Public Schools as Products

Sometimes people entrenched in public education forget that schools, even public schools, are selling a product. The manner in which they promote, sell and deliver their product will determine who purchases their product. The purchasers are parents of school age children. The quality of the product marketed and delivered is directly proportional to the quality of the buyer.

School board members, administrators and staff too often operate as though they have a monopoly on education. This is an outdated and dangerous mindset. People are more mobile now than ever before. The Internet provides parents with information not posted on official district websites. With more cities in Mobile County forming their own school systems, any monopoly held by MCPSS is long gone.

Administrators and teachers at local schools have long been aware of this. They created special programs to attract the best and brightest students from across the county. When quality students sought refuge from a poorly performing zoned school, administrators arranged for a transfer. This is happening from kindergarden to grade twelve.

The receiving school is often caught between a rock and a hard place. Wanting these new children who bring academic, creative and athletic talent, and their families who support the school, while facing the disdain of district administrators and board members who want schools to seek no more than what wanders in off the street.

Why is there a fear of an open free market for public education?

Logistical and financial issues will be the first stated by those asked. But the fear of and certainty that some schools will be seen as winners and some as losers is likely a primary concern. This is nothing to fear, for in todays exceptionally well informed world, public schools are already viewed as winners or losers. Look at how real estate developers fight to build in some areas while ignoring others like the plague.

An educational free market has already arrived. Schools who actively participate in it will flourish. Those who choose not to participate will be forgotten.

Dragging Them Into the Twenty-First Century

I have been preforming a little experiment in my math classes this semester. I am trying to force my mostly non-college bound students to retrieve class resources online.

To this end, I have been posting the slides used in class and most homework assignments on the teacher webpage provided by the school district. Instead of providing homework answers in class, I am posting them online. The jury is still out on any value gained by doing this, but the goal seems worthwhile.

Several teachers who i talked to about this were concerned about some students lack of Internet access at home. It is certainly true that some students are able to access online content easier than others. However, the school library provides access before and after school and during the students' lunch period. Additionally, all students can obtain access at any Mobile Public Library. With few exceptions, students who want Internet access can find it. Discrete accommodations can be made for those on the fringes.

The only way we will force students to become comfortable using the Internet for things other than mtv.com is to force them into a situation where they have to. Businesses are forcing their customers to use online bill delivery and receipt and employers are forcing their employers to use online time keeping systems and human resources management. If schools do not prepare students to comfortable use such interfaces then their graduates will be ill prepared for life for work.

Casual in class polling shows about seven students actively use the online resources. More updates on the project are to come.

WWGD?

Today I started reading What Would Google Do? by Jake Jarvis. The book explores how Google has changed the way businesses operate. It's good stuff.

If only MCPSS would adopt some of Google's ideas. Imagine if the central office staff came to teachers and said, "What can we do to help you do your job better?"

Yea, I can't imagine that either.

How much time to the curriculum directors spend listening to the needs of classroom teachers? There is a curriculum director for the major disciplines at the middle and high school level. This should allow the curriculum directors to provide help on teaching specific topics and provide resources aimed at meeting the needs of specific courses. I have never seen such assistance.

My interaction with curriculum directors includes me providing information that could easily be obtained via STI and denied requests for tests students can write on. There have been some bright spots over the years, but so much more could be done with these curriculum director positions.

Maybe I'll send a copy of What Would Google Do? to the COW