Schools and teachers have ways to make sure improvements don't happen. These include - same pay regardless of performance, not hiring or firing based on performance, and teachers don't want to learn or do anything differently, especially if it's even slightly harder than what they already do. They're not really professionals that improve or have any career growth besides management and accumulating number of years experience. Schools don't care either, nor do governments bother to incentivize them to care.
Except in, say, China, where none of that applies and education works great.
> Schools and teachers have ways to make sure improvements don't happen. These include - same pay regardless of performance, not hiring or firing based on performance, and teachers don't want to learn or do anything differently, especially if it's even slightly harder than what they already do
You can just say unions, no need to beat around the bush. Anyway, I don't really agree. Of course some teachers are stuck in the mud, but other teachers are eager to try new things and improve outcomes. If unfettered by standardization they would be eagerly experimenting with new approaches to teaching their subjects. And if school funding weren't reliant on teachers "teaching the test", then schools would find ways to reward these teachers because it makes the administration look good to have passionate and proactive teachers.
There are problems of course, but they end up with higher levels of education despite that. If a country was serious about education, they could just make it work. I guess having to balance too many competing interests weakens it. We don't want extreme lifetime poverty for school dropouts either, which might be part of what's needed to motivate success.
Except in, say, China, where none of that applies and education works great.