When will grownups figure out that public schools exist to serve the students, not the adults? When will school administrators summons the courage and will to make the hard choices related to ideals such as professionalism, accountability, competence, and commitment? Why has the locally elected school board model lost its efficacy to the stench of politics, fraud, and cronyism, largely in districts serving the lowest income students? These are a sampling of the administrative and leadership realities and nightmares that have been brewing beneath the surface for the past few decades, as we’ve watched young people’s education become the sacrificial lamb in this whole fiasco. In the worst performing school systems, there has been a corresponding deterioration of morals, ethics, commitment, and competence among school board members, superintendents, and other administrators, as the academic progress of the respective students has dramatically declined for several decades. It’s not coincidental that the failures and weaknesses in school leadership have led to a point of dysfunction and ineptitude in the schools that so desperately need strong leadership in order to properly educate their students and to survive as places of learning. What it is, though, is a shame and a disgrace that the grownups are too self-consumed to take a stand for the education of our next generation of leaders, managers, citizens, and workers.

I’ve written in the past about the tragedies of leadership and stewardship failures in far too many schools and school systems. And I’m still shocked by recent accounts that detail school leaders who misappropriate funds, perpetrate political and bureaucratic schemes, and engage in corrupt and illegal practices and behaviors that compromise and poison the sacredness of education.  It’s beyond comprehension and overwhelmingly amazing that in spite of the severity of consequences facing targeted students and schools, the adults seem to care very little about the academic success of students. Back in the day, you could count on teaching professionals everywhere being good stewards for young people, while they were away from home. You could count on classroom teachers motivating and instructing in ways that nurtured and developed the interests and talents of their students. Principals, superintendents, and school board members used to exhibit an abiding commitment to academic excellence for all students. In the most distressed communities, that level of integrity and commitment may be a thing of the past. The reality of today’s climate is that we’re battling demons in the leadership ranks of K-12 education that threaten the academic, personal, and professional potential for our younger generation.