Outmoded Working Culture
We talk so much (ad nauseam, perhaps) about mindset…from this general perspective, I support Gratton’s assertion that we must catalyse a mindset revolution, as opposed to a radical revolution, if we are to move decidedly into the future of work. As she points out, quite rightly, I think, “while executive teams may continue to receive a lot of applicants from across the normal distribution (of talented candidates), they may increasingly struggle to find the quality they desire, as the ‘very talented’ seek out more forward-thinking and innovative work environments” (39).
Whither AI in Education?
Often underestimated severely is the notion that what we’re really talking about is not technology…but culture change. If all these AI promises outlined and/or hypothesised by the authors are to come to be, they will be realised only when we consider culture change. The authors offer us the nut to crack when they state on p. 11 that artificial intelligence in education (AIEd) is an “essentially human endeavour.”
Stability in Teaching Skills
What is missing is a methodical approach to re-skilling and up-skilling across the full education sector. It is not a question of schools acting alone; everyone from associations to recruitment agencies should be involved in this approach, and there is equally a role for individual educators themselves, who must take a proactive approach to their own professional learning. One must also entertain whether governments can/should play a role in this regard, in terms of creating working environments whose structures promote and espouse this kind of attention to skills stability. We know that it is needed.
Of Ethics and Struggle
Do we have a system of moral principles that govern our business actions in the world that we call international schools? How are individuals in our sector behaving, when it comes to 'making deals' to open/create new schools around the world, as part of the wave that appears to be remarkable growth in international schools? In the quest for income, whether those funds are destined for endowment pots or to support bursaries and scholarships in a 'home campus' location, have we struggled sufficiently and openly with the ethics of it all? And what are the consequences of an insufficient struggle?
The Changing Face of Competition for Schools
You may not be aware of the next-generation challengers to the traditional international school model. A recent report from SSATB (now: The Enrollment Management Association) highlights a number of new models to ponder from the perspective of competition. These are not putative or theoretical models of how we might do school -- they exist and they're gaining ground. They are expanding. They have proof of concept.