Reinventing Our Education System Raymond J. McNulty, President International Center for Leadership...

Reinventing Our Education System

Raymond J. McNulty, President

International Center for Leadership in Education

Tremont, IL

SUCCESS BY DESIGN NOT BY CHANCE

THEMES

• Challenge is complex

• Aim of Education

• Motivation and Relationships

• Rigor and Relevance

• Creativity and Innovation

• Resistance Factors

• Next Steps

THEME

• Challenge is complex

We have a flawed perspective of always listening to our best

customers… They tell us how good the system is working for

them!

Now if you don’t want to change, you do not need

to change, because survival is not guaranteed.

What happened to GM..??

We need fewer, clearer and more rigorous standards!

Texas NESS StudySubgroup Rankings

ELA Skill: Write clear and concise directions or procedures.

Group Rank

Overall Texas 9

Business/Industry 2

Other Non-educators 10

English Language Arts Teachers

Other Educators 8

Texas NESS StudySubgroup Rankings

ELA Skill: Write clear and concise directions or procedures.

Group Rank

Overall Texas 9

Business/Industry 2

Other Non-educators 10

English Language Arts Teachers 25

Other Educators 8

Texas NESS StudySubgroup Rankings

Math Skill: Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to right triangles.

Group Rank

Overall Texas 20

Business/Industry 29

Other Non-educators 31

Mathematics Teachers

Other Educators 24

Texas NESS StudySubgroup Rankings

Math Skill: Apply the Pythagorean Theorem to right triangles.

Group Rank

Overall Texas 20

Business/Industry 29

Other Non-educators 31

Mathematics Teachers 4

Other Educators 24

Texas NESS StudySubgroup Rankings

Social Studies Skill (Economics): Investigate how a cost/benefit analysis can influence decisions based on profits and losses.

Group Rank

Overall Texas 22

Business/Industry 3

Other Non-educators 15

Social Studies Teachers 57

Other Educators 18

We need fewer, clearer and more rigorous standards!

OUR PROBLEM IS NOT SIMPLY STANDARDS, BUT

“DESIGN” AS WELL!!!!

WE need to become the agents of change.

Objects of Change

VS.Agents of Change

Federal/State Gov’t.

SEA

Schools, Colleges, Staff, Students, Board

Policy, Community

Schools, Staff, Students, Board

Policy, Community

Federal/State Gov’t.

SEA

Stop waiting for the cure … educators are the cure!!

What got us to where we are today in education,

will not get us to where we need to be!

In many cases our efforts to transform education look so

much like the original system.

THEME

• Aim of Education

The primary aim of education is not to enable students to do well in school, but to help them do well in the lives they lead outside of school.

We’ve created false proxies for learning…

• Finishing a course or textbook has come to mean achievement

• Listening to lecture has come to mean understanding

• Getting a high score on a standardized test has come to mean proficiency

Learning should have its roots in..

• Meaning, not just memory

• Engagement, not simply transmission

• Inquiry, not only compliance

• Exploration, not just acquisition

• Personalization, not simply uniformity

• Collaboration, not only competition

• Trust, not fear

• Basic Knowledge/Skills

• English Language (spoken)

• Reading Comprehension • (in English)• Writing in English • (grammar, spelling, etc.)• Mathematics

• Science

• Government/Economics

• Humanities/Arts

• Foreign Languages

• History/Geography

“Are They Really Ready To Work?”

Applied Skills

•Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

•Oral Communication

•Written Communication

•Teamwork/Collaboration

•Diversity

•Information Technology Application

•Leadership

•Creativity/Innovation

•Lifelong Learning/Self Direction

•Professionalism/Work Ethic

•Ethics/Social Responsibility

21st Century SkillsLearning & Innovation Skills– Creativity & Innovation– Critical Thinking &

Problem-solving– Communication &

Collaboration

Information, Media & Technology Skills– Information Literacy– Media Literacy– ICT Literacy

Life & Career Skills– Flexibility & Adaptability

– Initiative & Self-direction

– Social & Cross-cultural Skills

– Productivity & Accountability

– Leadership & Responsibility

www.21stcenturyskills.org

THEME

• Motivation and Relationships

Motivation is a key ingredient for success in learning.

