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International rankings hold little value for Australia’s education future
Australia’s unique education system must not be sacrificed in the pursuit of an unattainable goal to improve our international rankings, says a new report by The Centre for Independent Studies.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), along with the Trends in International Maths and Science Study (TIMSS), which score international school systems, are driving education policy in Australia.
Jennifer Buckingham, CIS Research Fellow and author of the report Keeping PISA in Perspective, argues that international comparisons based on PISA and TIMSS are problematic. The top-ranking countries are dramatically different from Australia – socially, culturally, geographically, demographically and linguistically.
‘There is a perception that Australia need only adopt the education policies of more successful countries. Data from international assessments – while useful – do not necessarily tell us how to improve our education system.’
‘Top-ranking education countries are simply not like Australia. Culturally, Asian ‘tiger’ countries like Hong Kong and Singapore have very different approaches to learning, and schoolkids are subjected to study regimes that would seem punishing and excessive to Australian parents.’
Aside from Asia, Finland has implemented widely lauded education policies such as the universal public school system and a national curriculum, and it is frequently cited as a model that Australia should copy.
However, factors beyond school play an important role in Finland’s education successes: low immigration, low rates of non-Finnish speaking children taking the tests, and a highly equitable society; Australia on the other hand has high rates of immigration and double the child poverty rate of Finland.
PISA and TIMSS performance is strongly related to literacy ability, including the maths and science tests. Language complexity is an important factor to consider.
‘Finnish is an easy language to learn to read, while the English language is a challenge for many Australian schoolkids. It takes English readers two and half years to master familiar word recognition and decoding skills – skills that other language readers achieve within one year,’ says Buckingham.
‘Education policy must importantly look to Australia’s higher education system. The quality of literacy training – as well as the nature and quantity of practical experience – and the mentoring of new teachers are inadequate in many teacher education courses. Improving teacher education offers the best solution to improving outcomes and equity.’
Jennifer Buckingham is a Research Fellow at The Centre for Independent Studies. She is available for comment.
The CIS Issue Analysis, Keeping PISA in Perspective: Why Australian Education Policy Should Not Be Driven by International Test Results, is available at the CIS website.
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