Creating the Schools Our Children Need

Wiliam makes it fairly clear what we need to focus on in schools in his latest book. Using research to support his statements (something can be lacking in education), he brings to light the importance of a knowledge-based curriculum and the need for ongoing formative assessment in every classroom to create the schools kids need. I would recommend this book to other educators... especially those with formal leadership roles in schools and districts .

Dylan Wiliam provides a one-stop guide to school improvement in his latest book. He makes the case that (American) schools need to be improved, and that current initiatives (for example teacher evaluation with the aim of getting rid of poor teachers or incentives to attract and retain talented teachers) will not result in the improvement needed. Attempts to learn from countries which have performed well in international tests will also, he argues, be ineffective for reasons which include the difficulty in identifying the factors responsible for success. However, Wiliam’s careful evaluation of these and other projects as flawed or deficient does not lead to despair. There is, he argues, a way forward which involves three well-defined planks of a knowledge-rich curriculum, implementation of formative assessment at the classroom level, and teacher development. The message is exciting and inspiring, leaving me wanting to get out there and do it.The organization of the book makes it particularly engaging: Establishing the problem, evaluating unsatisfactory solutions, proposing effective ones. Every chapter builds the case with reference to available research which reveals more than a few counter-intuitive findings. It will come as no surprise to find formative assessment as part of the solution, but it was the chapter on curriculum, and the importance of knowledge, adding to, for example, the work of Daisy Christodoulou, which I found particularly powerful.The case he builds is compelling and coolly argued, but he does not pull his punches: "We are frequently told that young people of today are radically different from those of previous generations. We are told that they are … digital natives … and therefore need to learn in different ways from their predecessors. We are told that they cannot work on one thing for a sustained period of time because they are multitaskers. We are told they love to customize their world, and so the curriculum needs to be personalized to their interests and needs. We are told that they think and process information differently, and the school curriculum needs to reflect this. All this is plausible, but it is nonsense. For all intents and purposes, the brains of young people today are the same as the brains of young people thirty thousand years ago."Two questions which were on my mind on opening the book concerned its relevance for people outside the US, and its value for those already familiar with Wiliam’s writing. My feeling is that this is well worth reading if you are involved in school improvement, regardless of your situation, and yes, even if you are acquainted with Dylan Wiliam, there is enough here (on international comparisons, for example, or on curriculum) to make the purchase worthwhile. “Creating the schools our children need” is highly recommended for school board members, administrators, and teachers who want to avoid fads and bandwagons and instead pursue effective change.

Everyone has ideas on how schools ought to be organised and how education ought to be "done". For politicians, usually successful products of a particular educational process, the ideal way to educate young people is the way they were educated. Throw in some management practices from the business world and what can possibly go wrong? Well rather a lot actually. Professor Dylan Wiliam debunks many of the currently fashionable school improvement myths in this excellent text which is aimed at the USA market but fully resonates in the UK. The main strength of Wiliam's approach is his rigorous use of research to support his arguments. This should go down well with politicians but may well not. Despite claiming to want to implement research-informed educational policies, politicians more often want policy informed research!