I am growing tired of the number of posts and stories I read about everyone’s plan on “teacher accountability”. I see too many holes in too many plans to deal with what is being categorized as “THE PROBLEM” with education; bad teachers. Unfortunately, when the outcome of many of these ill-conceived plans like Merit Pay result in failure, that too will be blamed on the teachers for its failure to work and not the fact that the plan itself was flawed. Teachers are in a no-win situation with targets painted on their backs. Nowhere was it more evident than in the reporter’s attack on Matt Damon for his support of teachers at the Save Our Schools March in D.C.. I guess we should be grateful for, if it wasn’t for the press coverage of Matt Damon, the entire March might have gone on with absolutely no press coverage. Why cover a bunch of protesting teachers when we all know that they are the problem with education? They cost too much and do too little. The newest added dimension, thanks to enlightened Missouri Legislators, is that all teachers are suspected to be potential child molesters.
I am not saying that teachers should not be held accountable. I am saying that there is no one factor that is creating the perceived failure of our education system. I recently read a post suggesting that the professional thing for teachers to do was to pick themselves up by the bootstraps and fix themselves through self-evaluation. Of course that was my take on it, and I did comment to the blogger. You may assess it differently. Teacher Accountability & PLCs.
The one big question that keeps nagging at my brain is: Where is our leadership in all of this? Other questions: Who is standing up for teachers? Besides Diane Ravitch whose voices are we hearing nationally in support of teachers? But the most important question of all is: Where are our local, educational leaders in this? What responsibility are the superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors, principals, and assistant principals taking for the “demise” of our education system?
I do not want to enter the realm of Admin bashing, but there are some observations that can be made that might be helpful in leadership evaluation. After a career in secondary education, I have a longstanding awareness of the capabilities of teachers. Additionally, my recent experience with educators involved in Social Media is also very positive, and finding that most educators are involved to improve their craft and be relevant as educators. Most educators entered the profession for reasons more noble than to bilk the system with an easy ride for high pay and healthcare. The leadership of education comes from these very ranks. What happens to the educator who transitions to an administrator? Are all administrators leaders? How much of our administrators are still educators?
The industrial model of education requires a hierarchy of supervision. Unfortunately, for some Admins, this creates an adversarial relationship with an Us/Them mentality and teachers become the problem. Those admins may no longer be comfortable with teachers and tend to lead from their office. You won’t find them in professional development workshops. Some will never enter the student cafeteria at lunchtime. Walking the halls is the lowest priority on a long list of important administrative duties.
A stable school culture is developed over time. To affect that culture in a positive way, any admin needs to spend time working on needed change. The system however, often requires that admins move on, to move up. Aspiring admins are too often not around long enough to affect needed change leaving that to the next admin to come along. This also creates a void in teacher evaluations. Any continuing guidance an admin may be offering a teacher in need of such structure, leaves with the admin. The new admin generally does not want to rock the boat or create enemies, so follow-through is usually tabled for the time being. That usually means, until there is a problem that is visible. Some refer to this as falling through the cracks. administrator mobility causes many, many cracks.
Leadership works best when there is a mutual respect between teachers and admins. It has been my observation that this works best when admins view themselves more as educators than supervisors. An educator who supports other educators in the goal of developing learners is a much more respectful way to lead than the Boss and Worker model. Support of teachers requires trusting teachers. That requires giving teachers power. The Power and control issue in any school creates that adversarial thing that always gets in the way.
The whole educational philosophy idea can really muck things up as well. At the extremes we have conservatives and progressives. The conservative approach to education much as in politics, harkens back to the tried and true methods of olde. The progressive philosophy calls on teaching the 21st Century skills and employing tech tools for learning. Of course the bulk of educators fall somewhere in the middle, again, much like politics. This is where professional Development and life-long learning come into play. Better learners make better teachers. Better learners also make better leaders. This can’t happen with once or twice a year workshop day for teachers. We need Leaders to offer constant PD and to lead the way by modeling their involvement.
There is an Irony here that I feel the need to point out. I do not expect too many comments from administrators objecting to my opinions here. Most of the administrators who would even be exposed to this post are the administrators looking to learn and reflect for a better way to lead. The unfortunate part about that is that, they represent only a small, but hopefully growing number. So, the people who I need to have read this post for the most benefit, will never see it. Maybe they would, if someone printed it out and walked it into their office.
To be better students, we need better teachers. To be better teachers, we need better leaders. To be better leaders, we need better methods. To get better methods, we need more involvement. To get more involvement, we need to be better learners. Ta Da! To be better Educators, we ALL need to be better learners.
In addition to all of this, we need to be better marketers of education. Marketing is the key to success. I once took a marketing course for educators at, of all places, Disneyworld, the Mecca of marketing. That was a valuable course for me. I learned the four important points for marketing education.
- Do a good job. 2. Do a good job. 3. Do a good job. 4. Tell everyone about it!
