When you come in… See if you can figure out Who said what? Why do you think that?

1. When you come in… See if you can figure out Who said what? Why do you think that? 1. seemingly irrational (dysfunctional) organizations (schools) are composed of individuals all responding logically and rationally to the situation in which they find themselves. irrational schools are incapable of pursuing even those ends that are clearly in their self-interest. 2. It is futile to use performance to drive improvement in classroom teaching and learning if the schools or teachers do not know what to do to about improved performance. 3. We cannot simply implement reforms that focus on the behavior of individual teachers; we must confront the general malaise, the overall dysfunctional climate. 4. change does not fail because teachers are entirely unwilling or resistant. […] change fails because teachers do not have the knowledge necessary to make the change a reality. They may have new methods, tools, ideas, and structures, but they often lack the new knowledge that can override old habits and practices. 5. To say that policy and practice have been engaged in parallel play is not to say the two discourses have not influenced each other, usually in unintentional and perverse ways. 6. practice changes policy

2. C&T 400410/9/13 Goals • Deepen understanding of some of the key problems with recent reform efforts • Gain familiarity with key authors and seminal pieces on reform • Continue to develop analytical skills and ability to identify gaps in design and logic Agenda • Small group reading discussions • Activity • Design assignment & sharing initial design ideas • Book group assignment; Reform critique assignment • Next Week

3. change does not fail because teachers are entirely unwilling or resistant. […] change fails because teachers do not have the knowledge necessary to make the change a reality. They may have new methods, tools, ideas, and structures, but they often lack the new knowledge that can override old habits and practices. practice changes policy Who said what? Why do you think that? seemingly irrational (dysfunctional) organizations (schools) are compos of individuals all responding logically and rationally to the situation in which they find themselves. irrational schools are incapable of pursuing even those ends that are clearly in their self-interest. we cannot simply implement reforms that focus on the behavior of individual teachers; we must confront the general malaise, the overall dysfunctional climate. It is futile to use performance to drive improvement in classroom teaching and learning if the schools or teachers do not know what to do to about improved performance To say that policy and practice have been engaged in parallel play is not to say the two discourses have not influenced each other, usually in unintentional and perverse ways.

4. Find 2-4 people who read the same author Compare your charts: What are some of the key problems with improvement efforts from their perspective? Who are the key participants in reform efforts from their perspectives? What’s missing from their analysis?

5. What’s the Problem? (From their perspective…) • Cohen – the problem is in the classroom with the individual teacher, the solution is better PD/infrastructure for teaching and learning • Payne – the problem is in the school, in the social infrastructure, the relationships and the “organizational irrationality” • Elmore – the problem is in the disconnect between policy and practice, and we need to create an instructional infrastructure that policy can work on to be effective. • All – Teachers/staff are treated by policies as both the problem and the solution • All – Improvement efforts often try to provide rational solutions to irrational organizations and conditions

6. What’s missing? • Students? • Parents? • Teacher preparation, universities, testing companies, curriculum makers and other institutional actors? • Poverty? Segregation? Social/cultural/economic conditions outside schools?

7. Find a partner (or two) and… • Think of an important skill, concept, philosophy, approach or other lesson that you learned • Spend a few minutes thinking on your own (and taking notes if you like) about what helped you learn it • Share what you learned and how you learned it with your partners • Are there any common patterns in what you learned or how you learned it?

8. We know a bit about why some things change in education and some things don’t: • the grammar of schooling, • structural add-ons, • ”real school”, • current beliefs/expectations, • rationality of irrational behavior, • lack of capacity, • power of policy elites and social networks, • disconnect between policy and practice “A new era dawns for the grammar school” The Telegraph 3/26/12