Open Letter for a Course in Regenerative Economics

An invitation to secondary school educators & staff to support the creation of a Regenerative Economics course

This open letter supports the creation of a free, open-access classroom-ready course in Regenerative Economics. All secondary school educators and administrators worldwide, from all school types and systems, are invited to join us by signing to show your support for this initiative.



We, the undersigned secondary-school educators and administrators, want to equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed to create a future of human and ecological thriving. 


In our view, today’s mainstream economics education is failing to do this. In some cases, mainstream economics education perpetuates the degenerative economic systems we have inherited by:

  • framing the economy as separate from society and nature;
  • assuming that endless economic growth is desirable and possible;
  • ignoring the vital, regenerative role of household care and of the commons in the economy;
  • using outdated models that paint humanity as essentially self-interested and competitive; and
  • reducing the student’s role to being a passive recipient of narrowly-framed information about the economy, rather than supporting student agency to understand and catalyse economic transformation.


Every year, hundreds of thousands of students leave secondary and tertiary economics education courses and programs without the foundations and insights they need to help create economies that can meet human needs within planetary boundaries. This must change.


Through their Track Changes project, the student organisations Teach the Future UK and SOS-UK invited teachers and academics to collaborate in revising secondary economics curricula. Through this work, a new syllabus in Regenerative Economics has been developed that reframes students’ understanding of the purpose and workings of the local-to-global economy. The syllabus was co-created by secondary educators, researchers, and academics including Kate Raworth, David Bollier and Emily Jones.


This Regenerative Economics syllabus:


  • frames complex, adaptive economic systems as embedded in and dependent upon social and natural systems;
  • presents the economy, including business and finance, as a means to achieve social and ecological wellbeing, rather than as an end in itself;
  • recognises the importance of multiple provisioning systems - the household, the market, the commons and the state - and highlights their interdependence;
  • explores the role, impact, and ethical responsibilities associated with the international exchanges of a country, its businesses and its residents;
  • helps students understand their own lived experience in the economy, and how they can be part of transforming current economic systems to meet human needs within planetary boundaries.


To turn this Regenerative Economics syllabus into a classroom-ready course, the next step is the development of a comprehensive, free, open-access online textbook with learning activities and assessment models that enhance student agency.


We ask funders to provide financial support for developing the proposed free, open-access Regenerative Economics textbook and supporting materials.

Once these resources are developed, we are interested in piloting part or all of the Regenerative Economics course in our schools to learn about and help co-create teaching methods for introducing and applying these concepts with students.


Together, we can accelerate the paradigm shift in economics education to provide secondary-school students with the education and skills that they seek and deserve. 


Link to sign the letter:
https://forms.gle/mu6NAFyQgU4SHRAq6

Signed:

