Education Reform Commissions
leading to inclusive, equitable systems promoting the overall development of children & youth This page briefly describes one of the steps that need to be considered when school and other systems are being rebuilt, renewed or transformed. Education reform commissions are bodies or committees established by governments or educational institutions to evaluate, propose, and implement changes in the education and partner systems. These commissions are typically composed of educators, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in the field of education. Their primary goal is to identify areas for improvement within the education system and other systems as well as develop strategies to address them. This may involve reforms in curriculum, teaching methods, assessment practices, funding mechanisms, governance structures, partnerships with other ministries, services to families and students from other ministries or other aspects of education or social policy. The recommendations made by these commissions can have significant implications for the future direction and quality of education within a particular jurisdiction. Effective education reform commissions share a number of characteristics and many commissions have had significant impacts within their countries and beyond, Education reform commissions to chart educational reforms can be an important step in most transformative reform initiatives that promote inclusive, equitable education and the overall development of children and youth. Jurisdictions should consider the why, how and the what of such commissions from the outset.
Planning for pitfalls can help to ensure the impact of education reform commissions. These include:
Examples of education reform commissions promoting inclusion, equity and the overall development of children include:
Closing Comments and Reflection A brief examination of such commissions[i] done in preparing this joint educator statement suggests that they should be established, structured, and perceived to be above the interests and immediate concerns of the governments that create them. Further, the mixed history and challenges associated with such commissions, it is suggested here that UN agencies, researchers and organizations collaborate to develop evidence-based and practical guidance on the formation and operation of education commissions for countries to use as they begin the transformation of their school systems. End Notes (1) Wilson, Roger (2017) "Education Commissions and Their Visions: Charting the Way Forward," Colleagues: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 15 (1) Ginsberg, R., & Wimpelberg, R. K. (1987). Educational Change by Commission: Attempting “Trickle down” Reform. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 9(4), 344–360. doi.org/10.2307/1163773 (ii) The international commission on the futures of education (2021) Reimagining our futures together. A new social contract for education, Paris, UNESCO (iii) Ratna M. Sudarshan (2020) The Planning Commission and Education in Santosh Mehrotra & Sylvie Guichard (eds) Planning in the 20th Century and Beyond India's Planning Commission and the NITI Aayog, Chapter 5, Cambridge University Press [i] A 2017 review of American education commissions (with a Canadian example) has identified the tendency of many such inquiries “to envision a system out of sync with public expectations or societal needs” as an understandable phenomenon given that they are usually created to address the real or perceived inadequacies of the status quo. The same review underlines the need to understand the social, economic and political context of each commission. Countries should identify commissions that have had a significant impact on their or similar countries. For example, the US 1983 commission report, A Nation at Risk, had a huge impact on American education., the 1950 Planning Commission of India led to the creation of most of that country’s education infrastructure and several commissions in Kenya have led education reform. However, the Kenya and other commissions have often been criticized and ineffective. An early (1987) review of education commissions in the US found that they were often long in duration, general in their recommendations, paid little attention to implementation and were largely ineffective. It is clear, however, from this brief discussion that such commissions should be established, structured and perceived to be above the interests and immediate concerns of the governments that create them. (They are often designated as “royal” or as created by the head of state to denote this significance and independence. Given this mixed history found in this brief look and the obvious need that transforming schools should be preceded in each jurisdiction by an independent investigation and report, it is suggested here that UN agencies and organizations collaborate to develop evidence-based and practical guidance on the formation and operation of education commissions for countries to use as they begin the transformation of their school systems. Go back to our Introduction to transformation steps and elements or Go back to our page on Transformation Steps |
Transformation Steps
Web links to the brief descriptions of the many Transformation Elements listed in the drop-down menu below will be active when one page summary has been prepared ******** - Establish strategic principles of reform - Secure contributions of other ministries - Use existing events/processes in reform - Inter-ministry talks on school as a hub - Mar the wider stakeholder community - Preliminary or post-TES consultation - Create reform web site/platform - Identify how education reform supports national development plan/policy - Use regular inter-ministry meetings - Regular meetings with school staff reps - Anticipate major bottlenecks - Build administrator skills manage change - Use educators as action researchers - Build on successful local initiatives - Intersectoral monitor/resource matrix - Use existing monitoring mechanisms - Conduct local qualitative studies - Use global monitoring mechanisms - Use an education reform commission - Review data, reports surveys on children - Consult with reps of all employees Go back to Transformation Steps page |
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There are many items on this list on the right hand side of this page which describe, in detail, how the many elements that may need to be modified to create, support and sustain change. We have created these detailed lists because we think it is easier to work on small, specific changes rather than being faced with broad, general statements about transforming systems. If you would like to join the volunteer members of the Global Network of Deans of Education in reviewing, commenting on or preparing a one page summary on one or more of these elements, please complete the response form found at the bottom of this web page introducing this section.