Link to original post: [drupal=5337]An Analogy for Education Reform[/drupal]
Analogies are never perfect, but I have an extended one that I think may illustrate exactly what's wrong with education reform.
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Local High School is tired of constantly losnig basketball games. They have a bad head coach, lazy players who don't know the basics of the game, facilities that are crumbling and a non-existent fanbase. The school's administration wants that to change, and is looking at four plans to improve the team.
Plan A: Fire the coach and bring in a new, championship-winning coach.
Plan B: Send the basketball team to an intensive basketball camp to improve their skills.
Plan C: Build a new gym and basketball court to replace the old, obsolete facilities.
Plan D: Begin offering raffles and other incentives to bring the community out for basketball games.
These are all good ideas, but no single plan will be enough to overcome the shortcomings of the basketball program. The best coach in the world can't win with players who don't understand what a pick and roll is; great players can't reach their full potential with inadequate facilities and equipment; the most state-of-the-art facilities are wasted on players and coaches unprepared to make use of them; no one will come out to watch a losing team. In order to truly improve the program, most, if not all, of these problems need to be solved simultaneously, or in quick succession.
Likewise, the Teacher of the Year cannot help students who were never properly taught to read, without the books and other classroom materials s/he'll need, and without strong parental involvement. There is no magic bullet that will solve the problems of schools in our country, but we're constantly being sold piecemeal approaches: better teachers with merit pay, or brand new magnet schools. Effective education reform cannot come in parts. A holistic approach is needed, and that requires long-term commitment and participation from everyone involved in education, from the students themselves to the politicians at every level of government. Basketball is a team effort, and success is determined by more than what happens on the court. Same with education.
Analogies are never perfect, but I have an extended one that I think may illustrate exactly what's wrong with education reform.
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Local High School is tired of constantly losnig basketball games. They have a bad head coach, lazy players who don't know the basics of the game, facilities that are crumbling and a non-existent fanbase. The school's administration wants that to change, and is looking at four plans to improve the team.
Plan A: Fire the coach and bring in a new, championship-winning coach.
Plan B: Send the basketball team to an intensive basketball camp to improve their skills.
Plan C: Build a new gym and basketball court to replace the old, obsolete facilities.
Plan D: Begin offering raffles and other incentives to bring the community out for basketball games.
These are all good ideas, but no single plan will be enough to overcome the shortcomings of the basketball program. The best coach in the world can't win with players who don't understand what a pick and roll is; great players can't reach their full potential with inadequate facilities and equipment; the most state-of-the-art facilities are wasted on players and coaches unprepared to make use of them; no one will come out to watch a losing team. In order to truly improve the program, most, if not all, of these problems need to be solved simultaneously, or in quick succession.
Likewise, the Teacher of the Year cannot help students who were never properly taught to read, without the books and other classroom materials s/he'll need, and without strong parental involvement. There is no magic bullet that will solve the problems of schools in our country, but we're constantly being sold piecemeal approaches: better teachers with merit pay, or brand new magnet schools. Effective education reform cannot come in parts. A holistic approach is needed, and that requires long-term commitment and participation from everyone involved in education, from the students themselves to the politicians at every level of government. Basketball is a team effort, and success is determined by more than what happens on the court. Same with education.
