'Innovative schools' under debate

Cho Hee-yeon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), takes an oath during a National Assembly audit, Friday. / Yonhap

Creativity, diversity versus Academic needs

By You Soo-sun

The “innovative school project” has been on many liberal education chiefs’ dockets for several years, but it still remains a contentious topic.

It is a prickly issue for Cho Hee-yeon, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), who has aggressively expanded the system since he took office in 2014 as part of his reform drive to strengthen the public education system while rooting out elitism and excessive competition.

And as Cho nears his term ending and prepares to run for another year, he is increasingly pressed to prove the success of the project while fending off its critics.

The latest attack on the project came during a National Assembly audit, Friday, when Rep. Kwak Sang-do of the conservative Liberty Korea Party argued the innovative schools have failed to meet the academic needs of students.

According to Kwak, 12 percent of the students attending innovation high schools are performing significantly below basic academic standards, compared to the national average of 4.5 percent. The gap is also wide in Seoul, where 15.3 percent are falling below the standard in these schools compared to the city’s average of 7.6 percent.

Aware of the criticism, SMOE released a report prior to the audit to refute such claims. Citing various studies, it argued these schools were producing more positive outcomes than autonomous private high schools, regarded as elite institutions here.

But the plan backfired, censured for trying to support a system by distorting and inflating the little evidence it had.

While its advocates claim the system should not be solely judged on academic criteria, as it was built to foster creativity and diversity in schools, critics say the policy is a failure if it is failing to meet the academic needs of students.

Education chief’s attempt to defend system backfires

The innovative school project, under Cho, has focused on creating a bottom-up education culture ― one that fosters creativity and diversity in the curriculum, a democratic culture, and emphasis on communication and mutual respect. It also gives more autonomy to teachers by allowing them to decide some of the teaching materials and methods to use.

The system dates back to 2009, when current Education Minister Kim Sang-kon initiated it in Gyeonggi Province as its superintendent. In Seoul, it began modestly under former education chief Kwak No-hyun but was halted when Moon Yong-lin, a conservative figure, took over.

The project was reinvigorated under Cho; starting from 33 in 2015, the number of these schools increased to 119 in 2016 and 158 by 2017.

It has also gained momentum nationwide; there are 1,177 innovative schools in total, with 691 elementary schools, 353 middle schools, and 120 high schools. Each municipality and province provides financial support of around 100 million won to these schools.

Citing various research findings, Cho argued they were “performing their role as an exemplary system leading innovation heading toward an education system that meets the needs of the future.”

According to these research papers, students at innovative schools were showing marked progress, with improvement in indicators that supersede that of students in the elite schools. Because the students enrolled in the schools are from less well-to-do backgrounds and started out with poorer grades than their counterparts, this strengthens the argument these new types of schools are just as, if not more, effective, according to SMOE.

But soon after the release of the documents, the office was criticized for cherry-picking the research findings and for exaggerating them to argue in favor of the schools.

In response to the criticism, SMOE explained the rise in students’ grades at innovative schools was confirmed as not being any lower than those at the autonomous schools.

Supporters emphasize diversity, respect over grading

But perhaps judging the schools based on academic grounds is not legitimate as such a question defeats the purpose of why they were established in the first place.

Park Jee-hyun, 43, whose daughter and son both attend Gireum Middle School, an innovative school in Seongbuk-gu, northeastern Seoul, has come to be a firm advocate of the school.

“I truly believe my children are studying in a place where they are respected. And because of this, they both love going to school. It’s also a place where they can explore and try different things,” Park told The Korea Times.

“There’s a stereotype the schools are too lax, when it comes to dress codes and teaching methods. But I realized there can be order even when there’s freedom ― it’s like an unspoken rule that comes from mutual respect.”

The school, she continued, helped her son find what he is good at, outside of studying. “He plans to focus on sports when he goes to high school next year. He doesn’t have the best grades, but he found something he is passionate about,” Park said.

“That’s what innovative schools are ― they give room for students to be unique, to explore and help them meet their potential in something they are passionate about.”