Education – a economic priority TUI Symposium - October 17, 2008

1. Education – a economic priorityTUI Symposium - October 17, 2008 Presented by: Tony Donohoe, Head of Education and Social Policy

2. Education and training • Education’s role in economic recovery • But its importance transcends economic issues • Cumulative nature of educational success • early childhood development to lifelong learning • Teacher quality and professional development • Delivering for every child • Curriculum reform • Further and higher education • Lifelong learning • Investment at a time of fiscal stress • Importance of ‘generic’ skills • Pay attention to teacher quality and professional development • Integration of training and education systems • Education and training system has played a key role in Ireland’s economic transformation over the last three decades • Need to innovate and change • Demand for individuals who can combine discipline-specific technical knowledge with entrepreneurial skills and an ability to think creatively

3. Source: Enterprise Strategy Group National context World-class Skills, Education & Training

4. Heckman curve

5. PISA rankings – 15 year olds

6. McKinsey Study • Quality of a education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers • ‘Variations in teacher quality completely dominate any effect of reduced class size’ • Get the right people to become teachers • Develop these people into effective instructors • Mentoring, coaching, peer-learning, teamwor • Increase Government investment in CPD • Improve autonomy for college/school leadership • …requires greater flexibility from teaching profession

7. School reforms and teaching practice Similar effect to that that of a storm on the ocean ‘The surface is agitated and turbulent while the ocean floor is calm and serene (if a bit murky). Policy churns dramatically … creating the appearance of major changes … while deep below the surface, life goes on largely uninterrupted’ Cuban (1984)

8. Delivering for every child • Resources and funding targeted at those who need them most • Set clear and high expectations for student performance but less prescriptive curricula • Monitoring and intervene at school level • Examinations and school reviews • Monitoring and intervene at pupil level • Special education teachers to support one-on-one or small group teaching • 30% of all pupils in Finland • De-stigmatised • Teachers get an additional year of training

9. Generic competences v ‘holistic’ education • Basic/fundamental skills such as literacy, using numbers, using technology; • People-related skills such as communication, interpersonal, team working, customer-service skills; and • Conceptual skills such as collecting and organising information, problem-solving, planning and organising, learning-to-learn skills, innovation and creativity, systems thinking

10. Population with a Third Level EducationBy Age Cohort, 2006

11. Lifelong learning in EU member states

12. Lifelong learning • Time, money and motivation • Flexible delivery • Different modes (blended/e- learning, modularisation, credits, flexible hours of delivery etc.) • Bluebrick.ie • Increased awareness of benefits of education and training • Establishing a workable system on ‘who pays’ • Systematic identification of the needs of individuals and enterprises • ‘Joined-up’ education and training policy across government departments

13. Investment at a time of fiscal stress • Economic return accrues mainly in the long term but must be a priority • Need to spend scarce public resources with maximum efficiency • Focus on inputs can be misleading • Balance focus between absolute levels of funding and other reforms that could improve student performance • Provide opportunities for teachers to use skills and commitment