Public education matters: Reclaiming public education for the common good in a global era

Abstract

This article argues that public education needs to be reclaimed to fulfill its role as a "democratising force" to address social and economic inequality and to respect and recognise diversity and difference. By analysing historical developments in federal policy, funding and economic contexts a case is developed to demonstrate that the role of the state has been dismantled and the public nature of education has been reduced. The factors responsible are articulated and discussed with particular reference to the impact of neo-liberal policy, the "marketisation" of education and new public management. Measures such as those taken by Education Queensland that support the development of school leaders and teachers to engage in research, development and critical debate are supported. International examples of how systems have revitalised and supported the public nature of education are discussed. These include more intelligent accountability systems that respect the professionalism of teachers and collaborative curriculum development strategies that engage with all, including those who are least powerful such as the students.

Australia’s National Assessment Programme rubrics: An impetus for self-assessment?

“…Intelligent accountability essentially involves putting trust in professionals who are clear about their values and goals (Klenowski 2009;Sahlberg 2007;O'Neill 2013). The term has been variously defined in the literature, with emphasis placed upon different systemic levels, ranging from schools (Ozga 2009;Sahlberg 2007;Klenowski 2009); to teachers (Cochran-Smith et al 2017;Sahlberg 2007;O' Neill 2013;Klenowski 2009); and students (O' Neill 2013). Ozga (2009) describes it as a term informed by the principle that schools are effective learning organisations that rely on rigorous self-evaluation, strong collaboration and effective planning.…”

Indigenous Education and Literacy Policy in Australia: Bringing Learning Back to the Debate

“…As Luke (2009) points out, "whatever their intentions, centrally scripted, mandated policies that attempt to close the equity gap through a strong emphasis on central, test-driven accountability have, at best, mixed effects" (p. 4). Since the early 2000s, education in Australia has been characterised by moves towards culture-blind standardised testing (Klenowski, 2009) and increasingly commodified, generic pedagogic approaches such as Direct Instruction and Explicit Instruction (Luke, 2014).…”

Respecting the struggle: Deciding what to research and why

“…In preparing my talk for today I read the most recent editions of "The Australian Educational Researcher" and encountered Val Klenowski's (2009) powerful argument for reclaiming public education. In that piece Klenowski defines a stance for Australian public education as a "humanizing, liberalizing, democratizing force".…”