Could School Boards improve schools?

You bet they could!

However we need to look at why they haven't.

The "Education Reform" mantra that has spread over this country in the past 15 years has been a response to the realization that America's and certainly Washington's students do not fare well when compared to other developed, or developing countries.

It has become apparent to many state legislatures and Congress that the parties responsible for the quality of education have not been effective.

Who are the responsible parties? I have listed some in previous articles who could have demanded better schools.

Whom should they have made their demands to?

School Boards, at least in this state, are the "responsible party" for the quality of education in each school district.

Why haven't school boards done the job?

Let's look at who school boards consist of.

The members are elected to office by the voters of each school district. They need not have any specific qualifications or knowledge of education either in the district, the state, nation, or internationally.

In fact there are plenty of school board members in this state who had never even attended a school board meeting prior to their election or appointment.

In the 10+ years that I have been close to school boards I have found an amazing lack of knowledge of any successful, or unsuccessful, programs that are taking place in education.

School Board members' sources of information are largely what they receive either from their Superintendent, or from Washington State School Directors' Association, who largely feed this group "feel good" platitudes.

There are very few board members who are undertaking any individual "research."

There are 295 school districts in this state, and all have at least five school board members. Most board members haven't even attended a state meeting of the directors, and fewer than 100 I would guess have attended a national meeting in the past year.

At all of the meetings I have attended, I have asked almost everyone that I met "what are you doing to improve your schools?"

There are very few school board members who can recall any specific efforts that they, or any of their board members, have tried.

Perhaps it is time to either abolish school boards, or make them totally responsible for the quality of their schools.

These voluntary boards, a leftover from one room school houses, do not seem to be up to the task of being governing bodies with multi-million dollar operations.

They are part-timers with divided interests, one Superintendent told me of one of their school board members who only attended meetings if there was an athletic item on the agenda, and the fishing wasn't supposed to be good!

This is not a good formula for success in my mind. No will, and no knowledge, leads to no improvement.

The Washington State law is very clear that "school boards" are responsible for the education of the students in each school district.

What have school boards done about this? Not much as they "wait" for someone else to "lead" them out of the swamp!

Instead of doing the research, subscribing to the journals, and taking initiatives to change the level of academic success in schools and instilling the community to support these changes, they elect to say little, and do less in most cases.

Could this be the reason why almost all school districts in this state are "about the same?" I cannot point to many school districts in this state that are rated as "outstanding" on a national level. One of our legislators, a former school board member, has been quoted as saying that this State "frowns on excellence at the expense of mediocrity".

Rather than take the controversial stands that would restore education to the schools, most school boards have elected to soothe the population with the most expensive recreation program in the State, and provide some of the most expensive day care for "busy" parents.

One only has to look at the agendas of school board meetings to see this in action.

There are little, if any, items on the agenda that would have any impact upon the events that take place in the classrooms and hallways of the schools.

WSSDA cautions each board member to "measure their words" so as to not "embarrass" the school board.

The "keep a low profile" approach is suggested.

Each year this state "graduates" approximately 65,000 "attendees," and by most measures only a small fraction of these are adequately prepared for either higher education or employment in a well paying job.

We are dead last in college completion in the nation, and yet we are telling most of our kids that they should plan on attending college!

A well known author, Robinson Davies said "Education is hard work, not play, and its rewards are a seriously informed, wide ranging attitude towards real life, and the beginning of a great adventure."

This motto, along with "Get Ready" should, in my opinion, be the mantra for school boards. Those places where education has a high priority would seem to believe this.

School Boards need to either take up the task with frankness and candor, or admit that they are incapable of balancing the need for "good education" with the other activities of children.

Taxpayers and children are the losers when education does not work.

Only a short read of the local papers would suggest that it hasn't worked for many.

Next up! Three tax supported "educational organizations."