In a week where everyone is talking about education, leaders from schools, government, academia, philanthropy and business will gather tomorrow at the 2014 SVA Education Dialogue, an annual event designed to start new conversations, inspire new practice, and energise new partnerships to improve educational outcomes for students experiencing disadvantage. This year the focus of the SVA Education Dialogue will be how to address inequity in the Australian school system by spreading good practice.
SVA is welcoming three international guests to share their experiences with participants; Dr Kevan Collins (CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation) and David Albury (Director of the Innovation Unit) from the UK, along with Associate Professor Woon Chia Liu, Dean of Teacher Education at the National Institute of Education in Singapore.
SVA’s Executive Director of Education Suzie Riddell commented:
“We know that some Australian schools are already delivering great education outcomes for kids in low socio-economic communities, so today we’re here to understand more about what’s preventing great practice from spreading to all schools, and how to change this. We are delighted to be joined by a group of leaders who are positioned to make a difference at a practical, policy and political level.”
“We must look hard at the evidence of works so that all educators can learn from and implement effective approaches.”
Guest speaker Dr Kevan Collins, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation commented:
“The challenge we face is inconsistency. Across our systems, schools demonstrate that outstanding performance is possible. But the variation between similar schools, serving all types of communities, is wide. The next step is to strive for a system which is reliable: where every child, of any background, can fulfil their potential and make the most of their talents.”
“As a necessary first step, schools should have access to independent high-quality research in a form which is clear and user-friendly. It should be able to inform a discussion among school leaders without first requiring that they obtain a doctorate in statistics.”
As well as the international guests, SVA Education Dialogue participants will hear from a wide range of speakers, including school principals, business leaders, students, and education experts, and engage in practical discussions about what they can do to help spread effective practice in their own contexts.
More information on SVA Education projects can be found on the Growing Great Teachers, Bright Spots Schools Connection and SVA Education Dialogue pages of the SVA website.