Ed. Jobs & Broomsticks

Obama's transition team seems to be channeling Usain Bolt when it comes to filling his key Cabinet positions, but he's taking his time choosing the next Secretary of Education. Aside from who he'll choose; what kind of education leader do we need?

Some are calling for the selection to be a so-called education reformer. Led by the likes of D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee and New York City Public Schools Superintendent Joel Klein, "reformers" lock horns with the teacher's unions on a regular basis over merit pay, tenure, implementing a businesslike structure for education, and rewarding student achievement with cash or gifts. They've also been more open to working with charter schools and private organizations like Teach for America and KIPP, challenging a public education system that has largely resisted structural change for almost a century.

Would U.S. education benefit more from the hawkish leadership of a "reformer" such as Klein or Ted Mitchell, CEO of New Schools Venture Fund? Or would someone like Linda Darling-Hammond, who's worked extensively on school redesign and urban education, but is regarded more as working within the system (and has been critical of Teach for America), be the best fit for an ailing education system?

Comments

[A Garcia]

We need an Educational Leader who clearly understands the potency of 21st century learning tools. Someone like Will Richardson or Steve Hargadon. Maybe even someone like Seth Godin who is a true maverick.

[Kevin Simpson - KDSL]

We need one (a team really) who is a learning leader, strategic, forward thinking, willing to partner, possesses a diverse set of experiences in the field of education, and aware of education in the USA and abroad.

[Hope Jenkins]

I'm all for Linda Darling-Hammond. She understands the work of teachers and believes in them. She's a learning leader I can believe in.

[Duane Campbell]

Over 4,000 teachers have signed a petition opposing Joel Klein. Many are educators in the New York area and offer individual, personal comments on his administration.
Excerpts from the petition to oppose the appointment of Joel Klein.

We, the undersigned, devoted thousands of hours of volunteer time to the election of Barack Obama as President. As Professional educators we were encouraged by the promise to have an open and respectful dialogue within the educational community about NCLB, its limits, and its failures.
The administration of Joel Klein as Chancellor of Schools in New York City is representative of a particular rigid approach to school change promoted by NCLB which we oppose. Rather than take the advice of educators, Chancellor Klein repeatedly championed and implemented policies that support corporate interests as opposed to children
Teachers, educators, and future teachers, read the entire petition and sign it at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/campd227/petition.html

[Sam L. Rothman]

I believe that the new Secretary should be someone who is truly an educational innovator - not a bureacrat but an innovator. I would encourage President Obama to pick someone like Alfie Kohn

[Terri Bawden]

Linda Darling-Hammond is a well respected researcher and understands the challenges and needs of educators and school systems.

[Angela O'Dowd]

If Linda Darling Hammond understands todays challenges so well, why did she use a video from District 2 in New York that was at least 10-15 years old at the National Staff Development Council this week. I think she's not at all bold and clear enough with her reform plans.

[Roger Roskamp]

Why can we not work out some plan so students with very limited resources behind them, can pick the school they wish to attend, including schools run by churches or schools esstablished by parents which meeet stiff public standards? Would not children in city centers then have a chance to attend a school of their choice.

[Patricia Kokinos]

I would find it difficult to entrust educational policy to the so-called "reformers" who want to blame the teachers for an obsolete structure that we have all had a part in creating. Joel Klein has no idea what school is really about and believes that a business model is what we all need to whip schools into line; nothing could be further from the truth. The business-industrial model has, in fact, helped to paralyze schools as educators have been flogged into "data-driven decisionmaking" and other red herrings that have diverted energy from what really counts.

Instead, I hope Obama does something that will really help KIDS this time, incorporating INTO the system the concepts that researchers for the past 40 years have shown us: SMALL, PERSONALIZED ENIVIRONMENTS for ALL KIDS, financed (and this is a KEY requirement) by a DOWNSIZING of the BUREAUCRACY (and that includes unions as well as administrative overhead). That one commitment, to create a national policy that REWARDS states for downsizing bureaucracies and putting money into face-to-face teaching and learning, would revolutionize public education. We also need accountability testing based on "authentic" learning, i.e. critical and creative thinking, inquiry, applying ideas to novel situations, etc. AND we need to know what is going on in other countries whose systems are working better than ours. In addition, we need that national policy to insist that every state provide EQUITABLE FUNDING for all schools (only half do now).

The only person able to put forth this type of "thinking-man's agenda" is Linda Darling-Hammond. She's the really risky choice, not a crony like Klein, because she will stand for SAVING our public education system for all the right reasons. We can't afford to allow privatization to jeopardize the "new civil right" of world-class learning for EVERY child in America! Patricia Kokinos, www.ChangeTheSchools.com

[Audrey Smith-Whitaker]

I trust that President -elect Obama is giving very serious consideration of Reg Weaver, past President of NEA.
He is astute about the multi-faceted challenges facing education and is gifted in mobilizing people+ resources to meet the challenges.

[Ocyris]

The Joel Kleins and Michelle Rhees of the world mostly sound like monumental a**h***s. Not the kind of leader we need for education. That said, our public school systems need drastic structural changes. The next education secretary needs to have a deep understanding of education, but also know how to create systems that effectively and efficiently provide world-class service to our children.

Here's my short list of reforms:
1) 8-hour school day, 11 month school year
2) Increased teacher pay
3) Give teachers more time for collaboration, self-evaluation, and planning
4) Require schools to differentiate instruction in all classrooms
5) Ramp up alternative cyber-/online-options for secondary education
6) Adopt a core set of national standards in ELA, Math, Science, and Civics. (Leave some standards flexible - state history, for instance.)
7) Design national assessments of content standards
8) Fund what is left of NCLB, using a individual-growth model instead of a hurdle.

[M. McCreary]

I appreciate the practical and very doable list provided by Ocyris.
Linda Darling-Hammond would be a positive choice that most everyone could work with - teachers, parents, legislators and the reform community. She works hard to solve actual problems not just spout platitudes.

[Phil Spottswood]

I don't think one person at any level of government with any background or strategy can help us make our country competitive again. ALL OF US NEED TO GET INVOLVED ALL THE TIME AT EVERY LEVEL. Before you criticize someone or pick someone else, read the following books: "Tough Choices or Tough Times" and "Disrupting Class". As Christensen notes, most teachers and most schools have done a great job of educating kids in the context of society constantly changing the requirements it sets for the public school system. But we need to prepare our students to be competitive in the 21st century workplace and we have the advantage over most countries in that we have a much better infrastructure to use to build our 21st century schools using the many new tools that are being developed to personalize instruction for each student so that we can maximize their learning while transforming our teachers role into more of a coach and a mentor.
Transformation will not happen from the top down but from the bottom up. That means you and me making every effort to use all that we have and know to help make the school we are involved in the best 21st century school available. Phil Spottswood