Confessions

It took several years and several scars for me to finally admit,  “I am on the 4th step of a 12 step program for recovering change agents”.  

Though I don’t think that I set out to be a change agent, my body of work as an educational leader is now very clear - I was and remain committed to the belief that we can and must constantly and consistently change, improve to the meet the needs of those we lead and those who are impacted by our leadership.  

I continue to be consumed, driven if you will, with a sense of urgency and a cause beyond oneself to make an enduring difference in the lives of others.  

I continue to believe that “better” will replace “good” and “best” will eventually emerge championed by unapologetic educators committed to the proposition that all learners irrespective of their ethnicity, race, or SES could, would, and should master the basic habits, skills, and experiences necessary to realize unlimited possibilities.

In many respects I have not softened or wavered from my convictions.  I have, sadly, become less than optimistic that this present generation of leaders will embrace a call to arms to lead in such a manner that all will realize the value proposition of education.  

The present political landscape does not promote or encourage leaders of courage, commitment, or conviction.  If it did, we would be closer to achieving what no previous generation has - universal mastery of literacy and numeracy.

Please hear my heart and not just read the words, imagine if you will if we as a nation focused, rallied, and figuratively as well as literally demanded literacy and numeracy mastery with the same amount of protest, emotion, conviction, and possible "anger" as we have witnessed regarding “law enforcement”?

I am apologetic to those offended by evoking these recent events to draw a comparison to our failure to achieve mastery of literacy and numeracy. Yet, I am not sure why we are not outraged to the point of action – uncompromising action by our failure to achieve what we already know how to do –

We have settled for degrees of failure and deemed them acceptable. Now more than ever mastery is within our control, our capacity, our competence, and our confidence to achieve. Missing is individual and collective courage manifested in a commitment to do so.

Are your frustrations with the oft-cited excuses or explanations of “why” we haven’t achieved mastery at a point that you’re ready to “take it to the streets”?

Next week, I plan to articulate how a “prevention to intervention” model works in practice not just theory.

Again, I hear Dr. Ron Edmonds’ (1978) voice

“We can whenever, and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need, in order to do this. Whether we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far.”