persistence of presentism and the struggle to secure lasting educational improvement

Drawing on evidence from a network of 300 schools in England, Andrew Hargreaves reveals how the culture of teaching has changed in recent years. While teachers and schools now work together more than they once did, presentism, the sacrifice of future improvements to the pressing needs of the present, has significantly increased. Near-sighted government targets and agendas encourage teachers to focus on short-term goals at the cost of longer-term improvements. This professional culture reinforces rather than challenges the growing culture of presentism within the wider society, and both, Hargreaves argues, are in need of profound transformation.