Education K-12:"Eyes Wide Shut"

"Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants" - John W. Gardner

As another school year comes to a close for students in K-12 education classes, anyone concerned about the future of the educational system here in America should be worried and fearful as to how we will continuously build an effective and functioning system of education focused on the learning and educating of all students no matter their zip code, gender, race, financial status, learning exceptionality or abilities.

Ineffective or weak leadership, Funding shortages, Teacher shortages, Insufficient pay, Poor morale, Negative student and teacher behaviors, Absentee parenting, School security issues, Lack of Psychological safety, Lack of diverse male teacher role models, Non-existent classroom management, Crowded classrooms, Community apathy, Poor curriculums, Poor infrastructure, Inequality and a Lack of Equity for disadvantaged and marginalized learners, are just some of the causes , most will agree, challenge, limit, and damage the successes of students, teachers, and administrators in K-12 schools and classes here in America.

Efforts and initiatives like accelerated leadership development, curriculum changes, special teacher recruitment programs, behavior intervention training, instructional improvements, increased charter schools, better technology, Parent enrichment programs, more online school access and homeschooling have all had mixed or inconsistent results.

"The False Mirror"

The picture above by Rene Magritte painted in 1928 is said to represent a number of ideas and themes. The theme that resonates the most with me is the idea that many of us view the world and our environments from a somewhat obscured reality.

We either choose to see or not see depending on how life's "clouds" may or may not block our own visions, growth, success, or influence. I see "The False Mirror" as a metaphor for our struggling American Education System fighting each year to remain relevant in the eyes of a nation clouded and divided along racial, economic, and political ideologies that leave many of our children and adults as its casualties.

Too often, our children endure a system of education that put them last and ignore valuable input from parents and community leaders when decisions or actions are being considered and initiated to improve, so called, "positive student learning outcomes."

Our educational system and its ills have always and continues to be a convenient political football that's weaponized against one group or another. Those in power "see" and know what needs to be done but consume themselves with placating their constituencies and their own personal need for power or control instead of seriously working to help all children succeed.

Politicians are not the only culprits. We are all culpable if we continue to stand by while a permanent underclass is fostered and accepted as the necessary cost of a capitalistic economy and an inequitable as well as poorly focused educational system.

Why don't schools have Behavior Management, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Financial Literacy classes as part of their mandatory core curriculums starting as early as third grade?

The reality is that a majority of students that depend on our public-school systems are being groomed just to be workers, support, or service staff. While there is nothing wrong with these types of occupations, our students and children are capable of so much more if we seriously invested in building caring relationships with them.

"That's at the core of equity: understanding who your kids are and how to meet their needs. You are still focused on outcomes, but the path to get there may not be the same for each one" - Dr. Pedro Noguera

Too many are pushing fake and convenient political agendas, such as concerns for teachers telling students what to think, banning access to certain books in the school libraries (if the school actually has one), or limiting or excluding certain subject matter discussions of Black and American History.

Where's the outrage regarding the lack of physical/psychological safety and individualized learning opportunities for all our children regardless of their race, gender, exceptionality, or economic status?

Unfortunately, because many public-school students and their parents or guardians are prisoners of their zip codes or family incomes and are ignored until election season there will always be inconsistent and muted responses to their outrage. Advocates and supporters of all our students and children must push for immediate and sweeping changes that are vital to rebooting our educational system.

Forced, but not necessarily productive, change is happening as many veteran teachers, support staff, and administrators are leaving our schools and school systems.

Often, what's left behind are well-intentioned, but inexperienced teachers, staff, and administrators that don't have the staying power, patience, or commitment to the mission, not just the profession, of educating children.

"What stands in the way of personalizing education? With $800 billion annually devoted to K-12 public education (expanded by an additional nearly $200 billion of federal funding during the pandemic), the problem is clearly not lack of money. Nor can it be a lack of technology, as virtually every student now has an Internet-connected device during the school day. Ultimately, what stands in the way is a stagnant system, with its dearth of leadership and innovation and its entrenched interests that staunchly maintain the status quo."-

From" What Will it Take to Put U.S. K-12 Education on a Better Path"

by Keri D. Ingraham

How Should K-12 Education Change?

A total reset and recommitment are necessary to improving K-12 Education. We must recognize that every school should have three school place identities that must be cultivated and supported if we are truly interested in revamping our system:

Level One Identity Place - School as a Business

Schools should be run like a business!! Depending on which side of the equation you have experienced, either from the corporate/business world or from the K-12 arena you might have negative or positive views regarding such a statement. Obviously, schools and businesses have different objectives and outcomes all driven by performance demands.

Additionally, the parameters under which a school is operated, funded, and monitored are not the same for a business entity that sees profit as its bottom line and driving force. Simply put, a school's mission of educating and developing young minds has nothing to do with how a business is run. Right! Well, not so fast.

Like any business, schools must be managed, employees must be vetted and hired. Like any business, schools must have a process of performance in place that determines the success and effectiveness of its employees, teachers, leaders, and the school itself. Like any business, customer satisfaction and performance is king and determines the sustainability of the organization or school. Ultimately, like any business the success of a school depends on good management and the relationships built with its customers (Students, Parents, the Community, etc.)

Level Two Identity Place- School as a Learning and Nurturing Institution

Every school or school district has a mission statement that either proclaims a successful outcome for its students or promotes a belief in the potential and abilities of its students. While these statements are noble, necessary and important, many of our schools are not living up to the promise implied by such statements.

Many schools and school districts are experts at modeling how to educate students but are extremely lacking in teaching our students the how and why of learning.

School as a learning and nurturing institution speaks to a mindset that sees the mission and goal of a school as a multi-faceted effort designed to develop critical thinkers that are capable of becoming critical and successful learners.

Additionally, the task of educating students should be about developing life-long learners that are able to adapt to challenges and changes in order to achieve success.

Historically, education was the seed by which cultures were either given upward mobility or denied equality and humanity. For governments, education is used to reinforce democracy or indoctrinate authoritarianism. Education is the tool we use to replenish and develop our workforce and keep our military strong. Is the role of the school to simply produce good citizens that are just workers? I think not.

Level Three Identity Place- School as Community Beacon of Hope

This level speaks to a philosophy and belief that schools must be a safe haven and social rallying point that engages the communities and students they serve from more than just an academic development perspective, but from a cultural framework that seeks to validate, understand, and support students and their communities. Schools and their leaders must be willing to invest in community and people building.

All across this country there are students and families that fight an ongoing battle not to succumb to the perceived and real negative circumstances of being located in the wrong zip code, tax bracket, neighborhood, school, or district. Add to this, the task of students growing up in dysfunctional home environments while trying to overcome learning challenges and grade level achievement deficits, one must understand the need for more of a supportive and holistic view of school and community engagement that builds relationships founded in life skills and parenting education that fosters honest exchanges of ideas and real-world problem-solving.

Parents, students, and their communities must be given more than narratives but actual resources and actionable lifelines that help support them in their time of need or crisis. For example, calling a parent about their child's negative behaviors might not be of great concern to a parent who's worried about keeping the lights on or having enough money to pay the rent.

School staff, leaders, and teachers are the first line of connection and trust builders that must actively and continuously seek relationships that allows parents or guardians to let down their guards and not be afraid to be vulnerable which in turn brings about a more honest communication dynamic.

Just as they are different challenges and concerns in each school district or school setting, we must support different and fluid engagement instructional strategies that seeks to help all our children.

More importantly, we must invest our efforts in relationship building that listens to all and welcomes all to the table around how we can improve our K-12 Educational System.

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