Lessons from Leaders

I enjoy reading about people in history who have created something of significance or led during a significant time. Some of the people who come to mind: Thomas Edison, inventor of electric light and motion pictures, among other devices and processes; Abraham Lincoln, who lead his "Team of Rivals" through the transformative civil war to keep our precious union together; Harry Truman, who had to take over after a legendary leader, figure out how to end the war, and integrated the army; and Steve Jobs, who moved the computer into our homes while making it user friendly, revolutionized phones, music, and tablet computing.

Education has its innovative leaders as well. Horace Mann (1796-1859), who created the "Common School Journal." in which he advocated among other things, universal education of the masses. Richard Armstrong (1805-1860), the Minister of Public Instruction for the Kingdom of Hawaii, who actually implemented one of the first, if not the very first, system of universal education for the masses. And, John Dewey (1859-1952) who is the founder of the modern school design of mass education through standardized learning and teaching, homogeneous grouping of students by age, and subject.

Right now is an important time in education. To name a few: there are many disruptive educational innovations and experiments taking place such as charter schools with a variety of designs, themes, and pedagogical practices. Also, schools are moving from traditional instruction to a variety of online and technological instruction such as digital curriculum, virtual schools, and many combinations.

However, no city or state has truly adopted a system wide school design that moves away from the hundred year old school design of industrial mass education with bells and classes with 20-30 in a class, separated by age, learning and established standardized knowledge that will not be used in jobs of the future. We are stuck in the past because it worked for those in our countries leadership 30-60 years ago, so it must work for us. Even though we have, on average a 70% high school graduation, with about a 50% graduation rate for minority students.

What we know works, especially for todays' learners is not the large high school, where students get lost, but small learning environments, with project/problem based learning with real life application. We need smaller schools that are allowed to personalize learning. Todays students need to be interested and see the meaning behind what they are doing, before they will do it.

One of the reasons we are not able to do this is money. Another reason is the past. We can't break away from the past to see what the future needs.

Recently, I left my principal position in Oklahoma, because the educational cuts made me very uneasy as to 1) will I have a job at the end of the year and 2) what would education for my own children look like after all these cuts. I was able to secure a fantastic educational leadership position back in Hawaii.

Funding and belief systems are the foundational building blocks for redesigning students' educational experiences. We must develop the "next" system of educating our children through practices that are barely beginning to surface. I envision a "google" like high school, where students spend time in creative teams, not bound by seat time or walls, but only by their imagination. I envision schools with resources that fund ideas and prototypes, and creative opportunities for students to pursue and explore their passions. I envision schools that are not grouped by age, but students are able to move in and out groups, based on growing knowledge, skills, and expertise. I envision a school that gets away form the idea of "seat time" (seat time is the traditional time restraint that says you are bound to that subject and cannot get the credit until you fulfill a time requirement, regardless if you know the material already), and allow students to gain credits through competency, competencies that combine knowledge and skills with competency behaviors such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, etc.

What is the limit? Mainly us, the adults who are in charge of leading and developing students. It is our need to be in control or our need to say it should be done a certain way, mostly the way it was done 20 years ago, when the policy makers and school funders were in school. Let us develop those next practices and get away form the old practices. If we can, we will see many students flocking back to school and/or staying in school, finishing early or on time and moving on toward a greater good for all.