When States -- and Mayors -- Take Over Schools

NPR : When States -- and Mayors -- Take Over Schools the results are not always what is hoped for. Often there is local resentment, caused by issues of race and class, that stand in the way of successful take-over by state or local officials.

"But no sooner did some of these states get into the business of running a messed-up school district than they sought to get out. As it turns out, it's not so easy to manage hundreds of employees and educate thousands of children from far away in the state capitol. And often, people in those schools didn't want them taken over. Residents of predominantly minority communities often resent what they perceive as meddling from legislatures dominated by white people.

"And though it sounds appealing to "clean house" by getting rid of principals, teachers and administrators, it's not as if there is a pool of talented people just sitting around waiting to replace those who were dismissed.

"As reporter Caroline Hendrie put it in an Education Week article in 1996, 'In case after case, when state administrators have tried to elbow out local officials and run a failing district themselves, improvements have come at the heavy cost of lawsuits, bitter media battles and confused and angry teachers and parents.'"

The simple fact is that schools are not simple places, they are complex social institutions that do not take well to quick-fix political solutions. To effectively change schools one must work at the local level directly with teachers and administrators as partners in change. Engaging teachers and administrators in effective professional development requires a multi-pronged approach that includes:

1. Large group professional development that will focus on best practices across content areas.
2. In class partnerships with professional development consultants (often university partners).
3. Frequent and sustained time for teachers to reflect on their practice in focused, rule-governed ways that are moderated by an unbiased third party.
4. Teachers opting for graduate education in fields like curriculum and instruction or a specific content area.
5. A committed administration at the school level that provides support for teachers as they make changes.
6. A well informed community of parents so that they understand the value of what is being done in the school.
7. A clear understanding of the cultural makeup of the school community by teachers and university partners.
8. A partnership with parents so that parents become a part of (rather than being apart from) the whole school community.

Without all of the above going on in a school, little effective change will take place.

Schools are local institutions. To try and manage them from afar by 'getting tough' on teachers and students is, in the long-run, counterproductive. While there may be some short-term apparant gains, these gains cannot and will not be sustained over the long term. Real change is a local affair that can be encouraged through distant initiatives but cannot be sustained unless there is the local committment to make effective change.

Zoundry

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