Amongst all of this, I’m continuing to write. Dataproof Your School, which I’m working on with James Pembroke, is heading towards completion. The book is a how to guide for busy school leaders who want a clear unambiguous plan for how to use data proactively to make decisions within their schools, as we move further away from the data-as-accountability era of the 2000s/2010s.
As I write, I keep coming back to issues which occupied a lot of my time when I began Icing on the Cake: what’s driving policy in education, and how should we react to the wider picture? What have people got wrong? What is working? How is policy helping and how is it hindering what happens in schools? Whilst I found myself focusing the misuse of and misdirection caused by bad data in the early days of this blog, and ended up working along with others to help to slay the data monster which had taken residence within the education system – or, at least, to tame it – there are many other issues in education which still occupy my time.
Those of us who work in schools are in a unique position within the discussion about education. Rather than deal in theory, we deal in the everyday reality of working in and with communities at the chalkface. We’re in the ideal place to consider whether the policy suggestions and decisions made by those who surround schools are working or likely to work, and to shed light on the impact of decisions made by often well meaning (and sometimes malign) but necessarily external forces.
I’ve planned a series of blogs about the wider picture in education, as well as reviews of significant books on education, commentary on policy documents and the impact of policy on schools. I’m aiming to publish something every other Monday, so do please check back regularly.
For now, here are some interesting articles which I’ve come across recently which I wanted to share:
Useful advice:
EEF Blog: New year, new lockdown - a renewed challenge by Kirsten Mould
Checking for understanding remotely by Ben Newmark
International developments:
Vouchers and Market-Driven Schools in Sweden by Sara Hjelm
Guarded Hope and 7 Concerns for Public Education this New Year by Nancy Bailey
And a warning:
A Fertile Period for Education Reform? By Martin R. West
Finally, a quick plug for the Databusters Podcast and something completely unrelated to education.
If you've come across any interesting reading recently, do please share it in a comment below.
Until next time, stay safe and stay sane...