In a speech to the Australian College of Educators this week, distinguished and respected professor of education Stephen Dinham took a verbal hatchet to what he describes as ‘myths’ and ‘beliefs’ that have been “accepted almost without evidence or questioning in Australia”.
Dinham lists twenty ‘myths’ that he says have been imported from the US and the UK, and are being advocated by people keen to promote the idea that there is a ‘crisis’ in education.
There is much in Dinham’s speech with which I agree and much that I don’t, but my strongest impression is that I do not recognise his characterisation of the debate over education policy in Australia. It implies that all the people who have something to say about school education in Australia can be split into two mutually exclusive groups— the “silent or silenced” educators who reject the ‘myths’ Dinham lists, and the powerful ‘vested interests’ who promote them.
This is not my impression. The relatively small group of people who are frequent contributors to the public debate over education hold a variety of views. People who think greater autonomy for schools is a good idea often find themselves on the opposite side of the table on NAPLAN and My School.
People who agree about the value of NAPLAN and My School don’t necessarily have the same attitudes to international rankings. Not everyone who is open to the concept of charter schools thinks that “choice and competition are the answers to almost any question about education”.
Last week, I participated in a panel discussion at the annual conference of the Australian Primary Principals Association. The range of comments expressed by the six panellists exemplified how unhelpful it is to conceptualise such discussions as an argument between two opposing camps.
Everyone has a different — and often unpredictable — set of views informed by their own knowledge and experiences. There is no organised and synchronised cabal of anti-public education ‘neo-liberal’ ideologues, only a diverse set of individuals who for the most part have the best interests of Australia’s children at heart.
Jennifer Buckingham is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies
Home > Commentary > Opinion > No organised and synchronised cabal of anti-public education ‘neo-liberal’ ideologues
No organised and synchronised cabal of anti-public education ‘neo-liberal’ ideologues
In a speech to the Australian College of Educators this week, distinguished and respected professor of education Stephen Dinham took a verbal hatchet to what he describes as ‘myths’ and ‘beliefs’ that have been “accepted almost without evidence or questioning in Australia”.
Dinham lists twenty ‘myths’ that he says have been imported from the US and the UK, and are being advocated by people keen to promote the idea that there is a ‘crisis’ in education.
There is much in Dinham’s speech with which I agree and much that I don’t, but my strongest impression is that I do not recognise his characterisation of the debate over education policy in Australia. It implies that all the people who have something to say about school education in Australia can be split into two mutually exclusive groups— the “silent or silenced” educators who reject the ‘myths’ Dinham lists, and the powerful ‘vested interests’ who promote them.
This is not my impression. The relatively small group of people who are frequent contributors to the public debate over education hold a variety of views. People who think greater autonomy for schools is a good idea often find themselves on the opposite side of the table on NAPLAN and My School.
People who agree about the value of NAPLAN and My School don’t necessarily have the same attitudes to international rankings. Not everyone who is open to the concept of charter schools thinks that “choice and competition are the answers to almost any question about education”.
Last week, I participated in a panel discussion at the annual conference of the Australian Primary Principals Association. The range of comments expressed by the six panellists exemplified how unhelpful it is to conceptualise such discussions as an argument between two opposing camps.
Everyone has a different — and often unpredictable — set of views informed by their own knowledge and experiences. There is no organised and synchronised cabal of anti-public education ‘neo-liberal’ ideologues, only a diverse set of individuals who for the most part have the best interests of Australia’s children at heart.
Jennifer Buckingham is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies
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