My Island View 
Thanks for your post and reflections on “teacher accountability” and the seeming myopic focus on this matter in the broader context of perceived problems in public education. This morning I had an excellent conversation with our MS Science curriculum leader; she teaches 8th grade science and is a phenomenal educator. With a new state test being added this year in science in our state, anxiety is high among how science teachers’ effectiveness will be evaluated by the state based upon test performance. Our science teachers rightfully want to emphasize inquiry and problem solving – and with that will come content knowledge, not simply petty mastery of recall items. I stated in my talk with our science lead teacher that I believe it is the role of administrators to create a structure and a framework within which teachers can flourish. Create job embedded structures that don’t shirk responsibility while also allowing for excellent pedagogy.
The role of administrators is not to blindly endorse external dictates of accountability. The role of local ed leaders is to finesse the external expectations in a way that acknowledges the reality of accountability measures without allowing them to handcuff instructional genius – which I believe our teachers possess in prodigious quantity!
Furthermore, you are right about what sort of administrators and ed leaders will be reading and posting in response to your work, Tom. Beth Still blogged about this phenomenon recently urging administrators to embrace twitter, blogging and other tools to network, collaborate, and inspire themselves through PLN. Her excellent post is at http://bethstill.edublogs.org/2011/08/04/leadership-day-2012-an-appeal-to-nebraska-administrators/
I agree whit you and share this in my page at facebook.
Hi Tom, Thanks for taking the time to write this post. Like you, I believe that all involved are responsible for success of schools including students, teachers, administrators, family members, community members and local, state and federal government. Every group contributes to a learning community’s success.
I’m in favor of evaluating schools based on a broad criteria, and helping those schools that don’t meet the essential criteria for excellence. I suggest the following criteria:
1. Dedicated, professional skilled staff (all educators: teachers and administrators)
2. Acquisition of essential knowledge skills for all students as determined by common core guiding principles and streamlined standardized tests.
3. Optimal learning environments that are safe, clean, tech-savvy, inspiring and big enough to accommodate all students with care and respect.
4. Acquisition of 21st century/lifelong learning skills through meaningful, project based exploration.
5. Motivated, confident, inspired students whose social, physical, academic and emotional needs are noted, understood and nurtured.
You are correct Tom that admins who need to read this won’t. They are closed off to productive and constructive communication, leadership and change. They bully, control things to such a big extent that they can’t get out of the way and lead. They stand in the way instead. I can attest to this as an admin who has had it with the so-called leadership. I continue to fight the fight but you can only take the bullying for so long. Education and educators need to do what Domino did. Take a good long look and see the issues that need to be worked on and then tell everyone what you are doing that works and what you plan to do change and why. Just my thoughts.
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[…] Leadership Accountability « My Island View–I am growing tired of the number of posts and stories I read about everyone’s plan on “teacher accountability”. I see too many holes in too many plans to deal with what is being categorized as “THE PROBLEM” with education; bad teachers. […]
It absolutely goes without saying that the only thing teachers can be held accountable for is the performance & well being of the children in their care. It beggars belief that anyone in their right mind could blame the “demise of the education system” on teachers. What, all of them? Let’s just for a moment explore the extremely unlikely proposition that ALL teachers are bad teachers. Whose fault would that be? Wouldn’t we have to hold the system that employed them to account?
Maybe though the “demise of the education system” is no bad thing. It’s become a truism that the system is not fit for purpose – we are using a product of the Industrial Revolution to educate students for the post-digital age. No one is really claiming that’s sensible are they?
I disagree that the “system is not fit for purpose” as many of the transformative actions currently in place are creating a revised and renewed system fit for purpose, but I realize that’s not happening everywhere.
I believe that schools as “hubs of intellectual exchange, discussion and creativity” are still essential, but those “hubs” have to have the technology in place to allow exchange and collaboration with individuals and institutions throughout the world. We also have to build greater fluidity so that people are able to travel and engage within other learning environments (formal and informal) on a regular basis (which I’m sure will be easier when teleportation becomes a reality–if sound/images can move through space why not matter?)
If we were to move totally to a tech-world, one without the advantage of inspiring natural/man-made environments, personal collaboration and hands-on creativity and exploration, we would be exchanging one “institution” that is not fit for purpose” for another–we have to embrace the many, varied diverse learning environments that will emerge from this transformative time. Similar to our need for biodiversity to best meet the world’s needs, we need edudiversity too.
Leadership is one thing but, in my not-so-humble opinion, the major problem in public education is the very serious lack of adequate administrative/management training, skills and experience.
A good, competent teacher is probably the most valuable asset in the system but a good teacher does not necessarily become a competent administrator/manager.
Clasroom management does not mean that one is capable of managing the business side of public education any more than a competent manager can automatically be a good teacher. And yes, there definitely is a business aspect to the endeavour and that is where the biggest weakness currently lies.
However, one must be very careful and be aware that public education is not a business but a public service. It is not structured like a business and has entirely different objectives. Let’s not try to turn it into a business, either. To do so would fail miserably.
Woah! This is exactly the kind of culture I have been dreaming about in my place. It just seemed so difficult to start, since people might think this is another task to start or it will be a burden or it will take their time off to finish other things. I agree on your statement to do good job and share about it, that’s why I just started my blog.