Transcript New Indicators - University of Bath

Developing ESD: what role for indicators?
William Scott
Centre for Research in Education and the Environment
University of Bath
[email protected]
www.bath.ac.uk/cree
What is an indicator?

a device for showing the operating condition of some
system

a signal for attracting attention
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an indirect measure of a broad concept which cannot
be measured directly

any of various statistical values that together provide
an indication of the condition or direction of a process
or system
Functions of indicators
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to monitor change and assess trends
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to evaluate the effects of actions
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to engage people and help communicate
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to focus attention on important issues
Functions of indicators
Talking about sustainable development is not enough… .
We must hold ourselves to account as a government,
but also as a country. All this depends on devising
new ways to assess how we are doing
Tony Blair, introduction to the UK Sustainable Development Strategy, 1999
Properties of indicators
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selective / simplifying
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technical or resonant
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assessing performance or process
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qualitative or quantitative
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present / absent
Limitations of indicators
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not
everything that counts can be counted
Albert Einstein
Limitations of indicators
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Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a widely-used indicator
for economic development
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are data available and valid?
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does all economic activity contribute to economic
development?
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is GDP a valid indicator of economic welfare, or economic
potential?
Selecting indicators
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single or multiple indicators?
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do indicators relate to process or system?
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do they meet the needs of policy makers / practitioners?
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do they indicate what’s important / show trends?
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are they understandable: simplifying, but not oversimplifying?
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are they easily measurable?
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can they inform action?
Indicators in the UK strategy
Indicators are central to the monitoring and reporting of
progress towards sustainable development. They are also
powerful tools which can help focus public attention on what
sustainable development means and to give a broad overview
of whether we are achieving ‘a better quality of life for
everyone, now and for generations to come’.
UK Sustainable Development Strategy, 1999
Indicators in the UK strategy
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147 indicators, 15 headline indicators
split into ‘economic growth’, ‘social progress’, ‘environmental
protection’
headline indicators published annually as ‘quality of life’
barometer
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mostly performance indicators
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mostly existing national statistics
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indicator model problematic (Foster et al.)
Learning indicators in the UK strategy
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Level 2 qualifications at Age 19
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Other indicators include those on adult literacy and
numeracy, participation in lifelong learning, truancies and
exclusions from school
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Awareness of Sustainable Development in Schools
- how does awareness relate to understanding?
- how does understanding relate to sustainable development?
New Indicators
But we need indicators that are …
• beyond attendance (and percentages staying on at
school, or going to higher education) – though spending
more rather than less time being appropriately educated
is to be encouraged
• beyond qualifications and proportions qualifying – though the
more learned and skilled we are, the better all our lives will
surely be.
New Indicators
… and that are …
• beyond content (that is, expert-specified concepts,
outcomes and assessment) – though knowledge
is important
• beyond experts (ie, having to know exactly what others
know otherwise it doesn’t count as knowledge - although
we need to take seriously people’s experience (wherein,
after all, lies their expertise)
Current Education Learning Indicators
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Level 2 Qualifications at Age 19
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The impact of formal learning on knowledge and
awareness of sustainable development
Some possible indicators
process indicator:
schools judged higher than satisfactory against Ofsted
ESD good practice guidelines
output indicator:
number of people with qualifications linked strongly to
sustainable development / ESD
outcome indicator:
performance in surveys of understanding of sustainable
development
Developing ESD: what role for indicators?
William Scott
Centre for Research in Education and the Environment
University of Bath
[email protected]
www.bath.ac.uk/cree
Your Task:
In a context that makes sense to you, generate one
indicator that you think could be used as an effective
measure of whether an ESD programme is building
our capacity to live sustainably.