There is a notion, clearly articulated in No Child Left
Behind and Race to the Top, that schools will improve merely by raising
standards and holding school districts accountable when they do not meet the
goals. Despite virtually no evidence
that this is successful, the trend continues.
Politicians and state and federal education departments want to believe
this notion for a number of reasons. For
one, it’s simple and easy. The federal
or state government merely has to act as if the schools are marionettes, and
with the strings being the proper incentives or punishments. With a pull here and a tug there, every
school will fall in line.
There are many problems with this approach. For one, it is not certain that the tools being
used are valid or reliable. Most
approaches measure math and verbal skills, not because they are necessarily the
most important things for students to succeed after high school, but because
they are the easiest to measure. Not everything
that can be measured is good and not everything that is good can be
measured. Data should inform
instruction, not be a goal unto itself.
Data is easily manipulated and short-term goals can actually be
counterproductive to long term objectives.
Perhaps most problematic is that this approach leads to lazy
administrators who view their success as being managers rather than educators. I worked in one school where this was clearly
the case. The department supervisors
were assistant principals who had no content area expertise (e.g. having an
English Department be supervised by someone with no background or experience in
the subject), saw oversight of instruction as the last of their priorities and
rarely stepped into a classroom except for mandated observations. Observations were heavily weighted on things
like whether bulletin boards were attractive and students were kept quiet. Compliance was highly sought, any dissent was
stifled and morale was low.
Three years ago I applied to work at Morristown High School.
I really liked the place, but had second
thoughts about leaving the place I had spent most of my career. But Morristown was persistent calling me a
half-dozen times to reconsider. When I
did, I met with the principal and superintendent who told me their goal to
develop of “dream team” of high school administrators. I decided to take the job. They had put
together a team of experts in each content area who acted with a unified
purpose of having every student achieve what was possible. The principal was amazing. Every day, he would spend two hours visiting
classes. He knew every teacher and their
teaching style and their ability in an intimate way. He also knew almost every student and he was
truly appreciated and adored.
Administrative meetings were actually a joy to attend. They were light-hearted but very
serious. Every issue, every question,
every decision came down to the same criteria:
was it best for kids and for student learning? Dissent was not only valued, it was
encouraged. Loyalty meant keeping the
principal informed, not just complying without giving informed opinions. Evaluation was hard work. We had to do continual walk-throughs. Evaluations needed to be detailed and every
statement needed to be justified by what we saw and experienced. Every effort was made to support teaching and
learning. The highest priority was
placed on meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and challenged. When we received an influx of unaccompanied,
undocumented minors, resources, including bilingual social workers, counselors,
and parent coordinators were added. The
guidance department made sure to hire a bilingual receptionist when an opening
occurred.
Test scores proved that the approach worked. The percentage of students in AP courses was
much higher than high schools with similar demographics and the scores were
much higher than the national averages and what would be predicted by other
factors. At-risk students, including the
recent undocumented students, graduated at similar rates to other students. Teachers felt valued and supported and were
willing to go the extra mile to ensure student success.
Putting education and students first and implementing the
hard work of carrying it out on a day-by-day basis is what will lead to
success. The illusion that there are
short cuts to this goal by devaluing and threatening teachers and demanding
compliance with harsh threats is counterproductive. To lead to the best educational goals, one
needs to do the hard work of being an educator. Morristown High achieves the
goals of NCLB and Race to the Top the right way, by creating an educational
community where students and teachers matter.