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Looking after school: a critical analysis of personalisation in education

dardised testing and implement effective educational methods (based
on scientific, mostly quantitative evidence), new forms of account-
ability (for output), and initiatives that target specific groups. Under
the Obama administration this act was replaced by the Every Student
Succeeds Act (2015). The principles of NCLB still applied, but the states
and the schools were granted more autonomy to develop strategies
of improvement. The basic tenet of their argument was that the edu-
cational system was not being successful in bringing all students to a
high enough level. As the names of these acts clarify, education has
to do more to put itself in the service of all students. This is not just
an issue of social equality; it demonstrates, perhaps above all, a dual
economic concern. On the one hand, the concern that numerous talents
are not being turned into employable competencies and are, therefore,
being insufficiently put to use in the labour market. On the other hand,
the educational system is being challenged to organise itself in a more
effective and efficient manner.

A similar combination of a social and economic perspective is at
work across the European continent. In the educational programs
of the Lisbon Strategy, such as Education and Training 2010 and 2020,
the European Union calls upon the member states to invest as much
as possible in a competitive and high-performing system of educa-
tion. These programs express a social concern but are at the same
time prompted by the development of a strong European knowledge
economy. In such an economy, knowledge and competencies are the
raw material, thus giving education, training, and lifelong learning
immediate economic relevance. The movement towards the individual
student can be spotted here as well: educational systems must adapt
to the differences between students in order to enhance the outcomes
for everybody. Flexible learning paths, modernisation of institutions
and programs, adjusted systems of assessment, and quality assurance
are just some of the solutions which are suggested. The main argu-
ment is that the student is central in so far as they stand for a unique
demand, and that the available programs should sufficiently adapt
themselves to the diverse needs of the demands made. The implica-
tions of this approach are explicitly addressed in the communication
of the European Commission, Rethinking Education: Investing in skills
for better socio-economic outcomes (2012):

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