working draft bonn, germany november 2007 the challenge of achieving world class performance:...
TRANSCRIPT
Working Draft
Bonn, Germany
November 2007
The Challenge of Achieving World Class Performance:
Education in the 21st Century
Michael Barber
Three themes
1.The state of education
2.The characteristics of high performing systems
3.Sequencing reform
Theme 1: The state of education
The state of education: quality
•Access doesn’t guarantee achievement
98 100 100
65 69
56
30 34 35
Brazil Indonesia Mexico
Attended school
Still in school age 15
Basic numeracy* age 15% of cohort
* Level 1 or above on PISA mathematics
Source:OECD, PISA
The state of education: quality
• Increased funding alone is not the answer
Source: National Centre for Education Statistics, NEAP, Hanushek (1998), McKinsey
Linear Index
0
10
20
30
40
70
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Literacy (17 years)
Literacy (13 years)
Literacy (9 years)
Spend per student ($2004)
Student-to-teacher ratio
50
60
Theme 2: The characteristics ofhigh performing systems
Teachers make an extraordinary difference
*Among the top 20% of teachers; **Among the bottom 20% of teachersAnalysis of test data from Tennessee showed that teacher quality effected student performance more than any other variable; on average, two students with average performance (50th percentile) would diverge by more than 50 percentile points over a three year period depending on the teacher they were assignedSource: Sanders & Rivers Cumulative and Residual Effects on Future Student Academic Achievement, McKinsey
50th percentile
0th percentile
100th percentile
Student performance
Age 8 Age 11
90th percentile
Student with high-performing* teacher
53 percentile points
37th percentile
Student with low performing** teacher
“The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.”
“The only way to improve outcomes is to improve instruction.”
“High performance requires every child to succeed.”
Eight ingredients of great systems
Select great people for teaching
Train them well at the
outsetConstantly strengthen
their classroom practice
Select great leaders and
develop them well
PEOPLEPEOPLE
Setworld-class standardsTackle
failurequickly
Fund equitably
and consistently
Provide universal
pre-school
POLICYPOLICY
Theme 3: A model of reform
A model of reform
A government’s approach to reform needs to change as the system improves
GREAT
Committing
GOOD
Staying
Grumbling
ADEQUATE
Exiting
AWFUL
Choosing between the options
CIRCUM-STANCES
KEY ADVICE
Command and Control
• Where a service is awful• For very high priorities
which are urgent• In emergencies• To drive programmes
designed to tackle poverty (e.g., Surestart)
• Do it excellently
Devolution and Transparency
• Where individual choice is not appropriate (e.g., policing or criminal justice)
• To get from adequate to good or good to great
• Combines well with contestability (e.g., prisons)
• Transparency is crucial
Quasi-markets
• Where individuals can choose (e.g., schools, hospitals)
• Where a range of providers can be developed
• Where diversity is desirable
• Equity needs to be built in
Combination
• During transitions• Where variation of
performance within a service is wide
• Where market pressures are weak
• Needs sophisticated strategic direction
The required cultural shift
• Hit & miss
• Uniformity
• Provision
• Producers
• Inputs
• Generalisation
• Talk equity
• “Received wisdom”
• Regulation
• Haphazard development
• Demarcation
• Look up
• Universal high standards
• Diversity
• Choice
• Customers/citizens
• Outcomes
• Specificity
• Deliver equity
• Data and best practice
• Incentives
• Continuous development
• Flexibility
• Look outwards
Comfortable Demanding