recommendations for education in the united states

Democratic Vision of Public Education

A promise of a better tomorrow to the students of today

S-CURVE FIVE: A Recommended Course of Action to Secure the

Democratic Purpose of Education

• We are at a crossroads in the United States when it comes

to the education of our children.

• The citizens of the United States are certainly confronted with a

choice; however, the issue of school choice is not as clear as

some make it out to be.

− When the people are in control…they choose.

− When the schools are in control, operated under the

concept of competition, and controlled by business…they

choose you.

• The next S-curve must focus on the true principles of

democracy once envisioned by our founders; however, it must

also include the elements of social equity, rigor and

relevance, and the concept where people improve themselves

for the betterment of the others

The Big Picture – Do private and charter schools

actually perform better than public schools?

• Proponents of school choice claim many things, but

their main claim is that competition and the business

model of educating children will only improve the

quality of all schools. Really?

• There is also a claim by proponents of school choice

that students considered to be economically

disadvantaged tend to perform better when able to

choose which school to attend. How did those

students perform in public school?

• A closer look at recruitment practices and

demographics may provide a different story.



• Private and charter schools tend to have far more autonomy

in how resources are spent, how long students spend in

class, how students are selected for admission and

dismissed from the school, and how parents are held accountable for their role in educating their child.

• KIPP schools, considered a model charter school program…

− have longer days and Saturday school

− mandatory summer school; and

− require teachers, students, and parents to sign a contract

“agreeing to fulfill specific responsibilities” (Ravitch, 2010, p.

135).

− KIPP schools admit students based on a rigorous lottery system

which can be navigated and maintained only by the most

motivated parents.

Take for example a quote from an

administrator of a KIPP Charter school.

• Our schools are successful in great part because they are

selective. First, the family has to select independent

education – the family must choose to spend discretionary dollars on nonpublic school for their children. Next, the

school gets to select the students and families – Are they a

good fit for what we offer? Will the student thrive here?

And, third, in spite of a huge push to diversify independent

schools over the past few decades, during which we have become substantially more racially and ethnically

diverse, we still serve a homogenous population: families

who value education, whose parents were educated, who

have sought us out, and who prioritize education in their

discretionary spending. The school days are longer and the discipline is stricter. (Copeland, 2009, p. 260)



• KIPP schools have a high attrition rate (Ravitch, 2010).

− A staggering 60% of students who started a San Francisco KIPP school in fifth

grade were gone by the eighth grade.

− Most of these students were low performing students. Reports provided by

the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) supported the

aforementioned findings regarding public, private, and charter school

achievements.

• The reports on NAEP assessments in 2003 and 2007 found that public schools

were outperforming private and charter schools in the area of mathematics, a

subject not as easily influenced by factors in the home.

• Lawmakers want to abandon elected school boards replace them with mayoral

control.

− According to Ravitch (2010), two of the three lowest performing urban

districts in the nation (Cleveland and Chicago) are controlled by mayors

while two highest urban districts (Charlotte and Austin) are still controlled by

local school boards.

− When it seems that most achievement in charter and private schools, when

compared to public, can be attributed to more autonomy, why do so many

voices still call for the abandonment of public education and its democratic

purpose?

Segregation, Profiteering, & Cheating: Who is to blame?

• According to Ben-Porath (2009), choice is only democratic when

one understands the characteristics of the choices provided. − those who are in most need of the information are also those less likely to

receive it

− school choice options require a dedication that urban or low-income

families either do not possess or do not have time to put forward due to

working multiple jobs to support their families.

− Those who do seek the information are typically motivated parents who

have the resources and time to devote to the paperwork and choice

process (Ravitch, 2010).

• Families have used school choice to segregate themselves from other

religions, ideologies, races, and members of lower economic status

(Ben-Porath, 2009).

• 1954 Supreme Court Case of Brown v. Board of Education, which

provided an optimistic view of the future among civil rights

leaders, actually led to more covert segregation practices such as

district gerrymandering, white flight, and neighborhoods being split into

privileged white and poor black/minority sections


• One of the ideals school choice proponents espouse is the

ability to choose a school where people enrolled have the same

religious background, political beliefs, and/or social

background.

• Those who are in most need of the information are also those less likely to receive it

• The divisions in society today tend to be more along economic

means, but it is no less damaging to the democratic ideals this

nation was founded upon

• It would seem this practice is a giant step backward and only

perpetuates the division among the citizens living in the United

States of America (Laguardia and Pearl, 2009).

− IS THIS WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR CHILDREN?

− Is a country divided along economic and racial differences

something we should encourage?

