Every year, hundreds of reforms are introduced into school systems
around the United States in governance, curriculum pedagogy, technology,
and many others. However, many of these reforms fail to achieve the
improvements they are aiming for. Rene Schillinger has experience with
Whole School Reform Models and is helping the schools in Poughkeepsie,
New York improve education throughout the community. Here are some of
the top ways to bring about school reform that works.
- Schools need to have a long-term vision on how education can improve equality, decrease poverty, develop a well-functioning culturally diverse society, and create a thriving economy.
- They must set ambitious standards for schools on a national level. When standards are set at the local level, they lead to varying expectations on performance and result in lower achievement overall.
- Reduce implementation gaps that are occurring within school districts. Systems that are lower in performance often have large gaps between policies that are being enacted and what is actually happening in the classroom.
- There needs to be an effective use of resources. Schools whose expenditures are high, don't necessarily have high-performance numbers.
- Student motivation and engagement is important for successful reform. Being able to motivate students to study hard through both intrinsic and external incentives is important for student success.
School
reform isn’t an easy process, but with some creative thinking and
commitment, it can be accomplished. Rene Schillinger has been helping
local schools with reform for over seven years.
