The Silver Bullet

“Good schools - that’s what all of us want.  But sometimes I wish someone would tell me just what these words mean.  It seems we all have different ideas on the subject.  Each of us feels he has the very best solution.”  -Fictional School Board Member,  Waiting for Superman (2010)

What does a good school look like?  

It depends who you ask.  Ask a researcher, a teacher, an administrator.  Ask of a parent in the suburbs and one in the inner city.  Ask a student who earns good grades and one who doesn't.  Ask someone from another country.  You are likely to get different answers.  Perhaps it is less cumbersome to investigate how we, as a society, measure what makes a school "good"- high test scores and high percentage of students that graduate and attend college.  

Why do we value test scores?   Because we like to compare schools.  We want to know how one school or group of schools stacks up to those in other cities, states, or countries.  Standardized tests give us data that allows us to easily compare schools.  "There seems to be no better way to measure success and compare schools to one another." (Eisner, 2009, p. 330).  Because standardized testing was the focus of one of my previous posts, I will refrain from posting another lengthy argument as to why test scores should matter less.  Instead, you should take it from Howard Gardner, or perhaps read Yong Zhao's thoughts. 

Why do we want all students to go to college? "The reason most offered is that everyone in a liberal democracy should have the chance to obtain the goods of society.  That seems right.  But does such a commitment imply that access to those goods must come through successful competition in traditional schooling?  What happens, then, to those who do not do well in the only form of schooling that we make available in the name of equity?" (Noddings, 2009, p. 432).  The message we send to students is that the jobs available to those with a college education are the ones our society values; after all, those are the jobs that allow the most access to the goods of society.  We do little to acknowledge or let flourish the non-academic skills of our students; despite having a number of jobs in the U.S. that do not require a college education.

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My idea of a good school is one that invests in its teachers, prides itself on independence, and collaborates with the community.

Investing in Teachers

Robert Marzano's book entitled What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action (specifically, page 72) makes it apparent that teachers are one of the most influential factors in students' academic achievement.  But, the teaching profession is known for having a "revolving door".  According to a National Education Association article, 46% of teachers leave the profession within 5 years.  Among the many reasons for leaving, the most common are: government mandates, lack of support, student discipline, low pay, lack of respect, and lack of influence.  I am a little embarrassed to admit it, but I am part of the 46%.  Despite earning a master's degree in teaching, loving my career as an educator, and being rated highly-effective by my administrators, I decided not to pursue a teaching position when I relocated to Seattle after four and a half years teaching.  I cite low pay (not being able to support myself and my girlfriend as she finishes her master's degree at Seattle University) and burn-out (teaching all day, attending class or doing homework most evenings, and grading/planning on nights and weekends) as the reasons for seeking employment in other professions.  I consider myself a passionate, effective, and dedicated educator, but with the benefits of a less-taxing, higher paying, and more flexible career, I don't know that I'll return to the classroom.  It saddens me that my story is not uncommon.

The investment I call for is more than monetary.  Teachers need to be respected and trusted by the school and the community to make important decisions about their classroom and curriculum.  They should be encouraged (and financially supported) to continue educating themselves and honing their craft.  Teachers need time to break out of their isolated classrooms and collaborate with their colleagues.  The teaching profession has a reputation for attracting lower-achieving and undecided undergraduate students.  We might attract a more studious population to the profession and have lower rates of attrition if becoming a teacher meant being in a selective and prestigious career, earning a competitive salary, having a support system and time to work with colleagues, and having more flexibility and freedom in the work.  (Side note - check out Luxembourg's earnings and hours worked per year!)

Achieving/Maintaining Independence

In the age of standardized testing, competition for students, and government mandates, it may be easier said than done, but schools should fight for independence.  They should be their own unique selves, and be proud of it.  Who should be making decisions about the happenings of a school - decision-makers who have never stepped foot in the community or the people that participate in the school daily?

When a formula works in one community, it will not necessarily work in another community.  Geoffery Canada's Harlem Children's Zone school would not be a success if he were attempting to emulate the success in other communities.  He beat the odds and found a way to make the school in an underprivileged neighborhood a success.  Canada is not concerned with trying to compete with suburban schools, or even other schools in New York City.  Instead, he is concerned with doing what helps the students in his community reach their potential.  Meier (2002) adds that the main difference between the advantaged and the disadvantaged is that the latter need flexible schools even more (p. 49). Private and charter schools seem to have more freedom than public schools, but sadly they feel pressure to conform as they compete for student in an economic recession.

Meier (2002) illustrates the ease of making decisions with more independence and more local control when she refers to the decision to eat lunch late and have an advisory committee afterward - “This was a decision we were able to make on Monday and put into effect within the same week.  In most New York high schools, it would take a task force months to study an idea like this and more months or years to put it into effect.  We just sat in our circle, listened to the kids’ proposal, and said, ‘Let’s try it’.” (p.55)

Collaborating with the Community

David Egger's idea for an after-school program is brilliant.  It works because it draws on the strengths of the community.  As stated in the previous paragraph, that formula will not work in every community.  Not many neighborhoods have well-educated freelance writers with flexible schedules that are willing to work with students every day.  But that's not to say that other communities don't have resources that could improve student success.  What Egger did was effectively bridge the gaps between the school and the community.

Meier found it effective to "bridge the gaps" by assigning just 15 students to each staff member.  The staff member had less families to contact and the result was more parental and community involvement in students' schooling.  

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 “Although there are many issues that need attention in schooling, we search for the silver bullet and believe that, if we get our standards straight and our rubrics right and make our tests tough enough, we will have an improved school system.  I am not so sure.” -Elliot Eisner

I have shared my own views based on the educational research I have read and experiences I have had within the field of education; but they are nothing more than thoughts and opinions.  Millions of views exist regarding what a good school looks like, and despite the improbability that one exists, we continue our search for the "silver bullet".