Be able to apply administrative skills to challenges in managing and leading elementary school

I just completed reading the article “Tipping Point: From Feckless Reform to Substantive Instructional

Improvement”. It was written to influence educators to improve schools using his

suggestions. Mike Schmoker had four suggestions for improving schools.  Firstly,

schools should do away with strategic planning.  Secondly, schools should eliminate

whole school reform.  Thirdly, schools should establish the correct forms of Learning

Communities.  Last, schools should make staff development more evidence based.

            The author gave several negative effects strategic planning and large scale reform

have on the educational system.  Firstly, he described how strategic planning sets too

many goals, objectives, and requirements.  As a result, educators do not reach every goal

or objective because there are too many.  Also, the lofty amount of requirements leave

some educators confused as to what results they should provide. Secondly, the writer

suggested that large scale reform overload teachers, take away from their time, and limits

their creativity.  The reform programs usually have lofty requirements.  They also make

the teacher feel as though they are following a script.

            The author offered solutions to improving schools by replacing strategic planning

and large scale reform. Firstly, Schmoker suggested giving teachers short term goals

instead of strategic goals.  As a result, the teacher will constantly improve, rather than the

teacher having to improve only at the beginning of the school year.  Secondly, he

suggested that large scale reform become more simple and have less requirements. 

Schools, should be able to tailor the reform program to the need of their school based on

their data.  Schmoker suggested that the Learning Communities of each school look at

their schools data and establish their own reform model.

            The article was relevant to the book because it showed more negative effects of

strategic planning.  The book revealed a study that showed there is little relationship

shown in student achievement and strategic planning (Luneburg and Ornstein 2008). 

Schmoker revealed more results.  The article discussed how Kouzes and Posner wrote

how strategic planning separate thoughts from action ( Mike Schmoker 2001).  They

suggest that teachers be given short term goals and assessments.  The article also showed

how Henry Mintzberg came to the same conclusion as Kouzes and Posner in his study on

strategic planning.  The writer also quoted a statement by educational theorist Benjamin

Bloom, which suggests education to be clearer to prevent confusion. 

            The article is also relevant to the book because the book discussed who is mostly

effected by large scale reform.  The book discussed that reforms were placed in mostly

elementary and primary schools.  These programs are mostly implemented in schools

with poor and at-risk children.  The book discussed how the reform models offer basic

skill education for each grade level to help these children catch up to the norm. Presently,

most reform models are found in inner city schools and implemented with minorities in

America. This article is relevant because if large scale reform does not work, then all of

these children are being effected by it.

            The article “Tipping Point: From Feckless Reform to Substantive Instructional

Improvement” is important for future leaders of education.  Firstly, it teaches future

leaders to set long and short term goals. Schmoker did not with long term planning.  He

felt that educators would be more successful planning short term goals.  I believe

educators should have both.  They should have be given a clear goal for the year, and

smaller objectives that reach toward obtaining the long term goal.  Secondly, the article

teaches future leaders to develop expert teachers, and not expert multi-task teachers.

Future leaders should not bombard with a lot of tasks and objectives to complete in a

short period of time. Yet, they should give them minimum tasks and objectives that they

can master in a short time period. After mastery, set new objectives and tasks for the

teacher to master. Lastly, the article teaches future leaders to know the needs of their

school. The writer suggested that learning communities look at the data of their school

and apply the aspects of the reform model to their school.  This was a good idea for

future leaders because it can keep schools from focusing on concepts that their students

have mastered, and focus on the ones they are lacking.

            The article was important to future inner city educational leaders.  The article

discussed how large scale reform was not working in schools.  The book discussed how

large scale reform is being used in mostly inner city school. Some inner city schools are

mandated to accept a reform model to receive government funding. As a result, future

educational leaders of inner city school must research the reforms their schools accept.

They should research the data from their schools. They should look at what their students

are lacking.  Then the administrator should accept the reform that will mostly help the

students of their school.