Is it possible that we are in a Golden Age of Education? This doesn't mean a Mission Accomplished Age of Education, but a place that outstrips the overall accomplishments of the United States Education System during any time in history. Clearly, it is easy to fall into a trap of nostalgia believing that where and when you went to school was the best of times, but often, the reality is that there is no perspective of the system as we were inside of the system. Schools probably worked for us as current teachers, educators, etc., but there were certainly kids dropping out, disappearing from the system, and draining the social services of our country during your eras also. The data below raises some interesting points about how more students have access to education for a longer period of time now and how education continues to bring greater numbers out of poverty. Are we too negative about the system as a whole and does this negativity inhibit future growth and innovation?
As the nation goes crazy surrounding the implementation of the Common Core Standards, it seems like there may be a bit of leaving for vacation without turning the iron off. There are a number of really important things in education sliding to the side as the space and time for Common Core sucks up all of the oxygen in the room. One of those concepts is how to focus and develop the tough elements that come from our education system like grit, self-control, and collaboration. While the standards don't make this impossible or dictate not to teach these things, the time, energy, and resources are being shifted away from this work making it only the resolute teacher or the rebel teacher that will continue their journey in this area. Schools hold the unique potential to be cauldrons of growth in these non-academic areas. Schools are the reason that new leaders, citizens, and stewards emerge, but not solely because of the knowledge that the schools have passed on, but because of the passion that the culture of the school has enriched. Be careful as everything becomes about Common Core that there are essential non-cognitive factors that we need to remain focused on as teachers, leaders, and learners in our buildings. Angela Duckworth does a great job refocusing our priorities with this TED talk below.
It has been a few weeks now since I returned from Washington, DC and the Bammy Awards. It was truly a pleasure to have received an invitation to this incredible event. For those that don't know about the Bammys, here is the official description.
The Bammy Awards is a cross-discipline
award that identifies and acknowledges excellence throughout
the education field -- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to
school nurses, support staff, advocates, researchers, early childhood
specialists, education journalists and parents. The Bammy Awards were
created in response to the tremendous national pressure on educators and
education leaders to improve student outcomes, and the intense scrutiny
that today's educators face as a result.
The Bammy Awards acknowledge that
teachers can't do it alone and don't do it alone. The Awards aim to
foster cross-discipline recognition of excellence in education,
encourage collaboration and respect in and across the various domains,
elevate education and education successes in the public eye, and raise
the profile and voices of the many undervalued and unrecognized people
who are making a difference in the field.
After having a few weeks to return home and allow the event to soak in, it is clear that the Bammys are an event that are needed to reshape the mental models surrounding schools and teachers. There are so many incredible things to celebrate in education today, and the momentum remains to talk about the negative and focus on the failure. The Bammys can be a part of the momentum stopping counter narrative that brings our nation back around to a common sense, solution-oriented approach to moving forward in education.
The Bammys provide a night of celebration, a night of beauty, and a night to hear what is right about our work with kids. The challenge of moving from an inaugural event that is the celebration of an idea to a version 2.0 of an event is that there are now expectations that the Bammys begin to play a role in change. Playing this role will require an incredible program that is broadcast and shared at a level seeps into the DNA of our families, leaders, and communities.
Bravo to the Bammys on year one, and I'm looking forward to supporting this celebration for many years to come.
