I know that when I think of school improvement and improving student
achievement, I think of attentive students, sitting at their desks, looking at
their teachers, pencils poised, paper in front of them, alert and ready.
How about you, is this the picture you envision?
When I have that picture in mind, I also picture school improvement as a
linear, cause and effect process that will occur with good planning and
researched teaching methodologies.
When was the last time you were in the office of (any) school fifteen minutes
before school began?
Yesterday, I was on the campus of a middle school (with about 700 students)
to continue discussing school improvement plans for their site. The front office
looked like a hospital emergency room sans the blood.
There were students with multiple emergencies; crying students, parents, a
grand parent, school security, the school secretary, a few teachers, two school
clerks, the head counselor, walkie-talkies (blaring), a partridge and a pear
tree.
I want to share this experience with you because the scene that I witnessed
yesterday is typical (in fact the school secretary told me, and I quote, “You
should see it on a busy day.”) of the types of problems and issues encountered
on school-sites when they’re in the throws of enhancing their students’
achievement.
What did I observe in fifteen minutes?
One student left her cell phone on the bus and needed it to call her mom to,
let her know how much money she needed to go on a field trip TODAY (the money
was due last week). Mom didn’t have any money this morning and was going to try
and borrow it from her grandmother (who was sleeping). The student couldn’t
remember how much money she needed to have, so as soon as she found out how much
money was needed she was going to call her mom, so mom could try and borrow it
from her grandma, and if she could, then mom would bring the money to school so
she could go on the field trip.
Are you with me?
