Wang Xiaoyan: How to truly improve the quality of compulsory education

Recently, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Opinions on Deepening the Reform of Education and Teaching and Comprehensively Improving the Quality of Compulsory Education (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions). In terms of top-level design, the "Opinions" are not only in line with previous policies, but also have new highlights.

First of all, in terms of quality management, we have improved the construction of the system. For a long time, there has been a phenomenon of "emphasizing intelligence, light morality, weak body, little beauty, and lack of labor" in our education, so the "Opinions" adhere to the "five educations" of morality, intellectuality, physical fitness, and labor at the same time, requiring that the practical effects of moral education be highlighted, the level of intellectual education be improved, physical exercise be strengthened, aesthetic education be enhanced, and labor education be strengthened. The integration of labor education into the education system for comprehensive training is a major measure to implement the spirit of the National Education Conference, marking the quality management system of compulsory education, which will develop from the original "four educations" to "five educations". In view of the fact that labor education is the shortest board in the entire education system at present, the "Opinions" separately lists a "strengthening labor education", from the system design, curriculum structure, and class time arrangement of labor education to the form, content and carrier guarantee of labor education. For example, in order to ensure that labor education can be implemented, it is clearly proposed to "optimize the curriculum structure of comprehensive practical activities and ensure that labor education class hours are not less than half". This not only greatly strengthens the status of labor education, but also puts forward specific provisions for the development and implementation of labor education in the future.

Secondly, in terms of quality evaluation, the monitoring system has been improved. Evaluation is the "baton", and the scientific evaluation system is an important means to improve the quality of education. Starting from the reality of compulsory education, the "Opinions" has built a three-dimensional evaluation system, proposed to formulate evaluation standards for the quality of compulsory education at the county level, the quality of school running and the quality of student development, effectively answered what is a strong county in education, what is a good school, and what is a well-rounded development of students, and avoided the utilitarian tendency of "only scores and only further education". These three evaluation standards further improve the national compulsory education quality evaluation and monitoring system from the aspects of local governments, schools, and student development, and are an important method for testing the quality of compulsory education in the new era.

Finally, in terms of quality assurance, collaborative education has been strengthened. Running compulsory education well is not only a matter for the government and schools, but also requires the mobilization of the whole society and all aspects of all departments to jointly plan the use of various social resources. In terms of improving quality assurance, one of the highlights of the "Opinions" is to highlight the importance of family education, regard family education as an important organizational guarantee for Deepening Education and Teaching Reform and Improving education quality in China, and improve the height of equal importance as the implementation of departmental responsibilities and the strengthening of assessment and supervision. Compulsory education in the new era will accelerate family education legislation, strengthen the main responsibility of parental guardianship, earnestly perform family education duties, build a "trinity" collaborative education pattern of school, family and society, and jointly create a good environment conducive to the all-round development of students and the overall improvement of quality. (The author is a researcher at the National Center for Educational Development Research)