Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Forum Demographischer Wandel des Bunderpräsidenten

Paul Cappon, CCL President and CEO

November 29, 2007
3rd Annual Forum on Demographic Change
Berlin, Germany

Herr Bundespräsident, Prof. Dr. Horst Köhler; Federal Minister of Education and Research, Dr. Annette Schavan; President of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, Prof. Dr. E. Jürgen Zöllner; distinguished participants.
 
It is an honour for me to be invited to address such a distinguished gathering of leaders of German society, leaders who understand that learning has become one of the most significant determinants of national success. Societies that succeed are those which set optimal conditions for learning. Those that do not will fall behind.

But it is not only individual achievement and national success that depends on educational progress. The whole planet depends on it. There is only one world for humans. There is no league table of habitable planets that can be ranked by scores on PISA tests. Our globe will stand or fall on our willingness and ability to cooperate, to work together to solve common problems – of peace and war, of environment, of health and disease.

If we stand or fall together, learning and education should not be a global competition in which each nation pursues its competitive advantage to the detriment of others. No. Like other fields of human endeavour, progress in education depends on international cooperation.

Herr Präsident, those of us who are asked to share our experience with colleagues in other countries do not do so because they have more knowledge. Nor is it because their countries have greater success in education and learning. None of us have all the answers to the very complex issues in education, and each country’s solutions must be based on its own traditions, culture, and values. We all have strengths and limitations. But, when we share information and experience, we all benefit.

I wish to commend the Bundespräsident and the Bertelsmann Foundation for recognising that demographic change has become a capital force, driving western societies to re-consider their policies and practices – and even, sometimes, their traditions. Nowhere is this more true than for education and learning, because of their profound impact on all phases of the economy and society.

I believe that the question I am asked to consider today is the correct one: “Preconditions for political processes and experiences in translating reforms into practice”. This is the right question because the urgency of change and of progress – and it is urgent – is not only or mainly a technical issue. Urgent educational change does not resemble more technical disciplines like mathematics or chemistry, in which the correct equation or formula will yield the desired results.

In education and learning, our goal is to establish the optimal conditions for success. We want to create conditions for success by minimising the circumstances of failure. We cannot do this by mere adjustment of a few technical aspects of educational provision in response to PISA or any other test. Instead, we must consider education as a social project, and we therefore must create the political conditions that will support positive educational change. And we must do this with policies and practices that begin far beyond the classroom. The necessary technical adjustments will succeed only if these political and social conditions are right.

Colleagues:

From my Canadian and international experience, I am well aware that management of necessary changes in education is not easy. Here I am reminded of an aphorism by Shakespeare, who said: “if to do were as easy as to know what to do, then chapels would be churches and poor men’s cottages would be castles”.

Let me begin then by summarising five conditions that can assist countries in achieving positive outcomes in education, particularly in the light of demographic change. After setting these key summary points before you in a list, I will make brief remarks on how to achieve each of the five conditions. I will also comment on the particular challenge of educational reform in federal states like Germany and Canada. It will not surprise you to hear from me my belief that government-funded but independent organisations like the Canadian Council on Learning are especially useful mechanisms to induce positive results in countries with decentralised education systems like our two nations.

Condition 1:

As a social project, educational progress must be shown to benefit all of society : including those born in the home country; including upper and middle classes; including those whose children are no longer in school.

Condition 2:

Successful educational change as a social project is most likely in a context of a society committed to lifelong learning.

Condition 3:

Change promotion and management must be from outside as well as inside educational systems - from communities, municipalities, foundations and the private sector.

Condition 4:

Focus on those modifications within the education system that are most likely to meet with support of educators – educational change is not like engineering an assembly line.

Condition 5:

Set expectations and  standards; use clear evidence to evaluate results of each change from its inception. Communicate to individuals and groups that failure is not an option.

Condition 1: Education as a Social Project

It is the very demographic change that drives the need for educational reform that could cause the failure of that reform. As our populations age, those requiring schooling for their children are in smaller numbers. We must find ways, therefore, to engage the interest of people who have no apparent personal motivation to improve educational systems. We must ensure that all citizens understand that educational systems shape our society, as much for those whose children have already graduated – or are childless – as for those whose children are in school.

If we fail to make programs of educational support and change take root in the  broader society, our attempts cannot fully succeed.

