By: Beanie Geoghegan 

Not so long ago, in the early 2000s, England faced many of the same challenges in K-12 education as the United States is facing today. They witnessed declining test scores, rising discipline issues, and poor teacher morale. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, it is thanks to the relentless inquiries, astute observations, and dogged persistence of a former accountant that England can now boast of improvements in all of those areas.

In their book, “Reforming Lessons”, Nick Gibb and Robert Peal highlight the successful reforms that have taken place in England over the past decade or more. Many of these reforms are thanks in large part to the efforts of Gibb, a trained accountant who later became a member of Parliament and Schools Minister. Though Gibb deserves much of the credit for asking tough questions, questioning vague answers, and insisting on access to an excellent education for all students, “Reforming Lessons” reads a bit like a “Who’s Who” of educators and advocates who contributed to many of the successful reforms in England and continue to influence education reforms worldwide.

Early in “Reforming Lessons”, Gibb shares that his family moved often during his school years. Not only did he experience a variety of learning environments and methods that shaped his opinions, but he is also the son of a primary school teacher who taught in the different places they called home. Gibb credits regular dinner table conversations during his youth, discussing and debating the various aspects of education for his interest in this area later in life. 

The “Reading Wars” between whole language and systematic phonics instruction are not unique to the American education system, nor is the damage they’ve done to literacy rates. Citing the evidence of the Clackmannanshire study, it was clear to Gibb that the move away from phonics was harmful to student success and set out to restore effective reading instruction in England’s schools. A key component of that was instituting the Phonics Screening Check at various stages early on to ensure all students are prepared to move on to the next grade.

Realizing the importance of early phonics instruction was Gibb’s first eureka moment. The next was his discovery of E.D. Hirsch, Jr.’s book, The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them. This book affirmed what Gibb instinctively knew (as a student and the son of a teacher) to be true about effective teaching practices. Still, it also helped him understand the prevalent and pernicious influence of progressivism in education.  

Thanks to Hirsch, Gibb came to realize the importance of a content-focused rather than skills-focused curriculum, especially for the students coming to school already facing a deficit in their knowledge. Armed with the wisdom of Hirsch on the power of knowledge-rich curriculum and the research of the cognitive scientist, Daniel T. Willingham, Gibb shares how he formed an Expert Panel to examine and determine the National Curriculum that would be rigorous and content-rich. 

Grade inflation is certainly not a foreign subject to those involved in education here in the U.S., and Gibb and Peal discuss its prevalence in English schools as well. They explain how and why it became an issue, and why it was so challenging to fix. Gibb believed that accountability was key, but he also knew that it was complicated. His team made several changes to help mitigate the problems and provide more accurate data.

Speaking of “his team”, Nick Gibb will be the first to tell you that the credit does not go to him alone for the successful adoption and implementation of the education reforms he pushed for. Early on, he knew it was essential to have teachers on board with the changes. With this in mind, he recounts how he established the Knowledge Network in 2013. Consisting of teachers and academics such as Katharine Birbalsingh, Daisy Christodoulou, Barry Smith, Tom Bennett, and others, the education reform movement in England became a top-down and ground-up effort. 

The growing trend of classroom teachers writing about their support of knowledge-rich curriculum and evidence-led instruction on social media platforms and blogs, as well as Tom Bennett’s creation of researchED, served to strengthen the movement’s momentum. Gibb and Peal dedicate one chapter to the educators who helped catalyze the movement and another to those courageous enough to launch schools that put the reforms into practice. They do not underestimate the importance and influence of classroom teachers when it comes to improving education.

Those in the education community who share a desire to improve student learning should feel immense gratitude for “Reforming Lessons”. It isn’t often that we have the opportunity to hear stories of success on this scale in education. It’s even less common that we have the opportunity to learn directly from one of the key leaders of the reforms that led to the success. Gibb graciously provides a very clear picture of the arduous task he faced, the obstacles he overcame, and the optimism he continues to have about the future of education in England. The U.S. would do well to listen and learn.

Two hundred fifty years ago, our founding fathers borrowed the successful ideas and concepts, such as self-government and the principle of limited government, from England. Although our founders adapted them to fit the needs of our new and unique nation, we still owe them a debt of gratitude for their example. The same can be said for the example of successful education reforms that were ushered in under the leadership of Nick Gibb and recounted in “Reforming Lessons”.