The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

may or may not be influenced by the technical superiority of a technical solution,
but will always be influenced by the political calculation of winners and losers.
The one constant is that political and leadership change is inevitable—a challenge
for reform is to deal with that change.
• Leadership in education reform includes leadership at both the national and
local levels, the role of civil society, and support of families and communities,
and business. There are several facets of this dimension, which is highly
interactive with the other dimensions, and in fact is the essential enabler of
sustainability and change.
• Politics can work for or against effective education reform. The most
effective reforms are those that become part of a national agenda rather than
the agenda of a particular government or political party. Although strong
national leadership and political can be powerful drivers for reform in the
short run, excessive reliance on a single champion creates vulnerabilities over
the long term.
• Civil Society influences education reform in profound ways. The education
sector incorporates ideology, interest groups, ethnic and linguistic
differences, geographic disparities, job security for thousands of employees,
parents’ hopes for their children, and a gamut of societal interests. Political
and economic tradeoffs are inevitable. Effective reform efforts create a
reinforcing web of support—among national and local leaders, across
political lines, within civil society institutions and business leaders, and
among parents and communities.
Driving forces influence all three dimensions of reform. This includes the larger
forces that can shake up or energize a society, and may facilitate or impede
change. The driving forces affecting education may be international agreements
such as EFA or MCA, which draw national attention to key issues, and are
backed by national commitments, or even strong
donor pressure to adopt certain reforms. They may
be general global influences, such as globalization,
competitiveness, or the war against terror. Some
dominant influences are entirely local, whether they
result from natural disaster (earthquake, hurricane),
economic collapse, civil war, or economic boom.
Driving forces may also be constant or underlying
elements such as culture, language, family or
community dynamics, or history. Any of these
influences can encourage a society to adopt changes,
… Neither the academics
nor the practitioners have
given sufficient attention
to the need for solutions
that are sensitive to the
on-going need for learning
and change, for monitoring
and adjustment, and
for credibility and
dependability.
—From “The Social Agenda
and Politics of Reform in Latin
America” by Merilee Grindle
SECTION 1: INTROdUCTION
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