Andrew Scleissinger OECD
Literacy is the currency of the 21st century
Literacy, like currency is subject to inflation (more and more is required)
The demand for skills is changing, schools must take a global perspective and learn from each other.
Global talent pool has changed with the flattening of the world. The job goes to the most effective produce, no matter where they are at in the world.
The US started strong. Did not get worse, but did not keep up pace with many other nations, the rate of change is not at pace with them. The US is lagging severely.
Demand for skills have changed, types of skills used changed (Levy and Murnane), routine cognitive skills are most underthreat (middle class, white collar). This is what most of our education and training is aimed at. The nonroutine interactive skills are the ones that are now most dramatically necessary
OECD concept or literacy: reading, analyze, compose, evaluate and think imaginatively (reading, math, science, etc).
PISA- 3 year global assessment study, 90% of the world economy in included (very little of Africa),
Literacy- Finland far on top (Japan and Canada also good overall). US performance- large discrepancy. Individual parent background and socioeconomic does not explain worldwide individual discrepancies. Higher achieving countries moderate this socioeconomic difference so there is little discrepancy. Virtually every school in Finland succeeds.
Countries have increase expenditures by 39% with little positive result. Poland is an exception to this in reading and pulling up the struggling readers which also effectively pulled up the better readers. up 3/4 of a school year.
Reading scores at age 15% are predictive of future success.
HOw did the most successful systems get where they did? (Finland, Japan, Canada)
- Sympathy does not raise standards, aspiration does
- high morale, highly qualified, high expectations, rigorous national standards, high level of support, access to best practice, getting right people to become teachers, quality professional development, incentives
- decision making- high school involvement in school decision making with strict national standards. NOt prescriptive so much, school responsible for action, accountability and interaction
- CREATE A KNOWLEDGE RICH ENVIRONMENT (education environment tends to be knowledge poor).
One additional year of education for a nation is equivalent to a 3-6% increase in GDP.
PROGRESS FAIRNESS and VALUE FOR MONEY
