School Innovation – Can we really destroy the Death Star?By Kevin Miller, School Innovation Consultant This is Part Two of a multi-part series of articles about how to establish meaningful innovative practices in public school districts. Part One appeared in a previous edition of The Update Bulletin; subsequent parts will appear in future editions; and all articles will be available on the author’s website, 34thstreeteducationinnovation.com. In Part One of this series of articles (“Don’t Waste Your Time Reading This”), I said I would challenge you, and I hope this article will push that challenge even further. I discussed then that there is substantial flexibility within the Wisconsin education laws and rules to allow nearly any sort of innovation as long as it is about serving students. I even revealed that a guide exists that will help find the flexibility that you need, and I likened this to the rebel’s stolen plans that would allow them to destroy the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Well, today is all about inspiring you to throw caution to the wind and join in the attack on the Death Star. “Always with you what cannot be done. Hear you nothing that I say?...You must unlearn what you have learned…No! Try not! Do or do not; there is no try.” Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back. In the original Star Wars trilogy (Parts IV through VI), a group of rebels was attempting to fight back against the Galactic Empire. Among many other challenges was a planet destroying weapon called the Death Star. Once operational, this weapon was expected to solidify the Empire as rulers of the galaxy. Consequently, destroying the Death Star was critical to the success of the rebels. Of course, as most of us know, the premise of the movie is that the majority of the galaxy’s residents felt that being ruled by the Empire was not a good thing, but that it was also pretty much inevitable (understatements, both). While people were aware of small groups of rebels trying to fight back against the Empire, they were certain the rebels’ chances were extremely weak. We face a similar situation in public education in the United States. It is becoming more and more clear to people who work in education that our current structure is not effective – certainly not adequately effective for the Twenty-First Century. Yet there is also an almost total acceptance that there is nothing that can be done about it, at least anytime soon. Rather, we continuously seek ways to improve learning within this structure rather than try to change the structure itself. The Death Star of public education is the structure created by the Committee of Ten in 1892 which became the foundation of our schools for the subsequent 125 years. That Death Star consists of age-based cohorts, time-based learning, and siloed content areas as well as the makeup of our core curriculum. And this Death Star has become so pervasive, few consider there is even a remote chance of it being brought down. “We must scatter the fleet. We have no recourse but to surrender…If the Empire has this kind of power, what chance do we have?” Senator Pamlo, Rogue One, A Star Wars Story. Also, like the Death Star, there are many people who benefit from its existence. Some will do everything in their power to protect it and maintain it while others will acquiesce because they don’t want to rock the boat or be associated with what they see as a losing reform effort. Even if they know the Death Star and the Empire may be a threat in the long run – and that they may even benefit with the demise of both – they are too afraid of the risks so they do what they can to preserve the status quo. That is where we stand with public education. There is no research or science that supports the current structure and method of delivering education to our children. In fact, there is substantial research and science that contradicts its effectiveness. Even most students recognize at some point as they progress through the public-school system that the approach is horribly flawed, but by then our children are so immersed in a focus on compliance that they acquiesce and fall in line. Those who don’t are punished or removed from the system; if they’re fortunate, they enroll in an innovative charter school where they can thrive outside the stifling confines of the old structure (though typically only to some extent). Nothing I’m writing is all that new or hasn’t been said before. In fact, I would bet that some aspect of nearly everything I’m saying here has been part of keynote addresses or breakout sessions at conferences you’ve attended. You’ve probably watched Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk and other reform oriented online videos that clearly explain the shortcomings in our current 125-year-old education model. In many cases, you’ve probably heard these messages and gotten fired up about wanting to make changes. You may have even implemented some ideas based on hearing these messages. However, the messages have typically been delivered with an expectation that they would be implemented in a factory model of school, or you (and most people hearing those messages) have filtered them through that expectation. Consequently, while improvements may occur, their impact has been or will be limited by the structure in which they are implemented. Stop now and think. Seriously, stop reading for a little while (but please come back) and think about what you’ve just read, how it makes you feel, and the mindset with which you will continue reading this and subsequent articles in this series (go ahead, I’ll be waiting in the next paragraph – after the movie quote – when you get back). “Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin; they’ll betray you.” Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones. It’s okay if you decided not to stop and think right now, though I hope you will do so sometime soon. I hope that in thinking you are able to acknowledge both your current mindset about true innovation and reform as well as whether or not you truly want to pursue meaningful innovation and reform. The purpose of this article – and really this entire series of articles – is to affect your mindset, your emotions, and – ideally – your identity. You have to decide the role you want to play in preparing our future generations. And that will take a great deal more than just reading an article or two – or attending conferences and workshops or taking grad classes. It will take a conscious decision on your part, and that will require engagement of various parts of your brain, but especially your amygdala. Don’t worry, I’m not going to veer off into a deep discussion of brains and emotions – at least not here and now – but that is exactly what will be needed at some point. You see, if you’re bothering to read this article, I hope it’s because you want – more than anything else – to ensure each student is engaged in activities that are meaningful to that student and foster deep, lasting learning that he or she will retain and can apply and transfer in the future. Let me state that again: I hope you’re reading this because you want – more than anything else – to ensure each student is engaged in activities that are meaningful to that student and foster deep, lasting learning that he or she will retain and can apply and transfer in the