| The State of Education Part II |
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| Wednesday, 29 April 2009 09:58 |
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A CLOSER LOOK AT DAVIDSON DAY
Dear Families: In my previous posting, I described the educational challenges we face in preparing our children for their futures in the 21st Century. Although I planned this Part 2 installment to cover everything that Davidson Day School is doing to meet those challenges, I quickly realized this was not a two-part series. Instead, we have begun an extended dialogue that promises many parts to come. I look forward to having you join me in this discussion over the coming weeks and months. This is as it should be. Education is not a neatly bundled package that is created, wrapped up, and delivered. It is an ever-evolving journey that continually requires us to ask ourselves, “How can we be doing this better?” Unfortunately, “change” and “continuous improvement” are traits that are not typically associated with schools. In many educational environments, change is resisted because it conflicts with time-honored traditions. How, then, can schools prepare children for a rapidly changing world if they’re unwilling to embrace change themselves? In Peter Senge’s book, The Fifth Discipline, there is a great anecdotal dialogue that the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) often uses in its presentations to underscore this point. In this dialogue, educators are asked: “Under what conditions could significant change be realized in schools? As a result of a crisis?” Educators’ response: “No.” “Without a crisis?” “No.” “Then when can change occur in schools?” “It can’t under any circumstance.” At Davidson Day School, we refuse to accept that kind of response. Earlier this year, I met with our faculty and staff, and I told them things that would make some educators uncomfortable. I told them that we would never use the phrase “That’s the way I’ve always done it” as a substitute for creative thinking. I told them that if they feared change and preferred to cling to the status quo, perhaps they weren’t in the right school environment. I’m proud to say, our team has embraced the philosophy of change and constant improvement. I’ve witnessed it in the teacher who took her 4th graders on an overnight adventure in the woods to teach them independence and survival … I’ve watched another teacher inspire the whole school to collect bottle caps to save the environment … and still another teacher who is leading students on a summer trip to Belize, where they’ll be involved in archeological excavations. All of these efforts, and more, I witness every day here at Davidson Day. In many ways, I believe Davidson Day’s status as a relatively new school works in our favor. Instead of an ivy-covered institution that’s bound by its history and tradition, we’re a little more like Google or other successful startups – free to question, free to reinvent, free to reshape and respond to this bold new world in which we find ourselves. What does this mean for our students? How does it help them prepare for college and careers? At Davidson Day, we take a broader view of what it means to be a successful student. We’re proud of our student SAT scores and the successful college admissions achieved in just our first year of graduating seniors. But we also understand that this level of achievement is only the baseline, the foundation, not the endgame. The real world poses challenges and opportunities for our graduates that lie far beyond standardized test scores and GPA’s. I met this past month with our regional representative from our national independent school association (NAIS). As we spoke about the future of education and what we’re doing at Davidson Day, I was glad to hear that our school is considered well ahead of the curve in terms of identifying and addressing the need for change. Perhaps that’s why we’re fortunate to be continuing our growth and expansion during this difficult economic climate, while many schools – public, private and charter – have faced drastic cuts that affect staffing and programs. In upcoming blog installments, I’d like to address in greater depth some of the key things that I believe set our school apart: 1. Developing individualized educational challenge and expectation 2. Incorporating 21st Century skills into our evolving curriculum 3. Hiring people who share our vision 4. Living a student-centered culture In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts and your constructive participation in this ongoing dialogue. We’re all interested in achieving the same result: the most rewarding and enjoyable education for your child. |