Moving Beyond Vision to Instructional Shifts

During last week’s school-wide collaboration we dreamed of the future by revisiting the past. This journey took us to a 1971 speech delivered by Peter Drucker, “What we already know about American education tomorrow.” The accuracy of his forecast was remarkable.

The following are summaries of his predictions: 1.  Every child will be expected to reach a minimum of a high level of basic requirements. 2.  Schools will personalize instruction. 3.  Schools will be achievement oriented 4.  Schools will have an eclectic learning environment 5.  School will be integrated with the community 6.  Schools will be held accountable for performance 7.  Life-long learning will become essential

While Drucker’s predictions may seem visionary from our context today, implementation of all these predictions has proven a challenge over the past 40 years. As we approach 2013 our school is one step closer to the implementation of the common core state standards (core academic standards in Missouri). To successfully navigate this great shift in our profession, it’s essential that we collaborate effectively and find ways to engage in collective inquiry and reflective practice.  Our leadership team has taken the next step toward our collective practice of instructional rounds. We will continue to refine the practice of classroom observation during our January inservice. Please keep in mind the four big ideas behind this practice: (1) Everyone involved is working on their practice, (2) The focus is the instructional core, (3) The goal is to improve practice over time, and (4) We seek to develop shared practices and shared understandings of the cause-and-effect relationship between teaching and learning.