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Fall 2009
Washington has long been in search of the “silver bullet” for education, breathlessly promoting the latest and greatest new idea. Extended day. Extended year. Pay for performance. Pay for grades. Tenure reform. Afterschool programs. Teacher mentoring. School choice. Differentiated accountability. Growth models.
While these methods have the potential to have a positive impact on student learning, choosing just one or choosing several unsystematically will never reform education. We have not been able to find the silver bullet because it is a myth. Silver bullets worked for the Lone Ranger, but he lived only in fiction.
In particular, no one has invented or will ever invent a silver bullet solution for the struggling schools that serve high-poverty neighborhoods. Such schools can indeed turn themselves around and can achieve remarkable gains, but not by rushing after the latest fad or adopting a patchwork approach. Research-based turnaround models that use a multifaceted, comprehensive approach to school reform offer far more promise than the latest “hot idea.” Such models focus on the core of practice-curriculum, instruction, classroom management, assessment grouping, accommodations for struggling students, parent involvement and more.
School reform that addresses all aspects of school functioning is not easy. It is not cheap. But it works.
In 2002, when No Child Left Behind was first signed into law, the choices of comprehensive strategies proven by research were slim. Schools face a different picture today. Multiple resources are now available to make an informed decision among research-based reforms broadly available to schools that need them.
Many programs have been identified as effective by a number of major research clearinghouses that conduct systematic reviews to identify effective programs. These include the Best Evidence Encyclopedia, the What Works Clearinghouse, the Comprehensive School Reform Quality Center, and Social Programs that Work.
Each of these clearinghouses comes to somewhat different conclusions, as each has a somewhat different process. However, one thing they all have in common is that they all empirically identify the programs most likely to generate positive outcomes from a field of seemingly good ideas.
The availability of this growing set of resources means there are more proven choices available for school leaders. These options allow schools to choose a reform model that is not only proven effective, but also fits their specific needs.
The unique thing about the comprehensive programs identified as effective by these clearinghouses is that they are the successful integration of multiple strategies, not a single silver bullet. The U.S. Department of Education and state departments of education should encourage the adoption of programs proven to be effective. There is more money on the line than ever before. Competitive grant processes that encourage the adoption of proven programs will provide the greatest yield for each dollar invested.
Local school districts and school leaders do not need to wait for a federal or state consensus. They can make the choice now to implement a program that has a demonstrated track record of success. Some local officials may experience “sticker shock” over the cost of implementing a research-proven comprehensive school improvement strategy. This reaction is understandable, not just because of the current economic climate, but because of the proliferation of bargain-priced programs that have no research base. Local officials should look back and consider how much they spent on dubious “good idea” programs that failed to produce meaningful results for their students.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has been rolling out an ambitious agenda for reform, along with unprecedented resources behind the effort. It is his goal to turn around the lowest-achieving 5,000 schools in the country in the next five years. He calls this reform effort “education’s moonshot,” and discourages “flash-in-the pan” solutions, which fail to offer sustainable school improvement. In some ways, Duncan’s agenda is even more ambitious than a moonshot. He is calling upon education leaders to change the way they think, act, and spend within our current education system. And he wants it to happen fast.
Duncan and his Washington team are working hard to release guidance for several structured funds that intend to spur reform. The largest effort to be led by reform minded states is the Race to the Top Fund (RttT), funded at $4.35 billion dollars. RttT will only go to a limited number of states, but this is not the only new funding opportunity for reform minded local leaders. School Improvement Grants (SIG) are funded at an unprecedented $3 billion and will be awarded to States to make subgrants to local education agencies. While guidance is not finalized, this fund is designed to strongly encourage comprehensive turnaround strategies. Finally, the Investing in Innovation fund (i3) will offer $650 million to local education agencies that partner with non-profit organizations in scaling up evidence-based practices that improve student outcomes.
Duncan’s call to action makes comprehensive turnaround strategies more necessary than ever. Comprehensive, proven strategies are the only way to guarantee large scale results in a short time period. Duncan’s plan does emphasize the expansion of charter schools and other new schools, an initiative that will take time to come to fruition. Comprehensive reform models are ready to go, and will work in whatever schools are prepared to adopt them--both charter schools and traditional public schools.
Arne Duncan cannot reform education on his own. He is depending on thousands of state and local education leaders to serve as agents of change.
No one is under the illusion that these changes will be easy. It is all too easy to use the latest buzz words but maintain the status quo, but doing so deprives students of their potential for future success. True agents of change in a school or district are often met with resistance. Education leaders must step away from the latest popular trend, and make the bold decisions that are required to achieve long term, sustainable reform.
Several organizations that offer comprehensive, research-based turnaround models also offer support to school leaders striving to implement bold reforms. With the Department of Education behind the effort as well, the momentum today is stronger than ever before. This is the perfect moment for cultivating bold reforms. For once, Washington is supporting the use of what works, rather than advocating for the elusive silver bullet. Educators need to embrace this opportunity by working to improve all aspects of teaching and school organization, which will add up to real and lasting turnaround.
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