Please Don’t Revolutionise Education!

This is an edited and translated version of an opinion article by Inge de Wolf that originally appeared in the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant.

Education needs proper insight into the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for students and better knowledge of what works if we are to eliminate adverse consequences, argues Inge de Wolf, Professor of Education Systems at the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) at Maastricht University.

A small, very prominent group of people are calling for this COVID-19 crisis to be the time to innovate education. This is followed by a colourful procession of emotions, opinions, one-sided experiences and ideologies. Everyone seems convinced that they are right and proposals are numerous: exams or no exams, an extra year of education or targeted refresher courses, self-development or just language and maths… All too often, the facts are lacking to make sound decisions.

Just as with discussions about the virus, bringing forth an army of popular educational topics does not lead to the best solutions. It causes confusion, arguments about who is right, and discussions about definitions. It distracts from what needs to be done. What we need are two things: (1) a good understanding of the consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for students and (2) knowledge of what works best to eliminate adverse effects on students. Use insights from science, as is done in the fight against the virus via the Outbreak Management Team (OMT).

First, we need to understand what exactly is going on. The frameworks are beginning to emerge at a national level. Various scientific studies show that a small number of students are not affected by the COVID-19 crisis. They even benefit from it. However, a much larger number of students are falling behind, they are learning less than they would do at their school or place of study. For pupils in primary schools, this is becoming apparent in languages and maths, while in secondary schools, all subjects are being affected, and in vocational education it’s the vocational subjects, in particular, that are affected. As well as concerns about the well-being of students, they are facing issues around progression onto further education and the labour market (lower recommendations, fewer jobs). All these consequences appear to be much greater for students with lower-educated parents than for students whose parents have a higher level of education. Concerns are mainly around the well-being and development of students who need schooling the most.

Teachers and school leaders can use this information to provide targeted help to students. Because the differences between students are so substantial, customisation is required, which turns a national restart for all students into a bad idea. I also do not understand why some people are proposing a stop to tests and exams. This seems as ill-advised as stopping corona infection tracking. Not having to measure may give relief, but it doesn’t help anyone and actually it makes the problem worse. Nor should we be tempted to revolutionise education.

Second, we need to know what works in order to address the negative impact on students. Freedom of education must not result in non-commitment. In current times of high workload, it is even more important to focus on proven effective approaches and to not be satisfied with good intentions alone. Fortunately, we are increasingly aware of what is effective in eliminating learning disadvantages. Good teachers appear to be the most important factor in this.

We must therefore ensure that disadvantaged students, in particular, receive lessons from our very best teachers and that these students do not suffer more from the shortage of teachers. Refresher programmes and extra time are very effective in levelling students who currently fall behind, provided that programmes are tailored and well-executed. It also works to help parents in better supporting their child at home. Providing books for those children, who do not have a rich collection at home, for example, increases the reading performance of students.

These scientific insights are important for schools as well as for a national approach. Crises require good analyses, customisation and broad collaboration. Initiatives in which education, science, and policy development work closely together are very positive. I myself contribute to this from the new Education Lab NL. We conduct research into what works in practice, with teachers, school leaders, scientists and education inspectors. We are currently investigating the consequences of COVID-19 for primary school students and looking at effective approaches.

Students benefit from good analyses and insight into what works. So stop wearing each other out with fact-free opinions, one-sided experiences, and discussions on definitions. Let’s use science to find good solutions. And let’s evaluate the chosen solutions, map out their effects and learn from them. This way, we work towards proven approaches for every teacher, school leader, school administrator and policy maker. This not only enables us to tackle this crisis, but also leads to sustainable innovation and better education, which benefits both current students and future generations.

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