"The Aim"

What is our aim?

What are we trying to become?

With public education under unprecedented attack, what are we really trying to get done here?

For the past three and half years we have worked hard to create and communicate a compelling vision, a value proposition if you will, for pubic education. The vision, a preferred future for our school system – each learner, each staff, and each parent is informed by the school effects research emergent from the research conducted to refute the Coleman Report (see section on page 2)

These “effects” or correlates have over the past four decades been validated over and over again. These “effects” paint a picture of what a classroom, school, and school system look like, sound like, and feel like when they are consistently and constantly present and practiced. For quick review, the “effects” are:

A Climate of High Expectations

A Safe and Orderly Environment

Clear Instructional Focus

Frequent Monitoring of Student Learning/Effective Use of Data

Time on Task and Opportunity to learn

Strong Home/School Partnership

Clearly Understood Mission

When each are unpacked, they provide, what I believe, is the ultimate picture of the “what”, “why” and “how” of our work. Additionally, I think these correlates also create an aim for our school system. Before authentically moving toward achieving the more lofty aims or purposes of public education, we must have a clear picture of what our system must look like to accomplish the mission.

A key to seeing this vision is the integration of each correlate into a comprehensive picture. Though each individual correlate is powerful, it is when they are all present, all practiced – ubiquitous if you will, that the vision comes to life.

Imagine, for example, what the educational experiences of teachers and learners alike would be if a climate of high expectations for both academic and behavior were pervasive. Imagine if you can what our system would look, feel, and sound like with a clearly understood mission. Imagine still, a safe and orderly environment where not only inappropriate, interfering, or distracting behaviors were eliminated but also the behaviors that build confidence, capacity to risk, trust, and esteem in both teacher and learner were encouraged and supported. Wouldn’t that be powerful?

Unlike the oft associated definition of vision – something that is ideal or future orientated, the school effects research and each correlate do, in fact exist.

Schools matter. Teachers matter. Principals matter. Parents matter. Moreover, learning matters. Yet, we don’t believe collectively that we control the variables that most influence, impact student learning.

The fact that this research was and continues to be evident speaks to their utility and import. Yet, we don’t believe the evidence. Rather, we quickly dismiss the findings. Why?

I was saddened as I watched and listened to an ensemble of very talented high school students perform. My sadness was informed by a reality that we have the same level of talent in Anson County but … That’s right! What are the … preventing our students from developing or performing their talents and gifts?

My response to that question is anchored, in part, is the wrong response to accountability, learners failing to learn, and in many cases the inability to think differently about the problem, the cause, and solution.

A colleague shared with me this week that we must resist the temptation to fight backwards. We must also resist at all cost the tendency to revert to practices that we know don’t work and if truth be known, never worked.

We must fight forward on behalf of our students, staff, parents, and community. To do so requires an agenda that relentlessly pursues creating a new reality from a vision that has proven effective – almost 40 years of evidence. By the by, this aim benefits all children, all staff, and parents.