No, this is not a post about value-added evaluation practices.
I believe that ship has sailed. There is a great deal of research and evidence out there that pretty much debunks the claims of many in the world of education reform that accountability systems based solely on student achievement data have any merit. What I would like to discuss are ways that schools can provide increased value to students based on changes to the learning culture. A school can and should provide a meaningful learning experience for students. If they do not see any value during the time spent in buildings then the chances are that opportunities to learn, and ultimately achieve, will be squandered.
Value-added schooling became important to me during my early years as a high school principal. In 2009 as I took a device from a student for failing to follow school policy that student responded to me that school was like a jail. This encounter translated into an “aha” moment. It made me critically reflect not just on our policy towards student devices, but also on a wide range of elements that impacted the learning culture at my school. What I learned was that our policies, procedures, and programs weren’t necessarily geared towards the genuine interests and needs of our student body. This is when we began our journey to create a school that worked better for kids than the one that had generally functioned better for the adults.
“Value-added schools capitalize on methodologies, ideas, and tools to better understand students while improving the learning experience.”
Value-added schools place less of an emphasis on control, compliance, conformity, and certain rules that we as adults have a hard time rationalizing to students because they are so ridiculous. Since students are unique individuals with a variety of needs and interests, the focus must be on creating policies and structures that are more kid-centric. Kids should want to come to school and learn. It is incumbent upon us to take a critical lens to our work and culture and make both small and big changes to add more value to a child’s experience in school. Building a greater sense of trust and leveraging this to develop powerful relationships are a consistent goal that we can all agree on. Value-added schools:
- Focus more on learning as opposed to grades.
- Integrate more opportunities for play in K-12.
- Implement personalized (time, path, place, strengths/needs) and personal (interests, passions, relevancy) learning strategies.
- Actively address the “cemetery effect” by utilizing research-based and design thinking strategies to transform classroom learning environments.
- Emphasize student agency (voice, choice, advocacy) as a right for all
- Re-think homework and outdated grading practices to create a culture focused on R.E.A.L learning.
- Capitalize on the power of relationships by adding makerspaces, charging stations, thinking games (i.e. chess), and healthy food/drink options to common spaces to promote conversation between everyone.
- Treat connectivity as a life-line to this generation of kids and provide equitable access either in the form of devices or Internet. access. Connectivity is a way of life for our students. Take it from them and they will check out.
- Add an array of after-school programs that connect to interests and careers of the future.
- View technology as a ubiquitous component of the student learning experience rather than an add-on.
Sometimes our own beliefs and experiences get in the way of what’s possible. Thanks to the student who set me straight, many of the strategies above were embraced, implemented, and sustained during my time as a principal. We not only added value, but were able to show efficacy in our work going forward. Don’t let your mindset or that of others hold you back. Thinking differently is a start, but we also need to act differently if we want to transform learning. Focus on the “what ifs” instead of the “yeah buts”. Don’t prepare students for something. Prepare them for anything. Say yes more than you say no. Most importantly, be more empathetic by placing yourself in the shoes of your students.
So how have you helped to create a value-added school? I would love to hear and share your ideas.
This post first appeared on my blog here.
