Often when I mention to people that I specialize in ensuring school’s are “focused on learning” I get a lot of strange looks from people who say “Well, yeah. I mean, aren’t they all?”.
No.
Truth is there’s any number of things school’s are focused on instead of learning. Such as….
1. Adult Convenience
I was shocked recently when a number of Facebook groups I’m in mentioned a new proposed law in California that would delay the start time of secondary schools until 8:30 AM or later. My first reaction was “Good for California”. The research behind this has been around for YEARS and I was less shocked at California’s decision than I was the vitriol and hate in some of the comments people were making. Then again, why should I be surprised? Despite that the American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and countless others insistence that this should be considered “best practice” in schools, adults everywhere seem to be lashing out at the idea (including the California Teachers Association and the California School Boards Association). Why? Because far too often adult convenience trumps science, and in this case, logic.
Need more examples? Take a hard look at your school’s master schedule and ask why certain class periods are offered at certain times, or why certain classes aren’t offered at all. Yes, there are always logistical concerns, and I grant that sometimes, we must do things we’d rather not for our school’s to function. Let’s just be sure we’re not hiding behind that fact.
2. Superficial Harmony
“Oh, we can’t do THAT. Mr. Negative and Mrs. Nancy will LOSE THEIR MINDS!!!”
School culture is imperative to student success. Numerous educational leaders have written to this fact (we use this one in our work) and it’s an important aspect in a school’s transition to becoming a Professional Learning Community. I’ve often heard the quote “Culture eats structure for breakfast” and there is no doubt in my mind that it’s true (though I have serious doubts about the origin of that quote).
Yet, how many of us have worked with someone who is toxic, unprofessional, and just plain not good for kids? Probably most of us. Yet far too often we fail to confront this behavior because we don’t want to “upset” folks or “overturn the apple cart.” Even school leaders fall victim to this, probably more often than we’d care to admit.
A positive school culture is not just important, it’s imperative. But to use another unattributable quote, “What we tolerate is what we expect.” We must care enough to confront difficult, toxic colleagues in a professional manner and from a position of respect. By hiding behind the excuse of “I don’t want to rock the boat” we often allow others to continue making waves.
If your school’s culture is such that questioning, or even challenging, someone’s toxic behaviors makes things worse, not better, you may already have a culture that is inhibiting kids’ ability to learn. Don’t prioritize superficial harmony over student learning! Build the relationships with colleagues necessary to work through these problems!
3. Tradition
“Our high school students are ALWAYS allowed to skip finals if they have an ‘A’ in the class! It’s part of the tradition!
There are a variety of things we do in schools “because that’s the way it’s always been done”. Some of these things are deeply entrenched in our society (such as summer break) and others are depend more on local traditions and expectations (like grading practices and homework). Regardless, while we certainly need to value the history of schools and communities, there’s nothing wrong with asking “why?” we continue to do things, especially in the face of research telling us it’s not effective at helping students learn.
4. Compliance (and grades)
Let’s be clear...sometimes students who succeed at school are not always the most prepared for life. Alternatively, sometimes students who struggle at school are incredibly happy and successful as adults. Why is this? Often what we value in schools is compliance, and in the spirit of keeping large numbers of children and adolescents safe, that’s understandable...to an extent. Except there’s a difference between keeping kids safe and allowing students to achieve high grades simply for “playing school” (ie, being on time, being well dressed, following rules, etc.). Check out this eight-minute PBS Video “The Origin of Grades”. They dive into this concept more at around the six-minute mark.
5. Money
No kidding, right? I feel silly even including this one, but obviously, if we’re talking about things schools seem to value more than learning, this belongs on the list. I don’t tend to worry (or even talk about) school funding much because it’s so far removed from the realm of what we can control as educators, that I think it just brings us down and sounds more like an excuse. But obviously, policy makers need to take a look at school funding formulas when Time magazine is running cover stories like this. Ultimately though, these are tax-payer decisions.
I’m more concerned by the spending habits of some school leaders who continue to value shiny, fancy new technology tools or facilities the public sees as opposed to services that would directly benefit student learning (counselors, social workers, and paraprofessionals to name a few). Obviously this is meant to speak generally - I believe far more schools are run fiscally sound with student learning in mind than not - but it is worth noting.
What do you think? Did I miss anything important? Disagree with anything? Hit me up on Twitter @MarkClementsEdu if you want to talk about it, or shoot an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Need more Edunating content? Check out The Two Things Teachers Focus on Most...Instead of Learning or learn more the Objectives vs Obstacles of Learning.