Systemic Change: Research and Reflections

I have been spending considerable time pondering who should be responsible for determining what schools, public or private, should expect students to learn. And the degree to which students should be held accountable for those determinations. So I thought I would start the conversation by posting some of the questions I have asked myself. And I will encourage you to respond.

Who currently decides what students will know and be able to do (learning objectives/ standards) when exiting the K-12 system?

To what degree have you as educator or parent, your students, your community, your local school had input?

Once we have identified who is currently participating...who else should participate and why?

If we determine clear objectives, with who you feel are appropriate contributors, should all learning objectives/standards be formally assessed? What exactly do you think of when you hear the term assessed? Do you feel there are ways that schools could measure (assess) student learning that are or are not being deployed effectively?

And then once we have decided what students should know and be able to do before leaving the system....should all kids know and be able to do all identified learning objectives/standards? How much is enough? Is there a minimum to be expected by all?

I will look forward to your responses and will be posting my own thoughts within the next two weeks.

I was recently introduced to the Edutopia website (George Lucas Education Foundation). This site does an excellent job pulling together recent articles, best practice, and innovative technology applications in education. While I was looking around I found the Spiral Notebook blog and came across a blog post titled "Any-Century Skills: Basic Abilities Are Building Blocks," By Jim Moulton. "Any Century Skills" grabbed my attention right away, I really wish I had thought of that myself.

At RISC we often speak of the importance of deliberately teaching students 21st Century Skills (Check out Partnership for 21st Century Skills for some excellent resources and examples of 21st Century Skills). In addition, we recommend that local standards be developed by local stakeholders. With great consistency, the stakeholder generated standards tend to reflect this notion of "Any Century Skills." We strongly encourage schools and districts to take this input and create and then assess a continuum of skills (standards) tightly aligned with stakeholder input. This new list of standards then becomes a vital part of the curricula holding as much weight towards graduation as Reading, Writing or Math.

Jim Moulton as this to say about "Any Century Skills":
Yes, these twenty-first-century skills are a big deal, and we need to make sure our kids, our teachers, and even our schools work towards their mastery. But I suggest that we not forget about, and that we even take time to champion, what I am beginning to call "any-century skills" and their integration with the now oh-so-popular concept of twenty-first-century skills.

Some examples of what I consider any-century skills are thinking, caring about oneself, caring for others, perseverance, making careful choices, listening for understanding, and being able to understand human potential and frailty.

I also consider the following to be any-century skills: the ability to dig a hole with a shovel, to dance without undue inhibition, to draw or paint what you see, to ride a bicycle (perhaps even with no hands), to make music (even if only by clapping of hands or tapping toes), to care for an animal, to talk one's way out of a tough situation, to plant a seed and nurture it until it grows, and to use one's imagination and whatever materials are available to build a fort and then make that rough-hewn space into a personally relevant place where memories are made.

You see, I think some skills and experiences are timeless, so fundamental to the human experience, that all kids should have a chance to master them.

Someone once asked me to decide....an either or kind of decision...Teach my kids Reading, Writing, and Math OR teach them, what I would now classify as "Any Century Skills". Obviously Reading, Writing and Math are critical to success BUT for my kids... I would choose "Any Century Skills." "Any Century Skills" can allow the majority of the learning to take place, they make it possible to show up on time, be considerate, have patience, bite your tongue, speak your mind and not offend, trust, follow through, task completion, resiliency, respect, and responsibility. With these tools in their tool box, I feel confident that my own children could be successful participants and contributors to 21st Century Community. What would you choose? How would you feel about your students or your children being intentionally taught then assessed on their ability to deploy "Any Century Skills?"

As part of the RISC performance review each member of the team is expected to create, implement and document progress on three Personal Growth Plans. Generally we choose plans of varying lengths to include those doable in a month up to a couple of years. As one of my plans, I will be posting a minimum of two blogs per month between October 2007 and July 2008. These blog postings will link to resources, research and articles related to Systemic Change and RISC Focus areas.

So why share this with you? Many of have heard and some may have been known to claim that the process of formalizing and publishing plans greatly increases success. So here is a chance to find out. I will be submitting a formal plan to RISC and will make that plan available here before the end of the week. For now I will use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym to layout the general idea.

Simple: Create 2 blog posts a month and post them to the RISC blog
Measurable: Two per month between Oct. 07 and July 08
Attainable: I have laid out specific strategies as part of Personal Growth Plan and it is reasonable to set aside 30 minutes twice a month to write and post.
Realistic: I am both willing and able to do this work. I am interested and committed to building the blog as a valuable resource, I have the necessary skills, and I have set aside time for the task.
Timely or Tangible: This task has a specific time line and will generate a tangible product.

The first post "Any Century Skills" will appear next week... I will look forward to your comments.

Cheers,

Rick H.

Just a heads up.... this blog is a year old. I am working on some new material:)

Having recently joined RISC from the Bering Strait School District I often find myself reflecting upon those things that went well in BSSD and what the next steps might be. There is something truly unique about being authentically engaged in a process or occupation, often it can appear to be a fit or match between the individual, the organization and a specific set of circumstances that make it all possible. But, I don't really adhere to the notion that things magically happen when the stars align. I believe that it is possible to create environments that not only allow participants to be authentically engaged but that the environment itself facilitates authentic engagement. So along those lines the following is an email I sent to some co-workers whom I find to be exceptional when it comes to reflecting and imagining the possibilities.

Feel free to read on and comment.