This very full and challenging experience condenses many of the courses and instructional highlights found in much longer classes offered by Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. The roster of educators and in-sector professionals that facilitated this program was an incredibly impressive line-up. Additionally, fellow students in the course represented top charter movement leadership from throughout the country. Needless to say, this was an extremely fertile environment for learning, reflecting, networking and collaborating.
With outstanding Harvard professors like Stig Leschly- named in 2005 by the World Economic Forum as one of the 250 most outstanding Young Global Leaders under 40 , James Honan - a senior lecturer and case study extraordinaire of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Kennedy School of Government and Monica Higgins - faculty member for both the Harvard Business School and the Graduate School of Education, coupled with national charter leaders like Rob Riordan - Dean and co-founder of High Tech High, Sally Bachofer - Assistant Commissioner of the NY State Department of Education, Peter Frumkin - Professor of Public Affairs and Director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, Austin and Nelson Smith – a senior advisor for the US Dept. of Education, former director of the National Alliance of Charter Schools and former Education Secretary Rod Paige’s choice as one of 21 negotiators who developed federal regulations for the No Child Left Behind Act. All offering hours of instruction, it was difficult to pick (like students always do) my favorite instructor. Yet my time spent with Dr. Kay Merseth ultimately proved the most powerful.
Dr. Merseth is the senior lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Kay’s ability to capture your interest and attention through her humor and dynamic instruction, along with her experience and expertise within the field of education is un-matched. Dr. Merseth’s teaching and wisdom has instantly became a milepost in my own development and understanding and I humbly and respectfully suggest her comments, articulated through her closing address, give us all cause to stop and reflect upon the greater charter movement in the United States.
In lieu of mentioning all the things we know charters are doing well, I’d like to summarize Dr. Merseth’s ideas on the obstacles to the future growth of the “movement”. Interestingly and refreshingly enough, the same old complaints of funding inequities, unlevel playing fields, etc., although acknowledged, were not at the root of her argument. Conversely, Dr. Merseth’s challenge to charter leaders everywhere is to change our practices locally before we insist on the greater public changing their beliefs and attitudes towards charter schools.
First, uneven authorizing and monitoring processes threaten to derail the movement. Dr. Merseth pointed out that just because you have the word “charter” in your school’s name, that’s no guarantee of scholastic and cultural success. Also, as more and more charter schools become part of or are opened within Charter Management Organizations, we have to make sure we aren’t just re-inventing a new central office structure found in traditional districts.
Next, it is essential that charter schools everywhere address the question of people resources and human capital. From teachers to administrators, executives to board members, will charter schools be able to attract and retain quality folks? Will schools get teachers that are willing to work 60 hour plus weeks? Will unions enter the charter world with greater force? Where will school heads come from and what skills will these leaders need to be effective and impactful in these new environments?
Third, will philanthropic organizations’ continued focus on larger, more established schools and charter networks detract and diminish their support for other in-sector players? Can a standalone charter school exist with all the financial and facility challenges schools face? Can Charter Management Organizations who offer an efficiency of scale really be a new approach to public education? Will we continue to see limited and shrinking resource availability to the mom and pops? (a la Animas High) And what happens if we find ourselves where charter schools soon outnumber traditional public options; will our programs fall victim to the same bureaucracy and dilution we lobby so hard against?
Finally, as a movement, we must not lose sight of our fundamental commitments to and the core enterprise of teaching and learning. We must constantly ask what are our students learning; academically, socially, emotionally, etc.? Are we assessing students appropriately? And to what degree are we empowering our students, engaging them in their studies and pushing them to take ownership of their educational journey in the years after high school graduation?
Overall, this institute embodied everything we try to bring to our students each day at AHS. Classes and discussions were filled with amazing perspectives highlighting new research and evidence. Through rich small group work and extended time with amazing professors, I had many opportunities to reflect upon our systems and practices which will definitely lead to refinement on the ground in Durango. Surrounded by so many talented, inspirational people, I now see all the avenues for advocacy we have within the greater charter movement. Ultimately it was this idea of renewal, a recharge of my batteries so to speak, that will allow me to continue to persevere and lead our school to ever greater success. The chance to feel like there are other Heads of School struggling with the same challenges and questions across the nation left me feeling connected and may well have been the greatest take away for me. I want to thank Harvard University and Animas High School for this opportunity. It is with a renewed sense of purpose, mission and energy that I look forward to advancing our mission and values and offering a quality, 21st century education to all students in southwestern Colorado.
Dr. Kay Merseth and AHS Head of School Michael Ackerman at Harvard University's 2010 Charter Schools: Practices for High Performance Institute.
