Teachers Are Learners, Too

In his article “Charting a New Course for Schools” (ASCD Educational Leadership, April 2007), Marc Tucker makes a number of well-informed assertions and even provides a seven-step plan for elevating our United States school system to one that will “produce highly educated workers who offer world class skills.”

Provided below are only the titles of the seven steps that Tucker says can take us to an effective school system. For details about each step, you may find a copy of the April 2007 Educational Leadership or purchase a copy of the article.

The steps:

1. Chart a new course for student progression through the system.
2. Reinvest available resources where it counts.
3. Invest in universal preschool education
4. Recruit teachers from the top third of those entering college.
5. Adopt high-performance management modes to improve schools and districts.
6. Provide strong support to disadvantaged students.
7. Rebuild standards, assessment, and curriculum to reflect today’s needs and tomorrow’s requirements.

This is an article well worth the read and his premise relative to necessary outcomes seems to be in line with numerous other well-informed, forward thinking authors and consultants I have encountered. If what we are doing isn’t getting us where we need to go, should we keep doing it?

There’s more! In the same (ASCD’s Educational Leadership) periodical, read page 69–The Real Test. “Although school districts are now instituting must-pass high school assessments, many employers say the real test for high school graduates is succeeding in the global economy.” The five skills “rated most important for high school graduates” were

• Professionalism/work ethic
• Teamwork/collaboration
• Oral communication
• Ethics/social responsibility
• Reading comprehension

“Much farther down the list were two skills tested in high school assessments: mathematics and science.”

We can do this, but we need to be willing to make necessary changes. Are we?

In today’s world of MVP, VIP, hightest GPA, most gifted, best this, and best that, here is another–Most Important Learning (Do we dare refer to it as MIL?). What is it? What do our students MOST need to learn? Can it be tested with a standardized test? Is one’s most important learning in any way quantifiable? What do WE most need to learn?

Did you ever wonder how we demonstrate what we believe to be the most important learning? Is the most important learning that on which we spend the most time, the most resources, and the most angst? Do we measure it every Spring when our students spend 4-6 days reading and writing feverishly (again with angst) so that the Department of Education, state legislators, school boards of directors, administrators, and parents can know how many students “met the standard,” as we labor so that there will be “no child left behind?”

While listening to an Alan November podcast some weeks ago, I heard him relate how the leader of the world’s largest bank responded when asked what attributes employers look for when screening prospective employees. The “answer” was 1. empathy (for customers, cultures, colleagues) and 2. passion for work. I challenge anyone to quantify those two qualities. How do we teach those? Do we teach those? For the people that may counter with “Schools aren’t just preparing students for the world of work,” my response is that empathy and passion serve us very well in family settings, higher educaton, and even in recreation.

Since 1993, I have supported the school reform here in the state of Washington–largely because I believe that the net result is that it has made us better teachers. If that is true, then one could expect an improvement in learning. I contend that is also the case.

If you have watched the “Did You Know?” video linked to my previous blog (Learning World-Wide), you may be able to understand why I am about to say “perhaps it is once again time for ‘education reform’.” Although we say we want “what’s best for kids,” I wonder if we don’t demonstrate something different by doing what is easier for us. What do you think?