What motivates us to join a profession that is not always viewed as a path to the "good" life? For me, the call to enhance student development and achievement is the noblest of services one could perform. Our future, indeed our very survival, is inextricably linked to the experiences our youngsters have while they journey through their formative years. When I think of school improvement, I immediately think of dedicated classroom teachers as the key to success.
In an interview in the recent December/January issue of Educational Leadership, Rabbi Harold Kushner spoke of youngsters who grew up in impoverished environments yet achieved success in their lives. When they were queried as to the source of their success, their responses often contained these four words: "There was this teacher." And for many of us, there was this teacher who not only inspired us while we were in the classroom but also spent time with us outside of class when he or she could have been addressing the vast array of responsibilities that fill a teacher's day.
Today, school improvement has become synonymous with the drive to make teachers and students more accountable. This accountability effort is often grounded in content and performance standards, which include the establishment of benchmarks at all grade levels and the setting of student achievement levels that demonstrate growth. This is not a new concept, as educators have always established goals for student growth and have attempted to hold students to high expectations for skill building and content knowledge.
What is new in school improvement is the emphasis on a "big picture" view of a process that builds commitment and the capacity for success. In my home state of Iowa, school improvement efforts cycle through needs assessment, development of goals and plans, setting of criteria for student success, implementation, evaluation, and reporting—all with a focus on the student. School improvement starts with the development of a comprehensive plan, reflecting a systems approach where all components work in concert.
A Compelling Purpose
As a prerequisite to the success of any school improvement plan, the establishment of a compelling purpose that inspires all stakeholders is essential. In their 1998 book Total Leaders, Charles Schwahn and William Spady say those who work in an organization with a compelling purpose know where the organization and its people are headed. The compelling purpose for a school includes statements of local values and beliefs, a mission statement, and the establishment of expectations for students, stated as student outcomes, essential learnings, learning goals, and so on. In the absence of a clear and compelling purpose, why would anyone want to follow the plan?
School improvement planning calls for change and a new way of thinking— thinking that might just be outside the box. In their 1998 book What's Worth Fighting for Out There, Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan call on governments, teachers, administrators, and parents to take risks and make bold moves. Linking teachers, parents, and students, teachers are called upon to make students their prime partners and to respond to parents' needs as if they were their own. Teachers are further encouraged to become more assessment literate, to develop and use their emotional intelligence, and to assist in recreating their profession.
A New View of Teachers
The actions of teachers in the school improvement process can cause the public to alter its view of the teaching profession. School improvement requires the involvement of all stakeholders. Hargreaves and Fullan urge administrators to respect those whom they want to silence, to manage emotionally as well as rationally, and to fight for lost causes. Governments are urged to invest in the long term; to use data to create improvement, not embarrassment; and to put capacity building before compliance. Parents are encouraged to influence government to support the development of the kind of teachers they believe their children deserve, to leave nostalgia behind, to ask what they can do for the school as well as what the school can do for them, and to put praise before blame.
So it appears there is more to school improvement than just standards, benchmarks, and assessment. There is a spirit that needs to be present—a spirit that underlies the work we do. In another interview in the recent December/January issue of Educational Leadership, Nel Noddings, professor of philosophy and education at Teachers College, Columbia University, suggests that "spirituality is an attitude or a way of life that recognizes something we might call spirit" (p. 29). When the local community comes together with a positive attitude, united by a compelling purpose to provide the best possible experience for its children and youth, the resulting spirit of cooperation and collaboration can lead only to improved social, emotional, behavioral, and academic development and achievement for every child.
Our young people are our legacy. Full support for school improvement planning and implementation can ensure that our legacy is secure.