In an increasingly unstable world, schools need to shape our future generations. Yet in the UK and the US, education systems are still falling short. An unthinking hegemony now dominates education, rarely asking the fundamental questions: What makes a good school? What is education for? And how can schools best prepare young people for the future? Purpose has been replaced by metrics, from exam scores to Ofsted grades, leaving systems marked by falling attendance, recruitment crises, low teacher morale and widespread wellbeing concerns.
Around the World in 80 Schools highlights schools that reject this narrow focus. Secondary teacher, Adam Seldon visits schools across every continent revealing places where education is understood as more than academic outcomes or a step up the ladder. Instead, he explores how different cultures define what makes a good school.
The book explores regions that aren’t generally well known for their schools, across Africa, America, central Asia, Australasia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Adam’s travels take him from elite institutions in metropolises like Mumbai and the first communist school in China, to schools in Africa’s largest slums or those run by refugee children in rural Thailand. Each chapter blends theory and case studies to reveal what typical metrics miss.
In the frenzied demands of a school day, it is easy to lose sight of what truly matters. This book provides a mixture of blue-sky inspiration to enable schools to reconnect with the true meaning of education and practical ideas to enable them to provide an experience that is more than just a transaction.
A fascinating and thought-provoking read for teachers, school leaders and policy makers.
