Kenneth, << top-flight teachers and administrators are what make the difference, he said.>> You will not get top-flight teachers without paying them top-flight pay and benefits. Why go into teaching when you can be an engineer, a physician, an attorney or research scientist? People my age (now 75) had the benefit of women teachers at a time when other professions were closed to them. Young people today do not have that benefit.
In 1983, a report, A Nation at Risk, was published on the condition of schools motivated after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik. The report stated, "Our nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged pre-eminene in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovations is being overtaken by competitors throughout the World.
With this report as a backdrop, I completed my dissertation on the comparison of four school district with various socio-economic background using the business model outlined in the book, In Search of Excellence, by Peters and Waterman. Such analysis covered, Strategy, Superordinate Goals, Structure Hierarchy , Style, Systems, Employee Skill-sets, and Staff requirements.
The conclusion between the best and worst performing district became obvious. According to the Superintendent, "the common denominator for quality of education for youth of today was the financial excellence of a school district-you employ the best and brightest people, utilize the best management and instructional practices, and provide students with the best learning material and equipment. Consequently, the district is able to produce an excellent product-its excellent students, the leaders of tomorrow." This was reflected in the student scores on the basic skills tests, the ACT, and SCAT, and the Students" GPA and a large number of students attending advanced education schools. As the Superintendent stated, the expectation level of student performance is exceptionally high. "We have the most money, etc. and there is no room for failure." Class size was held to around 15-20 students in class were teacher-student personal, one on one, contact was very important.
The school district performing poorest, according to the previous standards outlined by Peters and Waterman, were just the opposite. The Superintendent stated, "Our district is to provide the best eduction from the resources that our community can provide-we are a poorer school district." When asked about his management and boards expectation, his response, "I manage by common sense." He then defined common sense as being, "Not to rock the boat."
My perception, "many school districts across the US do not have the high expectation nor financial support to provide the resources needed for an excellent education as proposed in the first district stressed above."
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