Talking with kids…

It’s not us against them!

ALL STUDENTS

• RIGOR

• RELEVANCE

• RELATIONSHIPS

HOWEVER….##??!!

ALL STUDENTS

• Relationships

• Relevance

• Rigor

“It is virtually impossible to make things relevant for, or expect personal excellence

from a student you don’t know.”

Carol Ann Tomlinson

You can’t teach kids you don’t know….

Participation Gap• Self-Worth: Self-Worth occurs when

students know they are valued members of the community; have a person they can trust; believe they can achieve.

• Active Engagement: Active Engagement happens when students are deeply involved in the learning process.

• Purpose: Purpose exists when students take responsibility for who and what they want to become.

STUDENT ASPIRATIONS / PARTICIPATION GAP

SELF WORTH

ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT

PURPOSE

BelongingHeroesSense of Accomplishment

Fun & ExcitementCuriosity & CreativitySpirit of Adventure

Leadership & ResponsibilityConfidence to Take Action

Relationships

Relevance

Rigor

SELF WORTHBelongingHeroesSense of Accomplishment

6-8 9-12 STATEMENT54% 49% I am proud of my school.49% 49% I enjoy being at school.58% 41% Teachers care about my problems and feelings.54% 46% Teachers care about me as an individual.50% 45% Teachers care if I am absent from school.19% 21% I have never been recognized for something positive at school.52% 48% If I have a problem, I have a teacher with whom I can talk.68% 51% Teachers respect students. 49% 37% Students respect teachers.36% 29% Students respect each other .

NATIONAL DATA

Copyright 2008 Quaglia Institute

I am proud of my school. T = 85S = 50

I am excited to be working with students. T = 96Teachers enjoy working with students. S = 56Students have fun at school. T = 78School is boring. S = 47Students make school an exciting place to work. T = 87Teachers make school an exciting place to learn. S = 31I have fun at school. T = 85Teachers have fun at school. S = 39

NATIONAL DATADelusional Discrepancies

Copyright 2008 Quaglia Institute

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I make learning exciting for my students.

86%

S – My teachers make learning fun.

41%

Teacher – Student Comparisons

T – I am aware of my students’ interests outside of school.

84%

S – My teachers know my interests outside of school.

28%

Standardized Assessment

Necessary but NOT SUFFICIENT

STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES ARE AN

ACCURATE MEASURE OF STUDENT LEARNING AND

SCHOOL SUCCESS.

We behave like………..

OUR WORK IS COMPLEX

A test score is not a synonym for what a student has learned or a school has

accomplished.

TO DO THE JOB WELL

• QUANTITATIVE DATA

• QUALITATIVE DATA

• GREAT QUESTIONS…

So hold on to that motivation and relationship piece for a

few moments, and let me build a case for RIGOR and

RELEVANCE.

THEME

• Rigor and Relevance

Rigor and Relevance is

NOT

a new add –on !!

Rigor and Relevance

is a

Philosophy of Teaching !!

Rigor and RelevanceWhat is it?

And what does it mean?

Define Rigor and Relevance

3 Mis-Conceptions on Rigor

1. That rigor means ‘ more’

2. Raising a grade is not ‘rigor’

3. Being stricter and enforcing tighter policies

Rigor !

Rigor means increasing the level of thinking in a more

sophisticated and complex manner.

