The Truth About Restructuring
Conventional wisdom tells us that restructuring schools will improve teachers' practice.
We restructure school governance by creating site councils where teachers and principal make decisions together. We restructure the comprehensive high school into small high schools with longer school days and a college-prep curriculum. We restructure teaching and learning by equipping students with laptops. We restructure teacher staff development by establishing professional learning communities. And on and on.
Yet changing structures rarely alters classroom practice, and there is no evidence that the new structures lead to more student engagement or learning. (See my February EL article, "Standards vs. Customization: Finding the Balance.")
