Over the last few years, the NC Public School Forum and the Center for International Understanding have traveled the world to discover the “secrets” behind high performing school systems in countries like Denmark, India, China, and Korea. Along with staff from these organizations, legislators, academics, bureaucrats, and others go along to “observe,” i.e., get a free trip abroad.
The Forum just released their eighth comparative education report – a report on schooling in Singapore, called, appropriately enough, Learning From Singapore. The problem is that they appeared to learn very little from the nation that waxes the U.S. on every international assessment ever conceived by man. So, what is Singapore’s secret? According to the Forum, Singapore is successful because they engage in central planning, “invest” in education, and use research to improve instruction.
But suppose the Forum “missed” a major component of Singapore’s education system, say, choice. In 2006, 28 percent of primary school students, 37 percent of secondary school students, and 38 percent of pre-university students were enrolled in aided (think charter), autonomous, and independent schools in Singapore. Perhaps the fact that nearly 40 percent of secondary and pre-university students are not enrolled in state schools actually has something to do with their success. Predictably, the Forum report never entertains that possibility.
If you were curious, in 2005, about a quarter of Denmark’s lower secondary school students attended private schools that received government aid. Nearly half of Korea’s upper secondary school students attended a government aided private school in 2005. According to the World Bank, approximately 42 percent of secondary school students in India attended a private school in 2003.
I am not sure where the Forum plans to go next. I will suggest that they make the trip to 200 West Morgan Street in Raleigh, NC.
HT:JH
