Avis Glaze has visited Scotland “many times”. The Canadian educator became a member of the Scottish government’s International Council of Education Advisers back in 2016 when it was first established, but already, she says, she had a connection with Scottish schools and staff.
Scottish educators were among the long line of visitors to the Canadian province of Ontario - where Dr Glaze played a pivotal role in improving student achievement - when it, like Finland, became something of a go-to destination after rating highly in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) study, which tests 15-year-olds around the world.
Dr Glaze was Ontario’s education commissioner and senior adviser to the minister of education. She was also Ontario’s first chief student achievement officer and the founding CEO of the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.
So clearly “academics are important”, as she puts it.
But, she adds, attainment is not the be-all and end-all and she believes the Scottish system’s strength lies in the well-rounded citizens it produces.
She describes Scotland as her “favourite country in the world” and says she has “yet to meet young people who are more generous and more caring”.
She adds: “I remember somebody saying to educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society. So to me, that holistic approach is what’s important. You may not be doing as well as you want to in one area, but you must also know how to judge success - and it’s in many, many areas.”
The Scottish government, though, has been clear on what its focus is and what it wants to be judged on - and that is, of course, closing the attainment gap between advantaged and disadvantaged pupils. But the research indicates the investment it has made in the so-called Scottish Attainment Challenge has yet to pay off.
For example, a report by the auditor general published in March last year found that progress in closing the gap was “limited” and fell “short of the Scottish government’s aims”. And that was based on data before the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the education system.
However, another key finding of that report chimes with Dr Glaze’s observations. It found better data was needed to understand if “outcomes beyond exam results” - such as wellbeing and confidence - were improving.
When discussing the findings in September last year, auditor general Stephen Boyle said that if it was accepted that “schools are about more than just the exam results”, a broader range of data was needed.
As well as valuing academic attainment, Dr Glaze argues there is a need to value “people’s total humanity”. She talks about “not only educating minds - but educating hearts as well”. When it comes to school leavers it is important that they “care deeply about others and the environment”; are “ethical human beings”; respect human rights; and are “good citizens”, she says.
However, there is no escaping that academic attainment is important - in previous interviews, Dr Glaze has said that student achievement is “number one” and character development is “number two”.
To make progress on that front, her advice to the Scottish government and local councils is to ask school leaders what they need, and then to hold them accountable.
“I remember visiting a school and one principal said: ‘Avis, all I want is an additional teacher in kindergarten’. If I was in my office making decisions, I would be giving them textbook money and this and that. Listen to the principals and the teachers because they will tell you what they need to improve. And then hold them accountable: ‘If we are giving you the things you need, and we are helping and building capacity, then we expect you also to deliver.’
“But there should be no shame or blame. People are doing the best they know how. We have to build capacity. We cannot demoralise our teachers because we are not going to have good schools without good principals and teachers.”
When Dr Glaze next visits Scotland it will be to speak to school leaders gathered for the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) and Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) annual conference, in Edinburgh in October. She plans to share with them over a dozen actions that they can take to “optimise their impact”.
One essential aspect of good leadership, she says, is “self-knowledge and awareness”.
To improve these things, Dr Glaze says school leaders should be asking those around them how they “come across” - and not just their superiors, but those that work for them including janitors, school secretaries and catering staff.
Dr Glaze says: “The true test of who we are is how we treat those who are not in high positions. How caring are we? How respectful are we? I need to know from them how I come across - do I practise what I preach? Do I live my values? If I say I respect people, do I treat you with respect? Because if you don’t as a leader, you are going to be inauthentic and people won’t believe you.
“So I think a good leader has to find out the impact that he or she is having on those they serve. Leadership is about service. It’s not about becoming megalomaniacs or egomaniacs. It’s about ‘how am I serving people?’”
Avis Glaze will be speaking at the Edinburgh Open Education Conference on Friday 7 October, which is free to attend, part of the joint Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) and the Independent Association of Prep Schools (IAPS) Enlightened Education Conference, and is supported by Tes.
To register for the free conference a place, click here