How do we do this?

One way is by setting out clearly the core expectations of our school systems, and demonstrating that its functions serve all of society, regardless of age or economic status. For example, we want our schools to teach students to be literate and numerate and become familiar with the scientific method. But we also want them to be socially responsible citizens able to participate fully in civil society. Although each individual child is encouraged to develop to his greatest potential, we also want our students to be conversant with our traditions, to learn about our democratic institutions, our history and the histories of others.

We expect our schools to preserve the values of our past, while shaping  a new and unforeseeable future; to contribute to a distinctive social fabric while preserving the cultural characteristics of its people; to cultivate self-esteem and respect for others; to prepare students for their careers and develop passion for their vocations; to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, possessing sufficient confidence to act with conviction, but sufficient doubt to be open to new and better courses of action; to give children technical and media literacy; to teach our children about nutrition and physical fitness, to protect them against Internet predators, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. We want schools to teach our children to protect themselves and others from bullies.

My list of requirements modern western societies have for schools could be much longer. The point is that many of these imperatives have consequences for all of us because their results will shape the kind of society in which we live and grow old. That is an argument for a broad social project.

How do we achieve this broad social project?  First, from a recognition that public education does not exist mainly for the children of immigrants and lower socio-economic groups. As you have seen in the United States and perhaps in Germany, if a perception grows that public schools are not satisfactory for large segments of the population, those people will send their children to private schools. In a vicious circle, this choice will further undermine the quality of public education, making it less likely that public schools will receive the support they need.

Second, we must collaborate and communicate with many agents of change outside schools and educational authorities. Social interveners like community organisations and foundations tend to be less conservative and resistant to change than educational milieu. We must utilise their strengths and engagement, as Herr Präsident has done with the Bertelsmann Stiftung, to establish platforms for innovation and entrepreneurship.

There is rich potential for partnership between school districts and community organisations. But using that potential depends upon understanding the difference between central accountability and central control. We must create a balance between centralised accountability and local empowerment. There does need to exist central accountability for achieving and for communicating results in education. However, if the public is convinced that reporting of outcomes is open and transparent, then it will understand that local latitude is necessary to respond to local conditions. That is how we will succeed in including schools and principals in processes of change, as well as community organisations and the private sector.

Condition 2: Commitment to Lifelong Learning

Aging societies are likely to take less interest in formal education. But everyone is interested in being able to learn and benefit from learning throughout their lives.

A country that establishes a culture and real agenda for lifelong learning will be more able to engage its citizenry in improving school-based education. People will understand that school or formal education is merely preparation for the continuous learning to which we all aspire.

In Canada, we are finding that the Composite Learning Index is stimulating renewed public interest in all forms of learning, including at school. Based on a series of indicators, the Composite Learning Index calculates the learning conditions that are present in a country or a region, or even a city district. By using the CLI score for their own community, local leaders can establish goals for learning improvement in their own area. This leadership empowers positive change and helps to involve the community in making progress. Of course, provincial and national governments have large responsibilities, but much progress can be driven by communities and their organisations.

Once we have such an appreciation of local leadership, it becomes easier to engage people in improving formal school systems.

Condition 3: Change Promotion and Management

I have already been clear that change promotion in education is a shared responsibility. This is, of course, politically more complex in federal states like Germany and Canada.

There are three keys in managing this complexity. First, to be aware of and to make concerted and collaborative efforts to narrow gaps in performance and results among Länder or provinces. We want to reduce inequalities by improving results in some regions - not by descending to the lowest common denominator. We can do this by sharing openly and intensively the successful practices of the higher performers. We are convinced, as PISA results from some countries have shown, that it is quite possible to have both elite performance and improved equality among regions and social groups.

In Canada, we have the powerful advantage of expecting relative equality – between regions, among social groups, between immigrant children and non-immigrant children.

Second, we require well developed methods of assessing successful models and practices independent of government. This is one function in my country of the Canadian Council on Learning, which I have the honour to lead. At arm’s length from both provincial and federal governments, and yet aware of the educational challenges of each, CCL monitors Canadian performance in all key aspects of learning, including in schools; and reports directly on this to the Canadian people – with no government influence or interference. It also conducts applied research on important aspects of educational practice and reports its conclusions publicly.

