Incoherency: The Fatal Blow to Education

I won't pretend I know all of the answers to all the problems in public education, but I can say with certainty that there is one overarching problem, with an obvious solution: a lack of coherency, both at the state, district, and campus levels have rendered our schools ineffective and inefficient. Put simply, schools are bogged down in a morass of initiatives, programs, and goals, many of which are moderately effective at best and counterproductive at worst. Teachers find themselves beset by a host of imperatives, all of which must be accomplished, all of which take precedence, to the point that none can take precedence! Moreover, many initiatives or programs conflict with each other in their directions, approaches, and objectives. And complicating matters further is the fact that any teacher, no matter how accomplished , effective, or efficient, has only a certain amount of time to accomplish the myriad of tasks, many of which are inherent in teaching, others not so much. Choose your cliché: there are just some many balls teachers can keep up in the air without letting them drop, or so many irons they can keep in the fire without letting some melt. Either way, teachers end up losing momentum, and if bombarded enough times, will develop a "wait it out attitude." The feeling among many teachers is that this (program, initiative, etc.) will pass if we just outlast it. This is not to say that initiatives or programs or inherently wrong; this would miss the point completely. There are many worthwhile approaches to improving education. In fact, we have any array of options to choose from, all of which have benefits and drawbacks. What I am saying is that less is more, and that schools need to take stock of what they already have actually going on their campuses before layering another goal or monumental task. To do this, a set of essential questions should be asked in an open and honest manner. These include: 1. What programs/initiatives do we have in place? Are we actually doing them? If not, why not? 2. Are any of these programs/initiatives ineffective or ill-suited to our student population? If so, how can we adapt or change them? 3. Is there great resistance to our programs/initiatives? If so, why? Which barriers can be removed? Which cannot? 4. Is each person performing a role he or she is comfortable with or equipped to do? If not, how can administration and colleagues address this? 5. Are there just simply too may programs/initiatives to sustain? Which can be eliminated so others can be supported or bolstered? 6. Are any of the programs/initiatives conflicting with another? If so, how can this issue be addressed?

These are surely not the only questions to ask, but they provide a starting point, as many connected questions and issues will surface as a result of frank discussions. I invite all educators and administrators to complete the one task that will start the ball rolling toward real change: take an inventory of programs and initiatives on your campus. You might be surprised by the results.