What Chartering Could Have Been
Dear Pedro,
Regarding the Ted Sizer quote on teachers: Thanks for the reminder. Or, as I often say, teachers "burn out" because they are treated like appliances. I hesitate over Ted's wise words only because of those last two about acting like "hired hands." Being a "hired hand" is, after all, not dishonorable nor does it come without skill and responsibility.
As I read your letter, I thought also of Larry Cuban's book How Can I Fix It?, in which he argues about the difference between looking for "a solution" and working through "dilemmas." There are, we probably agree, no "solutions" that can be put in place by mandate. We have to be prepared to learn from a wide range of potential answers, each of which may have part of the answer. That's something the new Reformer/Deformers didn't bother with.
Actually what Tony Alvarado did in New York City's District 4 from about 1974 to 1984 and what Boston did a decade later, offered a lot to learn from. It's interesting to think about why there was so little excitement in the business/corporate/financial world over these innovative practices. They included far greater school autonomy, the creation of school-based boards, quality reviews, and choice—all part of the New Reform Agenda, as well as union concessions on contract language about grievances and even hiring and firing. It suggests to me that all
Regarding the Ted Sizer quote on teachers: Thanks for the reminder. Or, as I often say, teachers "burn out" because they are treated like appliances. I hesitate over Ted's wise words only because of those last two about acting like "hired hands." Being a "hired hand" is, after all, not dishonorable nor does it come without skill and responsibility.
As I read your letter, I thought also of Larry Cuban's book How Can I Fix It?, in which he argues about the difference between looking for "a solution" and working through "dilemmas." There are, we probably agree, no "solutions" that can be put in place by mandate. We have to be prepared to learn from a wide range of potential answers, each of which may have part of the answer. That's something the new Reformer/Deformers didn't bother with.
Actually what Tony Alvarado did in New York City's District 4 from about 1974 to 1984 and what Boston did a decade later, offered a lot to learn from. It's interesting to think about why there was so little excitement in the business/corporate/financial world over these innovative practices. They included far greater school autonomy, the creation of school-based boards, quality reviews, and choice—all part of the New Reform Agenda, as well as union concessions on contract language about grievances and even hiring and firing. It suggests to me that all
