Stop Racing, Start Listening
This post was written by Sandy Dean, Director of the National Board Resource Center (NBRC) at Stanford. (Accomplished California Teachers is a project of the NBRC).
I turned off the television on Tuesday evening after President Obama had finished his state of the union address and vowed to think no more. I have by now become inured to the feelings that follow messages about reforming schools in America. Inevitably though, as I am trying to fall asleep, the messages start to replay and questions rear up in the dark and keep sleep at bay. On Tuesday night, the questions all revolved around the big disconnect between policy and practice. It is so easy to ignore the impact of decisions made at the top, but so crushing when you are on the receiving end.
So, as I lay sleepless I thought about what would I say if I could give the “rebuttal” to just that one part of Mr. Obama’s speech. Here is a sample.
No one disagrees that the future of our country and its prosperity is connected to how well we educate our children. I liked that part when the president said, “our students don’t just memorize equations, but answer