The Future of Schools: : Lessons from the Reform of Public Education

Clive Dimmock (Associate Professor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Journal of Educational Administration

ISSN: 0957-8234

Article publication date: 1 October 1998

127

Keywords

Citation

Dimmock, C. (1998), "The Future of Schools: : Lessons from the Reform of Public Education", Journal of Educational Administration, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 403-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/jea.1998.36.4.403.2

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited


This is the fourth book in the Falmer series on student outcomes and the reform of education, of which Brian Caldwell is general editor. The four books published to date have been sharply different. This book, it is claimed, is the first on major school reform to be written by a former Minister for Education and a currently serving Professor of Education. As such, the views expressed and arguments extolled by a former politician and a current academic make, in part, for a somewhat unorthodox combination of views and approaches to the subject matter.

The first four chapters are devoted to the “schools of the future” reform in the state of Victoria, Australia, while Chapters 5 through 7 focus on more general, universal issues of school reform. Chapter 1 describes the crisis facing public education and initiatives taken in Victoria from 1993 to reform the system, which it is stated, is the largest system of public education anywhere to have decentralized as much as 90 per cent of its budget to schools within a curriculum and standards framework. In chapter 2, Hayward, the then Minister, provides a distinctly personal account of the origins and planning that characterized policy formulation. Particularly for those familiar with the personalities involved, chapter 3 provides a fascinating read. Here Hayward reflects on what it was like to be the education minister in the reformist Kennett Government. The experiences described at first hand include running the gauntlet of teacher unions and the media, the support received from family, and his preference for working very early in the morning to generate ideas, which enabled “one to get the jump on the bureaucrats, and be ready for them when they arrived at the office”. With a wry sense of humour, he continues, “this put them at a disadvantage, even inducing a state of shock, especially if they (were) still suffering caffeine deprivation”.

Chapter 4 provides something of a transition from the more personalized accounts of Hayward in the early chapters to the more academic and universalistic issues discussed in subsequent chapters. Its purpose is to evaluate the effects of reform, both in Victoria and beyond. Thus there is a comparison between Hayward’s account of Victorian change and Kenneth Baker’s commentary on the reforms in Britain leading to the 1988 Education Reform Act. In evaluating the effects of the “schools of the future” programme, use is made of the policy framework suggested by Guthrie and Koppich, who suggest three phases are necessary, namely, alignment, initiative and mobilization. Reference is also made to research studies investigating the effects of other school reform initiatives, including a multi‐national study which included the Victorian reforms.

In chapter 5 the authors identify pre‐conditions for lasting reform based on critical analysis of teachers and teaching, learners and learning, the relationship between education and the economy, the resourcing of schools and the role of government. Six pre‐conditions for lasting school reform are suggested: reforms such as those discussed are necessary but not sufficient; public policy and school effort must be tightly focused on the achievement of high standards for all students; high levels of professionalism must be achieved among teachers and others who work in schools; education and the economy should converge; higher levels of resources and formal recognition of private effort on the revenue side are required to sustain the enterprise; and for public education, government should establish the framework, set standards, provide the infrastructure, support and monitor outcomes but allow schools to be self‐managing and responsive to parental choice, with due account paid to matters of access and equity. These are all reasonably well accepted axioms.

A vision for schools in the next millennium is presented in chapter 6. In the scenario presented, the importance of technology is fully recognized. Underpinning the vision is a policy framework for further reform comprising 15 elements based on four key concepts, namely, “policy”, “entitlement”, “contribution”, and “design”. This framework, the authors contend, contains most elements of reform pertinent to public schools systems across the world, thereby giving the book a wider more international appeal.

In making the suggested transformations, the final chapter recognises that success is predicated on strong leadership, alignment of interests and a determination to take the firm measures required to restructure public education systems. The authors consider the implications of all of this for government, bureaucracy, teacher unions and school leaders.

While the authors acknowledge the past achievements of public education and reaffirm their commitment to its future, they challenge many deeply held views and values. While acknowledging that the elements of reform are not identical in all systems, the policy framework guiding the analysis is intended as a blueprint for future reform.

In sum, the book will be of interest to both practitioners and scholars. The authors deserve credit for combining under the one cover ideas which are essentially to do with macro‐level systemic politics and policy on the one hand and with micro‐level technical issues of school and classroom on the other. It will be of particular interest to those familiar with, or involved in, the Victorian school reforms of the last five years. However, the scope of the book, especially the second half, broadens its relevance for a wider readership and the framework underpinning the last chapters will be found useful by those wishing to analyse present, or to predict future, trends in the reform of public systems of education.

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