Public Education in the U.S. The road to No Child Left Behind – NCLB Effective leadership at the school site level Prospects for the future Greg Sheppard SPEL Presentation Spring 2005 Future

The Birth of Public Education Horace Mann argued all children should learn together in “common” schools yet he did not take a stand against school segregation in his own city of Boston Great influx of immigration Mann placed a major emphasis on “moral training,” standardization, and classroom drill Public education became an institution influenced by special interests, politicians, and needs of business More than 100 years later Public education continues to be arena for conflicts of interest and subject to political agendas of our time

Reforms of the Early and Mid 20th Century John Dewey – against rote learning Progressive education should offer a curriculum that is relevant to students' lives American Legion – and the fear of Communism – sanitization of text books Promote Americanism Return to basics, teacher-centered learning Russian launching of Sputnik led to National Defense Education Act of 1958 President Eisenhower warned about dangers of military industrial complex During the 1960s, public education focus was on creating American military and economic global dominance

Educational Reforms of the Late 20th Century 1983 – “A Nation at Risk” published New direction for public education defined America needed to compete economically with other nations Public schools were blamed and politicians came up with plans to fix schools When schools were not doing well, they were blamed When they succeeded, politicians took credit Both Democrats and Republicans claim to be party that supports public education

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) Mandatory standards based teaching and testing NCLB – voucher in disguise Penalizes “under performing” - schools can be taken over by publicly funded private schools. NCLB – encourages teaching to the test and rote learning NCLB – with sanctions for failing schools and bonuses for improving test scores promotes environment that leads to cheating and manipulation of test scores and drop out rate March 21, 2005 – more than twenty Houston schools and over 400 schools in Texas are being investigated for cheating on test scores and manipulating data to show higher test scores Story on NPR

Effective Leadership at the Site Level Role of the principal is crucial to operations of the school To be effective the principal must consider the following: People are number one asset and educating students is goal of the school Develop, cultivate, and establish trust with staff Build positive relationships with staff Communicate a vision/mission for the school Collaborate with staff to build on that mission Clearly define expectations of teachers and establish school norms Be fair, supportive, and approachable to all employees Be visible on the campus and visit all classrooms to offer support and know what is going on in the school Respect and support teachers

To Be an Effective Leader, a Principal Must …. Be familiar with district culture and norms Get staff input on decisions that affect operation of the school Build community and business support by reaching out to parents and organizations Know the educational code and penal code, and be prepared to make decisions When in doubt, seek advice When possible, make difficult decisions later Understand budget process, and seek advice of others on budget matters that are unclear Be clear and thoughtful on all written communications Memos, staff evaluations, and e-mail Once it is written, it cannot be taken back

Prospects for the future In the early 20th century, John Dewey wrote that progressive education should offer a curriculum that is relevant to students' lives We need to make education more relevant to students’ lives and move away from high stakes testing as a measurement of a school’s success Political quick fixes are not the answer Merit pay No more pendulum swings “Anything that is labeled as a movement should be avoided like the plague” (Ravitch, 2000). Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms Closing achievement the gap in public schools is necessary for democracy to thrive Public schools can help close gap, but until we address systemic problems that cause inequalities, achievement gap will continue to widen More technology is not the answer Any teacher that can be replaced by a computer, deserves to be David Thornburg 11/22/99