How do you define success?
What do parents actually want from a school?
As an education consultant, it is my job to get underneath what parents might say, and uncover what are their real hidden desires for their child’s educational experience.
I often ponder what parents genuinely desire for their children's educational experience. Lots of parents and teachers gladly share social media graphics or quotes like, “It is unfair to ask a fish to climb a tree,” as justification for why the so-called system is flawed. While the notion of equity in schools is frequently discussed, it is crucial to delve beyond surface-level conversations and explore the underlying motivations.
Maybe I am an old diehard, but I find the talk of equity in schooling nauseating and insincere.
It's undeniable that the educational model in the Western world is built upon ranking students. This isn’t going to change. With countries like China and India stepping up to middle income status, there will be hundreds of millions more educated young people entering the global labour market between now and 2050. In such a competitive landscape, parents naturally aspire for their sons and daughters to excel and surpass their peers. It is human nature to want the best for our children.
Never has a parent expressed the desire for their child to underperform compared to their classmates! After all, we want our children to thrive and reach their full potential. It is this aspiration that drives us to seek educational institutions that can provide them with the tools, support and opportunities necessary for success.
In the pursuit of equity in education, perhaps, in truth, what the majority of parents genuinely seek is a balanced approach that allows children to excel in lots of different domains — to find their way of succeeding — rather than a school that only presents one, extremely narrow definition of ‘success’. This might be academics, but it might also be the stage, the sports pitch, the art studio, the concert platform, or the design workshop. In my view, good schools are those which use their facilities in a smart way to give their students opportunities to excel; this doesn’t mean having the shiniest tech, or most glittering buildings.
This perspective acknowledges the desire for an inclusive education system that supports every individual, while also recognising the inherent drive for personal achievement.
Maybe a more truthful version of the pursuit of equity in education is: "Equity for all, as long as my child can still climb higher than everyone else."
Please correct me if you think I’m wrong!
Further reading:
https://educationtomorrow.substack.com/p/what-will-stay-the-same-in-education