To better accomplish desired local, national and global outcomes within and across our communities, we need to build capacity for systemic learning and sustainable educational development. Educational development denotes not only improvement resulting in enhanced outcomes for all learners but also transformation as education anticipates and responds to futures challenges.
I advance the case for a multi-level learning agenda in education: an agenda for policy learning, research learning, and educator learning – an agenda in which education systems and their communities better learn from each other in the interests of children. The touchstone for this agenda lies in the links between educational practices and desired educational outcomes for diverse learners. I propose that the systemic engine for such an agenda is strategic and collaborative (use of, and iterative contribution to) research and development in education.
This vision is of education valuing and building upon, but moving beyond, its craft practice roots, and its ‘rediscovering the wheel’ history. The goal is not one of tired educators negotiating rapidly changing policies and fads, and working harder to produce a more efficient education system for new demands of knowledge societies. The vision is of shared knowledge about what works and why in local contexts as a valued, dynamic and transformational resource enabling an education system to renew and sustain itself. A stronger and renewing evidence base about what works offers value for money, value for educator time, and value for learners. The energy for such a vision comes from the synergies and rewards of educational development that genuinely makes a much bigger positive difference not only for children and young people but also for leaders, educators, families and wider communities.
Purpose
This paper is intended to be a stimulus for discussion and engagement with the themes proposed by the Pacific Circle Consortium for their 31st Conference: ‘Education in a Pacific Circle Context: Educational Outcomes for the Twenty-first Century’. The question I have been asked to address specifically is ‘How do we organise schooling, while recognizing local diversity, to better accomplish local/national and global outcomes?’ Much of the evidence cited in this paper can be explored in more depth at http://educationcounts.govt.nz/goto/BES