Knowledge TaxonomyKnowledge Taxonomy

1. Recall Knowledge1. Recall Knowledge2. Comprehension 2. Comprehension 3. Application 3. Application 4. Analysis 4. Analysis 5. Synthesis 5. Synthesis 6. Evaluation 6. Evaluation

AssimilationAssimilationof knowledgeof knowledge

Acquisition Acquisition of knowledgeof knowledge

Thinking Thinking ContinuumContinuum

KnowledgKnowledge e

TaxonomTaxonomy y

Verb ListVerb List

Relevance

To determine a lessons Relevance you must ask the following questions…

1. Is it an application?

2. Is it real world?

3. Is it unpredictable?

Application Application ModelModel

Application ModelApplication Model

1 Knowledge of one discipline1 Knowledge of one discipline2 Application within discipline2 Application within discipline3 Application across 3 Application across

disciplinesdisciplines4 Application to real-world 4 Application to real-world

predictable situationspredictable situations5 Application to real-world 5 Application to real-world

unpredictable situationsunpredictable situations

AcquisitionAcquisitionof knowledgeof knowledge

Applicationof knowledge

Action Continuum

Relevance of learningto life and work

1 2 3 4 5

ApplicationApplication

KnowledgeKnowledge

1

2

3

4

5

6

Rigor/Relevance FrameworkRigor/Relevance Framework

RIGOR

RELEVANCE

AA BB

DDCC

Rigor/Relevance FrameworkRigor/Relevance Framework

TeacherTeacherWorkWork

Teacher/Student RolesTeacher/Student Roles

StudentStudentThinkThink

StudentStudentThink & WorkThink & Work

StudentStudentWorkWork

High

HighLow

Low

RIGOR

RELEVANCE

AA BB

DDCC

Rigor/Relevance FrameworkRigor/Relevance Framework

Describe function Describe function of gasof gas

spectrophotometerspectrophotometer

DifficultDifficult

Solve quadratic Solve quadratic equationsequations

Determine cost efficent Determine cost efficent heating for new home heating for new home

designdesign

Troubleshoot Troubleshoot lawnmower that lawnmower that

doesn’t startdoesn’t start

High

HighLow

Low

RIGOR

RELEVANCE

AA BB

DDCC

Rigor/Relevance FrameworkRigor/Relevance Framework

Count by 5s to 100Count by 5s to 100

EasyEasy

Compare Compare captialism and captialism and

socialismsocialismWrite a letter to the Write a letter to the

editoreditor

Make change as Make change as cashier without cashier without working registerworking register

High

HighLow

Low

Theme

• Creativity and Innovation

A Story….• Not a bad idea, but to

earn a grade more than a C+, the idea has to be viable! (Yale Professor)

• Fredrick Smith

• The idea FedEx

-Shurnyu Suzuki

“In the beginner’s mind there are many

possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”

Sustaining Innovation

and

Disruptive Innovation

System Innovation

Sustaining InnovationDisruptive Innovation

Theme

• Resistance Factors

Three Resistance Factors

1. Clutter and Doubt

2. TO BE NORMAL

• Our evolution as humans has provided us a powerful survival tool…. Routines, Habits, Protocols…..

• This is all a good thing except for when we must change or innovate….

Short term survival requires routines. Long term survival requires significant change.

Why aren’t there more students achieving at higher levels?

3. Innovation depends on a healthy dose of failure.

Baby walking

Theme

• Next Steps

Where do we go from here?

Four stages that build a great “significant” system.

Good to Great and the Social Sectors

Monograph by Jim Collins

Where do you go from here?

Stage 1 — Disciplined People:

• Attract the best and the most committed

• Commit to engagement and hard work

Where do you go from here?

Stage 2 — Disciplined Thought:

• Raise difficult but important questions

• Make thought leadership a strategic imperative

• Create and support an internal environment for critical conversations

Where do you go from here?

Stage 3 — Disciplined Action:

• Transform strategic planning into strategic thinking and action

• Ratchet up efforts to go beyond your comfort zone.

Where do you go from here?

Stage 4 — Building Greatness that Lasts:

• Find the courage to critically evaluate your work and change

There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul

than the way in which it treats its children.

Nelson Mandela

We can rationalize the failures of the past -----

or we can learn from them.

We can complain about the troubling inadequacies of the

present ----

or we can face them.

We can talk and dream about the glorious schools of the future ---

OR WE CAN CREATE THEM!

Reinventing Our Education System

Raymond J. McNulty, President

International Center for Leadership in Education

Tremont, IL