Why Schools Don’t Change! Part 2 - The role of educators themselves

Well clearly they do change…very gradually, but nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the needs of today's students, employers and society. And because the pace of change in the outside world is continuing to accelerate, in absolute terms schools are falling further and further behind and becoming less and less relevant. This two part article explores the external and internal factors that explain Why Schools Don’t Change. Part 1 is available here.

Universities mask high schools’ ineffectiveness.

Another protective factor shielding schooling from the need to change is the university system, where a school diet of conformity, drill and summative standardised testing sift out just the right applicants for success in equally outdated tertiary institutions. Because mind-dumbing success in the traditional schooling system gives the supposed golden ticket to University, it conceals the otherwise obvious fact that traditional schooling is killing creativity, free thought and a genuine passion for learning and enquiry. Then employers, dissatisfied with the thinking and lack of preparedness of university graduates blame the University as the last step in the chain, rather than acknowledging the complicity of the primary and secondary school system. In decades past, when the vast majority of secondary students went straight into the workforce, this growing values mismatch between what schools are delivering and what employers want would have become more obvious, raising alarm bells which in turn would have led to a complete redesign of the system.

Education will change, and quickly once the current system implodes. This will likely be through a more widespread rejection of the value of traditional university qualifications by employers. The worthlessness of many university qualifications is already starting to emerge. Students, as astute paying clients, will no longer tolerate a situation where their increasing valueless degrees see them unable to gain full time employment in their chosen career for an average of 4.7 years.

The Government and Unions fear of giving ground

Let us accept that in Australia the agreement negotiated between the various State Governments and the Australian Education Union, essentially sets conditions for the entire schooling industry.

I am a unionist and I am all for having some level of collective bargaining and protection around minimum conditions, but we as a profession need to acknowledge that our existing “collective agreements” have been largely unchanged for decades/ We fight over a crumb here and there, preserving our conditions sure, but not improving our lot either. We need to bite the bullet and attempt to renegotiate a fresh, modern agreement, that allows, no, encourages flexibility in staffing.

Teachers have little industry experience

A major factor for lack of change is that teachers, and perhaps even more importantly school leaders, generally have very little current industry experience. Whilst many have had a stint in “the real world”, for those in leadership this was often long ago. Many teachers actually left school, went straight to university and then immediately back into the school setting….some even returning to the school where they were once a student! We need to reverse the trend towards academic inflation and lower the barriers for teaching to allow degree qualified individuals with say five years of industry experience to try the profession without having to forego two years of income to complete a Masters of Teaching. How can one really be a Master in something one has not actually done….ridiculous! Those who have worked with Teach for Australia graduates can attest to their skills, even if many do not stay, because they are repulsed by working in an archaic factory-based system in Australia’s toughest schools.

Teachers generally LIKED school

What fool returns to the very institution that spurned, tortured and benignly tried to crush their enthusiasm for learning as a child? On the whole schools are staffed by well meaning adults who like to help young people. The problem is they liked the old system of compliance and doing what your told. Their schooling experience was thirteen years of praise and reward, and many are sure if they can just help other poor unfortunates to understand the system and yes, improve the existing system to make it a bit more student friendly and entertaining, all will be well. However in secondary schools at least, as new teachers realise, usually after about five years, that being “nice” in an oppressive system does not endear you to young people, they get disillusioned and HALF leave the profession, and the rest stay and slowly but surely become institutionalised.

This perfect storm, no quagmire, of factors makes for a grim account of why schools don’t change. It is professionally and personally challenging, but it does little good not to acknowledge the reasons for our present circumstances. Certainly there are loads of committed teachers fighting for change….it is those people I want to work with to effect an EdRevolution.

Peter Hutton

18FEB18

 For the past eight years, Peter has been principal of Templestowe College, identified by Finland’s HundrED organisation as one of the most innovative schools in the world. Drawing on the latest research and his unique experiences at TC, Peter is now collaborating with educational leaders, schools and other institutions from across the world with the aim to effect widespread educational reform. Peter has already worked with five schools to create a federation of Take Control schools. Each school retains full autonomy and is supported to develop its own unique culture based on the shared wisdom of the group.

Peter is an experienced keynote speaker at International Conferences, has featured on ’60 minutes’  ‘The Project’ and his TedX presentation has been viewed 170,000 times. In March he will co present a 40 minute session with Sir Ken Robinson and Dan Haesler at the Future Schools Conference.

Peter will continue his work on implementing alternative models of tertiary entrance with Swinburne and other Universities as well as creating greater awareness and support for students with dyslexia.

Peter is now consulting to schools and other institutions through Hutton Consulting in the areas of Innovation and Change Management, Leadership Development, Culture Development and Futures Planning.