In the period November 2022–January 2023, an international enquiry was conducted through a series of interviews with distinguished ‘actors’ who have been at the interface of politics and education for the last 20 years, in either elected ministerial or senior political adviser roles. They cover the jurisdictions of Australia, New Zealand, the UK, US, Canada, Finland, Portugal and Greece, together with a cross-jurisdictional perspective from OECD.
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**20th century paradigm** * Education’s purpose is economic growth and individual advancement. * Its function is to transfer knowledge and sort/sift individuals into tracks. * Its means are teacher-centred, academics-focused, with terminal assessment. _In contrast there is the following emergent alternative, which is fast gaining traction amongst educators._ **21st century paradigm** * Education’s purpose is thriving people, places and planet. * Its function is to empower learners and release human creativity. * Its means are personalised, competency-based and real-world.
Privately, politicians who engage seriously with educators claim to appreciate the need for more fundamental change; but this does not surface in manifestos, nor in policy agendas. Promising initiatives modelling a transformed approach are not just ignored but subjected to even more controlling scrutiny, deploying the old metrics and criteria.
Given all this, a politician contemplating formulating an agenda more geared to the future than to the past needs strong supporting evidence and some confidence it won’t destroy their career.
Amongst the big political thinkers we interviewed, there emerged the notion that a different kind of alignment needed to be forged.
Repeated studies make it clear that high-quality educational technology in AI and machine learning (now including generative technology), if well-harnessed, can provide potentially enabling breakthroughs in learning (curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, recognition and credentialling).
On this analysis, there is a startling congruence between the fight for climate justice and the fight for a new education agenda. Ask yourself: can you remember when you were vaguely aware that there might be an issue with climate – but that it was not a big deal, someone would see to it, and it certainly was not a major political priority? Arguably, that is where we are now in the case of education. The new paradigms in both cases are strikingly aligned.
They both involve a re-examination of our purposes as humans – and they are mutually interdependent. Quite literally and unequivocally, neither new paradigm – in climate or education – can succeed without the other. Each depends on the other for successful resolution
Just as the climate and biodiversity crises have required people to face big questions – ones that in general we have preferred to ignore – so, in seeking the educational paradigm shift that we need, we too must focus relentlessly on purpose.
# Lessons: * Focus on Purpose * Understand denial psychologically * It’s about systems AND individual action * Get smarter about messaging * Mobilise young people * Understand the methods of mass media * Build alliances and people power
_We need many more exemplars and prototypes that demonstrate the new practices and approaches, preferably in a wide range of different contexts._
# Recommendations: * Talk about it! * Show, don’t (just) tell * Leverage the international dimension * Attack the metrics * Involve (more) young people more * Attractive development opportunities for politicians
> So what is holding them (politicians) back? The answer is simple: fear. ... Fear is not an ignoble sentiment. Evolution has made it part of our human armoury for a reason. But we have reached the point where political fear has become the enemy of good government and rational debate. Which is why my new year wish – OK, fantasy – is that we copy COP, and create arenas where we, and especially our leading politicians currently too scared to come clean, can ask big long-term questions ... debate them openly and feel our way towards big answers. > - Peter Kellner
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