The Reports of Education Reform's Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

If you've followed the recent political happenings in Washington DC, you might think that educational entrepreneurs are preparing to pack up and leave town. Our tendency toward intellectual laziness has blinded us to the potential learning that could come from the recent mayoral election. Vincent Gray's election does not indicate that parents and teachers do not care about improving outcomes for DC's children. And, the group disappointed with Fenty's loss is not comprised entirely of white outsiders who only care about improving schools in affluent neighborhoods. The reality lies in the middle. We, as a society, struggle to discuss the complexities that exist in the middle.

DC's education history creates emotions in me that are hard to convey appropriately. Only 13% of the city's entering 9th grade students read at grade level. Only 1 in 11 students who entered 9th grade in 1996 graduated college within 10 years. The business community regularly reports that DCPS graduates leave high school without the skills necessary to succeed in entry level positions. In exploring this issue, we can blame the students, their parents, society, or the school system. But, in what other field is the product blamed for the production system's failures? Each adult must consider his or her role in this disaster.

It's reasonable for intelligent people to disagree on where this anger should be directed. This election made clear the racial and economic tensions that have long existed in The District. "Progress" creates winners and losers - a fact we often try to ignore. In DC, it's easy. Those that never get to feel the true power of progress live elsewhere - literally on the other side of a river. Most of us can go about our days without acknowledging that separate reality. This has created an intense lack of trust. Reform efforts seem to improve the best neighborhoods first. Firing bad teachers creates a horrible life situation for good, well-meaning people. These issues are not as simple as the articles we write.

The recent election simply brought these issues to the surface. Whether or not you agree with the decisions made by Chancellor Rhee, this discussion involves more than simply proposing the "right answers" for our students. It's about change, trust, and progress. It's about finding the right answers while building the relationships necessary to define a shared vision that will allow us to move forward together. It's about acknowledging that many have had to leave their neighborhoods to receive an education that approaches adequate, so pushing the idea of neighborhood schools is concerning (and rightly so!) to many who have seen the generational failure of their neighborhood schools. We're asking people to trust a system that has never earned that trust.

That being said, the recent election does not mean the end to reform. The problems are significant and the need for change is urgent. We, as a system, have failed DC's children. Dramatically. Pathetically. We all must own those failures. Small changes will do little to create different results. At Reach, this increases the intensity with which we approach our work. Perhaps the fight just got a little more difficult, but we recognize the challenge, and we relish the opportunity to win the battle. We will pick up our lunch pails, move forward in service to our students, and create change the best way we know how - one messy relationship at a time.

Thanks, as always, for reading.

Mark