Teachers are miserable because they’re being held at gunpoint for meaningless data

Jeremy Hannay

Almost a third of teachers quit in the first five years, and those who stay are burning out in record numbers.

Let me clear up this edu-mess for you. It’s not Sats. It’s not workload. The elephant in the room is high-stakes accountability. And I’m calling bullshit. Our education system actively promotes holding schools, leaders and teachers at gunpoint for a very narrow set of test outcomes. This has long been proven to be one of the worst ways to bring about sustainable change. It is time to change this educational paradigm before we have no one left in the classroom except the children.

Accountability. Surely that’s a good thing? I don’t think there is an educator in the country who would disagree with the idea that schools have a responsibility to be their very best. But we have options about how we make it happen.

Gunpoint is one option. We tell schools, leaders and teachers to make something happen or they will be miserable, jobless or a combination of both. This can lead to some pretty quick change, but it’s not long-lasting and will bring only compliance to the minimum standards because being held at gunpoint is stifling. It creates a “take-no-risks” attitude that becomes enshrined in the culture of leadership within a school. School improvement is seen as school inspection. Gains are made by the act of weighing. When gains are not made, the problem lies within the school, leader or teacher, rather than the culture, climate or conditions.