  • Paul Fochtman | Head of School | Frankfurt International School | Germany
  • Eve Jardine-Young | Principal | Cheltenham Ladies College | UK
  • Roel Scheepens | Rector | Maartenscollege and International School Groningen | Netherlands
  • Daun Yorke | Head of School | Hanoi International School | Vietnam
  • Björn Walden | Head of School | Strothoff International School | Germany
  • Andrew Watson | Head of Upper School | Faraz-Kiyani Mirza | Economics Teacher | International School of Amsterdam | Netherlands
  • Kevin House | Group Education Futures Architect | Education in Motion | Singapore
  • Lodewijk van Oord | Head of College | United World College Maastricht | Netherlands
  • Chrissie Sorenson | Head of School | Bavarian International School | Germany
  • Gregory Threlfall | Director of Outreach | Shrewsbury International School Bangkok | Thailand
  • Brandie Smith  | Head of School | Leipzig International School | Germany
  • Andreas Koini | Head of School | Antwerp International School | Belgium
  • Jane Thompson | Head of School | American School of Paris | France
  • Hannah Wenger | IBDP Coordinator | Eastern Mediterranean International School | Israel
  • Brian Sutton | IBDP Economics Teacher | Riverside School Prague | Czechia
  • Elena Lengthorn | Senior Lecturer Teacher Education | School of Education, University of Worcester | UK
  • Kim Polgreen | Sustainability Educator | Oxford University | UK
  • d'Arcy Lunn | Group Head of Sustainability and Global Citizenship | Education in Motion / Teaspoons of Change | China
  • Fiona Old | Head of Geography | Kingsthorpe College | UK
  • Kate Gray | Director | Manchester Steiner Ltd | UK
  • Michael Rowlands | Head of Economics | Rochester Independent College | UK
  • Rachel Allen | Assistant Head of Sixth Form | Secondary School in NE Wales | Wales
  • Priyanka Chakraborty | Lecturer | Sonarpur College | India
  • Alexander Gerber | Research Director, Dept. Chair for Science Communication | Institute for Science & Innovation Communication | Germany
  • Richard Owens | Director | Woodleigh Institute | Australia
  • Roberto Estevez | Board Member | Colegio santo domingo | Argentina
  • Maria Alejandra Gonzalez-Perez  | Professor of Corporate Sustainability | Universidad EAFIT | Columbia
  • Patricio Angonoa | School legal representant | Colegio Kopernikus | Chile
  • Neil Shanks | Clinical Assistant Professor | Baylor University | USA
  • Dominique Marie Times | Teacher, Grad Student | Secondary school, Boston University | USA
  • Petia Tzokova | Affiliated Lecturer | University of Cambridge | UK
  • Max Foxall | Teacher of English | Robert College | Turkey
  • Jay Tompt | Lecturer | Schumacher College | UK
  • Eva Vandenberghe | Masters Student | Ghent University | Belgium
  • Chris Stevens | Headmaster | Bradfield College | UK
  • Ciaran Cousins | English Teacher | Oeiras international school | Portugal
  • Reinaldo Martínez | CEO | Mater Natura NGO | Venezuela
  • Sally Hawker | Teacher of English | Wolverley CE Secondary | UK
  • Catherine Misson | Education Strategist | Independent Schools, NSW & VIC | Australia
  • Lachlan Wood | IB DP Env. Systems & Societies Teacher, Global Citizenship Coord. | Australian Independent School Indonesia
  • Ellen Field | Assistant professor | Faculty of Education, Lakehead University | Canada
  • Michael Reid | Tutor | School of Philosophy, Cambridge | UK
  • Patrick J. Walsh | Chair, Social Studies | Catlin Gabel School | USA
  • Rachel Musson | Director of Learning | ThoughtBox Education | UK
  • Martin Wm. Collins | Freelance Educator | UK
  • Jessica Tipton | Founder | UK Schools Sustainability Network | UK
  • Brent Poland | Head of History | St John Houghton CVA | UK
  • Daniel Pullin | Economics Teacher | Burford School | UK
  • Phil Randay | Geography Teacher | St Andrews Academy | UK
  • David Jones | Maths tutor | York College | UK
  • Sam Moore | Teacher of Economics & Business | St Laurence School | UK
  • Sam Janes | Head of Economics | Oundle School | UK
  • Fátima Campos | Sciences Secondary School Teacher | IES EL RINCÓN 
  • Abigail Lovell | Senior Leader at a Secondary School | Matford Brook | UK
  • Andrew Macdonald-Brown | English teacher & Sustainability Head | Francis Holland School | UK
  • Melanie Morgan | Teacher | GES Kuwait | Kuwait
  • Rachel Manning | Head of Youth Networks  | Global Action Plan/UKSSN | UK
  • Kate Sommerville | Senior Master | The Lisboan International School | Portugal
  • Alan Parkinson | Head of Geography | King's Ely Junior | UK
  • Nicole Markle | Middle School FRYSC | West Jessamine Middle School | USA
  • Trish Hansen | Principal  | Urban Mind Studio | Australia
  • Jasmine Turner  | Head of Business and Economics  | St Mary's and St John's CE School | UK
  • Sally Bailey | Executive Director, Artemis Programs | Melbourne Girls Grammar School | Australia
  • Zarina Long | Geography Teacher | Nord Anglia International School Dubai | UAE
  • Maggie Favretti | Author, Learning in the Age of Climate Disaster | Design Ed 4 Resilience | USA
  • Nuala Glanton | Adult Education Officer  | Cork ETB | Ireland
  • Ian Mcdermott  | Chemistry teacher  | Harris Westminster | UK
  • Kit Marie Rackley | Freelance Geography educator, podcaster, author and consultant | Geogramblings, Geographical Association and NASBTT | UK
  • Chris Caves | Director of Academic Affairs | Chinese International School | China (HK)
  • Samuel Wines | Co-Founder  | Co-Labs Australia | Australia
  • Catherine Agius | Teacher of English/Head of Year | Bramcote College | UK
  • Violeta De Leon | Parents and Teacher Association EE. UU. | North East ISD | USA
  • Paddy Nelson | Communications Co-ordinator  | Rethinking Economics International | UK
  • Juliette Alenda | Assistant Professor  | Radboud University | Netherlands
  • Shamir Shehab | Founder and Trustee | Bangladesh Youth Environmental Initiative (BYEI) | Bangladesh
  • Yohanes Andika Tjitrajaya | Lecturer | Parahyangan Catholic University | Indonesia
  • Robert Austin | Lecturer in Physics | Purdue University | USA
  • Amyaz Moledina | Professor of Economics | The College of Wooster | USA
    Katherine Fey | Head of T&L | Pate’s Grammar School | UK
  • Cat Ho | Practitioner-Researcher Critical Economic Literacy and Teacher | University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign and Dulwich College | Singapore / China
  • Marina Perunovska | IB Economics Teacher | NOVA International Schools | North Macedonia
  • Zachary Czuprynski | Sustainability Coordinator & Educator | Prescott College | USA
  • Noémie Vauthey  | Teacher | Collège de Grand Champ | Switzerland
  • Add your school or education organisation by signing the open letter!

Contents

    Share


    Share

    0 comments

    Join the DEAL Community!

    Get inspired, connect with others and become part of the movement. No matter how big or small your contribution is, you’re welcome to join!