What School Could Be

Subtitled 'insights and inspiration from teachers across America', this extraordinarily important book results from the author's field trip visiting schools from all 50 states in a single school year. The measurement culture described - ranking rather than releasing potential - is common across the Western world as governments try to close the attainment gap in pursuit of equality. However, it becomes very clear that schools are oriented towards tests and tables, but these 'don't lend themselves to higher-order competences like creativity, communication, critical analysis, collaboration, leadership, tenacity and entrepreneurship' (p. 64). Schools prepare students for college application, not college and still less for life and work. Ironically, schools improving their rankings are mostly doing obsolete things better, since the underlying philosophy still rewards factory production of rote learning. Moreover, academic and practical learning could be combined rather than separated, for instance in terms of physics and wiring electrical systems, history and producing documentaries, civics and legal defence work.

Based on many inspiring examples, the author advocates a shift of priorities beyond measurement, produces a telling table (p. 216) reproduced below:

Century-old model A new vision Industrial Innovative Centralised Decentralised Data driven Purpose driven Micromanaged classrooms Trusted classrooms Standardised curriculum Organic learning Drill Create Content and low level skills Essential skill sets and mind-sets College ready Life ready

Based on his interviews, the author proposes his PEAK model, standing for Purpose, involving projects with real-world impact, Essentials in terms of skill sets and mind-sets, Agency in terms of setting goals and managing learning, and Knowledge in depth and retained, where teachers play more of the role of guidance and mentoring. The case examples given in the book show how this can work in practice, energising both teachers and learners in the process. Essential and inspiring reading, especially for government education ministers - I will be having a copy sent to John Swinney in Edinburgh.