− Is this the vision our founders envisioned for the United States?


• Who benefits from school choice? Is it the children and their

parents? Is it the poor or the rich? Is it public or private/charter?

Is it the citizens or the politicians?

• One could argue for any of these groups; however, it seems as though the groups who have benefitted the most are the private

companies capitalizing on privately run schools and pre-

packaged education reforms.

• It has become more common to see boards of education

succumb to the pressures of increased accountability toward

the purchase of privately developed

assessments, curriculum, reading and math programs, and

teacher training (Jones, 2008).

• Last year alone, Pearson PLC was able to boast about $648

million dollars in profit from the school reform agenda

(Sonne, 2010).


• After a Nation at Risk was published legislators, almost as if in a

panic, began to blame schools for America’s decline as a world

power.

− Resulted in more involvement from state and national

governments

− Decisions influenced by business, not educations

• Call for more accountability

− Began calling for national standards, national assessments, and

for less focus on subjects that did not contribute to the national

economy.

− School curriculum became streamlined, focused primarily on

those subjects used to compare the United States to other

countries.

− The narrowing of the curriculum, under the pressure of state and

federal mandates, placed a priority on simple tasks rather than

on complex problem-solving.


• Our representatives have tied the hands of public

educators with state and federal mandates and the

pressure to pass standardized tests. Resulted in more

involvement from state and national governments and

created a system focused less on the democratic values

of the United States and more on the concept of

deception and greed that exists in a system based on

competition.

• We should not be fooled by the claims of school choice

proponents – Competition will help their pocket books, not

the students

• At the end of day, the end goal of competition is to take

out your competitors.


• Competition on this level, where penalties are provided to

those who cannot compete, has resulted in a curriculum

focused on preparing students to perform well on a test.

Under these circumstances one may predict the same

outcome in education that the free-market system brings to

the business world: cut-throat tactics and cheating.

• When test scores seem too good to believe. USA Today.

Retrieved from http://usatoday.com

• Charter schools pawn off flunking students. NY Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com

• A recent study of athletes, businesses, and education

providers has provided support to the idea that competition

fosters the feeling that one has to assist one’s luck, driving

people who normally act with integrity to cheat in order to

stay on top of the competition (Schwieren and

Weichselbaumer, 2008).

http://usatoday.com/

http://www.nydailynews.com/


• Relationships between people and the concept of a democratic

vision of education have been replaced with an emphasis on

the individual and meaningless test scores.

• The democratic vision of public education is being dismantled

by the very same people who are elected to protect it.

• This country continues to deviate from working together for the

greater good of all citizens toward a more selfish role of

protecting one’s self interests (Callahan, 2004).

• Competition in the free-market system is about one thing and one thing only – the bottom line.

• There seems to be an irony in politics: politicians are taking out

the very legs of the organization they are relying on as a

panacea to the problems this country now faces.

The Importance of Democratic Values• Democracy and education have been intimately connected

since this country first claimed its independence and many of

our founders believed that one could not exist without the other.

• The business model of education, based on

competition, undermines the primary purpose of education in a

democracy (Wiggins, 2011).

• This model has resulted in:

− a loss of local autonomy for local school boards,

− an increase in the amount of testing,

− the shift in the purpose of assessing toward punitive measures,

− a narrowing of the curriculum in response to the high stakes

assessments,

− a movement to destroy teachers’ right to bargain and fight for their

rights as citizen

− a major slide in the United States of America in regard to

achievement on international assessments.

Reclaim the Promise of a

Democratic Vision of Education• Based on research from multiple experts in educational

reform including: John P. Kotter, Leading Change; Willard

Dagget, Rigor & Relevance; Fenwick English, Curriculum

Audits; Linda Skrla, Equity Audits; Nan Henderson, Resiliency

Model; Robert Marzano, Creating an Aligned System; Jane

Pollock, The Big Four; Diane Ravitch, School Reform; and

Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley, The Fourth Way.

• The recommendations will be presented within a larger

concept of “Five R’s” in education:

Relationships, Rigor, Relevance, Resilience, and Reflection.

RELATIONSHIPS

School ClimateATP

AdvisoryPPC - Partnerships

RIGOR

CurriculumAssessment

ProgrammingMastery Learning

RELEVANCE

Service Learning21st Century Skills

Hybrid ModelIntegration of Technology

RESILIENCE

Mind-Set and Metacognition

Self-EfficacyGoal Setting: SMART

REFLECTION

Framework for ChangeGlobal Awareness

Equity AuditsCurriculum Audits S.T.A.R.

