A few ideas on how to arrest our freefalling education system

(Courtesy of PISA)

Stop lowering the school age

Another factor that might be negative for children is the spread of quasi-compulsory kindergarten and preschool. This trend took off in Australia around 2010, but if you can see the positive effects on the curves above, please point them out to me.

There is plenty of research that suggests a free-range childhood, and primary care by the parents up to around age six is the best. The sort of care those outperformers from the 1970s received.

Indeed, the world leader in education results, Singapore, doesn't start formal education until 7 years of age.

Can we fix it?

It requires change and courage.

The changes are that we need to value overperformance in the classroom as we value it on the sports field.

Chuck the postmodern notion that marks don't matter, and children are fragile, and unleash a bit of old-fashioned pride and competition.

Declutter the curriculum, make it demanding, give it breadth, and also depth, and cut out the social indoctrination.

Stop measuring quality on inputs (money) and start measuring on outputs (marks).

Recruit great teachers at better pay and increase class sizes as appropriate. Discipline, and if necessary isolate, disruptive children and stare their enabler parents down.

State governments need to refuse to take students from teaching faculties that won't train them in effective teaching methods.

Principals need to be given control to hire and fire in their schools, as well as a say in financial priorities–this can be done in the public system, and by facilitating more private schools.