Re-orienting education toward ‘flourishing’ through education policy

Abstract

This commentary on Curren et al. adopts an educational policy perspective, arguing that it is important to not only ‘find consensus’ on well-being in education but to consider the ways that education policy supports or inhibits this outcome. It argues that a complex systems approach is essential to moving these ideas rooted in ethics and justice into policy and practice. It advocates a comprehensive cross-sector policy approach that integrates education policies at multiple levels and with policies across other sectors that are significant for well-being. It emphasizes that operationalizing these ideas at scale requires consideration of the research evidence on structural racism, gender inequities, and funding disparities, and it emphasizes the importance of focusing on relationships in educational systems and the need for policy leadership and activism.