It's Politics, Or Is It?

As my followers may have gleaned from my Twitter posts last week, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in our nation's capital, discussing and collaborating about the changes in our country's education system. This experience was career changing for me, as I was afforded the opportunity to interact in circles that I had never been a part of before. Did I feel out of my league? Yes.  I mean how often do you attend meetings with law makers and political heavy hitters, all sharing their view on our education system? This experience is one that I will appreciate and remember for the rest of my career, and one that I already find myself reflecting back on as changes in our Indiana educational system are begin discussed.

Last week I traveled to Washington DC with my superintendent who was selected to be part of a group of one hundred superintendents from across the nation being recognized for promoting "Future Ready" instruction. In short, this means that they lead their districts in the charge of providing all students with the opportunity to be connected and participate in digital learning experiences. Along with seven other Indiana district superintendents, Dr. McCormick spent the day at the White House, meeting with the US Secretary of Education and President Obama.  As you know, these fellas are democrats. They promoted the need for equal availability of technology resources to all children, regardless of where they live, or how much money their families make. They shared ways districts from around the nation are making the most of their resources to ensure that this happens. They recognized these superintendents that represented districts with a Future Ready commitment, and reminded them of their responsibility to continue to work toward this goal. The next two days Dr. McCormick and I attended the Foundation for Excellence Summit for Educational Reform. There, we heard from Governor Jeb Bush and Joel Klein, the Chancellor of New York City Schools to name just a couple. These fellas are republican. They promoted the need for choice in our education system.  They shared stories of how model educational systems in the United States have ensured that all students have the opportunity to learn in a quality environment, and how it is the right of families to see that their children have this opportunity.  In addition, they reminded us how our educational system compares globally. Boy, do we have a ways to go. Obviously both sides of the political isle have their own ideas of how our education system should be structured.  Both manage to execute their approaches in our nation simultaneously. As I took in all of the ideas being shared last week, I kept thinking back to my own experiences in education. I've had the luxury of teaching in both an at-risk school, as well as a high performing district.  I have worked tirelessly to see that my students have received the attention they need both at home and at school to ensue success in the classroom. I have learned that it truly doesn't matter which side of the political isle that our families reside on, there are some absolute truths. All students deserve a high quality education that includes rigorous standards. All students deserve to the right to be instructed by highly qualified teachers. And most importantly, the way we make sure these things can happen, is to understand that the format of quality instruction is evolving. Learning is no longer a sit and get, but rather a constant that can happen at any time, anywhere. "Learning is the constant, and time is the variable."-Jeb Bush

With the whirlwind of information that I was provided during my trip, the message that impacted me the most came from Chris Anderson, the creator of TED Talks. (Leave it to the Tech Girl to say that!) You see Chris made no mention of politics in his speech. Rather, he used his time to remind us what students should be learning in America's classrooms. He even provided us with this: The Syllabus of the Future.

For the record, I agree with every word of this. As a mother, these are things that I want my own children to learn before they grow up and go out to face the world. I feel the same about the students that I serve. Given, these are not necessarily skills we can assess on a standardized test. Acquiring this knowledge will however require them to think critically, problem solve, and collaborate.  This knowledge will serve our children well, regardless of where they go for a higher education, what professional fields they go into, or what political affiliation they have.

So now that I have returned from my time rubbing elbows with policy makers, I take what I have learned to heart. I now have a much better understanding of the role that politics plays in education.  I know that while education should be bipartisan, the truth is that it is not. I know that the needs of today's students have changed, and he need to reform our traditional educational system is now! This is the future that we have been hearing about for so long. How will we adjust learning in our schools to accommodate?