Ever since Edge was launched just over five years ago - provided we phrase things in the right way - the large majority (70%-80%) of every type of audience (teachers, young people, parents, employers, opinion formers) agree with us; they want young people to have more opportunities to carry out high quality practical and vocational learning.
So why don’t things change?
It is because the underlying assumptions behind our education system are deeply ingrained and institutionalised. In the UK, more than any country in the world, we turn diversity in terms of young people’s aptitudes and intelligences into hierarchy. A particular form of academic and analytical intelligence is regarded as better than others. The social pressures to want this route to success - to regard this route as in some way ‘better’ than another - is strong and pervasive and starts from a very early age.
This may have served us well in the 19th century; but in the 21st century, unless this attitude is changed we can be very confident that our overall education system will not provide our young people with the preparation they need for a successful and fulfilling life. It is as simple and important as that.
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5 comments:
Andy:
Snap!I've just blogged about the same prejudice (albeit it, taking a slightly different slant): http://davidpricesblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/our-ridiculous-hierarchy-of-education.html
Attitudes will change, once the ivory towers don't appear quite so attractive!
I agree too, I've long abhorred the educational snobbery associated with academics as if academic achievement was the only worthwhile success our chidlren could have. But I believe it is only by changing the attitudes of millions of parents, who just want the exam pass tickets and who close their minds to everything else, that we will ever have the weight to make change. And sadly, attention will only come to the need for change as more and more children fail under the heavily weighted curriculum and force parents to question.
Our kids are like educational political pawns. And our system is an outdated as manual typewriters! It is a crisis.
Ross Mountney.
http://rossmountney.wordpress.com
Thanks for your comment, David – and for alerting me to your blog. Very good.
Andy
Thanks Ross. And for putting me right recently re. home educators, and challenging my ill-informed prejudice that generally they take a more academic line!
Andy
Thanks ross
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