Education reform is a big churn. Trends come and trends go. Perhaps the best read on this, if you are so inclined, is Diane Ravitch’s book, Left Behind, A Century of Battles Over School Reform.
Lately, the big trends have been about the infusion of forces and ideas outside of educational practice into schools. It’s charters, free market, value added assessment, merit pay, vouchers, generals as education leaders, mayors as education leaders, lawyers as education, etc.
One of the things that is most interesting about all this is that so much of the discussion has left behind those directly engaged in the practice of education, namely teachers. Part of the reason for this is that those who are pushing the reform du jour view teachers and their unions as the problem. Much of the reform is about getting rid of these unions.
So, along comes the LAUSD and a program that seeks to place 30 of its lower performing schools into management outside of the district. The selection of such management was through a competitive application process led by the school board. I think that most people assumed that the vast majority of those selected by the school board would be charter operators. There are, after all, a number of high profile operators in LA, including Green Dot.
The real surprise here is that 22 of the 30 schools ended up going to management that will be led by the teachers themselves. The local chapter of the teachers union worked closely with its national union, the AFT, to develop proposals that ended up as winners.
This development may just be a game changer in that it has potential to reframe the school reform debate. Of course everything will be in the execution: the new management structures led by the teachers will have to be successful. I believe that what will be required for such success will reshape the role and perception of teachers and their unions.
Of course there are the to be expected complaints that the selection process was rigged, in that the union used its political influence to sway the school board. What I do know, is that there are indeed some extraordinarily talented people, teachers and their union reps, who put together the winning proposals.
Is it possible that teachers can also set up school management structures? Many will find this prospect laughable.
Nevertheless, this was Al Shanker’s vision for charter schools. Not many people know this, but it was indeed Al Shanker who dreamed up the idea, only his idea for charters was teacher centered.
Los Angeles Times: LA Teachers Gain Control of 22 Campuses in Reform Effort
In an unlikely victory, groups of teachers, rather than outside
operators, will run the vast majority of 30 campuses under a
controversial school reform effort, the Los Angeles Board of Education
decided Tuesday.