Because the aim of the Council is to catalyse progress in lifelong learning and not to judge the performance of any particular province, region or government, it is a valuable national resource for educational progress.

Third, in any federal state, friction between levels of government is an entirely normal phenomenon – a fact of life. We must not let it obstruct educational progress. One way to ensure that it does not is to involve civil society very powerfully – through such initiatives as the Composite Learning Index. At the Canadian Council on Learning, our message to citizens has been: learning is everybody’s responsibility, and not principally that of the State. It is in everyone’s jurisdiction: national and provincial governments, but also the private sector, communities, parents, employers and labour unions. This language is intended to defuse intergovernmental tension and to place the debate on lifelong learning before the broader public – where it belongs.

Condition 4: Focus on Likely Change

Let me outline the factors that we find make positive reform in education more likely.

First, if people want change, it will happen. No matter how large the reform, if the change is desired by the people who will be involved in and affected by it, the reform can be incorporated with relatively little social disruption. The corollary is also true: even when changes are insignificant, if they are not wanted by those affected and involved in implementation, implementation will be resisted or occur only at great social and personal cost.

That is a powerful reason for working closely with teachers and principals.

Second, changes imposed from the “outside” are not likely to be accepted by “insiders”. When changes are forced upon a group by those whom they perceive as outsiders, the reform is likely to be met with overt compliance but covert resistance. That is one reason we need trusted intermediaries from civil society who develop close connections with educators and who can assist with the management of change – intermediaries like foundations, community groups, and perhaps even external consultants; generally people who may be perceived as less threatening.

Third, the more central changes are to the identities and way of life of group members, the less likely they are to occur. It is useful to remember this when looking at changes in schools. Changes in the way people work together, such as collaborative decision-making, team teaching, and peer coaching, are more difficult to bring about than changes in the technical aspects of a teacher’s work, such as new textbooks, or new systems for reporting about pupils. Again here, we need external advisors and community leadership.

Taken together, these factors indicate two things: first, we must be very strategic about the order and type of change we plan. Secondly, we must line up the right supports both within and outside the education system.

Condition 5:  Expectations and Evidence

This fifth condition is the most important for positive educational change.

There must be developed an attitude in the general population, among educators, among parents and students that failure of any student is not an option. If we shrug our shoulders and comment that certain deficiencies among selected groups are to be predicted, we set the conditions for failure.

Let us take the example of immigrant children. Although Canada does a poor job of setting explicit national educational goals, it does show a good example of shared implicit goals:  we expect right across the country immigrant children to achieve learning results just as good as those born in Canada. We state that as an expectation. And stating an expectation is the first step to realising a goal.

I hope not to offend a German audience as I remind you that immigration rates to your country – and indeed to most of Europe – are far lower than immigration to Canada. Despite this, accepted wisdom in Canada is that there is no excuse for society to permit differentials in learning results. We can argue about methods – and I know that the question of means is under active consideration in Germany - but we cannot contest the goal of equality, not only of opportunity but also of outcomes.

If we are unable to achieve rough equality of outcomes, then we condemn the system of public education to slow and steady deterioration as the continuously shrinking locally-born middle classes desert it. And the consequence of that is social disruption, insufficient skill development of the labour force and eventual problems in the economy.

The Canadian Council on Learning exists in my country to help to create the five conditions I have just described. Its vision is to catalyse lifelong learning across Canada. Its mission is to work with partners in and outside government to create a national learning architecture.

“Learning architecture” is a useful concept in a federal state: it implies that we create a coalescence of views among governments and NGOs to achieve common learning objectives by:

• informing Canadians about our state of learning;
• fostering high quality research on learning; and
• facilitating evidence-informed decision-making on lifelong learning.

In doing our work, we have indeed found that our partnerships with all sectors of society have assisted the country to overcome some of the issues inherent in a federal structure. When industry, unions, and community leaders can agree on priorities and approaches, it is much easier for governments at all levels to work together to achieve the goals of the larger society.

Five conditions. Five challenges, ladies and gentlemen. All of them demand our urgent attention.

Herr Präsident, distinguished participants,

I have great admiration for the culture, the determination and the savoir faire of Germany. I know that, together, you will find the way to move your country to abundant progress in education and learning. And I do hope that I have today been able to share with you some useful ideas.

Top