The evolution of technology and access to information have dramatically changed our everyday life, locally and globally. However, stakeholders, from policymakers, principals, administrators, union, and some teaching professionals, seem to be stuck in the past.
When I googled the internet, I found lots of research documents on education reform and voluminous research findings in support of reform produced by stakeholders. If so, why are most schools still in the same state of affairs? What is holding us back from moving forward? There are different explanations that are hindering changes, from economic, infrastructure, to technology. My take on this has more to do with psychological and philosophical.
Having been involved with mergers and acquisitions and helping failing companies in real life, I sometimes wonder what would happen if educational institutions operated like an enterprise. Based on the performance metrics used in the corporate world, many schools might have folded while some might have been gobbled up by other well-run institutions.
Change is never easy for anyone. However, it is even harder for stakeholders who have been exposed and are therefore locked into some particular ways of thinking about education. By doing so, we are not doing justice to our children who have to function in the real world where it is very different than what we have experienced in the past.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting we should sell our “education soul” to corporations. We have to learn to compromise just like we do with everything else in life. The same applies to education. Stakeholders need to understand that no one has a deep pocket, not even the government. And that the world is not only changing rapidly, but it is also much more open, especially with in the world of internet. Our economies are more interconnected than ever before. Events abroad, be it social, geopolitical or economic, can have a worldwide impact. Some of Trump’s recent executive orders may have an impact on our daily lives in one form or another around the world, including education. For example, if foreign students from certain blacklisted countries cannot travel to the United States for their education, there may be more opportunities for the e-learning industry or perhaps more opportunities for Canadian universities.
Given the tenuous state of the education system, it is time for a comprehensive overhaul of the culture within our industry. This means putting aside our egos, realizing that our world is drastically different than the days of what our parents and ourselves have been used to. Learn from the past and work together if we firmly believe in building a better education (and lives) for our children in order to compete globally in this 21st century.