Pub. 6 2016-2017 Issue 1

24 Public Education: Essential Infrastructure for a Strong Future BY Sydnee Dickson, Utah State Superintendent T his summer I had the opportunity to attend a week of leadership training at Harvard Business School with a group of young community leaders. Our focus was to bring a community problem of practice and determine a community-based solution. To frame our thinking, we heard from Dr. Rosabeth Moss Kanter as she discussed America’s infrastructure of bridges, roads, and all things transportation. She made the point that after WWII, America placed emphasis on leading the world in these endeavors. Since that time, we have engaged in benign neglect, and yet it only becomes very apparent when we are ensnard in traffic or can’t get someplace efficiently. I believe that we must think about our Utah public schools as essential infrastructure if we are to lead the way with a strong economy and a civic-minded society. A recent study by Envision Utah indicates that 49% of respondents view the effectiveness of K-12 schools as the most important aspect of a strong economy, next to affordable cost of living and doing business. This same study indicates that 55% of residents feel that education should be the top focus of the state. So what does that mean for all us working to improve education outcomes for students? Are we patching potholes, resurfacing streets, mending bridges, or are we creating a world-class education system for a strong future? Our students are living in a reshaped world from our own school experience and this takes different approaches by the adults in the education system. First, we might stop and reflect about our current school practices. What do we need to stop doing, start doing, and maintain, in order to prepare each student for his or her future? Too often we engage in the very practices that have dominated our schools for decades while expectations for all students are very different. Are we focused on evidence based practices and working towards a more personalized approach for each student? Second, we must reconnect with the values of education that lead to college and career readiness, while preparing students to contribute to society in positive ways. Providing students with real world opportunities for learning will improve both student and educator engagement. Enriching our schools with arts, move- ment, creativity and problem solving make for more well-rounded and well-prepared individuals. Focusing on competencies and outcomes vs inputs leads to more personalized forms of learning. I have witnessed the combination of these engaging practices as I have visited innovative charter and district schools this fall. Conversations with the students have been enlightening as they describe the transforming power of their school experience when it is hands on, personalized, and competency based. After reflection and reconnecting with the fundamental purpose of educating students for their futures, we can then re-envision and reimagine how our practices can change to actualize these outcomes. I am often amazed that we are still bound in many ways by bell schedules, busses, and seat time. It is time to reimagine what today’s schools can look like when we focus on outcomes instead of schedules. The Utah State Board of Education and the Utah State Legislature are studying this very topic and thinking about policies that need to change in order to promote improved practice. I challenge you all to think about the following questions. What sets you apart from other schools? What can others learn from your practices and outcomes? How are you demonstrating re-envisioned education for each student? What policies and practices are helping you achieve the intended outcomes of your charter? Are we actually stuck on our way to the future? We have no time to waste to ensure our education infrastructure is not only in tact, but the best in the nation. I truly believe we have the right people on the bus to make this vision a reality. We need the will and the courage to make it happen.