As I observe the debates in education in the Great State of Maine, I think the time is ripe to present a coherent alternative viewpoint to that presented by Steve Bowen et.al. He is positioning himself as the great reformer and those who don't get on the Common Core/Proficiency-Based Education train are gonna get left behind.
Have we accepted the Common Core as the blueprint of all necessary learning? Is PBE the way to the Promised land of those critical thinkers and innovative problem-solvers we all agree we need so badly? Those of us who believe in education transformation need an organization in this state that is presenting a radically different view of the failure of education and the remedies that are needed.
Opposition to high-stakes testing is our rallying cry, but there is much more to talk about. There are people throughout the state who are dissatisfied with the education their children and grandchildren and neighbors are receiving. There is common ground between us, even if we disagree on points of pedagogy or finance.
I think a conference on education change would help galvanize our side. The meeting and greeting and rubbing shoulders with those who agree with us...it's not something I've ever done anywhere, let alone with people from my own state.
You know what I mean; one of those big ol' conferences with concurrent workshops and plenary sessions and hobnobbing in hallways and getting excited about creating an education system that truly puts the value of each child at the center, relegating all else to the back seat.
Do we think we can make something like this happen?
The Save Our Schools movement is hosting an education convention this summer to build a "preferable futures" platform. Like you, we started with fear and loathing of all the high-stakes testing, and the way that data are being used. We are terrified about public education being lost--bought out by technocratic, corporate interests.
ReplyDeleteBut mostly, we're looking to share what's good in public education--and how we could re-shape our national mindset about what American kids really need in the 21st century: Community. Safety. Latitude. Discovery. Challenge.
We know that we can't get more than a few hundred people to Washington, D.C, but we can handle unlimited numbers of people in national conversations to shape that platform.
Hope you'll join us.
Can you give me a link to read more about it? Unfortunately I am tied up with crafts shows all summer (I'm a jewelry-maker) and that just saps everything.
ReplyDeleteIf it's possible to hook in by Skype, etc., I'd like to try.
Save Our Schools Missouri did something like this on a modest level in February. Great conference, small turnout. It was a good start, and we are beginning to have an impact. Definitely a marathon, not a sprint.
ReplyDeleteI'd just like to start somewhere, you know? I've been trying to flush out others in Maine who feel the way I do. I figure my bailiwick is the parents, community members, school board members. I sent an email to all school board members in Maine whose email was published on the school sites, trying to find other school-change activists, but I only got two responses.
ReplyDeleteA conference that is central, cheap and with lots of opportunity for venting and learning is what I have in mind. Maybe just a one-day thing to start.
I would be cautious of aligning with Save Our Schools if you are interested in discussing best education options for ALL children, not just those who select public schools. Many parents have removed children from public schools that were harming their children and these parents/children are not generally welcomed by the public-school only movements. Additionally, many parents know that the model of learning in public schools is often harmful and the government refuses to fund approaches that honor children such as Montessori, Regio Emelia, Democratic Schools, etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in organizing something that is only for some kids, then SOS may be the way to go, however, I am concerned with a movement that is focusing on saving schools rather than saving our youth in all the various shapes and forms that may take.
My only concern is to bring together like-minded people, and honestly, if there isn't agreement among all, that's fine. Plenty of people here in Maine disagree with me,as you've seen from comments on DirigoBlue.
ReplyDeleteWhy not put together an unconference/EdCamp to help bring things together?
ReplyDeleteEdcamp is a good idea; what I need first is a committee. Also, I want to involve as many non-educators as possible.
DeletePeople who supposedly are on the same page in theory are very often at odds at the detail level. Note most school/company/organization vision statements. Big statements are easy to agree with; how to implement those goals is difficult and exasperating work.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I have a very hard time understanding the day-to-day operations of an education system as I understand you to advocate. Excluding or limiting the number of educators at such a conference is likely to create even more confusion because those hard questions won't get asked, let alone answered.
Yes, I understand that you undervalue the contributions of parents, community members and children. You think teachers are the only legitimate voice. If that makes this effort less than legitimate to some, I'm comfortable with that.
DeleteI believe in community and that government CAN be good. There are a lot of interesting and valid concerns in this blog. I remind myself on a daily basis, there is no panacea, no singular right way to do anything. As an educator I will defend public education until it is no more. I picked up on a piece in Lisa N. comment, "select". I dare say that for most people public education is not a choice but the only option, not because others don't exist but because of financial or other logistical constraints. Our public schools represent the successes and short commings of the communities and contexts surrounding, including a polarizing political economy. I am not a believer in throwing money at schools to fix them. At best this like buying jewelry to fix a struggling marriage. We need greater cooperation between all stakeholders.
ReplyDeleteWell, as a jewelry designer, I'm all for buying jewelry to fix a failing marriage! Hey, doesn't hurt to try, right? :)
DeleteBut seriously, I agree that there is no singular right way to do anything -- any more than there are no two children who are exactly alike. The way I think about it is...there is only one kind of child: the one who is different from all the other children. Let's design our school systems around that!
It is painful to throw all this money -- much as we could always use more -- at a failing system. So how do we change around the focus of our schools so that our money contributes to an education that energizes and excites our children?