Everybody's talking about education reform. Politicians claim to know what's best and legislate it; private enterprise claims to know what's best and funds it; and well-intended laypeople create the next "innovative" model and promote it. But we, the education community, are the experts, and we should be leading the way.
What we need in K–12 education is not always more money; it is the willpower to do what we know works, despite pressures from the public, the unions, and the politicians. We need to commit to making effective instructional decisions that have proven they will reduce the achievement gap, and we need to do this without apology—even when resistance surfaces.
- Foster a climate of belief that all students can achieve, and that all students can learn at high levels with effort—theirs and ours.
- Accept responsibility as an education community for allstudents and their successes and failures, regardless of each student's background or socioeconomic status, or the level at which his parents are involved in his education.
- Set expectations for positive schoolwide citizenship and behavior and implement a discipline program that is supported by sound school policies.
- Expect school administrators to be instructional leaders who regularly conduct "walkabouts" (unscheduled classroom visits and observations) and then provide support and targeted professional development based on individual teacher need.
- Support all teachers in developing appropriate classroom management skills.
- Assign teachers with the most effective track record to the students most at risk.
- Expect teachers to continually collaborate and routinely work as teams to create consistency among grades and within courses. Require cooperative creation of curriculum maps and quarterly benchmark assessments for every grade level and every core course.
- Rely on regular formative assessments to guide and adjust classroom instruction.
- Assign students to heterogeneous groups to provide rich, hands-on learning experiences while differentiating instruction. Provide time with peers for gifted students and students with disabilities.
- Communicate criteria for classroom success.
- Schedule opportunities for intersessions, tutoring, credit recovery, and enrichment experiences.
- Make schools into community hubs that educate the entire family and connect families to social services.