Why was this free, two-hour session at Boston’s
Institute of Contemporary Art a useful take for a School Committee member in a
high-performing, suburban district? Key
players in education policy and practice hosted, moderated, commented, opined,
and followed. The direction of education in our state was on display this
morning; and the laws, regulations, and money that will attend school districts
in the future were on the table.
In the house:
public school districts, think tank folks, charter proponents, teacher’s union
reps, Jt. Ed. Committee Co-chairs Chang-Diaz and Peisch, MASC, and others.
People in the room acknowledged that the demographic of the audience was not
reflective of the public school demographic.
ICA Director Jill Medvedow opened, referencing this morning’s NPR segment on
refugees who had been shipwrecked due to overcrowding. She noted that students
today don’t have the boats to carry them and they are traveling over large
oceans. “Boats must be strong and the ocean must be navigable.”
A brief video showcased the intention of The Third Way, indicating that we should
embrace the “and” and not the “or;” and that the Third Way is about synergy and
progress, building schools, and bold steps.
Empower Schools Managing Partner Brendan Lessy thanked the sponsors (MassINC and The Boston
Foundation), identified the intent around taking “the best” from charters to
address systemic problems, and said that the Third Way is not a destination,
but a mindset.
MASSInc’s Research Director Ben Forman spoke to “a rapidly changing economy,” that
Gateway cities have enormously innovative leaders and teachers, and that
charters and traditional publics should be linked together.
MA Secretary of Education Jim Peyser said that we think of him as the “charter guy,”
said he is a staunch supporter of charter schools, and noted that schools, not
districts, are units of change. He “doesn’t mean state agencies and the federal
government don’t matter, but they establish the conditions in which locals can
thrive.” To thrive, he says schools need world class assessments so they can
measure student learning; quality data; a pipeline of effective leaders; transparent,
predictable, sustainable finances; and the authority to act and accountability
for results. Getting all conditions right is the challenge and authority and
accountability is reason for charters. Empowering school leadership is critical
because the opposite removes personal responsibility. To complement that
criterion, we must empower parents (who should not be locked into a school option
based on zip code). The traditional way typically disadvantages children of
color. Charters are one solution, not necessarily the only solution. There are
only 81 charter schools in the state and he “think[s] we can do better after
the cap is lifted in November.” All students need equitable access to quality
schools. Sharing services and reallocating resources is critical.
CEO of Empower Schools Chris Gabrieli spoke to the Third Way being additive, outside the
comfort zone of charters. It includes universal access, accountability, and an
empowerment culture. It has three prongs: convergence of powerful practices,
alignment and integration of district and charter alignment (as in Denver), and
Third Way zones (rules for clusters of schools that are different from district
schools). Each zone is a particular cohort of schools. Zones are different in
different places for innovation and efficiency. Each cohort has independent
board (that includes a SC member) but the majority of the oversight board is
independent. Two critical agreements come into play: a zone has an agreement
with a district but authority to make decisions, and the union stays
(collective bargaining with “crucial freedoms.”). Blazing the Third Way is
collaborative and voluntary; builds on the best locally and beyond (i.e. not
everyone must go since keeping the best and veteran district educators can play
a key part); centers on personalization at every level; and has the potential
for replication and scale. “The Third Way is broad river with large
tributaries.”
Featured panels (“Charter School Leaders on the Move to District Schools,” “The
Lawrence Experience,” “Innovations in Boston and Denver,” “Springfield’s
Empowerment,” and “Principals Breaking Through”) related stories around the
impact of Third Way work. Some comments:
·
The platform
should be the same for all schools: health and safety, creating a sense of
pride and belonging, and offering a broad set of extra-curriculars and
opportunities for self-actualization (in the form of academic rigor).
·
Faces in the
school building don’t always mirror those in the classroom so if we’re going to
improve, we have to empower communities to help.
·
51% of
American children are living at or near the poverty line. Lawrence is seeking
invested and committed teachers and leaders to employ a culture that promotes
education.
·
Keys to
success are leadership, data, relationships with community organizations, and
the courage to fight bitter battles.
·
The importance
of governance in each school (as in many BPS now) reflects work and trust with the
teacher’s union.
·
We are now in
a long-term transition focused on choice, competition, accountability, and
results.
·
Students who
face abject poverty need to partner with caring adults and there need to be
opportunities for the whole child.
·
Teachers and
principals need to “own the work,” because “when someone else makes the
decisions for you, it’s easier to blame someone else.”
Commissioner of Education Mitchell Chester said that nationally there has been limited success
on district turnaround but he is convinced that we can do better by students in
challenged MA districts. The goals are to improve education for students and
districts, and establish “proof points and practices that will inform district
reforms” by identifying time, staffing, budget, collective bargaining
(including compensation that is designed to give teachers at the building level
to turn schools around). As the charter debate goes forward this fall, he would
like to see more charters recruited to help open new schools and take on some
turnaround schools.
Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz shared that in travel in the state and her own
district, she has heard very little about this path and hears little about it
on Beacon Hill. The 51% poverty rate is a huge issue and we “don’t have the luxury
of civil war.” Parents in the divide don’t care what school their child
attends, they just want quality options, asking “please do right by both my [traditional
and charter school] children.” With the RISEAct, it is possible to do this.
Representative Alice Peisch said that there is “no question that the top
priority from the legislature is to close the achievement gap. Both districts
and charters have been successful. Acrimonious debate is not particularly
helpful.” The challenge on Beacon Hill is to shift the debate to showcase
successes that they’ve seen. She’s an optimist who believes that the debate should
be focused on what produces results, and constantly hears in the legislature about
flexibilities and autonomies, and they’ve passed bills that contain them. She’s
concerned about the best interest of students and what guarantees access to
very high quality education.
US Secretary of Education John B. King (speaking with Chris Gabrieli) explained that we need
wide curriculum, good school culture, and a whole community vested in outcomes.
Having more time is critical (longer school day, summer, etc.). From personal
experience, he’s noted that accountability must be real. In some places there
is a proliferation of low performing charters. Kids just want a good school. It’s
powerful to hear about schools that are safe, structured, and engaging. School was a place he could be a kid when
home wasn’t that place. School is a place of possibility. Students who get a
strong well-rounded education are better readers. (Reading not just about vocabulary
but is more about knowledge of the world.) Science, social studies, etc. are
worthy pursuits on their own allowing students to be good citizens in a
demographic society, pursue careers, and have an appreciation for beauty. High
quality education is a right. In NCLB, there was so much emphasis on ELA and
math; they are necessary but not sufficient. ESSE gives a new set of tools to
do more. It broadens the definition of educational excellence. Acknowledging
reading and math is important, but what about absenteeism? (The state could
factor that into accountability.) What about access to AP and IB and early
college? (The state could factor that in.) ESSA provides the possibility to
factor in different measures and indicators of college and career readiness.
Another opportunity for states is the room to provide different interventions
(e.g. create dual language context). A lot of progress has been made. The US
now has the highest graduation rate in its history. There has been a reduction
in dropout rates. More black and Latino students are going to college. Investments
have been made in early childhood education, and there is a new bipartisan law,
ESSA. At the same time, we have to maintain an incredible sense of urgency
around outcomes. The US is now 13th in the world in college
completion. MA still has a 30-40% achievement gap. We need to keep working.
