Using the future to transform the design logic of schooling: Consensus statements from an expert panel

Abstract

We propose a framework of 29 Future School Elements that can be used to consider future models of schooling which we have organised across three pillars of pedagogy, policy and structure. We seek to position the framework within a futures approach to policy making that allows for greater diversity by providing a design logic that can be contextualised, is more pluralistic and can be shaped by a greater number of voices. The findings from our modified Delphi study involved an expert panel who examined the counterfactual research question ‘What if compulsory schooling was a 21st-century invention?’ Consensus statements were formed by the expert panel by rating items based on impact and equity. We explore ways in which utilising a foresight approach can provide a means to reshape future models of schooling in a meaningful and contemporary way that takes account of some of the challenges and forces that have prevented change.