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Gathering Place
Ruth D. Tschumy |
Putting politics ahead
of children? No excuses!Politics as usual or children first? This is the question confronting Hawaii. It's true that educational reform is inherently political -- who gets what to spend how. But does it have to be politics as usual?
Last legislative session, the governor's education reform package did not fare well, and the majority party's school proposals languished. Will we continue down this path of politics as usual with the administration and Legislature thwarting each other's proposals? What about the children?
Whether we accomplish true reform this legislative session depends on the willingness of all parties to put children before politics. Simply put, all stakeholders, from the governor to the Legislature, to HSTA and HGEA, to the Board of Education, to the Department of Education bureaucracy, must be willing to give up some control.
Will the Legislature be willing to loosen its stranglehold on the purse strings? Will the governor be willing to compromise on her call for multiple school boards? Will both be willing to take a back seat and empower the schools superintendent to lead the charge on reforming our schools? Why have a superintendent of schools if we aren't going to put that person in charge, give that person decision-making power and then adopt a "No excuses!" policy if things don't change?
In like token, each one of us in Hawaii must adopt a "No excuses!" policy this legislative session. Let's make it clear to our political leaders that we will hold their feet to the fire if education reform is stalemated by petty squabbling and turf wars.
Education reform is complicated, but it's not brain surgery. The scaffolding for excellence in education is the same as it has always been -- high expectations, competent and dedicated teachers and administrators, manageable school and class sizes, and involved parents.
We already know the characteristics of high-achieving schools. They have clear goals and high expectations for students. They have tightly linked learning objectives, curricula, teaching strategies and assessment. Excellent schools provide their students with a respectful, orderly learning environment. In addition, these schools assign and monitor homework; they have competent teachers and administrators; they frequently assess student progress and provide additional help as needed; and they have a cooperative and open relationship with parents.
We already know that effective principals recognize teaching and learning as the main mission of their schools, and clearly communicate this mission to staff, parents and students. They set high standards for learning and teaching, monitoring progress and providing assistance. In short, the best principals have time to be the instructional leaders of their schools and have the authority to decide how their schools' funding should be spent.
We know that parents who care about their children's education respect teachers for their knowledge of how and what to teach, and they help teachers by having high expectations for their children, by emphasizing both achievement and effort, by encouraging their children and providing a place at home for them to study, by reading to their young children, by establishing structured homework times and bed times, by monitoring and limiting TV watching, by attending school events, and by showing interest in and discussing school happenings with their children.
We already know that teachers are effective when they have the tools they need, from paper clips to textbooks to encouragement and recognition. They are effective when they are supported in their efforts to teach in orderly classrooms; when they have the time to discuss curriculum and strategies with colleagues and parents; and when they are respected and supported by parents and the community. Teachers are the people to whom we entrust our children. Shouldn't they be some of the most important people in our lives?
We don't need study after study to tell us what we already know about good education. What we do need are leaders who will stop using our schools and our children as pucks in their political hockey games.
Soon the 2004 legislative session will get under way, and soon we will know whether it will be politics as usual or children first. Let's hope that this year, finally, it will be children first.
Ruth D. Tschumy is a Hawaii educator and consultant to public and private schools and nonprofit organizations.