The progressive choice – Creating 21st century School Systems

Browsing the Internet for a policy, I found a 2018 document “The progressive choice – Creating 21st century School Systems” [1] from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) [2] a non-profit organization that serves as a public policy think tank in USA. Peter Groff [3], former member of the Obama administration and a former Colorado legislator and President of the Colorado Senate

Peter Groff

The document recalls a quote from President Barack Obama: “In a global economy, where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a prerequisite.” [4]

The basis of the document is that “one size fits all” does not work due to the differences between children and the diversity of their backgrounds, languages, interests and experiences. It states that this leads to unfairness for a majority of children.

The document argues that “Progressive public servants, … , need to support the transformation of our public school systems into 21st century systems”, implying to “accept to suffer discomfort of change”. >> This acknowledges the recent and rapid shift of our society into the knowledge and technologically-networked world. It says that what is happening around us in our personal and professional lives in respect of the digital and social-networked revolution should also be a reality in education.

Groff highlights 4 points:

1. School level autonomy in terms of educational models, staffs, budgets, curricula, and school calendars. This should allow shaping school priorities and culture. >> I believe that such adaptation is compatible with progressive education. The complexity is that is it never a straightforward topic as a global approach is necessary too. It exists, I understand, in Nordic European countries which are usually quite advanced regarding education progressivism.
2. Accountability for results. >> This is necessary in general, and even more so when more autonomy is given. The challenge is about agreeing on the criteria. This may imply testing, which is paradoxically something progressivism wants to reduce.
3. Diversity in school designs: the report highlights that different children thrive in different educational environments. Hence, 21st century systems offer a variety of learning models – dual-language, Montessori, project based, internship-heavy, blended-learning, Waldorf, arts-focused, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and many more – to meet the needs and interests of all students. >> This is, in my opinion, the core of progressive (or authentic) education. The report seems to brush aside the complexity of finding the right didactic / authentic balance, leaving it to the “school-level autonomy”.
4. Public school choice is the last point. >> Parents can choose. On one hand, this is a great way of putting together the package together with school autonomy, accountability and diversity in design. But this may raise one problem, which is that, if not done properly, this could lead to the replication or reinforcement of inequalities.

To conclude, this inspiring policy paper is on one hand showing the undeniable attractiveness and benefits of the progressive education model. It however also shows the complexity that such model can imply and leads to questions about potential downsides.

[1] The progressive choice – Creating 21st century School Systems

[2] Progressive Policy Institute

[3] Peter Groff

[4] “Full Text of Obama’s Speech to Congress,” The Guardian, Feb. 24, 2009