Total School Program to Preserve the Democratic

Purpose of Education

Relationships

• Each school/district should establish what Joyce Epstein

refers to as Action Teams for Partnerships

− teachers, administrators, parents, community members, and

others can work together to connect family and community

involvement with school improvement goals (Epstein, 2009).

• Role of ATP − Review data and develop a one-year action plan for improvement

− Integrate all family and community involvement

− Recruit and recognizes other teachers, parents, community members

for leadership and participation in family and community involvement

activities

− Implement, coordinate, publicize, and oversee the planned

involvement activities

− Monitor progress, assess the strengths and weaknesses of implemented

involvement activities, document results, and resolve problems

− Report progress to the School Council (or School Improvement Team)

and to the faculty, PTA/PTO, local media, and other groups

− Replace departing ATP members

− Continue improving the school's program of family and community

involvement

• Our main recommendation is to end the reliance on competition

• Rather than supporting competition, where there is always a clear

winner and loser, the government should provide funding to

schools/districts that collaborate to develop innovative plans to

improve instruction for all students.

Government Support

Government Support

Government Support

Government Support

Relationships

Figure 1 : Relationship

Based on CompetitionFigure 2 : Relationship

Based on Collaboration

Relationships• Partnerships between schools, which once was impossible due to travel

costs and/or distance could be supported through a hybrid model of

schooling.

− Schulte, Brigid. "Hybrid Schools for the Igeneration." Mar.-Apr. 2011. Web. 21

Mar. 2011

• Schools (private, public, and charter) could be encouraged to partner

with each other to provide a more holistic school program through a

hybrid model of instruction. Schools that establish the partnerships would

be rewarded for their efforts with additional funding from the

federal/state level in order to support infrastructure needed to support

the collaboration program.

− Students spend a portion of the day working on adaptive computer based curriculum designed by instructional staff or companies that develop virtual curricula.

− Students spend the other half of the day working in small groups to receive remediation or engage in enrichment opportunities

(Schulte, 2011).

− A more comprehensive system of education and supports could be established through school partnerships

Relationships

• Establish advisory periods where each instructor is

paired with 10-12 students to offer guidance on

academic issues.

• The lesson we offer our students under a system

based on competition?

− That some students are valued more than others

depending on the color of your skin or the amount of

money your parents make.

− How can this system result in anything other than scorn

and resentment?

• The lesson offered under a system of collaboration?

− We care about you and will work together in order to

provide the best education possible regardless of your

religious beliefs, skin color, or economic status simply

because it is the right thing to do.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Administrators in private and charter schools, not

locked into the accountability faced by public

schools, have the ability to try new strategies as well

as the room to fail.

• Administrators in public school are forced to look for

the quick fix. Most public schools do not have the

freedom to be innovative in their approach to

educating students --- all this at time when

innovation is desperately needed (Mathews, 2008).

• The best way to approach the concepts of rigor and

relevance is to learn from others – including other

countries, private and charter schools.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Use of a National Curriculum, but maintain local

control of how to meet the goals

− “a substantive national curriculum that declares our

intention to educate all children in the full range of

liberal arts and sciences, as well as physical education”

(p. 231-232).

− Finland and Japan, two of the most successful

countries on international assessments, both operate

under a national curriculum focused on teaching

students how to apply their knowledge to higher level

cognitive processes

− The curriculum should act as a road map, include the

integration of technology, encourage collaboration

and relevant measures of attainment, and be focused

on providing more depth to concepts in all subject

areas.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Teachers in high-achieving nations focus on

depth, not breadth. Several months of school are

used to help students learn a concept so the

knowledge and skill becomes second nature to the

student. The depth provided in instruction enables

students to transfer the knowledge to other settings

• In contrast, teachers in the United States are required

to plow through one concept after another, week

after week with no regard for mastery.

− It is common to find students in high school who still

cannot work with fractions despite having practiced

the concept for four years or more (Linda Darling-

Hammond, 2010).

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE• The practice of tracking students must end.

• The tracking of students into college prep or general

courses sends a strong message to lower track

students: We do not believe in you.

• The field of gifted education and the culture of

advanced coursework prides itself on excellence

and rigor; often having the most talented teachers

(Ford, 2006).

− Differentiation is already a common practice to

support the learning of gifted students

− Research has demonstrated gains over four years in

schools that actively utilize differentiated instruction

methods to challenge all learners.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• To ensure achievement for all students, we recommend

districts use the concept of “The Big Four Model”

described by Jane Pollock.

