Correlates of Defective Schools

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28, 2011



It rained this week in drought-ridden Texas, and that is good! We called it a 6 inch rain - one drop every 6 inches. Didn't make national news because New York is threatened by Hurricane Irene. I guess even the pundits can be myopic. I do pray for those in harm's way, but Texas sure could have used some rain. Enough intro.

I remember working in the central office of a large school system and dreading every time the supe went to a conference or read a book. No doubt we would be implementing some new theme, some new program, or loading our guns with some new silver bullet. I went to a few myself, and one of the themes in those days resides with us today. How do we become an effective school, that is, a school that generates great student learning and outcomes, however we measure those outcomes, regardless of the characteristics of the students in the school? An ineffective school is, by definition, a school that simply replicates expectations. Rich kids do well; poor kids do poorly, etc. I sense that legislators everywhere read the book and drank the Kool-Aid of effective schools, because as I review those correlates, or characteristics, of effective schools it appears to me that we have taken good sound reasoning and run amuck. Time to revisit those correlates and the way they have been implemented to nurture defective schools:

“Instructional leadership” has become instructional management. Principals are hired now and expected now to comply with a wide array of mandates. To innovate implies that the principal may know something the legislature or parents or community does not know, and we cannot have that at all. There are so many compliance measures that principals spend most of their time just making sure that we are doing what we are supposed to be doing. Lawyers, as the bane of education, have been replaced by auditors. Mess up and you get to post it on your website and send a letter home. Leaders do the right thing, and managers do things right. The list of things that must be done right is so long, no one can master it, and that fits with the model of making public schools look badly.

“Monitoring academic progress” has become high stakes testing. Frankly, my dear, we do not give a damn if your kid actually learns something as long as he or she scores well on the standardized test. There were days in this profession when educators developed tests and assessments to determine if kids were learning. Teachers took the data, and sometimes principals, and used them for the purpose of improving instruction. Now, all those tests are used to see if we are on track to do well on the high stakes standardized test. And, the high stakes standardized test is used to punish staff and schools. There is no pretense that those data will be used to improve instruction as we do not even receive the scores until school is out.

“Positive school climate” has been replaced by high stakes accountability. There remain efforts by many schools to promote positive climate, encourage adults to assume responsibility for all the kids, all the time, everywhere, but more often than not, upset kids and parents simply bolt from the school, or show up at a school board meeting to complain. The more accountable the staff for test outcomes, the less likely they are to be sympathetic to individual needs.

"High expectations for student success" has been replaced with high standards for student success. I did two entire pieces on the difference in standards and expectations (Promoting Failure#1 and #2), and I won't repeat them here. Simply put, raise expectations and students do better. Raise standards and more fail. Texas' outcomes this spring prove that hypothesis to be true.

“Parental involvement” has been replaced with, "Lay people know more about education than professional educators." Everyone I meet has a theory about how to improve schools, and educators are beat up using the felonious data of high stakes tests and ever rising standards. Clearly, teachers do not know as much as principals, who do not know as much as superintendents, who do not know as much as school boards and parents, who do not know as much as Texas Legislators, who do not know as much as the federal government, who does not know as much about schools as Bill Gates. The degrees, the experience, and the hours of professional development mean nothing. To be an educational expert you either need to make a billion dollars or receive a majority vote.

So, these then, with apologies to Larry and Ron, are the new Correlates of Defective Schools:

• Instructional Management

• High Stakes Student Testing

• High Stakes Staff Accountability

• High Standards, frequently raised

• Non Educators Get to Make all the Rules

Have a great school year, and good luck!

POSTED BY EILEEN GOOD AT 4:47 PM


2 COMMENTS:



Eileen Good said...

You may think I forgot "Clear Instructional Focus." Nope. It is now "Clear Focus on Test Scores." Buy the curriculum, read what has been handed to you and teach it!

AUGUST 28, 2011 4:58 PM



Anonymous said...

Don't ask questions, don't think outside the box and don't allow students to tell you what they need.....so right Ms. Good read it and teach it!