Jefferson's Vision for Education

In Jamie Vollmer's video, A Reason to Change he discusses the origins of the American system of public schools and how important it is to ensure a well-informed citizenry. He explains however, the idea of a well informed citizenry looks quite a bit different today than it did at the founding of our Republic. Nevertheless, I do believe the basic premise of this idea is as important to our mission as an educational institution today as it was in the 1700s. He goes further though, and takes on critics who sometimes claim that schools were also much better in the past. Sometimes folks will opine, 'if we had the schools we had when I went to school, we would be much better off''. Now, granted no one has ever said that to me, but I do find the comment a bit perplexing. Does the protagonist suggest a school with fewer options for students? Perhaps one where supports for students who struggle academically don't exist? I truly find the opinion vexing. 

In all honesty I want to understand, why the visceral?

The origins of our system can be traced back to Thomas Jefferson when he said in 1779 that we should 'Educate and inform the whole mass of the people… They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.' He went on to argue for a system of public education that would be tax funded for a period of 3 years for all free children, male and female. This vision most certainly provided the foundation on which our public school systems are built to this day. Now, in the late 1700s, a three year public school system probably would have been sufficient. After all, the majority of the population at that time wasn't expected to live in a highly complex world but rather partake in a low skill high wage society.

That America no longer exists and I don't believe anyone can argue that it does. The fact is, we live in a complex world where problem solving and critical thinking skills are of paramount importance. Where our students need to have the ability to learn new skills so they can pivot quickly. An America where a college degree isn't the only pathway to a successful and rewarding life. And frankly, an America where we value truth, integrity, and can count on an honest broker. 

Come to think of it, I think Jefferson would likely approve of these attributes of our modern day educational system. 

Over the 245 year history of our Republic, this system of public education has evolved from the vision that Jefferson first proposed into one that will serve more than 50 million students this fall. To put that in perspective, the population of the United States in 1776 was around 2.5 million. This year, we will teach more students to higher levels in a broader range of content matter than ever before. The fact is, schools continue to be both ever changing with new mandates for higher standards and with tensions in the system that are not new! 

Consider how far our system has come! Why would we want to go back to that? In the intervening years the strategies we employ have become more scientifically based, the programming that we offer has become richer, broader, and more diverse, and our graduation rates; well at least ours here at Hudson are close to 100% annually. That alone is a departure from Jefferson’s original vision for education. His goal wasn’t designed to produce high school graduates. It was designed to select and sort, into a system of 'doers' and 'thinkers. The Laborers and the Learned. In that same publication previously quoted, ‘Notes on the State of Virginia’, he lays out the idea of a very basic education for everyone that will produce a well-informed citizenry—and at the same time separate out the best students, to quote ‘rake the best geniuses from the rubbish annually’. Can you imagine a system today where the goal is to encourage dropouts? The consequences of which are not only catastrophic for the individual, but the society.

The Business of School

Today I wanted to circle back to my reflections of the work that I have been sharing as part of Jamie Vollmer's 'Schools Cannot Do it Alone' network. Originally tapped to lead a business roundtable tasked to come up with ideas and strategies to improve the status of public schools, Jamie was a harsh critic of the system. After becoming immersed in the work, Jamie was transformed into one of the most vocal of public school advocates. In the beginning, his philosophy was one that focused on this idea that if schools were simply run like a business, it would 'fix' the problem. His famous 'Blueberry Story' experience was a turning point in his view of public schooling. In this video, Jamie debunks several myths and misconceptions about public schools, among them the idea that schools should be run as a business. 

At the same time, he acknowledges there are some areas where a business approach in education makes sense. Where applicable, I believe many schools apply those business lessons where appropriate to do so. We do here at Hudson.

Yet, I have spoke of the distinctions that make businesses and the enterprise of public schools distinctly different. The point I have most commonly made is the fact we have no control of our 'raw material'. In October of 2015, I wrote this about the raw material that is our students:

....To accept this premise would, I believe remove the individuality and humanness of the students we work with daily in our schools. Consider this: in a factory or manufacturing industry we can set quotas for production. Certainly General Motors has a certain number of cars that are expected to come off the assembly line in a given day. John Deere most likely utilizes a quota system to produce a certain amount of tractors. This system works well for manufacturing industries because cars and tractors are not people. Those industries are dealing with a raw material that is fixed, stable, uniform, rigid, and orderly. This enables those assembly lines to operate in a systematic and efficient manner. What happens when that raw material isn't uniform? It's imperfection makes it unusable and therefore it is discarded (hence the quality control department). From: Cars and Tractors are not People, October 6, 2015

I expanded on this theme in April of this year when reflecting on Vollmer's Blueberry Story in the column, 'We Take then All. No Matter What'. Indeed, I think the raw material argument is relatively easy to make and provides a relatively simple illustrations to emphasize the point. But Vollmer doesn't stop there in his contrast between the world of business and education. He offers several other reasons why the traditional business model isn't easily transferrable to school systems: publicly elected governance, politically charged funding, and competing stakeholders.

Let's think about the stakeholders for a moment. In business, stakeholders are pretty much united in their focus: how the company performs and creates profit. What is the interest of stakeholders in the school district? Well, quite frankly it depends on the stakeholder. The retiree on a fixed income with children long since graduated and moved away is interested in low property taxes. The parents of kindergarten children are interested in small class sizes. Those whose children are in high school want to ensure the district has a robust catalog of curricular and extra-curricular activities. Those are but a few examples! What is maddening about all of this is that stakeholder groups are rarely static. They tend to change and morph depending on the issue of debate. 

Then there is the funding issue. Of course we have spent (and will do so again when the legislature reconvenes) ample time lamenting the nature of supplemental state aid and how schools are funded. But as one of the largest line items in the school budget, it is a very politically charged discussion that is not easily resolved, and is only done so annually when a political solution is reached. If a business were to run into a problem with capital, they can raise their prices or cut overhead. While a school district can't raise their prices, we can cut our overhead. Except wait: remember those stakeholders who wanted smaller class sizes?

That's really the beauty of the system and why, quite frankly it would be a mistake to apply a business model wholesale to the operation of a school district. And indeed, why publicly elected governance is so important to our mission. They are elected to represent the vast scope of stakeholders and all their interests, providing a conduit from their neighborhoods to the board table, while at the same time working for the good of the entire community. Sometimes a difficult task indeed!

There will be no column next week but we'll return soon and I'll begin to outline for you the board's priorities for the next legislative session.