As ASCD's annual issues process moves into its ninth year, ASCD asks members to engage in dialogue about this year's proposed positions and the critical education issues related to them. The larger goal of the issues process is to enhance ASCD's influence on important education issues with the political and policy communities, as well as with the education profession.
This year's process included a survey to which almost 6,000 ASCD members responded, special feedback sessions at the ASCD affiliate regional meetings, and deliberation by the 11-member ASCD Issues Committee last fall. The Issues Committee proposed three positions for consideration by the Board of Directors at the ASCD Annual Conference in San Antonio.
As ASCD moves to a new governance structure, the issues process will also change. The Issues Committee has suggested extending the process to year-round activities in preparation for the future work of the Leadership Council. In addition, the Issues Committee has recommended a two-part process—both position adoption and issues engagement.
ASCD members can give feedback on these proposed positions through ASCD's Web site (http://www.ascd.org) or by mail addressed to Don Ernst, 2002 ISSUES, ASCD, 1703 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA.
ASCD Proposed Positions 2001–02
Low-Performing Schools
Proposed Position:
Every student has the right to attend a high-performing school. School performance and resulting "high" or "low" designations must be determined by multiple indicators that extend beyond the use of tests. Identification and intervention strategies should focus on improving, not penalizing, schools. Interventions in "low-performing" schools should incorporate coherent strategies that include understanding each school's unique context, strengths, and needs; ongoing professional development for staff; research-based practices; parent, student, and community involvement; and the necessary financial resources to support school transformations to high-performing.
Rationale:
The identification and labeling of schools as low-performing, now part of many state and federal accountability policies in the United States, pose serious challenges to educators and affected communities. Declaring a school to be low-performing creates tension among faculty, students, and other stakeholders. Responsible interventions are required in a school where many students are not succeeding. However, the inappropriate use of rewards and sanctions connected to single measures is likely to further the controversy.
Teacher Quality amid Educator Shortages
Proposed Position:
Every child has the right to be taught by quality, fully licensed and certified teachers. To maintain quality in the wake of educator shortages, pathways into the education professions must prepare future teachers with the knowledge and tools for successful practice in teaching disciplines. Prospective educators must demonstrate competency, including the ability to implement innovations in teaching, and an understanding of the role of schools in a democratic society.
Rationale:
Attracting, retaining, and developing quality teachers is essential in the current era of high-stakes accountability. Recent research suggests that having a quality teacher is a central factor in student success. Against the backdrop of educator shortages, particularly shortages in certain geographic locations and subject areas, the attraction and retention of quality educators becomes more complex. While salaries and benefits are important, the professional and policy contexts in which educators work also influence attraction and retention.
Living with and Educating About Our Deepest Differences
Proposed Position:
Schools must use education to bridge the divides caused by the deepest differences between groups of people. This requires serious attention to teaching about differences such as language, culture, and religion, as well as exploring areas of shared understanding. Schools must develop and foster civil cultures, democratic communities, and practices that respect diversity in all its forms.
Rationale:
The events of September 11, 2001, remind us of the role of education in creating a future in which people reject prejudice and discrimination. We must respect and understand the worldviews, ideas, people, and places that are unfamiliar to us in the hope of lessening the tensions that divide us. School curricula should be examined to ensure a pedagogy of understanding humanity's differences and commonalities.
2001–02 Issues Committee
Chair: Ermile Hargrove, Hawaii
James Amick, Washington, D.C.
Harriett Arnold, California
Terry Burik, New Jersey
Francis Duffy, Maryland
Roberta Glaser, Michigan
Michaelene Meyer, Ohio
William Owings, Virginia
Marceta Reilly, Kansas
Wayne Sweeney, Connecticut
Stan Thompson, Rhode Island