Pasi Sahlberg has the right idea about fixing Australian education.

The West Australian Newspaper  and other media outlets often call for education  to get "Back to Basics" in schools. This "Back to Basics" approach to education echoes the many similar comments of politicians and media commentators, especially after the release of PISA or NAPLAN results.

The 2019 PISA results ( released at the end of 2019 for tests administered in 2018) show Australia has apparently slipped behind. Or have other countries caught us up? Either way the media screamed for the problem of Australia’s falling PISA ratings to be fixed. How? Well, teachers need to work harder. They need to be much better trained. Those wanting to be teachers must come from the very highest achievers with ATAR scores in the top range. And the frenzied call for "Back to basics." 

It seems to me we have heard that song before.

Actually, the PISA test is a  test of a random sample of 15 year olds in about 70 countries. Well, Hong Kong and Shangai are not countries, They are economic zones. They always rank highly in PISA. If Canberra was used to represent Australia, we would be at the top of the PISA premiership table. Australia would also be ranked in the higher ranks if PISA only looked at the Western Australian results.

Unfortunately, in all the tumult and shouting about how to fix Australia’s education problems, we do not often hear from educators talking about PISA results. Pasi Sahlberg is an educator. He was in charge of education in Finland when that country always appeared in the top four of the PISA rankings. He is currently  a professor of education at the Gonski Institute for Education at the University of NSW.

When the various COAG ministers for education met in Alice Springs in December last year, they discussed the PISA results and produced an Alice Springs Education Statement which more or less reflected the Melbourne education statement which they had previously produced.

This latest statement contains many sound educational ideas aimed at developing knowledge, skills and habits in all students so that they may understand the environment in  which they live and their relationship to it. Not only that. They should be able to make a satisfying contribution to the society in which they live. In the Alice Springs statement particular stress was placed on the importance of teaching phonics and the history and culture of indigenous Australians.

It is a sound document. Apart from the attention to indigenous culture, it more or less reflects the aims of the Western Australian Education Department syllabus that I walked into at the very start of my teaching career in the mid 1950s. In those days of course Phonics was a major part of early childhood language education. Indigenous history and culture was not mentioned at all.

However,  Pasi Sahlberg suggested that when those COAG education ministers met they really needed to reflect on the research evidence and discover a new way forward to produce better schools. Speaking recently about the latest PISA results, Sahlberg reminded us that Albert Einstein once said, ”We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

Sahlberg gave a clear idea of how Australian education could be improved. He made three points. They are in marked contrast to the fixes suggested by the loud and often sensational voices in the media. They are quite removed from the major thrust of COAG’s Education Statement.

Firstly, make equity in education a priority. Ten years ago the Gonski report identified the wide gap between high and low achievers in Australia. Sahlberg says, “Improving equity in education starts with high-quality early childhood education for all, individualised support for those who need it and valuing whole-child development throughout schooling.”

Gonski funding was originally designed to eliminate the ever-widening education gap. Unfortunately, our politicians have not distributed those Gonski funds equitably, or to where they were needed the most.That is the basic problem with our education system. Sahlberg says that, “Equity is not only a social justice imperative-it is also a way to use resources more effectively."

Secondly, Sahlberg says we need to make health in schools another priority. I taught in a junior high school (years 6-10) in Toronto from 1962 to 1964. That Canadian school of about 300 students, had a full-time nurse, with quick access to child psychologists and social workers. More than fifty years later, how many Australian schools with 300 students have a full time nurse?

Twenty years ago I heard Professor Fiona Stanley inform a group of  principals and early childhood teachers that 20% of children have learning problems related to mental health issues.That is one in five children in each class. Dr Stanley expressed her admiration to the teachers that were present.  She told those Early Childhood teachers that, on a daily basis and with limited resources, they dealt with five or more children with mental health issues affecting their learning, while at the same time delivering an education programme to their mainstream classes. 

I remember writing in WAPPA WORDS at the time, circa 2001, that our teachers were like soldiers, whose commanding officers had given them inferior weapons and insufficient ammunition while constantly berating them for not winning the battle. When will the adequate and equitable distribution of resources be given to help teachers address these critical student health issues in our schools?

Sahlberg says the data shows “That the decline of youth well being has happened at the same time as  slipping PISA scores in Australia…a student that suffers from anxiety disorders, depression, sleep deprivation or suicidal behaviours is not likely to be successful in school.”

All teachers know that most of the social, emotional, psychological and behavioural problems, that they deal with on a daily basis, originate from outside the classroom. Low socio-economic status, domestic violence, drug, alcohol and  physical abuse all impact on a child’s school performance.

Finally, Professor Sahlberg warns against employing quick fixes. Pretty basic thinking, really. Quick fixes do not fix equity or student wellbeing. “It is the wrong strategy because it does not address educational equities and enhance students’ wellbeing, so that every student would have a fair chance to succeed.”

The evidence is clear. Schools in lower socio-economic areas generally perform below schools in the “leafy green” suburbs. Everyone knows that. Education Departments knows it. They have known it for over fifty years!

Unfortunately, education policy over recent years has been determined by politicians who implement policies, not  based on educational research or need, but based on what is likely to gain them  the most votes. The popular media often sensationalises the politicians’ quick fix solutions. It engages in 'teacher bashing" while ignoring the rational, evidence-based solutions of  Sahlberg and a host of other teachers and educators.

These educators, like Sahlberg, suggest it is more rational to get back to the real basics. Instead on indulging in teacher bashing and school bashing we need to inform ourselves of the educational research and implement equitable resourcing policies that will close the achievement gap by providing equity and wellness for all students.

During the COVID-19 pandemic it was pleasing to note that politicians amd the media deferred to the wisdom and knowledge of the health experts. It is critical for the future well being of our students, our schools and our society that principals, teachers and other education experts, especially Pasi Sahlberg, be listened to.

It’s pretty basic, really.