Is This All There Is?

In this recent article by Dr. Benjamin Ward (scroll down to pages 8-9), Ward outlines the dangers associated with an exclusive reliance on what is described as the "ethic of performance." While not speaking directly about America's public education system, so many of Ward's words ring true when considering urban education. In an effort to promote accountability (whatever that means), we have started to focus on the tenets that define the ethic of performance: "reduction to a readily quantifiable or measurable standard, comparability, and fundamental limitations in the governing terms of discourse so as to ensure precisely such measurability and comparability."

When we focus entirely on things we can measure, does that not limit the true impact we can have on the students we encounter? Ward ends his article by discussing the steps we must take to counter the "growing sense of hollowness and brittleness [associated with] an exclusive reliance on an ethic of performance. But true intellectual engagement does not come with a road map or any guarantee of 'success.' The only thing that we can look forward to with confidence is a turbulent journey that shakes us to the very core of our being. Such are the fruits of the authentic educational venture."

How does a new organization balance the public system's performance demands with the need to create a true educational experience? That is our constant battle.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark