William Spady

William G. Spady is an academic, educational psychologist,[1] sociologist and is considered the father of Outcome-Based Education (OBE).[2] He is largely noted for his works that attempt to expand and enhance the philosophical grounding and performance of educators, leaders, educational systems, and learners.[3]

Background

Spady became a lecturer at Harvard University and the Ontario Institute of Education from 1967 to 1973.[4] He has also worked as a senior research sociologist at the National Institute of Education and as an Associate Executive Director of the American Association for School Administrators.[4] Spady is CEO of IN4OBE, a global network of OBE experts, consultants and visionaries [5]

Spady and OBE

Spady coined the term outcome-based education in 1988 as an extension of the works completed by John Franklin Bobbitt and Ralph W. Tyler.[6] In his conceptualization, Spady described OBE as the reorientation in educational system towards what is essential for all students to be successful at the end of their learning experiences.[7] This primarily entails the identification of what is important for the learners to be able to do so that the curriculum, instruction and assessment are organized accordingly.[7]

Spady's research is still widely cited in nations such as Australia which are still adopting OBE.[8]

Spady also participated in the Task Force on Education Organization created in Minnesota by a 1988 legislative session.[9] The task force's draft for outcomes system followed his approach.[9]

Works

Spady is the author or co-author of nine books. His latest works are Outcome Based Education’s Empowering Essence, published in 2021,[10] Beyond Outcomes Accreditation, published in 2018[11] and Bringing Heart and Soul to Education, published in 2014. He has also worked for Breakthrough Learning at Dillon, Colorado.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Evans, Ronald W. (2014). Schooling Corporate Citizens: How Accountability Reform has Damaged Civic Education and Undermined Democracy. New York: Routledge. pp. xviii, 139. ISBN 9781138788428.
  2. ^ "Who's Who in Outcome Based Education". integraonline.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  3. ^ Spady, William G.; Schwahn, Charles J. (2010). Learning Communities 2.0: Educating in the Age of Empowerment. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Education. p. 169. ISBN 978-1-60709-608-5.
  4. ^ a b Killen, Roy. "William Spady: A Paradigm Pioneer" (PDF). SA.gov.au. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "William Spady: CEO - IN4OBE a global network of OBE experts, consultants and visionaries". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. ^ O'Donoghue, Tom (2017). Understanding Contemporary Education: Key themes and issues. Oxon: Routledge. p. 99. ISBN 9781138678255.
  7. ^ a b Fraser, Barry J.; Tobin, Kenneth; McRobbie, Campbell J. (2011). Second International Handbook of Science Education, Part One. Dordrecht: Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1259. ISBN 978-1-4020-9040-0.
  8. ^ "Last December, the School Board approved the hiring of William Spady of ChangeLeaders, .. is sociologist and the self-proclaimed father of OBE" [1] Archived 2006-01-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b Manno, Bruno (1 August 1994). "Outcome-Based Education: Has It Become More Affliction Than Cure?". American Experiment. Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  10. ^ "Outcome Based Education's Empowering Essence". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Beyond Outcomes Accreditation". in4obe.org. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  • WILLIAM SPADY: A PARADIGM PIONEER. Associate Professor Roy Killen Faculty of Education and Arts, University of Newcastle, Australia. A supportive review and background of Spady and Transformational Outcome Based Education.[dead link‍]