as the UK’s Walden—-allow parents to choose their children’s schools. 

*Selection is the Brit term for school choice.