Wealthy Philanthropists are Important Partners in Education
I heard a longtime educator state recently that well-endowed foundations and philanthropists should not be in positions to shape the transformation of our public schools. An unfortunate tendency by some people is to believe that all wealthy people and enterprises possess ulterior motives and therefore cannot be trusted as viable partners in addressing issues such as public school reform. Contrary to the beliefs of certain segments of our population, many deep-pocketed foundations across the nation are fully vested in the transformation of American public education, and it is actually their capacity to fund very expensive reform experiments across states that will inform and transform the delivery of K-12 education in this country. Further, the strength of their commitment and will to produce real and substantive improvements in our elementary and secondary schools has not been matched by those who have been the resident education leaders for decades. We simply have not seen a real or sustained propensity to retool teaching and learning in our schools by the broader education industry. What we have witnessed, though, is hundreds of classroom teachers and administrators nationwide who have implemented flexible and creative protocols in classrooms and schools that have produced academic success for their students. Many of these innovations and prototypes have been funded by the same wealthy foundations that are being discredited by some in the education field. No one has the right to decide whose money or ideas will shape K-12 teaching and learning, especially when you consider the current state of public education. The focus ought to be on the efficacy of the ideas and innovation being proposed by foundations and philanthropists, not on their wealth.
We've been waiting two decades for the education establishment to deliver on their promises to improve public schooling and nothing substantive has occurred. Our schools deserve leadership, vision, and strategies that move them beyond some of the systemic and operational structures that have become impediments to effective teaching and learning. We can't wait another decade while the educational elites maintain their fixation on and allegiance to tired modes of teaching and outdated classroom pedagogy that have not adapted to the different learning styles and paces of students or produced the levels of academic achievement that we know our young people are capable of. As has been the case for a very long time, some traditional educators are intimidated by the kinds of sweeping changes and recommendations being proposed and implemented as a result of research and consulting that have been done by some large foundations. Educators who want to protect the status quo environment in classrooms and schools, regardless of the widespread poor academic performance by students across the spectrum, are mostly driven by selfish and hidden agendas that have nothing to with an abiding concern for the educational success of the students. It's unconscionable that some educators are so concerned about their own ideas and practices being challenged that they would sacrifice young people's educational opportunities. It is absolutely imperative that our educators be able to move beyond their fears and insecurities about change, so that more individual and organizational partners are given the opportunities and space to implement their ideas and prototypes for public school transformation. Every sector of our society has a valuable and definitive role to play in the overhaul of our schools, and it should be left up to the firms and individuals who comprise the sectors to identify what their unique roles can be in their respective communities. The nonprofit, private, public, and religious sectors are all important partners because the task of transforming America's schools is vast, and will require the marshalling of expertise, resources, and knowledge from nontraditional and new partners in education.
We've been waiting two decades for the education establishment to deliver on their promises to improve public schooling and nothing substantive has occurred. Our schools deserve leadership, vision, and strategies that move them beyond some of the systemic and operational structures that have become impediments to effective teaching and learning. We can't wait another decade while the educational elites maintain their fixation on and allegiance to tired modes of teaching and outdated classroom pedagogy that have not adapted to the different learning styles and paces of students or produced the levels of academic achievement that we know our young people are capable of. As has been the case for a very long time, some traditional educators are intimidated by the kinds of sweeping changes and recommendations being proposed and implemented as a result of research and consulting that have been done by some large foundations. Educators who want to protect the status quo environment in classrooms and schools, regardless of the widespread poor academic performance by students across the spectrum, are mostly driven by selfish and hidden agendas that have nothing to with an abiding concern for the educational success of the students. It's unconscionable that some educators are so concerned about their own ideas and practices being challenged that they would sacrifice young people's educational opportunities. It is absolutely imperative that our educators be able to move beyond their fears and insecurities about change, so that more individual and organizational partners are given the opportunities and space to implement their ideas and prototypes for public school transformation. Every sector of our society has a valuable and definitive role to play in the overhaul of our schools, and it should be left up to the firms and individuals who comprise the sectors to identify what their unique roles can be in their respective communities. The nonprofit, private, public, and religious sectors are all important partners because the task of transforming America's schools is vast, and will require the marshalling of expertise, resources, and knowledge from nontraditional and new partners in education.
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