A short piece about the future of schools given in Reykjavic to colleagues, students and former students.

2. School = Stress
Perform!
Mental
Health Money Meaning
Across the world, 46% of
young people say school
is a huge stressor.
In Canada this figure is
63%
Students spend 15,000
hours of their life in
school. It is supposed to
be fun, creative and
powerful place to be - a
place students want to go
to.
The pressure to perform,
complete courses and
achieve results is growing
as fears about the future
of work and employment
increase.
Many experts predict that
between 35% and 45% of
current jobs will
disappear as automation,
3D printing, artificial
intelligence and robotics
start to displace workers.
Students are showing
more and more signs of
mental health challenges.
An estimated 1.5 million
Canadian children and youth
(aged 5-24) are affected by
mental health issues and are
not receiving access to
appropriate supports,
treatment, or care, with as
many as 70% of young adults
living with mental health
problems or illnesses
reporting that symptoms
started in childhood.
Learning is getting
expensive. The average
Canadian higher
education student has
debts of $25,000+ on
graduation.
Total student debt in
Canada = $22 billion.
Governments are
generally spending less
per capita on education
now than they did 5 years
ago.
Many students question
why they study what they
study. They seem unsure
what their learning
means for their lives and
what meaning it helps
them find.
Many don’t see school as
connected to their
passions, interests and
ambitions.

3. The real work of schools is to find the students passion
and build the skills and commitment to that passion so
that they become outstanding
We don’t know what skills you will need for tomorrow -
we do know that you will need to be a life-long learner
Schools also need to make sure that students have
core skills in language, writing, mathematics,
communication...
You will also need to be adaptive, resilient and
connected.
A citizen, a creative person, a skilled person, a healthy
person and a person who cares for others as well as
themselves, a person engaged in their work and
community.
What is School For?
Skills
Life-Long Learner
Resilience
The Outcomes We Need
School, What is it Good For?

4. To Make A Great School for
All, What Do We Need?
1
2
3
4
5
A focus on learners as people, not
evidence and pawns in a game of PISA
rankings and analytics.
To have great resources to support both learning (technology, time,
people, community) and learners (health supports, social supports,
financial supports).
To have some challenges, some opportunities and
some required skills - but not a curriculum that gets in
the way of inspired teaching, learning and action.
To have great, well qualified, compassionate and effective teachers who
collaborate with others and are flexible, creative and inspiring. They also have
the tools they need to be outstanding.
To work with, for and alongside students and to hear their voice and use that voice to design
learning. Each school community is unique and should be seen as such. Each school is a community.

5. Performivity Accountability Datafication STEM
There is a pressure on
students, teachers and
schools to perform on
standardized tests.
In some places, schools
who “underperform” are
placed on “special
measures” and teachers
are “blamed” as “failing
to achieve”.
Analytics, data and
measurement is
everywhere. Students are
being reduced to “data
points” and schools find
themselves in league
tables.
Yet, analytics rarely
makes a difference and
league tables reflect
socio-economic reality
rather than teaching,
learning or leadership.
School systems and
the schools within
them are increasingly
bureaucratic,
measured, and held
accountable for
targets.
What schools teach
(curriculum) is
increasingly focused
on STEM and less
focused on creative
arts, humanities and
social studies. Yet
STEM is not the only
skill-set and
knowledge that the
future calls for.

6. Learn to
Know
Learn to Do Learn To Live
Together
Learn to Be
Develop the skill of
exploring ideas,
mastering skills and being
curious about ”stuff”.
Work on skills that help
you do what you love,
what you need to do and
that help you help others.
Master the art of
empathy and the skills of
compassion. In the end, it
is what you do with and
for others that matters
most.
Learn how to be
comfortable and satisfied
being who you are. Learn
to overcome anxiety and
stress and learn to be just
“you”.

7. FOCUS CHALLENGE CHANGE
We need to pursue a clear
agenda for the future -
one that we chose, not
one imposed on us.
We need to challenge the
current narrative of
datafication, globalization
and accountability and
refocus on learning,
meaning and public good.
School is not all about
competition, ”self” and
league tables. School is
about helping each
learner to be a successful
citizen in their own
terms.
We each need to learn to
be resilient, adaptive,
capable, self-managing,
inquisitive, engaged,
empowered and curious.
Learn how to champion
change and lead social
action.