"Now! Not Later"

There is a huge difference in the work we must do and the work that is legislated.  They are not the same!   This may be a surprise to some especially those who trust policy makers can legislate into existence something that does not, cannot, and will not become reality by policy alone. 

There is a huge misunderstanding and misconception about education policy, legislated accountability, and legislated mandates (funded or not) and the reality of work that must be done to ensure that, at a minimum, every student is proficient in not only the basic skills but in the knowledge, experiences, and skills to be successful in life's four major roles - family, community, career, and self.

Without debating the specifics of each of these roles let it suffice that the skills, knowledge, and experience required to be successful extend beyond the traditional school day or instructional year. 

We have known since the commencement of public schools that learning is not limited to time in school.  In a like manner we have known that family, community, faith, work and civic as well as other sources have equipped, enriched, and in some cases remediated skills, knowledge and experience.  This is as it should be.

Though tempting, we must resist expecting our schools to go it alone – as if they ever did.  There is much to learn about the future by looking at what has worked in the past and abandoning what didn’t.  Abandonment is key.  Unfortunately education and educators have a dismal record of successful abandonment of unproductive, inefficient, ineffective, and failed practices and programs hence the dependency on legislation to force change.

However, much of the successes from the past are as viable today than ever - differences however abound in access, sense of urgency, and commitment.  

The access to skill, knowledge, and experience building take many forms.  The advent of new applications of technology literally makes the universe the classroom; create a global faculty, and completely removes any time or age constraints. 

The sense of urgency should be self-explanatory, but it isn't.  

There is not a universal sense of urgency to eradicate illiteracy, ensure algebra mastery or ensure a set of skills, knowledge, or experiences necessary for ...  success!

Unfortunately, there remain myriad opinions, positions, and “absolutes” that often polarize parents, students, staff, and the general public to the purposes, expected or desired outcomes of, for, and by education.  

Truth be acknowledged, there has never been universal agreement on the purposes or aims of education.  We've come close but can't seem to get beyond our own biases, opinions, or agendas.  Often the excuse is there are just too many competing agendas to achieve focus, commitment, and success.  Justifiably, it is far too easy to attack, tear down, and point out what one is against rather than articulate what they are for - hmm ... and I thought naively that education was about learners and their future.

The access to global faculty intrigues me.  Consider with instant, ubiquitous access to information including “thinkers”, scholars, and the like at a fingertip how teaching and learning can no longer exist in isolation.  Literally the world, the universe for that matter, is the laboratory for forming, testing, debating, applying, creating, analyzing, and etc. ideas, solutions, concepts, and constructs.

Time and age constraints are antiquated practices based more on theory as well as convenience.  Has it not been proven again and again and again that we all learn in different ways and at different times?

So? 

We need to embrace the learning tools of this age and integrate them as quickly as we can.  We need to let go of the configurations of time and age as the means to sort and organize learners – this is far from new. 

The aforementioned will only be reality if we accept and act with a sense of urgency to do what we should have always been doing 1) eradicate illiteracy and 2) achieve algebra mastery.  The sad thing is that we already know more than we need to achieve this.  

It will take commitment and courage to do this now! 

It is far too costly to simply rely on remediation to failed learning rather than aggressive prevention to intervention.  Again, we already know how to do this – it’s a matter of our will, our priorities, and our convictions.  By the by, we can eradicate illiteracy in this country within four years if we really, seriously, and authentically wanted to – interested?

Enough with the excuses!

Now, is the time to act!