Steven Hodas was the executive director of the Innovation Office in New York between 2012 and 2014, a post from which he headed iZone, a project to boost the education system through technology but which ended with the change of mayor in the city. Today he works as a consultant in the Education Innovation Cluster and is product head of Citymart, two positions from which he is still trying to bring about "teaching that dares to try new things," he tells VIA Empresa at the Debates on Education event organised by the Fundació Jaume Bofill.
If there is one thing he argues in all of his speeches is that the authorities are the main obstacle to progress: "Policies and practices have to be changed, but bureaucracy resists change." Therefore, he is critical that a legislative change can end up taking between six months and three years to be applied. "Too long to rethink the education system from the ground up," he says.
What are the changes you want to see?
Introducing technology; rethinking how schools are organised and how we think about time and space; reflecting on the role of teachers and how they can take part in the different policies so that children are educated in a more critical environment and that they learn to solve problems... In general, everything is focused on what we can do to solve just about anything.
A change of paradigm that goes beyond simply including technology...
There are a lot of things at play. In fact, it is better if technology comes later. It is better to first think about what type of change we want to make or what problem we want to solve and then look at whether technology can be part of it. We often begin with the technology and that makes it harder for it to work.
Photograph: Àngel Bravo
Does change begin with the person?
If we want effective people in any job, if we want the government to be effective in anything, we have to be better at defining the problems. If we do not begin with a good definition of the problem, we will never find a good solution. Defining the problem is 90% of the work. So it basically means working like a startup, which is why they the ones with the most growth right now. They have created products, services and business that did not exist 10 years ago. And that is not because of the technology, it's down to the way they think about solving problems. You get an idea, you do some tests to see if it can work and if people will use it; if it checks out, you launch it.
What is the biggest problem in educational terms?
One of the main difficulties of education is getting agreement on what the main problem is. Some people think that the problem is that kids do not learn enough maths or IT, that there is not enough creativity or that the teachers are not respected enough. It is hard to get people to agree on what the school should do. This is one of the reasons why educational policy changes so often. The policies keep changing, but the schools do not manage to apply them.
What should effective policies be like?
More regressive and inclusive. People that define the problem should not be the ones who create the policies; it should be the teachers, the families and the people who work in the educational environment who create the laws. Everyone has experience and a different perspective and everyone can contribute in some way to solving the problem; and no doubt they will be more useful measures than the policies being applied, which we see are not working. They do not teach, they are too abstract at base and are not put into practice. When educational frameworks that are not useful are designed, the teachers become sceptical because they see a lot of things that are irrelevant.
Photograph: Àngel Bravo
Is one of the most necessary measures strengthening skills across the board?
Exactly. People can be good at different things, especially when small, but you need to encourage them. Children are curious and they like to experiment, most schools do not know how to take advantage of this. Children between five and eight like science and maths; when you ask them about it when they are 12, very few say they like them; and at 15, almost none say they do, especially girls. There is something causing schools to destroy this value. Schools should make the most of the intelligence and skills of the children; give them the freedom to try new things and teach them to solve real problems. But they should also be honest with them if they do not do things well. Schools should not be places where they only say what is done well; that leads nowhere.
Should we listen less to the market's specific needs for professionals? There is now a real demand for engineers.
It is true that there is a need for engineers, but a good engineer is nothing less than a good 'problem solver'. What we want to do is to create people who are prepared for how the world will change, but we also need to know that what we think we will need in 20 years is not completely accurate. Of course we will need engineers, but I think that it is important to show people how to adapt and learn new things. People have to know how to write, for example, because writing is a way of expressing oneself, of putting thoughts in order and working with others. Therefore, an engineer is not a means of expression, but the professional can be trained in other areas that will help him or her to work in a more collaborative world. We have many skills and we have to keep our minds open in order to develop them.
Do families also play an important role in the change?
They are important up to a point. Families can be a very positive force, but also a very conservative force, and as a politician or administrator you have to decide how to tackle this. In the end, families are the school's clients for a certain amount of time; you can make them happy or not and that will determine what the product is like, in other words, the educational model in schools. Work has to include families, but it has to be done by professionals in the field.
Photograph: Àngel Bravo
How do innovative cities like New York or Barcelona play a part?
We need political leaders who are interested in trying new things, who feel comfortable with making mistakes, because it is the only way to change. That is what today's public wants and that has to be respected. They do not want innovation, they want governments that are committed, dynamic and creative with ideas. And cities like New York or Barcelona have the potential to offer this creativity that is demanded.
Are startups a part of this potential? Why not large companies?
Les grans companyies són com els governs, estan acostumats a treballar junts, són lents i no els interessen els canvis. Les startups no tenen res a perdre, pel que són més creatives i estan més disposades a provar coses noves. També actuen més ràpidament perquè són petites, així que cada petita millora significa molt per a elles. Pensen amb molt més compromís i en relació als problemes reals, i escolten la societat perquè saben que la seva supervivència econòmica dependrà de les seves accions. Els governs haurien de mirar més què fan i donar-los més suport.