This post is a partial continuation of my most recent post, Considering School Improvement in Underserved/Disadvantaged Areas.
I’ve had the conversation regarding school improvement (especially as it relates to underserved/disadvantaged districts) with so many educators. In fact, after my most recent post, I’ve had multiple educators in my district approach me and thank me for sharing the post and express interest in learning more. Again, I posit that there are aspects of education we can control (or have a better chance of controlling), and think it’s essential that we A) take a look at ourselves and determine if we are honestly doing the “right work” by focusing on the things we CAN control while B) simultaneously acknowledging the copious amount of outside-of-school factors that impact student learning, but not letting those factors define our solutions or plague our thinking/efforts.
This list includes a plethora of aspects in education over which we have NO/VERY MINIMAL CONTROL (not an exhaustive list):
- Poverty and its various effects
- Dysfunctional family home lives
- Lack of parental involvement
- School segregation/school district redlining/other discriminatory policies
- Blighted/unsafe school communities and neighborhoods
- Paucity of school funding
- For some districts, decrepit schools and facilities
- Formal schooling is not mandated in Illinois until first grade (6-7 years old)
These are some of the aspects in education I think we CAN CONTROL (or have the most control over) in order to help improve schools in underserved/disadvantaged areas. What am I missing? (feel free to comment!):
- Teacher quality
- Administrator quality
- The support we provide our teachers and administrators
- The type/quality of the professional development offered
- Safe/comfortable environment for teachers/administrators to act autonomously/take risks/innovate
- Level of collaboration between teachers and administrators
- Building relationships/rapport/respect with the entire school community
- Instructional practices
- The hiring process
- Interventions/servicing students who are experiencing difficulty
- Curriculum
- Student engagement
- Culture building/developing/rebuilding
- School branding
- Exercising fiscal responsibility with the funds schools do receive
- Prioritization of duties/responsibilities
Again, please Comment/Like/Share! I’d love to know your thoughts!
Dr. E's Educational Explorations 