As part of ASCD's annual issues process, now in its seventh year, we invite our members to voice their opinions on the education issues important to their work and help determine the direction the Association will take in the coming years. The goal is to advance ASCD's influence with the education profession, the political and policy communities, and the general public on important matters of teaching and learning.
This year's process began last fall, when nearly 5,000 ASCD members responded to the 1999–2000 Issues Survey. In October, ASCD's Issues Committee used the survey to generate a list of three critical issue areas to present to the Board of Directors. Members of the committee and the ASCD staff developed preliminary position statements for each issue area.
On Monday, March 27, ASCD's Board of Directors will decide at our Annual Conference which of these three positions to adopt as part of the Association's influence agenda. The Board will be guided in its deliberations by (1) the importance of the position to ASCD's goals, values, and mission; and (2) the Association's potential for effective action on the position. Following the Annual Conference, ASCD staff members will develop action plans and strategies for moving the positions forward.
Before the Board makes its decisions, ASCD members will get a chance to discuss, debate, and reflect on the issues at two Town Meetings at the Annual Conference (see your Conference Program book for details). The outcome of the Town Meetings will be shared with the Board and will influence the final version of the position statements. ASCD members can also give feedback on the proposed positions at ASCD's Web site (http://www.ascd.org) or by mail addressed to Don Ernst, 2000 Issues, ASCD, 1703 North Beauregard Street, Alexandria, VA 22311-1714 USA.
Only with the widest possible participation of ASCD members can this important work truly reflect the views of our membership and have a meaningful effect on ASCD's efforts to improve the education of every student.
Professionalism in an Era of Accountability
Proposed position:
To enhance the professional and cultural status of educators, we need policies, practices, and resources to support the following—
- The creation of educational environments that bear witness to continuous growth and that empower educators to contribute their own knowledge and apply current research and inquiry to their work.
- Inclusion of all teachers in a professional learning community that stands for equity and quality and that incorporates collaboration and mutual support.
- Professional development that includes opportunities to examine research and engage in inquiry directly related to creative problem solving around the constraints impeding improvement efforts. Such constraints include time, curriculum, family and community expectations, externally imposed standards and mandates, and the resources needed to respond to such constraints.
- Greater attention to the moral and ethical grounding of the education profession. Moral and ethical imperatives, not simply economic utility, pervade the education profession. These imperatives arise from the responsibility to enculturate young people into democratic societies, ensure access to knowledge for all students, and improve teaching and learning—the key role of all educators.
Context:
For the members of the education profession to be recognized as leaders in societies, we must pay attention to the perceived status of teachers and other educators in contemporary society. Everyone—from institutions of higher education, schools, and administrative districts to professional organizations, policymakers, and the general public—shares the responsibility for substantive change within the profession.
The rhetoric of accountability among the education policymaking community may be as intense as it ever has been. In the United States, recent policy proposals linking student performance to educator performance emerged from the 1999 National Education Summit, sponsored by the National Governors Association and members of the corporate community. This policy trend is international. Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain has proposed "performance-related pay" (PRP) for head teachers.
Such efforts deserve much scrutiny by the education profession. They also serve as an important challenge to educators to aspire to high levels of understanding and knowledge about the substance of teaching and the connected issues of pedagogy. Implicated as well is the need for educators to communicate clearly to parents and families and to form collaborations with other important stakeholders in their respective communities.
Standards and Accountability II
Proposed position:
[Note: This proposed position builds on a position by the same name that was adopted in 1999 by ASCD's Board of Directors.]
Educational accountability systems based on student performance standards and assessments require that the standards and accompanying assessment measures be explicit. They must be public, comprehensive, and compelling in order to serve the needs of students, families, educators, and policymakers. Schools and school systems should publicly disclose the substance of all standards, the time lines for meeting the standards, and the consequences for failing to do so. Schools also should outline the resources needed to ensure equal access for all students; provide all students with opportunities outside of school for educational experiences such as service learning; and be prepared to incorporate the experiences that students bring with them to school.
Context:
Educators should clearly define and articulate learning and performance standards with appropriate assessments so that students can expand their learning opportunities. Standards describe the concepts and skills integrated in a rigorous curriculum that prepares students for the future. Each jurisdiction should clearly identify and define its standards to emphasize higher-level understanding and powerful learning. Students should develop learning skills so they can navigate the standards with success and not limit their opportunities for genuine lifelong learning. Standards develop the core of knowledge and allow for the use of many resources. Students might demonstrate proficiency with the standards through their out-of-school activities as well as through their own prior experiences, with guided assistance from school and home.
Accountability is about more than test scores; it moves beyond accounting to use all available information on student learning as evidence of progress. The data should support the need for improvement and help to determine what adjustments need to be made. Accountability assumes appropriate and multiple learning opportunities for all students.
Accountability implies that a variety of evidence is used to make improvements in classroom practices and curricular adjustments. Accountability also implies that assessment measures are fair, consistent, and public, while maintaining individual students' rights to privacy.
As stated in the position adopted last year on Standards and Accountability, all stakeholders are accountable for "creating the conditions and providing opportunities and resources for the success of all learners." Therefore, all stakeholders, including students, are accountable for the results.
Diversity and Community
Proposed position:
Educators must inform their practice with knowledge and strategies that value and celebrate differences in students. Aspiring teachers and educators in practice need the skills and knowledge to take advantage of the strengths of diverse students and the richness of race, culture, language, and experience that students bring to school.
Context:
Educators must be prepared for the demographic changes in the schools of the future, when students will manifest differences of all kinds. This reality creates special opportunities and challenges for educators. On one hand, diversity means an enriched classroom, neighborhood, community, and nation. On the other hand, it creates challenges for educators to construct teaching and learning strategies that ensure equal access to knowledge for all learners, regardless of students' special circumstances.
Educators need the skills and resources to personalize learning for each student against the backdrop of modern diversity. Personalization honors the differences in all students, and it can counter violence and alienation. As democracies move into the 21st century, educators can play key roles in helping societies move toward a more inclusive, multidimensional democratic culture.
1999–2000 Issues Committee
1999–2000 Issues Committee
Chair: Mary Ann Riggie, Vermont
John J. Attinasi, California
Judith Dorsch Backes, Michigan
Terry Burik, New Jersey
Luis A. Burgos, Puerto Rico
Ronald Costello, Indiana
Sandra Dyck-Stoddard, Alberta
Willie Easter, Arkansas
Ermile Hargrove, Hawaii
Patricia Marshall, Kentucky
Michaelene Meyer, Ohio