The Education World is Flat
I was very intrigued by this Edspresso article by Jeanne Allen. Jeanne suggests that “the education world is flat”, meaning that geographic distances don’t really change how schools function.
Consider that a mechanic does basically the same job whether he works in Alaska or New Mexico. There are some nuances from the area, but the fundamental job is the same. The technique for replacing a carburetor is the same, regardless of where you’re located.
The practices of successful schools are the same no matter where the school is located. There isn’t anything magic about California students or Florida students or even students in Washington DC. It is a shame that many educators feel that they’re school is totally unique and there’s nothing they can learn from other successful schools.
Nary a conversation seems to occur on world globalization and progress without a mention of the famous Thomas Friedman book, “The World is Flat.†I cannot do it justice in these few short words I have to offer, but suffice it to say that the World is Flat is a tome on how boundaries and borders no longer matter to the creation of wealth, progress, and human industry that once seemed confined to a nation’s territory. Indeed, the world’s flattening has given us customer service from India, and a challenge to American industry and competitiveness that has never been seen before.
Given this reality, I have to wonder why the education world has not yet grasped its own inevitable and necessary flattening. No, I’m not talking about national standards – that’s an idea that has other worrisome issues attached to it (and I’m not talking about states rights). I am talking about the attitude of policymakers and advocates, who believe that the education challenges and issues they face in their state are unique.
States do indeed have wonderful and exceptional attributes and conditions that make them unique. I can’t visit a place without wishing I had a few days to spend taking in the local culture, visiting its stores, restaurants, parks (in that order), and seeing the beauty each place has to offer.
Schools and school systems do look different across many communities and states, too. Where I grew up, every town was a district – the three public schools in my town were so closely knit, and so in-tune with what was happening a few blocks away that conditions and educational levels were quite high. It was more personalized because of the connectivity of those schools. And yet where I live now, the counties are districts, making huge, monolithic systems where connections are rarely made except when heroic personnel go out of their way to make them.
These are important distinctions, as are constitutions. Some state constitutions guarantee equitable education, some merely adequate. But regardless of precedence in law, or differences in boundaries and how schools operate from state to state, there is no difference between good policy and bad across the states.
When it comes to what works in good education policy, the education world is simply and clearly flat.
As an example, consider the best practice research association with Just for the Kids. They’ve collected best practice research from across the country. They’ve identified common practices among high-performing schools, including California. Check out the web site here.
Educators need to spend more time looking outward. They need to look at the practices of successful schools both within their state and across the country. There is much to learn from high-poverty, high-minority schools across the nation. People just need to look!
CAHSEE Results They’re Back: Now They Dislike Charter Schools
Comments are currently closed.