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A Lynch School of Education and Human Development research team embarked this fall on an arduous but fulfilling two-week investigation of 16 Hyukshin middle and high schools in South Korea鈥攖he starting point for an assessment of an educational program greatly inspired by Lynch School teaching and scholarship.

The schools are part of a progressive public school movement, driven by educators and community members, that began in 2009 to counter the competition-driven meritocracy so prevalent in East Asian education. Hyukshin (which translates to 鈥渋nnovation鈥�) schools promote democracy-based education and humanism, and eschew the prevalent preoccupation with testing and grades. 聽

Leading the BC contingent were Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J. dean of the Lynch School, and Lynch School Professor Dennis Shirley and Associate Professor Deoksoon Kim. They were joined by BC undergraduates Eunhye Cho Grad 鈥�22, Jieun Lee 鈥�21, and Yoonmi Kang 鈥�20.聽 Rounding out the research team are Crystal Mengru Pu 鈥�20 and Sooji Yang 鈥�22, and graduate students Adam Agostinelli and Han Gil Kim. The team鈥檚 project is underwritten by a grant from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. 聽

鈥淪ince we are the first international research team from outside of Korea to study Hyukshin schools, it鈥檚 a significant vote of confidence for the Lynch School,鈥� said Shirley, noting that the highly competitive SMOE grant covers two years of investigation and evaluation. 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance of a lifetime to examine such a system, particularly because of South Korea鈥檚 considerable visibility in attaining high levels of student achievement on large-scale assessments.聽 We anticipate that our findings will generate interest from educational change leaders worldwide.鈥�

Kim cited two critical factors in SMOE鈥檚 selection of the Lynch School: Its focus on 鈥渨hole child鈥� education, and Shirley鈥檚 co-authorship with retired Lynch School Professor Andy Hargreaves of The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change and its sequel, Global Fourth Way: The Quest for Educational Excellence.聽 These two influential books, which were translated into Korean, have had a significant impact on the Hyukshin school movement.

Collaborating with a Korean research team from Hongik University, the BC group conducted seven to eight hours of interviews daily, in Korean, with school-based educators, project leaders, and ministry-level coordinators, said Kim, a Seoul native. 聽鈥淥ur research focus during year one is qualitative; we will return in the spring to conduct the quantitative portion.鈥�

The research objectives, she explained, are to provide new findings on the schools鈥� plans for change; document the ways innovation is implemented; and offer recommendations for improvement. 聽

鈥淲e anticipate that this study will provide a major overview of the Hyukshin school innovation movement for educators, policy makers, and the public on a worldwide scale,鈥� said Shirley. 聽

The Hyukshin movement has its roots in sweeping constitutional changes announced in 1987 by then-South Korea President Chun, in what The New York Times characterized as a 鈥減olitical transformation that would usher in a new era of democratic development and mature politics.鈥� 聽The prophesy has proven to be true, say Shirley and Kim: The transition from authoritarian rule to democracy was the critical turning point in the eventual liberalization of all realms of Korean society, particularly education.

By the mid-1990s, a national school reform plan was proposed as a replacement for the state-driven industrialization model that served as a means of developing hard-working, loyal employees who would contribute to the national economy鈥檚 growth. The plan set the stage for a decentralized, community-driven approach that would surface some 10-15 years later, according to Shirley and Kim. Key to its existence was the introduction of popular elections to select school superintendents in 2007, resulting in progressive (鈥渏inbo鈥�) school leaders heading six provinces.聽 Beginning with 13 schools in the Gyeonggi Province, Hyukshin schools spread quickly and now total an estimated 1,000 locations, or approximately nine percent of the 11,000 South Korean schools.

鈥淗yukshin schools are a model of innovative education that aim to overcome challenges in Korean education, particularly an extremely competitive school environment and a lack of respect for students鈥� rights,鈥� said Kim. 聽鈥淚t鈥檚 more than just modifying the education system; it鈥檚 supporting students鈥� learning process and developing a new school culture focused on equity, democratic rights and responsibilities, and the full realization of every student鈥檚 potential.鈥� 聽

While South Korean education has consistently earned high scores in its worldwide Programme for International Students Assessment ranking, the global education community鈥檚 acknowledgement of this success has been restrained, explained Kim, because of the perception that South Korea鈥檚 excessively rigid educational model exerts unhealthy, fanatical pressure on students to achieve academically.

鈥淢any Korean parents are obsessed with high test scores, since admission to a prestigious college is considered the gateway to upward mobility for their children,鈥� said Kim. 聽鈥淭his perspective is historically and culturally based on Confucian values, in which education was always associated with social rank and prestige.聽 The Hyukshin movement, in contrast, envisions schools as sites that prepare students for democratic citizenship and student voice.鈥� 聽

As Shirley noted, the BC team鈥檚 investigation strives to identify Hyukshin鈥檚 strengths and weaknesses, and to offer recommendations accordingly. 聽

鈥淲e firmly believe students can highly achieve with dignity, and with their well-being at the center of their education,鈥� said Shirley.

Phil Gloudemans | University Communications | December 2019