Maintaining High Expectations

Often, we hear of reform movements that claim to focus on high expectations. The phrase has become so common in educational discussions that I'm no longer certain we know what it means. Too often, when we say we are maintaining high expectations, it appears that, in reality, we are promoting obedience. More often than not, the changes made to promote "higher expectations" are related to the elimination of negative behaviors. In many schools, appropriate behavior is expected. Why do we consider it a sign of high expectations in urban schools? What does this say about the expectations we have for different student populations? 

By chance, I read two stories today in two different newspapers. First, Jay Mathews writes about a principal in Prince George's County, Maryland who has improved a school, in part, through the forced transfer of unmotivated students. In Detroit, we read the story of a female version of Joe Clark, the inspiration for "Lean On Me." She - yes, with her baseball bat - has decided that those that disrupt her village do not get to stay. In both schools, additional steps have been taken that I would actually consider raising expectations; however, we tend to focus on the process of creating order.

If we claim to maintain high expectations for all students, then what do we say about those students that are expelled? Clearly, on some level, the "tough" principals have decided to give up on some kids to save others. If we maintained high expectations for all students, wouldn't we make efforts to engage these students? 

While I respect the efforts of these leaders, I sometimes wonder if we actually pay attention to how we speak about education. It doesn't seem possible to maintain high expectations for all students by throwing some of them out. Perhaps we, at some point, must look at ourselves and ask a more difficult question: what must we do differently to motivate all students to actively pursue an education? Creating a well-behaved student population is not maintaining high expectations, it is creating the environment necessary to establish high expectations. Let us not confuse the two.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark