“School Reform” Manifesto: The Reality Check
Last week the Corporate Model School Reformers issued a manifesto. Like most manifestos, it’s simple and slick … and wrong.
And like most of what we get from Madison Avenue, let the buyer beware. Look past the platitudes and read the fine print. (User Guide: Platitudes underlined; fine print Translations in italics; followed by Reality Check):
- Remove archaic rules on hiring teachers. (Translation: Anybody can teach.) Reality: Corporate School Reformers never talk about doing what Finland has done to reach its top international rank. In Finland, it’s harder to get into a college of education than a law school. Their preparation is rigorous. All teachers earn master’s degrees. All complete residencies under the tutelage of master teachers. Finland makes it impossible to hire an unprepared teacher.
- Easily replace veteran teachers with “new, enthusiastic” teachers.(Translation: Younger is better than Older.) Reality: The Corporate School Reformers are biased against career teachers even though research shows that it takes time to learn the art of teaching.
My first year teaching was probably my least effective year.
Models built around churning new teachers into tough schools and churning them out after a year or two leave those schools in the worst possible predicament. Schools need experienced teachers who will stay the
