If we set standards for what children should know and be able to do, but do nothing else to change the education system, we will be courting disaster, Sonia Hernandez told her General Session audience. Hernandez is deputy superintendent for curriculum and instructional leadership with the California Department of Education.
- Thou shalt set high standards for all children. "What counts [most] is what children are taught," Hernandez said. "And so, setting standards for all children—and making sure that those are high standards and common standards—is absolutely critical."
- Thy assessments shalt be aligned to thy standards. "How many of you have to give a norm-referenced exam when you've set standards at your state or district or school?" Hernandez asked her audience. "How does that match?" Not only should assessments be aligned with standards, she observed, but also the content covered on assessments should be readily available to everyone, not kept secret.
- Honor thy teachers and administrators. "The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has set standards for what teachers should know and be able to do," as have many U.S. states, Hernandez noted. "But as we set high standards for all teachers, we seem to be forgetting to set high standards for their salaries." Teachers should be paid enough to make teaching "a real, full-time profession," she maintained.Administrators also should receive more recognition, Hernandez said. "In this country, we have a tendency to demean administrators," she observed. "But you cannot have a great school without a great principal," or a great school district without an excellent superintendent. "We need to make sure that they receive the respect that they deserve."
- Thou shalt be allowed to break every rule in the Education Code to secure student success. "If we're going to [uphold] high standards for all children, then school districts, schools, and teachers need to be able to negotiate everything else that they do," Hernandez contended.
- Thou shalt provide sustained professional development for all members of the community of learners. Professional development to help educators put standards into practice in the classroom "doesn't happen very often," Hernandez said. "The issue of providing sustained professional development is an absolutely critical one, and one that requires an investment."
- Parents shalt be partners in the entire process. "If you really want to get parents involved," Hernandez said, "you have to say to them, `It doesn't matter if you physically come to the school, but we have to find a way to get you seriously involved in the learning of your child.'" Parents want to be involved, she said. "You'll find willing partners rather than adversaries."
- Thou shalt be accountable for thy role in the education enterprise. "Before you can be held accountable for something, you need to have decision-making [power] over it," Hernandez said. Too often, school-based educators are held accountable for decisions made at the state or district level. "So it's important that we clearly define roles. Where decisions are made is where accountability needs to reside."
- Thy higher education institutions shalt be partners in securing student achievement. "Higher ed institutions should be preparing teachers and administrators not in isolation but with practitioners, so they can be sure they're [meeting] the needs of the field." Some colleges of education are beginning to design research, for example, that informs K–12 education, Hernandez noted. "It really is about time that higher ed institutions stop being hands-off partners and become live partners in this enterprise."
- Thou shalt teach all students to be responsible for their own learning. "Lifelong learners know the importance of being responsible for their own learning," Hernandez said. "For [students] to get there, they've got to be engaged in their own learning." While emphasizing the so-called core subjects, educators have neglected the power of the arts and school-to-work programs to engage students in learning, she charged.
- Thou shalt join organizations that support professional growth and development over time. "You and I know that one-shot [workshops] don't work," Hernandez said. "Sustained growth over time, with support and coaching, is what really makes a difference." Besides supporting sustained growth, professional associations enable educators to join forces, she added. "One of the most important things we can do as educators is make sure that we're not single voices."
Hernandez concluded by hoping that her Ten Commandments will help educators "think through what it will take to move from a skills-based education system to a standards-driven system. I believe we can do it," she said. "We've got the smarts to make this happen. The issue is: Do we have the commitment, the drive, the fire?"