Recognizing the Fundamental Issue

Gary Obermeyer, Monday Apr 12, 2010, 09:15 pm

Most so-called "reforms" in education ignore a fundamental issue - public expectations of schooling have changed while the system has not.  The system was designed to grade and sort students, not to assure that all students succeed. Because of this blind spot, the remedies do not work and are often counter-productive. Thus schools (along with teachers and their unions) are caught in self-reinforcing cycle of disappointment and "reform."

It is not fair to expect that all third-graders will be equally proficient readers.  Some kids take a little longer, for a whole host of reasons (developmental, personal, familial, etc.). Anyone who has worked with groups of students understands that they learn at different rates and that there are many paths to mastery.  This is even more evident for those who work in multicultural classrooms.  

It does not take an accountability system of high-stakes testing to pressure teachers to do better.  A failed school label does not contribute to morale, nor create a climate of collaboration.  The threat of punishment (even firing) based on test scores is no way to retain or attract quality professionals to schools and communities with the greatest need.

Any teacher can tell you that the critical factor in learning is engagement and that what they need more than anything else is time to work with their colleagues to figure out how to create a learning environment were each and every student is learning.  They can (and will) also tell you that teaching to the test (which they are feeling increasing pressure to do) gets in the way of learning.

I am looking for policy makers who recognize the need for an organizational transformation. Those who understand the central importance of:

• concentrating on creating the conditions to support community-centered innovation on a massive scale. 
• removing policies that lock schools into the mass-production paradigm (i.e. grade-levels, scope and sequence, pacing guides, etc.).
• adopting accountability systems that leave room for schools to engage their respective communities in conversation about what matters most, and
• helping schools make continuous and reliable judgments about their progress. 
• establishing as a central measure of reform - whether teachers feel empowered to help reach the goal of creating the conditions where all students learn.

If you know places with leaders like that, I'd love to hear about it. 

Gary

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