− Big Four is based on extensive research conducted by Jane

Pollock in partnership with Robert Marzano

− A well-articulated curriculum, common framework for

instruction, varied assessments, and regular criterion-based

feedback provides a way for each teacher to improve the

learning of every student.

• Professional development of teachers must accompany a

rigorous curriculum

• Marzano (2010) points to successful districts who revamp

their professional development and supervision process so

that one supports the other; with both focusing less on

expected teacher behaviors and more on developing

master learners.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• We also recommend abandoning the current system of

accountability and assessment

− Students in the United States, under NCLB, are required to be tested

each year in the areas of math, science, reading, and writing

between grades three through eight and again in high school

− These tests, based on low level recall knowledge are used to

measure the quality of schools with stiff sanctions to schools that do

not meet proficiency targets.

− Faced with punitive actions for the failure to reach the targets

schools have had no choice but to narrow the curriculum in order

to focus on the skills assessed by the state assessment and spend

countless days prepping for the test.

− The problem is made worse when considering that each state has

been able to establish its own standards, assessments, and target

scores

• The system is a joke: it has led to a circumstance where a basic student in one state can become advanced by simply moving

to another state with lower standards

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Linda Darling-Hammond makes an interesting

point in The Flat World and Education (2010).

She points to data confirming that NCLB has

done more harm than good.− In most cases, public school students actually performed

better on national assessments between 1998 and 2002 than

they did after the implementation of NCLB.

− The intense focus on passing the tests mandated by NCLB

(unrelated skills and knowledge)and the punitive measures

associated with NCLB has narrowed the curriculum in an

attempt to simply – perform well on these state assessments.

− Lawmakers want to create a system that punishes schools for

not meeting target scores on a test of basic knowledge, but cannot comprehend that doing so forces schools to focus

on preparing students for the tests in order to avoid

sanctions.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Nations scoring on the top of international reports spend less

time on testing and more time developing the capacity of

teachers through professional development and students

through a rich curriculum covering core subjects and the arts.

• The assessments in these countries are not used to punish or embarrass schools; they are used as a source of information to

guide future instruction.

• Our assessment system should follow the lead of these countries:

create a national curriculum focused on depth and advanced cognitive processes measured by school based tests and

international assessments.

− The test should be utilized for formative purposes only.

− Provide classroom diagnostic assessments (based on international

assessment expectations) to be used to monitor progress

• Too much instructional time is lost with the current model of

assessment supported by NCLB.

RIGOR AND RELEVANCE

• Technology has resulted in the democratization of knowledge

(Lemke and Coughlin, 2009). Utilize this to support the

recommendation for Hybrid Schools and School Partnerships

− Children have access to more information in their homes than they

have in school.

− Technology provides students the opportunity to learn in ways their

parents did not.

− Furthermore, the use of technology can provide a platform for

differentiating learning to meet the needs of each child

• The other way to improve relevance is to integrate service-

learning into the common curriculum. Service-learning is a

powerful approach to delivering curriculum in a way that

combines knowledge and service through authentic learning

opportunities that encourage civic responsibility (Kaye, 2009).

− The practice of service-learning is in line with the democratic

purpose of education we advocate for

− Students learn how to apply their knowledge of the curriculum while

engaging in activities that benefit the community.

RESILIENCE

• We recommend that schools need to focus on helping students

develop a sense of resilience: power to produce a desired effect

and an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or

change

• This can be accomplished through the use of goal setting (advisory) and through instructional practices that promote the

concept of mastery (hybrid approach to schooling with adaptive

curriculum and differentiated instruction).

• Students in school have one of two views on intelligence: that it is

something you are born with and is fixed for life or that

intelligence is incremental in nature and can improve with effort

(Henderson, 2007).

− Students with an incremental view of learning (intelligence is not

innate) show more resiliency in the face of failure and are more

successful in school (Dweck 2004; Henderson 2007).

− Students with a fixed mindset believe intelligence is innate and place

more importance on looking smart than on actually learning

something.

RESILIENCE

• Resilience can also be a focus for professional

development and teacher recruitment.

• Recent research points to teacher

expectations, teacher quality, and teacher belief in

having the ability to impact students.

• Research has continuously documented the higher

achievement levels for students with highly efficacious

teachers. This is particularly true for students of low

economic status (Hines and Kritsonis 2010).

• A study on the effect of teacher self-efficacy found

that elementary teachers with a high level of

resilience/self-efficacy also had students who were

more resilient than their peers and experienced more

success in school (Logerfo, 2006).

REFLECTION

• Schools need to do a better job at reflecting on the

past and present in order to provide a better future for

students.

