Blog: School reform – It’s simpler than you might think

What works in school reform? We as a state and nation have answered the question of what does not work in school reform. We now have decades of investment in workarounds like school vouchers, expanding charter options beyond their capacity to fulfill the marketplace, and generating more and more laws, rules and policies for schools.

So much energy has been expended on this topic it is no wonder people have such varied opinions. Our job as school leaders is to separate opinion from fact, political posturing from common sense, and self-serving editorializing from solid scientifically based research. For the casual observer of public education, it is easy to be swayed by the latest trends or social experiments. However, as policy leaders, our actions cannot continue to be influenced by popular ideas over proven strategies.

School reform, while socially complex, is really quite simple. We know what makes up quality schools: strong leadership, dedicated teachers and involved parents. Perhaps at times we do not have the courage to admit this because not all of these factors exist in all public schools. However, research has proven time and again that when these factors do co-exist, “educational magic” occurs and our children and our communities benefit. At the end of the day, the commonalities of great schools can be traced to initiatives focusing on strong leadership, quality teaching and learning, and involving parents in their child’s education.

Because of this, efforts aimed at changing outcomes in our neighborhood schools must begin with the local school board. Providing strong leadership is the board’s imperative. In turn, the board can establish quality teaching and learning and parent engagement as top priorities, set goals related to these priorities, monitor progress toward achieving these goals, and evaluate themselves for their effectiveness in leading this charge.

Research confirms the school board as the lynchpin of change. In 2009 a landmark study was published which received far too little attention in the public policy debate. This study published by Dr. Robert Marzano and Dr. Timothy Waters reinforces what we all believe to be true in our intuition about quality schools and school reform. Not surprisingly but certainly profoundly, a clear-cut relationship between strong school district leadership and higher student achievement was discovered.

We can do this! Science has identified the basics necessary for successful education change, and it is up to us to diagnosis, prescribe and implement the elements of quality schools into our districts, schools and classrooms. School board leaders now must generate the political will to tell their story and to do their work.