The United States is not one of the 174 countries with constitutions that mention education. The U.S. Supreme Court has gone so far as to rule that we have no fundamental Constitutional right to an education (San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez, 1973). All countries ranked higher than the U.S. in educations have something in common: a guaranteed right to education for all.
While we all believe an education is a deeply rooted American ideal, lawmakers and lobbyists advocate using data and metrics to measure the success of our educational system, and this approach is slowly whittling away support for our public education system. As more and more negativity breeds in the news due to failing to meet standards set by non-educators, advocacy for our public education system begins to fade. Parents believing the rhetoric and hype struggle to find alternate paths to education for their children. Lawmakers bicker over agendas instead of seeking to find a solution.
It comes down to the educators of our country to shoulder the burden. It comes down to teachers and administrators doing whats right by our students regardless of legislation and agendas. We are so overburdened in this environment of high-stakes testing that few are willing to take a chance and try something new. "What if it fails?" is the prevalent concern, avoiding the fact that our current attempts are failing. What we are doing now isn't working, it is time for a change.
Having the privilege of listening to pioneering educators at conferences, it has been fantastic to hear stories of triumphs and underdog victories. The teachers and administrators who have truly made a difference all have one thing in common: they took a risk. When able, I ask these educators one question, "What if it had failed, what would you have done?" They all answer the same, they accepted that they would have to shoulder the blame and consequences for failure, and went forward with their plans anyway.
While many pay lip service to, "We do whats best for students," very often these words ring hollow. If we were doing whats best for students, we wouldn't be doing the same things that haven't helped, over and over again. We would look to school success stories and investigating how they did it and what we could adapt to use at our campus or district. We would take risks, we would try the untried, we would emulate those who have taken the leap before us. This is what truly is best for students, not continuing to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
Educators need to ask themselves what they can do to improve their students' education, not what can be done to improve their standardized test scores. We have reams of data and nothing to show for it. We spend countless hours dissecting the data and coming up with temporary fixes, instead of attacking the root of the problem. We spend countless educational hours and days preparing for tests, and the tests to see if students are ready for tests, instead of actually teaching. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on technology that our educators learn how to use, but do not learn how to teach with. We try new testing interventions from schools with higher scores, failing to recognize that the difference in demographics may have more to do with it than the double blocks classes, pull-outs, or test taking strategies. We try the newest silver bullet, tossing the last one aside before using it effectively.
When you enter your building, ask yourself, "What issues are we facing?" "What do our students truly need?" These answers should not include low test scores or interventions. What do your students need in order to learn? What are they lacking in the classroom that is stopping them from learning? Is your pacing calendar too fast? Is it focused on testing material and not the framework the students need to understand that material? Are you asking students to do things that you could not stand doing yourself? Are you holding your students to high expectations or to the minimum? Are you going through the motions or are you innovating? Are you being proactive or reactive? Are you seeking out new ways to teach your material? Are you meeting the students where they are, or where you want them to be?
Hold yourself to the same high standards and expectations which you ask of your students. Absolve your conscious of regrets and what-ifs by resolving to do the most you can do with all of what you have. Let our students' futures be the judge of our labors.