There was an interesting article in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago co-written by George Osborne and Richard Thaler (of Nudge and Behavioural Economics fame) talking about designing policies that go with the grain of human nature. Whoever gets into power after the next election – what impact could this kind of thinking have on education policy?
At a system wide level education and schools policy would move away from being a bit of a shove to an embrace of the nudge and direct engagement with those at the frontline. Organisations working to support goverment policy would switch from transmit to receive – drawing on the best of what’s working on the ground. And networks such as the Progressive Education Network and New Schools Network (and dare I say it – ourselves at the Centre for School Design) where teachers, parents and those in the design community are in the driving seat – would be much more prominent.
In friday’s TES there was widespread criticism of OfSTED from a range of people including Chris Woodhead. A ‘nudge framework’ for education would move us way beyond a narrow accountability frameworks and past notions of intelligent accountability – to more radical ways of engaging educationalists, rewarding teachers, setting up co-operative structures which put frontline workers in charge – and opening up the market to an even greater number of providers. The question is – are we actually being radical enough?
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