What People Are Saying
Colorado's new education commissioner Dwight Jones is open to change, but cautions there is no magic bullet. "Educational change for the sake of change is not something I support," Jones tells Denver Post reporter Electa Draper. In the article, "New school chief all business," Draper writes, "Dwight Jones' steep ascent to the post of the state's education commissioner last week drew praise from fellow educators and politicians who say they hope things will improve under his leadership." Says Jones: "Hope is not a strategy. We don't have a lot of time to sit around and hug." Commissioner Jones will address the C21L Navigator Conference on Tuesday, June 26.
Gottlieb Calls for Systemic View of Reform In the Denver Post article on Commissioner Jones (see above), Alan Gottlieb of the Piton Foundation argues for a whole systems view of education reform. "There is a growing sense of urgency that the whole system is on the verge of collapse ... and you can't fix it by tinkering with it or nibbling around the edges," said Gottlieb. "We have to rethink the way we do it." Gottlieb, who edits HeadFirst Colorado magazine, blogs on Colorado education issues at Schools for Tomorrow. Click here for Responses to Gottlieb's Quote.
http://cfapp2.rockymountainnews.com/dps/index.cfm#one RE: Leaving to Learn Series and DPS Response The problems depicted in the RMN's insightful "Leaving to Learn" series — high drop-out rates, low achievement and declining enrollment — are not the crux of the matter, though they are real and severe enough. Rather, they are troubling symptoms of systemic dysfunction in K-12 education, one that extends well beyond Denver Public Schools. As many study groups and commissions have observed — most recently in the report Tough Choices or Tough Times — our schools do not adequately prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. A significant proportion of the students who leave the system — either for alternative learning environments or for the dismal prospects of life without a diploma — are responding to the disconnect between the education agenda and the current social-cultural-economic milieu. The real world and school are out of synch. We need to re-think the educational enterprise with utmost urgency. Not because of failing students or failing districts, but because our nation's long-term wellbeing depends on engaging all people in learning. Not achieving, performing or attaining a narrowly defined notion of success, but increasingly powerful individual and collective learning. This summer the Council on 21stst Century Learning will convene Colorado educators and stakeholders to develop a state vision for education that is engaging and relevant to all learners. It's an important step on a long road. Desire to learn is innate and self-reinforcing. Rather than cultivating this natural desire, school, unfortunately, leaves many students with an aversion to learning. At least 30 percent of Colorado's youth drop out before earning a high school diploma, often because school does not seem relevant to their lives. This is the cruelest symptom of educational dysfunction, and our society can no longer afford to ignore it. We have no interest in fixing blame on schools, administrators or policymakers, and certainly not on educators. Indeed, in many respects the nation is providing a better education for more students than at any time in history. Nor do we suggest that standards be less rigorous or that students should be exempt from mastering core knowledge. Our intention is that Coloradans envision and implement new ways to engage all people in learning. Beyond content knowledge, education must guide all learners toward acquiring the skills and habits of mind that will enable them to thrive in a rapidly changing society. Superintendent Michael Bennet and the DPS school board have invoked the need to bring our teaching and learning practices into the 21stst century. Far from being "corny," as the Rocky editorialized, bringing education in synch with the times is critical work. The district and the state can meet this challenge. If we succeed, the seemingly intractable problems facing school districts like DPS will dissolve in the presence of students and educators who are enthusiastic, committed learners. Dixie Griffin Good, Research and Evaluation
"The policy analysts and education reformers who favor the raising of standards will readily admit that raising standards is merely the starting point for the long, hard struggle to get all students truly prepared to meet those standards. Alas, those of us who have watched state policy makers at work are all too familiar with their relatively short attention spans. It is virtually guaranteed that once the standards are raised, attention will quickly turn to other pressing political matters on the state's agenda. These education reformers will declare victory, claim credit for cracking a hard political nut, and leave the scene well before the body count begins. But it's a sure bet nobody will be at home when school districts come asking for the significant resources needed to actually prepare all students to meet the new requirements. Has our experience with No Child Left Behind left any doubt about the truth of this assertion?" "But the real question is: how do we genuinely improve the learning of our students? It is not enough to change incentives. It is necessary to change what happens every day in every classroom as well as to transform the community conditions that bring students to school already behind. Without a specific plan for this level of reform, raising standards is simply grandstanding." Rona Wilensky, New Vista (Boulder) High School Principal http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_5982455
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