Build a Better: Education System
By Kristy Keiser
“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” – bell hooks
Every child can achieve their goals if they have access to high quality education and positive mentors. Our education policy implements an achievement-oriented narrative and supports the whole child development. More specifically, it advocates for schools that (1) ensure all students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed and grow, (2) provide educators with the support they need to become highly effective educators and leaders, and (3) foster supportive environments that partner with families and community organizations.
Ensure all students have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed in any career path, regardless of zip code, income, race, or disability.
Any child can succeed if they have access to the right resources and opportunities. Schools should help students build the skills they need to succeed in any career path. Currently, 65 percent of all jobs in the economy will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school.[1] Therefore, educators should treat students like scholars, promoting college-readiness from kindergarten. Schools should prepare students for college and career success by establishing clear, consistent guidelines for what every student should be able to know from kindergarten through 12th grade.[2]
One-size-fits-all approaches do not work because instruction needs to be tailored to students’ individualized needs. Instruction should consider and incorporate activities for different learning styles and ability levels. Inquiry-based instruction is one way to encourage students to understand the material and challenge themselves. Assessments should follow a mastery-oriented approach, meaning assessments should provide feedback and help students learn how to learn. An achievement-oriented narrative paired with a mastery-oriented approach provides more meaningful learning for students and leads to long term success.
Preparing students for careers entails more than rigorous academics; it includes supporting the whole child development. Schools must provide culturally relevant curriculum dedicated to building well-rounded students. Students should have daily opportunities to learn things that matter and are relevant to their lives. Moreover, schools must develop students social-emotional skills, which prove to increase students’ achievement.[3] Last, schools should regularly celebrate students’ successes, highlighting small and large wins for students throughout the school day, week, month, and semester.
Provide educators with the support they need to become highly effective educators and leaders.
Effective educators are crucial to student success. Therefore, schools must provide educators with the training and support they need to be effective educators and leaders. Schools need to provide educators with training to effectively implement Common Core Standards, curriculum, learning accommodations, and regular checks for understanding. Educators need to understand how to analyze student data to increase students’ mastery of foundational skills. Every educator should have mentors and supervisors that foster their growth as an educator and leader. This means implementing evaluation systems with multi-faceted measures for educator performance.
Moreover, educators need to be culturally competent and aware of their own biases. Because children are impressionable, it is detrimental for them to hear negative messages about their educational trajectory.[4] For that reason, school leadership should instill a “fierce urgency of now,” acting swiftly to ensure a positive tone and narrative for Black students.[5]
Schools should also improve teacher diversity. According to a recent study, exposure to at least one Black teacher increases the likelihood of Black students aspiring to attend college.[6] According to a 2016 Department of Education report, in 2011-12, only 10 percent of public school principals were Black, compared to 80 percent white. [7] Representation matters, so recruitment should invest in increasing diversity.
Foster supportive environments that partner with families and community organizations.
According to a recent national survey, only 30 percent of high school students rated their school culture positively.[8] However, students need to feel a sense of safety and belonging in order to succeed in school.[9] For that reason, schools should promote strong relationships among staff, students, families, and the community. Learning more about students’ lives outside of school helps educators build cultural competence.[10] Partnering with families helps ensure alignment at home and in school. Strong relationships between families and educators increases trust and investment in the school. Schools should regularly receive and implement feedback from families on school initiatives and programs.
Further, schools should partner with community organizations because not all children have the material and social capital necessary to access well-rounded educational and enrichment activities. Many students experience “adversity in the form of poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, learning obstacles, or lack of health care.”[11] Through partnerships with community organizations, schools can help students overcome some of these barriers to learning. Community partnership can include college campus visits, internships on topics of interest, free health care screenings, before and after-school enrichment, recreational sports, and arts programs.