George Washington Carver, a
native of Missouri with many
obstacles to overcome stated, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” It
is my belief that vision for improving student achievement is embedded in hope
for the future. This vision should be shared in every component in our
instructional structure and the aim will be to enhance teaching, learning, and
engaging all stakeholders in our district and the community with the knowledge
and understanding of the district’s vision and mission. Peter Senge stated, “A
shared vision is not an idea…. it is rather, a force in people’s hearts, a
force of impressive power.” The concept of vision in organizations has almost
become commonplace. Every organization has to have a vision and mission
statement. Most visions, however, are not shared visions. They are imposed on
others by the head of the organization or a group of people at the top. These
visions are not very effective long-term because they “command compliance – not
commitment” Senge ,1990.
It is our hope for the future that our school leadership structure focus on enhancement of teaching, learning, and assessment of students and teachers. The aim is to improve quality and delivery of classroom instruction and enhance student achievement, and in addition, to engage all members of the community in the vision and mission. According to Senge (1990), a shared vision incorporates individual visions, inclines commitment, and focuses on energy. When people truly share a vision, they are connected, bound together by a common aspiration…. Shared visions derive their power from a common caring.” Shared visions bind people through a common aspiration.
There is reason to believe that
shared visions evolve in part because of a strong underlying need for people to
be connected in achieving some common goal. Few, if any, forces in human
affairs are as powerful as shared vision.
The relationship
between curriculum, vision, and discipline is of paramount importance. If a
child attends two years of pre-school, nine years of elementary, four years
each at high-school and college, it will total nineteen years. If we multiply
this with the average six-hour day, thirty-hour week, or twelve-hundred-hour
year, we derive a sum of 22,800 hours.
If we also realize the relationship between academic achievement and
economic possibilities, it may behoove us to critically assess what takes place
in the classroom. Virtually every national standard and state framework calls
for fundamental changes in what teachers teach and how content is organized
(curriculum), how they teach (instruction), and how student learning is
monitored, evaluated, and reported (assessment).
I believe “A Relevant
Curriculum,” is essential to maintain students curiosity and enthusiasm from
the primary grades through college and the relationship between thinking skills,
high expectations, self-images and discipline. Current standards are based on the
premise that learning is something that students do, not something that is done
to them. Standards set the stage to establish an active learning process in
which students describe objects and events, ask questions, formulate
explanations, and communicate their ideas to others. In this way, students build
strong knowledge of content, apply that knowledge to new problems, learn how to
communicate clearly, and build critical and logical thinking skills. Standards
and assessments define learning and how parents and members of a community
determine whether students have mastered the standards. Standards identify what
we expect students to know and be able to do, expose students to selected
content, and develop skills we expect them to acquire as well as expose the
intellectual qualities and habits of mind we expect them to develop. The content
standards describe the knowledge and abilities students need to develop, from
kindergarten through high school, in order to become scientifically literate.
Assessment
linked to specific standards define the various ways students demonstrate that
they posses the knowledge and skills the standards demand. The results usually
indicate the extent of progress students and teachers have made towards meeting
the standards. Emphasis should be focused on the instructional strategies that
will be student centered and teacher driven to improve student performance. If
educational reform does not reach the classroom level, then there will be no
chance in improving the potential for achievement.
References
Kunjufu, J. (1984) Developing
Positive Self-Images and Discipline in Black Children. Chicago,
Illinois: African American Images
Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth
discipline. New York: Doubleday.
Submitted to Missouri
School Boards’ Association
For Advanced Board Member Certification
Dr. Edward Haynie
E-mail: ehaynie@normandy.k12.mo.us
E-mail: ehaynie@charter.net
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