Dylan Wiliam on PISA, Assessment, and De-implementation
Jan 10, 2024
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Nat Malkus and Dylan Wiliam discuss PISA results, differences in US and UK education, the importance of formative assessment, challenges in teacher improvement, making learning responsive, AI in education, and the need for de-implementation in education.
Charter schools have varying effectiveness; reading focus reduces gender gap.
Bilingual education success influenced by language social status.
Teacher professional development lacks relevance; AI poses benefits and challenges.
Deep dives
Charter Schools and Education Policy
Charter schools have shown improvement but may not be transformative in the education system due to policy challenges. The effectiveness varies among schools where some are outstanding, while others struggle. The focus on reading, such as implementing phonics checks, has been a notable success, especially in reducing the gender gap in reading.
Bilingual Education and Social Status
Bilingual education can be beneficial, but social status of languages plays a crucial role. The differential social status between languages can affect the success of bilingual education. Higher social status of the minority language could enhance the effectiveness of English as a second language programs.
School Boards and Local Control
Local control over school boards provides autonomy, but challenges arise due to small districts and lack of redistribution opportunities. Consolidation of school boards may be necessary to address homogenous constituencies and limited diversity in decision-making.
Teacher Professional Development Challenges
Teacher professional development faces difficulties in effectiveness and relevance, often lacking job-embedded, practice-focused approaches. The disconnect between professional development and daily teaching practices hinders its impact on enhancing instruction.
Formative Assessment and AI Integration
AI integration in formative assessment shows potential in grading and lesson planning, saving teachers time on administrative tasks. However, concerns arise about AI's impact on student motivation and feedback quality. Balancing AI benefits with student engagement and genuine learning remains a challenge.
De-Implementation in Education Reform
De-implementation, the process of identifying and removing unnecessary practices in education, offers a structured approach to enhance efficiency and focus resources on impactful strategies. Streamlining efforts, such as cutting down on excessive lesson planning or wall displays, can optimize teacher time and redirect efforts to more valuable initiatives.
On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus speaks with Dylan Wiliam about the latest PISA results, education in the US vs. education in the UK, what tutors might learn that classroom teachers might not, where teacher improvement and professional development tend to go wrong, making learning responsive to students, formative assessment, learning English as a second language, charter schools, why educators should think more about de-implementation, AI in education, and more.
Dylan Wiliam is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London.
