As educational leaders, our paramount responsibility is to speak out for kids. Sometimes that means taking risks by sticking our necks out and articulating the unpopular but right position. Take the notion of focusing educational practice on the development of the whole child. It was popular years ago when I began my teaching career, but it fell out of favor over time as schools moved to a system heavily entrenched in accountability. Because of the increasing push to isolate academic performance, we seem to have lost sight of the numerous dimensions of human growth and development. Now, in the face of NCLB's mandates—particularly the need for schools and districts to make AYP (adequate yearly progress)—it's time for us to revisit the complexities of student success and to articulate them publicly.
In my last column, I mentioned ASCD's adopted position about education and the whole child. The position affirms what we as an organization believe: "A comprehensive approach to learning recognizes that successful young people are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, motivated, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared for work and economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond their own borders." That stance takes us well beyond the current emphasis on academic achievement and assessment, which are only small components of student learning and development, and educational accountability.
For a child to fully develop in each of the areas noted in our position statement, teachers, schools, families, and communities must collaborate to create an environment in which all of those characteristics are valued and can flourish. ASCD's February 2005 issue of Infobrief states that "meeting the needs of the whole child means providing a balanced curriculum, linking health needs with learning expectations, and ensuring fair and comprehensive assessments." In other words, we must ensure that our students have access to a rich educational experience that includes the arts, the sciences, and the humanities. Furthermore, they must have access to health care, good nutrition, and exercise to be physically ready to meet academic demands. Finally, our instructional programs need to be fully aligned with assessments so that each child's performance is measured and evaluated in an unbiased manner.
Recently, the Nassau County (N.Y.) Council of School Superintendents, of which I am a member, published a brochure entitled "The Foundation for Success." In it, the council identified a list of elements critical to student success. Included among them were strong academics, character education, athletics, health and wellness, social and emotional development, the arts, extracurricular activities, and parent-community involvement. Although the council recognized the importance of assessments as diagnostic tools for improving student achievement, it also called for student exhibits, demonstrations, competitions, and presentations that build skills in social interaction, as well as teach teamwork and collaborative decision making, to be part of evaluating student learning.
As educational leaders in their communities, the Nassau County superintendents felt they should refocus attention away from published student test scores toward a broader view of their students' successes. This bold stance will enable students, parents, and community members to celebrate any accomplishments—in athletics, the arts, community service, and so on—that enhance academic achievements and contribute to student development. Each learner will be able to excel in some significant way and not simply be reduced to a test score.
The council's work offers an appropriate complement to ASCD's position on the whole child. Indeed, as ASCD members, it is our responsibility to advocate for the best education practices for each learner.
When students are the focal point of our decision making, being passionate about what we believe comes naturally. We must believe that academic achievement is intrinsically connected to all other aspects of a student's life and that by addressing a child's "fitness" on a multitude of levels, we are indeed building a foundation for that child's future success.