As Past Students, We Think We’re ‘Experts’ in Changing Education
Closing the chasm between those leading education reform and the public isn’t easy
One little discussed obstacle to changing the public education system in this country is that most Canadians feel they are experts in the field.
One little discussed obstacle to changing the public education system in this country is that most Canadians feel they are experts in the field.
That self-professed expertise is the hard earned by-product of 12 or 13 years spent in the system itself. That system rewarded, among other things, rote memorization skills and the ability to absorb wisdom dispensed from the front of the classroom. Our faded memories suggest that, while not perfect, the system basically worked for us so why would it possibly require substantive change?
However, a lot has changed. Our knowledge of how the brain learns and how to engage children has deepened considerably. And these developments aren’t just the “flavour of the day” in trendy educational experimentation. They are fact.
As one of my favourite educators, Surrey School District Superintendent Mike Mackay, is fond of saying, “When are we going to let what we know affect what we do?”
One way to succeed in changing the way we do things is to win over these “experts”; to persuade the public that there really is a need to change. I see this theme emerging in other contributions to this series of CEA guest blogs.
Our faded memories suggest that, while not perfect, the system basically worked for us so why would it possibly require substantive change?
Closing the chasm between those leading reform in the education system and the public is not easy. I know this because I help to lead a group of men and women across the country whose mission, amongst others things, is to do this very thing.
The Canadian School Boards Association helps to support school boards and their provincial associations across this nation. Hundreds of school trustees in this country, democratically elected and accountable to their communities, work every day to affect positive change to make our classrooms better places to learn. It is neither a quick nor easy undertaking; but it is a critical one.
Without public understanding and support, it will be difficult to affect meaningful reform of Canada’s public education system.
This blog post is part of a series of thoughtful responses to the question: What’s standing in the way of change in education? to help inform CEA’s Calgary Conference on Oct 21-22, (#CEACalgary2013) where education leaders from across Canada will be answering the same question. If you would like to answer this question, please tweet us at: @cea_ace
Meet the Expert(s)
Michael McEvoy
President of the Canadian School Boards Association
Michael McEvoy is President of the Canadian School Boards Association. He has been an elected trustee for 12 years, serving three years as Board Chair at the Gre...
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