School improvement does mean something different to each stakeholder…(and it usually has a meaning to those that don’t seem to have an immediate stake in a school's improvement!). Schools are in the business of educating students and the meaning given to any business, or its needed improvements, is influenced by the businesses’ goals and the people involved in that process.

 Distinctly, school improvement is about creating an environment or system(s) that facilitates and supports maximum student achievement. To organize a successful school, district-wide or state-wide school improvement plan, each schools-site must begin the process by focusing on the culture and needs of their learners and their families, teachers, and admin and support staff. There are many examples of school improvement plans that have been effective and when implemented elsewhere, fell short. Why? The schools had the same goals… but different people were involved in the school improvement process…

School improvement is really about creating school standards. What’s that, you say? Schools have standards don’t they?

They are mandated to have:

• Qualified teachers (college degrees, teaching credentials, teaching only subjects they are degreed to teach)

• Credentialed administrators

• Standards for school administrators

• Text books and supplies for every student

• A full curriculum

• Learning standards

• Standards based report cards

• Teacher professional standards

• Standards for principals

• Safety and security standards

• State and Federal reporting standards

• Standards for school counselors

• School library standards

Thirty to 50% of new teachers in the U.S. leave the profession within the first three years. Of those teachers who left the profession, 60% cite poor working environments and lack of administrative support as the major reasons for leaving.

In all of the educational reform in progress across the country – leading to student learning standards and teaching standards, we’ve got to ask, “Why aren't our decision makers looking at school standards?” Especially, with 60% of our teachers are leaving the profession because of their working environments.

You may be questioning what these school standards would look like, if they were in place, how they would lead to school improvement? And, is there a relationship between teachers leaving the profession because of a poor working environment, creating school standards for the working environment and school improvement – which is about maximizing student achievement?

School improvement is about maximizing student achievement – that’s the goal. Teachers are in the classroom just for that purpose, principals are on school-sites for that purpose, as are the office staff, school nurse, school counselor, and building maintenance… they’re all there for the same reason.

So, what’s the problem?

In 2000 I entered my second grade classroom, for the first time, three days before the school year began. I had three days to get ready for my students… and I didn’t know who those students would be (yet). I remember that day as if it were yesterday…

The school secretary gave me the key to enter a (my) classroom that did not have any student texts, teachers’ guide, curriculum guides, classroom library (or any library books at all), any type of calendar, math manipulatives, a current school-site phone list, information regarding whom to contact for issue, a list of available classroom supplies, information on where and/or how to obtain what I needed to teach in three days. I did not know what furniture (bookcases) I should/could have… and the list goes on.

Every person connected with the education of our students is busy! Every one of them! There really isn’t time for anyone to even try to LOOK busy – they’re all busy. The Los Angeles Unified school district has 707,000 students and over 500 schools… we’re talking busy, here.

Our federal government reports (annually) on education. For 2006 they reported that teachers, on the average, work 13 hours a week beyond their contracted time. This translates into 168 days a year… that they work for free. And this “average” time has been steadily increasing each year…

Would school standards improve this situation? Would school standards lead to school improvement? Yes and Yes.

Additionally, the federal government reports that over 70% of public school teachers say that daily routine paperwork interferes with their teaching. And this percentage has not changed since 1993 (when the government first started asking).