• Many schools currently undergo a process of strategic

planning, but the process barely scratches the surface

and rarely places a focus on how to make changes a

part of the larger culture of the school.

• We recommend utilizing the systematic approach

introduced by John P. Kotter, author of Leading

Change.

• Kotter (1996) developed his eight step process for

change by spending time with companies whose

efforts to change were derailed or did not last

REFLECTION

• Kotter’s 8 Stage Process of Change

• The first four stages are specifically designed to

challenge the status quo and provide a reason for

change. − 1. Establish a Sense of Urgency

− 2. Create a Guiding Coalition

− 3. Developing a Vision and Strategy

− 4. Communicate the Change Vision

• It is the last four stages where most companies fail as

Kotter (1996) describes in detail throughout the second

half of the book− 5. Empower Broad-Based Action

− 6. Generate Short-Term Wins

− 7. Consolidate Gaines and Produce More Change

− 8. Anchor New Approaches In The Culture

REFLECTION

• The change process described by Kotter is merely a

recommendation of how to navigate the obstacles

that organizations typically encounter when initiating

large reform movements – data still needs to be

collected to guide the process.

• Two pieces of data we recommend that every school

pay close attention to is the rigor/ relevance of the

curriculum and the level of equity in the daily

operations of school policies and programs.

• The use of curriculum and equity audits can assist

school personnel with monitoring these two elements

of education.

REFLECTION

• Equity refers to “policies, practices and programs necessary to

eliminate educational barriers based on

gender, race/ethnicity, national origin, color, disability, age, or

other protected group status” (Skrla, Mckenzie, &

Scheurich, 2009. p. 3-4

• The audit process focuses on three areas: teacher

quality, programming, and achievement.

− Teacher Audit: Are we making available, to every student, a

teacher with well-developed skill and knowledge? Do we

invest enough of our resources on improving the primary factor for student success – access to high quality instruction?

− Program Audit: focus of the audit is to evaluate current

programs and placement procedures to ensure the school

provides equal access to a challenging curriculum

− Achievement Audit: Graduation rates, assessment scores, and

post-secondary enrollment of students is broken

disaggregated across race, socioeconomic status, and

program enrollment to identify any areas of concern that

might need to be addressed.

REFLECTION

• An equity audit can identify an issue a specific group may be

experiencing. The district can then take a closer look at policies

used to place students in specific programs or conduct an

additional audit focused specifically on the curriculum.

• A curriculum audit is a comprehensive investigation of relevant documents and other data including: curriculum guides, lesson

plans, classroom observations, and assessment scores.

• The audit also includes interviews with key personnel within the

district including the administration, instructional staff, and

support staff in order to provide a comprehensive report on the

rigor and relevance of the curriculum.

• The audit can also inform staff on the usefulness of the

curriculum. In other words, is the curriculum reflected in daily

practice or merely a hollow symbol of what the school would like to claim as its mission (English, 2000).

A FINAL PLEA TO REVITALIZE

THE DEMOCRATIC PURPOSE

OF EDUCATION

• The problems faced in schools: narrow curriculum, unnecessary

focus on testing, dependency on simple memorization of

isolated facts, and poor performance on international

assessments are not the fault of educators. Townsend’s

description of the third and fourth S-curve needs to be carefully

examined by the very same people the curves address: the

government and business.

• Government involvement has proved to be a benefit to

education, particularly when considering the laws that have

been passed to ensure all citizens have access to the rights afforded them by the constitution.

• However, somewhere along the line our legislators, the very

same people elected to protect and manage our

democracy, have forgotten the purpose of education in a

democratic society.

• George W. Bush was once quoted as saying, “We

believe ranchers and farmers and family business

owners can make better decisions about the future

than the government can.” − What is it about politicians that they feel they are more aware of

what needs to be done to improve education?

− It seems as though politicians are more apt to listen to what big

business feels should take place to fix education in this country.

Could we then assume a recommendation from big business, to

base education on the concept of the free-market and

competition, would be a simple coincidence they would just

happen to profit from?

• We can believe that, but we can also believe their

intentions are purely in the best interests of children.

• Education is about people, not goods or profit.

• Education is about accumulating wealth, but not the

kind you can put a price tag on.

We ask those in government to honor the

democratic vision of education once pursued

by those who established this country on the

ideals of freedom and democracy.

Encourage collaboration and provide

incentives as a reward for those schools

(public, private, and charter) who engaged in

innovative partnership as opposed to the

current process of punishing schools who fail to reach empty achievement targets.

Thank You.