There are 3 reasons why many high-poverty schools don't work:
THESE ARE NOT THE 4 REASONS--
Not #1. "Nobody cares. The kids, teachers or parents just don't care."
Actually, EVERYBODY CARES. But few know what to do about it, or have the autonomy to change it.
Not #2. "Not enough resources." Actually, we have resources. The norm is that they're misapplied, not by the teachers, but by states & districts that fail to prioritize the needs of students and their teachers.
Not #3. The curriculum is bad. It's boring, out of date, and it's too easy.
Actually, there's terrific & cutting-edge curriculum out there, much of it free and easy to access. But there's no incentive to use these resources.
Not #4. Failing schools are scary. The kids are impossible to discipline.
Actually, there are many examples of warm, inviting, and academically rigorous learning environments. But few school leaders have seen these samples, nor are they trained in the underlying concepts behind them.
So what are the real reasons these schools just seem to get worse and worse?
#1. Little inspiration. Faculty rarely has a chance to vision and dialogue.
#2. Little collaboration. U.S. schools are organized in top-down models.
#3. Structures built to fail. The factory model is extinct, yet still dominant.
#4. Inadequate leadership. Principals & teachers are rarely trained to change any of the above, courses like "Organizational Development" are essential to technical fields, but not principal or teacher-training programs.
The audience will be stunned at the amount of evidence presented that we do not have to continue tolerating massive numbers of failing public schools, both district & charter. The ingredients to change are initiative, knowledge of sound alternatives, the will to take risks and the consequences that go with them, and the resilience to work until and beyond breakthroughs that come.
The biggest risk of all: to do nothing. The consequences of this path are far worse, consistent, and entirely predictable.
The audience will be reunited with the passions they've had to see dynamic schooling really happen, and will take a leap in their willingness to DO SOMETHING PERSONALLY and professionally to work with others for change.
This presentation is aimed at BIG picture thinking: getting us all to rise above the trees, and see the forest and its condition as a whole. From school board members to state superintendents to teachers and paraprofessonials, educators will see clear strategies that are available to change the structures --with present means-- and break the chains that constrict teachers from delivering the dynamic experience kids all need.
Dr. Rhodes would love to schedule with your audience--currently booking for 2025 and beyond.
