Written by: gfesadmin on October 26, 2012

While finishing dinner yesterday evening, our teenager began dialoguing with my wife and me about some new changes taking place at his high school. Test creators and state representatives have devised a plan that will change the school’s class schedule, tell teachers how to teach, shorten school days, and amp up state driven tests, all in an effort to create the one- size- fits- all public school experience. With the students in mind, below are some reflective thoughts based on the Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice.  

Social Movements

Students and parents (individuals) should link together and create a social movement to communicate their concerns on what appears to be a backdoor, forced agenda of change in education coming down from the top. Schools, businesses, and churches (institutions) should join together to solicit a community hearing on the matter. Such movements should focus on redefining the rules and incorporating meaningful collaboration that is in good standing with everyone. Social movements are often effective and stand out overtime as oppose to a fad or style. For example, the Civil Rights Movement helped African Americans establish change and become incorporated into the economy, into education, and into the social scenes of American.  I believe that new social movements are needed today and that in this moment one needs to be aimed toward bettering public education. In implementing the swift changes I mentioned above, maybe the state leaders should have consulted with parents, teachers, and students as a way to create an opportunity for buy-in, to communicate proposed changes, and at best provide them a platform for discussion. It is a totally different matter to go into a school and tell the teachers exactly how and what they will teach, even changing the curriculum mid-semester.

Social Capital

No matter the organization, change is inevitable. As culture is transformed and new information arrives on the scene, change will always have an active role in every society. Some may call it common sense, but change should be effectively communicated to those it will impact. Since this was not the case with the test makers and state leaders, the individuals and institutions mentioned earlier should speak as one voice. This is what Nohria calls “social capital: a ‘relational’ capacity that can facilitate collaborative action of all kinds” (532). Whether or not we are for the causes, examples of social capital are war protesters, Wall Street loiters, and pilots on strikes from various airlines. Something special happens, change happens, when people join together for a similar cause. It is as if the definition of what it means to be human resonates because we are unified and working toward something we believe is valuable.

The educational system in our hometown and indeed across the USA is in need of repair, and this will take much time and collaboration. By no means is it an overnight sensation, but the system is able to be transformed. The needed transformation is accomplished by collaborative efforts where parents, teachers, and students are given a voice to address practical and suitable changes in the classroom and a choice of which school to attend. For this tall order, it will take all parties to create an ideal, strong, and viable educational experience.

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