The challenges facing current education reform efforts
Our experience in schools and districts across the country has led us to design a school model in response to the intractable problems that have prevented well-intentioned reform efforts from significantly improving struggling schools. Four such obstacles encountered time and again by districts are:
1.) Shrinking Educator Pools
Fewer educators result in new or inexperienced teachers who are unprepared to work with students and have limited access to effective mentorship. Consequently, students experience different instructional quality depending on the teacher they are assigned.
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2.) Lack of Time with Teachers
Schools struggle to provide enough time for teachers to engage in small-group tutoring, which has proven to drive significant gains in education. Developing and funding staffing plans to sustainably reduce the ratio of students to teachers is a persistent challenge.
3.) Failure to Address Individual
Student Needs
Many students receive a generic educational experience that fails to address their unique interests and learning needs. Schools need to allocate time for teams of educators to review student work and differentiate instruction to meet students where they are on the same day.
4.) Unchecked Use of
Technology
5.) Variability in Teacher Quality
Rapid tech integration is transforming the core school experience without a full understanding of the potential unintended consequences. Schools must preserve the mentor-mentee relationship between teachers and students amid these changes.
In many schools, students experience vastly different levels of instructional quality based on the individual teacher they are assigned. Without systems to ensure consistency, even strong schools can leave student success to chance.