In chapter 9, the closing chapter of The Flat World and Education, Linda Darling-Hammond lays out her policy transformation for a “well-functioning teaching and learning system“. She organizes it into five key elements:
Meaningful learning goals- She mentions how it is important to think of both content and skills to succeed in the 21st century. She also mentions studies that have shown that performance assessments have improved teaching quality and student achievement. Standards are important to guide the teacher but effective teaching calls for curriculum guidance that allows teachers to make well-informed decisions. Materials should also allow teachers the flexibility to modify for the different learners in each classroom. Intelligent, reciprocal accountability systems- Darling- Hammond allures to the fact that if students are to be held accountable for higher standards, educators should also be held to higher standards. In turn, federal and state accountability efforts must be designed to provide opportunities for professional development and school learning. We must have systems in place for shared accountability. Equitable and adequate resources- Here she points out the OTL standards and discusses resource equalization strategies. To build an equitable system, the amount of well-prepared teachers must be addressed along-side the availability of these educators to all students in all communities. Strong professional standards and supports- In this section she mentions the importance of attracting and retaining expert teachers. It is crucial to make teacher education performance- based, as well as, combining incentives with teacher learning and school improvement. Schools organized for student and teacher learning- In this section she references the need for productive school design. She also touches on how the federal and state governments can support research and offer incentives for developing effective school designs. In order to change systems, we must promote collaboration instead of competition within districts and allow educators to network and share their knowledge with one another. After completing Darling-Hammond’s book I realize that there was so much information that I knew to be true and now I have a better understanding of so much more in relation to the ever changing world of education. I believe that if we were to implement the changes that Darling-Hammond has delineated, we would be on the road to improving our schools and providing an even platform for all of our students to succeed. I can connect, all of the aspects she discusses, to my own journey in education and the experiences I have encountered. “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy”. John Dewey’s quote made one hundred years ago, holds true now more than ever in our nation. In order to grow as a community and as a nation, it is imperative that we provide all students with the best educational opportunities. They are the future of our nation and if we don’t “want” the same possibilities for all children, we will never succeed as a whole. As a parent and educator, I feel it is even more personal. I must “want” to provide the best education for all of my students, as I want the best for my own children. I completely agree with Dewey’s quote; we can only benefit as a whole, if we want and provide the best for the all of our students.
2 Comments
Lisa Gottfried
10/23/2017 04:49:08 pm
There is a lot that teachers understand intuitively about what works and does not work in education. It's nice to have books like this that back up what we know with research and academic rigor. You've summarized nicely!
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Helen Blood
10/24/2017 08:09:32 pm
Very well written. I loved your summary of Schools organized for student and teacher learning...In order to change systems, we must promote collaboration instead of competition within districts and allow educators to network and share their knowledge with one another. I agree whole heatedly. It has been years that we were allowed to fully discuss the cycle of learning in our collaborative team meetings. If have many staccato PDs and I believe those meetings are too short. I would love for Administration to give up some staff meeting time to add to our collaborative time. It seems all we ever do is look at data and set objectives. I would also like to brainstorm ideas of how we can be more supportive to each other and for our students. Thank you for your blog.
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Teresa BarronI love teaching because it makes me a life long learner. Archives
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