What is Public Education to Become?

What is Public Education to Become? 

“If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is in sight.” - Jack Welch

 

This quote has resonated with me for a long time. In retrospect to the world today, with the rate of change accelerating exponentially, and the struggle for legacy institutions to keep up, it does seem like we are approaching an end. Some say we are at the “tipping point,” but with every ending, it is important to realize that there is also an opportunity to begin a new beginning.  

 

Family, relationships, religion, public education, commerce, business, industry, and governance, once the bedrock of society and civilization, are now being reflected on, questioned, and evaluated. This condition is not only happening in the United States, but globally. The world is changing, and the question is, how will mankind evolve? 

 

It is important that mankind “look in the mirror,” reflect on mistakes and accomplishments, and look forward, over the horizon, to chart a course as to what could be. This presents mankind with three choices to respond: engage to hold on or go back to what was, strategically build new futures from mistakes and accomplishments of the past, or not engage and just let things happen.

 

There are those who are trying to push back against change, desperately holding on to nostalgic ideas and traditions. They are seeking to understand 21st century realities through a 20th century focus. There are also those who for many reasons - ranging from being overwhelmed by change, feeling helpless, or in denial - that are choosing not to engage and are hoping to ride things out. For me, my choice is the second one, to “strategically build new futures from mistakes and accomplishments of the past,” and to look forward to what could be.

 

As a white, male, middle class, citizen of the United States, I acknowledge my bias and the limitations of my observations, perceptions, beliefs, and opinions. It is my position that the way forward is to grow through exploration, dialogue, tolerance, and empathy with civility. Through discourse and consensus, the direction forward should not be limited to one perspective, but be inclusive, flexible, and adaptable to many perspectives and conditions. Mankind’s next steps forward should not be conceived in echo chambers or silos.

The Importance of Education

“The backbone of our society is education. All around the globe from the most affluent cities to the most isolated rural villages, schools are the center of the community. Societal health is dependent upon our ability to pass skills necessary for survival to our future generations.” - Michael Soskil, Teaching in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Standing at the Precipice

 

In the United States, the concept of free public education has been one of the bedrocks of our democratic society. It has been perceived as the great equalizer. Financed with tax dollars, governed by locally-elected school boards, regulated by state boards of educations, state legislatures, and influenced by the US Department of Education, the intuitional purpose of public schools over the last 100 years was perceived to teach the three Rs: reading, writing and arithmetic. 

 

Today, public education’s responsibilities are more far-reaching than just teaching academics. Food and nutrition, before and after school care, athletics, and co-curricular programs, and now in the wake of COVID mental health, schools are expected to provide complete wrap around services. The political polarization and discourse in communities and society is impacting schools. Schools are now struggling with their sense of purpose and how to address the question, what is it we want our kids to know and be able to do?

 

20th Century Thinking Does Not Fit In the 21st Century

For over 40 years, I have been a part of public education in the United States. Beginning as a Social Studies classroom teacher and athletic coach in a small rural school district, and later in a large suburban school district, I designed lesson plans based on following the prescribed curriculum, used the textbook, provided standardized tests, and embraced the perceived expectations for preparing students for college. I was a cog in the machine.

 

I have lived on the other side as well, actively involved with the local teachers’ association, state education association, and National Education Association. Here I experienced the business side of public education and was elected president of the local education association. As president, this meant representing district teachers in the collective bargaining process for the master contract each year. The adversarial, negotiated master contract covered every aspect of teacher employment, from salary and benefits to hours of service, performance evaluations, and job descriptions. 

 

My perception of teaching being an “art and science” morphed with new realizations. Salary was tied to years of employment in the district, graduate hours, and degrees earned, no matter what the teacher’s skill levels, or their students’ academic achievement and performance. Teachers were not “at will” employees, and the termination processes favored them. There was little incentive for innovation, and conformity was expected. This was the environment in which adults were expected to teach, and students to learn.

 

The Winds of Change: From Gentle Breeze to a Hurricane Warning

Magazine covers from 2008

 

As a principal and school superintendent, working in Iowa and Tennessee, I have felt the winds of change and experienced the pushback to status quo. There are many reasons for the pushback, which will be explored in later posts. The fact of the matter is that for some time now, there have been voices calling for a change in public education, and these voices have grown. On July 23, 2019, USA Today  posted results from a “Where trust is worst” survey, which indicated that 20% of the respondents did not trust public school principals. In 2022, I am confident that number has grown.

 

In this vacuum of change, many are organizing. Some are calling for the complete dismantling of public education and the creation of something new through charter schools, vouchers, and parental choice. Others are advocating an insurgency to retake American public education and recast it with a Western Civilization Christian focus to “train children to apply reason to find Truth, sourced in God, not themselves. And to reject indoctrination.” (The Battle For the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation by Hegseth and Goodwin, 2022).

The bottom line is that just as society is in upheaval and our politics polarized, so too is our public education system. The rate of change outside of schools does exceed the rate of change within schools. It has for some time. The choices before us all now are these: will you hang on to the past, let go and work to create new, or hunker down and ride it out?

 

Those who hang on to the past too long, end up with broken arms.