Diane Ravitch’s work is well known to those who follow the ups and downs of public education.
Ravitch is a historian of education and educational policy analyst, and was a research professor at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.
Previously, she was a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education and in 2010, she became, in her words, “an activist on behalf of public schools.”
Her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice are Undermining Education, is part of that activism. Ravitch cautions that “schools will not improve if we value only what tests measure. The tests we have now provide useful information about students’ progress in reading and mathematics, but they cannot measure what matters most in education …what is tested may ultimately be less important that what is untested.”
Let’s pause for a moment before we get into the really important keys to school success — those characteristics that are “untested.”
Let’s get testing and accountability out of the way first, by taking a look at how 91原创 15-year-olds fared on the most recent international PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) literacy and numeracy tests.
Canada was one of a handful of countries to appear in the top 10 for maths, science and reading.
The tests, run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, are a major study of educational performance and show Canada’s teenagers are among the best educated in the world.
They are far ahead of geographical neighbours, the U.S. and European countries with strong cultural ties like the U.K. and France.
So far so good. Generally speaking, 91原创 schools are doing well with what is being tested, but what about the “untested” characteristics of successful schools Ravitch is talking about?
The first attribute is quality leadership. Students perform better when the principal and school board members provide effective leadership. Effective leaders are visible, can successfully convey the school’s goals and visions, and can collaborate with teachers to improve their skills, while at the same time involving them in the discovery of and solutions to organizational problems.
Effective leaders are proactive and seek the opinions of colleagues when needed. They nurture an instructional program and school culture conducive to learning and professional growth.
The second attribute of a successful school is the existence of goals and direction. According to a broad base of research, the successful school principal actively constructs goals and then effectively communicates them to appropriate individuals — students, teachers and the community at large.
Student performance has been shown to improve in schools where the entire school community works toward goals that are communicated and shared among all in the learning environment.
Having worked in public education for as long as I did, I know for sure that these attributes are critical elements in the makeup of a successful school.
During that time, I was often involved as a team member for what was (and now sadly, is not) the B.C. Ministry of Education’s practice of sending an “external accreditation” team of experienced educators into a school for a week to examine every aspect of the school’s operation. The process benefited the school being “accredited” and also benefited the members of the team, who often learned a lot about what made a school successful.
On the first day, I always asked the principal if he/she would take me on a tour of the school, preferably at lunchtime. It was always telling to observe the interaction between the kids and the principal, and teachers and the principal. Trust, respect, eye-to-eye contact, a welcoming greeting and name recognition were always, in my book at least, ingredients of successful leadership.
Then, as the week progressed, I would ask everyone and anyone — teachers, kids and most importantly parents — “what are the most important characteristics and goals of this school?”
I was looking for some evidence of congruence between those groups that told me that those goals had been communicated effectively and were part of what was driving the school forward.
There is more, of course, much more. Successful schools always involve planned and actual curricula that are aligned with essential academic learning requirements. Research-based teaching strategies and materials are also in evidence.
Ravitch’s greatest concern is that the relentless call for tests and accountability “makes no sense when it undermines the larger goals of education” — meaning critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and creative and innovative thinking.
As Ravitch explained: “Sometimes, the most brilliant and intelligent minds do not shine in standardized tests because they do not have standardized minds.”
Amen to that.
Geoff Johnson is a former superintendent of schools.
