As I posted last week, there are a tremendous number things
that are being asked of education today (
http://eghsprincipalri.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-it-even-possible.html). The reasons for their implementation vary as
much as the initiatives themselves: best for kids, research based best
practices, Race to The Top, Publishing & Testing companies, compliance with
state and federal mandates, creation of a culture of fear (make people prove they are good), etc. What I
had asked in my post was is it possible to implement them with true fidelity
under the current industrial model of education that most of us operate under?
Thanks to the effects of Hurricane Sandy I had time to catch
up on some reading. I divided my time
between two:
Shift Ed: A Call to
Action for Transforming K-12 Education by David Houle & Jeff Cobb
and (while I had the internet) a nice synopsis posted by Mike King of Michael
Fullan’s “Choosing the Wrong Drivers for Whole System Reform” (
http://epubgeneration.weebly.com/school-reform.html#.UJE4Hml246E
).
The following are a few excerpts that resonated within the
context of the original question:
“If scarcity creates
value, then information in and of itself is rapidly becoming worthless. We must
now move beyond information to find real value. For institutions that have
largely been purveyors of information-and our schools certainly fall into this
camp- making this change rapidly and successfully is fundamental to survival”
(Houle & Cobb 41)
“Now that change is
environmental, it is essential to not build upon and update the present
educational system but to leap ahead into the future and create something of
and for the future.” (Houle & Cobb 42)
“Intrinsic
motivation, instructional improvement, teamwork, and ‘allness’ are the crucial
elements for whole system reform.” (Fullan)
“Effective drivers
are those
• that cause whole
system improvements;
• that are measurable
in practice and results; and
• for which a case
can be made that strategy X produces result Y.
An ineffective
driver, however, is one that
• actually does not
produce the results it seeks;
• may make matters
worse; and
• can never have the
impact it purports to produce. (Fullan)
Looking at the list from the original post, many of the
individual initiatives/programs/methods/changes have the potential to be effective
drivers of reform (although maybe not as systemic as Fullan’s focus). However, given that there is so much pressure to
implement all the items, at the same time, this turns them all into ineffective
drivers (With so many variables, how do you know which X produces Y?). Even worse is the cultural impact of how "change" comes to be viewed. Instead of being a challenge that is embraced and focused on (intrinsic), change is equated with something to be avoided, or something that can't possibly be done ("Have you seen all the stuff they think we should do?"). The over-saturation of initiatives has poisoned countless meaningful initiatives into being labeled the
dreaded “just one more thing”. Too often, too many changes, too many times, have resulted in us changing nothing. Ruined soup for all...