Expectations of Public Education
Perceptions of Public Education - what I expect from public education

A speech given at the District Superintendent's Conference
Sydney, Australia

Clare Petre is the Energy and Water Ombudsman for NSW. She is a mother of two school-aged boys, President of the Council of Coogee Public School and a strong advocate for public schools.

The advertisements on television reflect the positive image of public education- the shining faces, the enthusiasm, the faces of city and country, the multi cultural mix, the academic and sporting activities. These images reflect what I want and expect. I want my children to be in a learning environment that is safe, stimulating, that will help them to learn, to achieve their potential, to become well rounded young adults, and to achieve the best possible outcomes in those final dreaded exams.

Not much of an ask? Not much!

Consumers are on the move - we are more demanding, choosy, argumentative, questioning. We want our public institutions to be dynamic, responsive, efficient and effective. We want to be kept informed. We want opportunities to participate and to be heard. We want schools to be open and accountable.

A senior person in an electricity company bemoaned the fact that customers increasingly want gold service for black and white prices. He was reflecting some of the contradictions in delivering an essential service - whether it's electricity or education.

I'm currently the Energy and Water Ombudsman for NSW, and my job is to resolve complaints by electricity, gas and water customers. I have to say I never gave these areas a moment's thought before I took the job, and that's the way it should be.

It's only when you don't have electricity gas or water or have problems with them that you realise how essential they are. Through my position I've had the opportunity to see electricity companies move from monopoly organisations to corporations in a highly competitive environment.

It's clear that the old monopoly culture led to something of a take it or leave it attitude - a one size fits all approach to consumer needs. That's had to change, and utility companies are now having to really look at their customer base, really understand the needs of their customers and cater for them in creative and varied ways.

I mention this because I can see a lot of parallels with education. You can't walk away from education, just as you can't walk away from electricity or water. None of them are discretionary services, and the provider/consumer relationship in each area lasts for a long time. Many people are walking away from public education in favour of private education, and in doing so have put public education even more under the spotlight.

Public education has to deal with a range of expectations, from staff, parents and families, the Department of Education, the Teachers Federation, the government, the media, the local community, the P&C, School Councils, and of course, students.

Power companies sometimes complain that they feel oppressed by excessive regulation, excessive public and political scrutiny, and excessive expectations compared to organisations which deliver other services.

My answer is that fortunately or unfortunately for them, they have the privilege and difficulty of delivering one of the most vital community services we could imagine, but that this comes with a price - of high regulation, high public and political scrutiny, and high expectations.

And so it should. It's the same with education. The education system doesn't manufacture widgets or deliver electricity - you educate our children - and it's hard to think of many things more essential than that.

Public schools are no longer monopoly services (if they were ever so), and today they have to operate in a very competitive market where expectations are high. Schools have to sell their service to the consumers - the kids and their families. They have to sell their service to the local communities:

• to the Councils to get things done about parking and traffic around schools;
• to local businesses to encourage a range of support;
• to the local media to carry those good news stories about the activities and successes of the students;
• to local MPs to fly the flag for the public school system in the wider political environment;
• and of course, to families and children to attract enrolments.

The staff of our schools have to be carried along with the vision. I attended a community meeting with parents, students, and teachers from different schools where we discussed changes proposed to some local schools. One teacher uttered those immortal words - Don't get me wrong, I love change, but....., and my heart sank as they went on to explain why nothing should really change at all.

The public school system faces enormous and often competing expectations, and perhaps it's not surprising that it sometimes gets all too hard.

We expect a strong emphasis on the basics of literacy and numeracy, but we also want you to find space in the curriculum for lots of different activities and new learning areas.

We expect teachers to keep up with modern technology and new training areas, but provide a pittance for training and relief staff - I was shocked to learn how little money there is for training per teacher per year.

We expect schools to cater for the special needs of each individual child, whether physical, emotional, psychological, cultural, academic, artistic, sporting, musical, but we put many barriers in the way, usually resource and time related.

We expect more for less - and in this you have a lot in common with other organisations, except we have to keep reminding the community that here we are talking about children, not widgets.

Almost everyone sends their children to a public primary school, but as we know, the shift to private schools is significant at secondary level. So why do I send my children to a public high school when so many of my friends have decided on private schools? They have agonised over the decision, but nevertheless send their children to schools in most cases very different from the ones they attended themselves and which provided them with the means to become successful, achieving adults.

My children go to a public school because I have a strong belief in public systems. I want my children to go to a local school and retain the sense of community they had through the local primary school. I don't want them having to travel out of their local community for long periods each day. I want them to experience the diversity of peers that public education offers. I want my boys to achieve and feel successful at what they do and to feel acknowledged and rewarded for superior skills and achievements - I don't want them to feel superior, different or separate on social or economic grounds. Through attending the melting pot of public education I want them to have a sense of the egalitarianism that Australians admire so much but perhaps at times honour in the breach.

I want public school teachers to be excited about what they do and to excite my children in turn about knowledge and learning. If teachers are not excited, it might mean they are burnt out, inadequately trained, or inadequately supported. I expect the eduction system to provide the leadership, support, training or resources for the professional development of teachers and their sense of purpose as educators.

High expectations? You bet, but conferences like this are part of the process and I appreciate the opportunity to be part of it.