Ronald C. Spooner
The Port Arthur News
July 20, 2008 06:00 pm
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President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain, most fellow Republicans, and even some Democrats don't want to leave any "child behind" except those for whom there is no more room at good schools. They create a need for some parents to want to move their children to better schools by not really trying to make all schools succeed. You see, they don't really want all schools to become good schools because that would render vouchers unnecessary, except for those moving their children for reasons other than the quality of education offered.
Black people in the United States should have been shocked with disbelief when there was a thunderous response to McCain's call for school choice, including vouchers, during his speech at the NAACP convention. These are black people, likely Republicans, who don't mind leaving other black children behind in poor schools while they use there influence to make sure there is room at better schools for theirs.
The way to send all kids to good schools is make sure that all schools are good. Within a three-year period even poor schools could be running on all cylinders, with all instructional leaders showing satisfactory yearly progress toward that goal or be demoted or fired. There would also be consequences — either firing or reduction in pay — for teachers who, despite adequate opportunities to receive the necessary help, fail to make expected daily, weekly, monthly and yearly progress. Parents, students, community organizations, and others also have responsibilities, and should be told how told how — if necessary — they are expected to help.
The following questions are among those which must be properly answered, though, if positive change is to occur:
1. With respect to the goal of providing teaching students world-class curricula: (a) Does the curriculum (course objectives) for each course taught in the district's schools qualify as world-class? (b) Have college professors confirmed that the curricula would qualify as being world-class. (c) Do students and parents have access to the curricula at home? (d) Do churches and community organizations who would like to help children have access to the curricula?
2. With respect to the goal of providing quality instruction for curriculum mastery by all students: (a) What is the role of the teacher in the instructional process? (b) Are there performance standards and expectations for students? What are they? (c) What are the expectations of students, parents, and the community in achieving goals of instruction? How are they communicated? (d) What specific things do the superintendent, assistant superintendent for instruction, principals and other instructional leaders do to enhance the quality of instruction?
(e) What are the three greatest hindrances over which schools can exercise control that can limit the quality of education in Port Arthur's schools? (f) What have been the three most difficult instructional problems that have been addressed in PAISD during the past three years? What were the levels and evidence of success? (g) What are the three most significant interventions that have been attempted of the past three years to address teaching and learning problems? (h) Are there guidelines for instructional planning? What are they? (i) What strategies are used by instructional leaders to assist teachers who are performing below expectations?
3. With respect to the goals of evaluating and communicating progress toward the goal of providing a world-class education to the children of Port Arthur: (a) How does the board monitor activities intended to pursue academic, social and psychological goals? (b) How and how often does the board hear of and review evidence of answers to questions in (2)? (c) How and how often are expected instructional activities communicated and monitored by the superintendent? (d) How and how often are the superintendent and other district personnel evaluated?
4. With respect the goal of having a strategic plan which involves district personnel, parents and the community cooperate in providing world-class education for the children of Port Arthur: (a) Is the district operating with a strategic plan for educating the district's children? If not, what kind of plan is being used? (b) Would it be appropriate to have monthly reports about significant instructional innovations, interventions, evaluations or outcomes as they occur? (c) Would it be desirable to have a special bi-monthly meetings for instructional leaders to report instructional outcomes to the public? (d) Would there be any advantage in having a "quality control" committee of community-chosen parents and community leaders (mostly parents) monitor district operations, such as one or two members visiting superintendent's staff meetings and principals faculty meetings to observe just what and how expectations are communicated to supervised personnel, and what the responses to these expectations are? (e) Would it be beneficial for all the superintendent and all instructional leaders to keep, each day, a log of activities they engage in which impact instruction?
It is possible to leave neither children nor schools behind — if those really are our goals.
Ronald C. Spooner of Port Arthur is a retired educator. Contact Spooner at rcspoon@earthlink.net.
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