What Would Real School Reform Look Like?
Public school reform seems to boil down to closing schools; sending students to higher-achieving schools; converting a “failing” school to a charter school; replacing the principal, reforming instruction, and increasing learning time; and giving teachers monetary incentives to do better. Such “reform” seems as off the mark and ineffective as placing a Band-Aid on a melanoma. So the question that needs to be asked is what would real reform look like?
I applaud and appreciate your attention to this critical issue in education. I would only add a few comments: We need to include critical pedagogy that teaches critical thinking and critical literacy strategies in your reform plan. We need to teach critical THINKING right alongside basic skills. Might you also include middle class family issues that affect student learning such as divorce and families where both parents work fulltime? I would also focus on culturally responsive teaching and preparing our students for future employment needs through teaching biliteracy, multiliteracy, and computer literacy.