future. And now I’ll ask again – stop reading and think about that last sentence. When our national educational system – the one we’re still using today – was originally conceived in 1892, (yes, 1892, 125 years ago), it was not about learning. It was all about teaching – what and how will teaching be delivered to every child in America. At the time, it was an incredibly bold plan in that it was also about equity. The proposal stated that every student receive the same instruction regardless of their expected path in the future; so whether a student was expected to be a farmer, work in industry, raise children, go on to college or anything else, they should receive the same instruction. Of course, even then the group that created it and those who implemented it were trapped in their own institutionalized mindset – no one really expected the system to be truly equitable across the country or even within many communities. But within a given school, everyone should receive the same instruction (though they apparently did not address actual learning). In the ensuing century plus, we have learned immense amounts about the brain in general, the adolescent brain, the developing brain, motivation, growth, development, the impacts of numerous things in our environment, and so much more that affect learning. And so, we have continually tried to adapt to new discoveries and realizations about learning; but in the end, our current structure is all about delivering instruction – teaching – and in the most cost-effective manner possible. It’s as if we are trying to build a 21st Century car (say, the Tesla Model 3) in Henry Ford’s original Model T factory. However, the stakes are so much higher. So, if you read my statement above about engaging each student in activities that will be meaningful and foster learning; and if you then thought, “Yes, that’s absolutely what I want to achieve!”; then you have now reached the moment of truth. Are you willing to make a commitment to achieving that vision – either for “your” students or collectively for some larger group of students? Are you ready to make your identity that of being an agent for change? If, on the other hand, you want to innovate but don’t believe we need to change the underlying structure or you just don’t want to take on that sort of role, then I hope you will still gain valuable insights from these articles. Innovative practices, even when limited by the factory model structure, can still have a powerful and positive impact on student learning. Finally, if you read that statement above and weren’t really sure what to think, then I hope that means you believe that you need to think about this some more. I hope it means you realized that the moment of truth was coming and you felt you needed to consider the implications some more before committing. Any of these responses are awesome! It means you are taking this seriously; you aren’t willing to go along just because it sounds good; you want to know in your heart (really, the amygdala of your brain, but, well, you know) that if you were to make that sort of commitment – that you were going to use your position or role to work toward the vision stated above – that you believed it would be possible to actually achieve that vision. That is truly honorable, because we far too often commit to visions or initiatives or programs or technologies that hold great promise, but which we are almost certain will never achieve anywhere near that promise. In fact, many schools are in the midst of several of these at any given time. “I’m a parent, I haven’t got the luxury of principles.” Benjamin Martin (played by Mel Gibson), The Patriot. In the movie “The Patriot” (yes, shifting gears away from Star Wars for a moment), Mel Gibson plays a former soldier who fought valiantly and violently during the French and Indian War. Now a widower with several children whom he is raising, he speaks out against a levy in South Carolina that would help fund the colonial revolution against the British. While he acknowledges the worthiness of the cause and the many treacheries of the British, he states that, as a parent, he must set aside his principles to look out for the immediate needs of his children. Eventually, however, when the war literally reaches his door step and his oldest son is killed ruthlessly by the British, he joins the fight. Those of us working toward the preparation of our children for a dynamic and uncertain future are at a similar cross road. We recognize that our current educational system – and the foundational structure on which it is built – cannot possibly prepare our students to thrive or adequately confront and address the challenges they will face, just as we as a society are struggling today to deal with so many of our world’s challenges. Yet we fear that revolutionary change in this system will compromise immediate opportunities for our students. So, we wait for someone else to come along who will change the system. As parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, or whatever our role, we feel we must concentrate on immediate challenges and opportunities, which requires that we set aside the principle of fighting for a change we know is needed and right for current and future students. Well, the threat has reached our door step; it’s time to act. What identity will you adopt? What role will you play? What commitment are you willing to make? Regardless of your response to these questions or the earlier statement and your current readiness to commit to some level of innovation and change, my challenge to you right now is to continue thinking about what you’ve just read – and in particular the vision of engaging each student in activities that will be meaningful and foster learning for that particular student. We are at the beginning of this campaign, both in Wisconsin and nationally. There are skirmishes occurring regularly, but there is a great deal more to come. Think about your own educational and learning experiences (not the same thing), those of current children, the world in which we are now living, and the world of the future in which our current students will live. And then ponder this question – is our current system the best we can do? “I’m sorry, Jyn; without the full support of the counsel, the odds are too great.” Mon Mothma, Rogue One, A Star Wars Story. As in Rogue One, while The Counsel could not support the mission being proposed, there were those who chose to carry it out anyway. I’m planning to carry out this reform mission and looking for those who want to join me. In my next article, I will share some of my own journey and illustrate why I do understand the challenges of making this revolutionary change, but also some of the very real reasons why we cannot wait. And, more important, I’ll begin explaining why this revolutionary change is entirely possible, despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. SPOILER ALERT: Most of the obstacles are an illusion. This is Part Two of a multi-part series of articles about how to establish meaningful innovative practices in public school districts. Part One appeared in a previous edition of The Update Bulletin; subsequent parts will appear in future editions; and all articles will be available on the author’s website, 34thstreeteducationinnovation.com.
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