Education and the Postal Service: An Analogy Worth Considering

By Nelson Coulter

Can we fix a floundering educational system?

As an educator in public schools for over 30 years, with the benefit of some deep scars and lengthy hindsight, I am coming to an ever-clearer conclusion about the education of our nation’s children.

In a global economy, those who provide goods and services must do so in a way that is responsive to the marketplace.  Consumers want good products/services at a fair price, and they want variety and choice in their options.  They want those products/services right now!  And, they want those products/services to have a degree of customization and personalization.

When entities of any kind focus on their internal processes rather than on the customer’s desired outcomes, they essentially choose to make themselves irrelevant to current and potential clients (i.e., market share).

Many in the education profession will challenge my assertion that education is in a competitive marketplace.  I believe their challenge is premised on a flawed assumption.  Choice in education has always been an option, for some.  Historically, it has only been an option for the wealthy and/or highly educated.  Those bases always placed a premium on quality education (at least, on a diploma from selected institutions).  What the global economy is doing to education is the same thing it has done in the other marketplaces – it has provided variety, choice, customization, personalization, relevance, and affordability to those who previously did not have the option of “shopping.” 

Just as the U.S. Postal Service has evolved itself into a black fiscal hole (noble intentions notwithstanding), I believe public education has been working itself toward the same end. (I am not picking on the Postal Service out of some particular malice. There is a plethora of governmental entities that I could use to draw the same analogy).

Government does have a critical role to play in education.  Democratic ideals sustain best with an educated electorate.  The role of government (the more local, the better) is to ensure the availability of a quality school, to guarantee the accessibility of all students to that school, to insist that the school is staffed by appropriately credentialed teachers, to provide an agreed upon foundational curriculum, and to establish accreditation criteria that monitor all the elements listed above.

To quote former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill,  “All politics are local.”   His point was that local issues and local politicians were the real drivers behind regional, state, and national issues, not the other way around.  I would argue that the same is true of education, though we seem to have been engaged in a decades-long experiment of trying it the “other way around.”

Let me return to the analogy of the U.S. Postal Service.  It has found itself in an untenable position fundamentally because it failed to adapt to the changing needs and desires of its client base, preferring to continue with its model of service that was created for a different era.  The U.S. Postal Service got into this predicament precisely because it viewed itself as the only option for its client base.  I believe that public education (as we have known it) will fall (in fact, is falling) victim to the same demise by that very sort of contextual blindness.  If we, the public education sector, continue to act as if we have a captive audience and perform as if we need not be responsive to the needs of our current clientele (not the clientele that existed 10, 20, or 30 years ago), those customers SHOULD leave us.  (Recall the fall of Blockbuster and the evaporation of Polaroid, to state just two examples of death by adaptive paralysis).

So, back to my original question - Can we fix a floundering educational system?  My answer is a qualified “yes.”

Here’s where I think Education differs from the U.S. Postal Service.  It is not too late for us – Education - to remake ourselves.  The smart money is on local schools that adapt and deliver education that is relevant to the real world their students will live in.  It’s a messy and challenging process, but at Guthrie CSD we’re attempting to do just that.

Soft vs Hard Data (and Learning)

There is a vigorous debate (some would call it a battle) going on around the nation, and within the halls of the Texas Capitol.  Much of it has to do with what the future of education should look like, what "good" schooling should be, and how students/schools/teachers should be measured (and labeled). 

Academic prowess is a good thing and we are right to address it with zeal in our schools.  However, an equally important set of learning outcomes exists, and in my view, schools should be addressing those elements, too.  I would even argue that those "soft" skills and ways of thinking may be even more important to the lifelong success and happiness of our children than is academic acumen. 

Seligman (2002) has identified six commonly "virtues" valued across many and varied cultures:  Wisdom/Knowledge, Courage, Humanitarianism, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence.  

Similarly, Costa and Kallick (2000) identified 16 "habits of mind" representative of these "soft skills" that not only support academic performance, but enhance interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness:  Persisting, Managing impulsivity, Listening with understanding and empathy,Thinking flexibly, Metacognition, Striving for accuracy, Questioning and posing problems, Applying past knowledge to new situations, Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, Gathering data through all senses, Creating-imagining-innovating, Responding with wonderment and awe, Taking responsible risks, Finding humor, Thinking interdependently, and Remaining open to continuous learning. 

The SCANS Report for America (2000) identified five skills and competencies needed for success in the work place:  1) Ability to identify, organize, and allocate resources of all kinds, 2) Interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with others, 3) Ability to acquire and evaluate information, 4) Systems thinking acumen, and 5) Ability to work with multiple technologies.  

Goleman (1998) posits along the same lines, framing these proclivities as "emotional intelligences": 
Self-awareness – the ability to know one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals and recognize their impact on others while using gut feelings to guide decisions; 
Self-regulation – involves controlling or redirecting one's disruptive emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances; 
Social skill – managing relationships to move people in the desired direction; 
Empathy - considering other people's feelings especially when making decisions; and 
Motivation - being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement. 
Goleman also provides measurement models for these dimensions.

Finally, Gardner (1983) describes the importance on diversified thinking in terms of "multiple intelligences" which he categorizes as: Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Linguistic, Bodily-kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, and Existential. 

Many think of these skills and competencies as "soft."  However, as I reflect on the people I know personally as well as some of the widely known figures I admire and emulate, I find it is exactly these "soft" kinds of characteristics that generate my admiration for them, not their academic prowess.  Senge (1990) notes that the "soft" data is in many ways more important than the "hard" data, and that it is always more difficult to measure.  

We should not forsake considering some synthesis of these soft skills for inclusion as desirable outcomes pursued by schools simply because they are more ambigous and/or more difficult to measure. 

Builders

I'm currently reading a powerful book, Authentic Happiness (M.E.P. Seligman, 2003).  Dr. Seligman is a Ph.D. in Psychology, and in this book he focuses on the positive and proactive side of psychology, rather than on the back end issues of pathology and treatment.  It's a very intriguing read, and, in particular, he makes some interesting observations about raising children (which is, as you know, our "business" as educators).

A quote of Dr. Seligman's regarding the raising of his own children: 
"Raising children, I knew now, was far more than just fixing what was wrong with them.  It was about identifying and amplifying their strengths and virtues, and helping them find the niche where they can live these positive traits to the fullest."

We are responsible (morally obligated, I believe) for teaching our students a body of knowledge and skills that go FAR beyond the academic curricula.  At Guthrie CSD we have captured many of those elements in the development of our Guthrie Graduate Profile (linked here: http://www.guthriejags.com/profile.html).  How rare the number of communities and schools that have actually taken the time to carefully articulate (as have we) some of the beyond-the-academic elements that stand every bit as much of a chance of affecting meaningful, happy, and productive lives for our children as do the academic contents.  That work has meaning ONLY if we keep our own attention, and that of our children, centered on those elements.

As we enter the craziness of the "testing season" in Texas public schools, I believe there are some important things for us educators to reflect upon:  
>  our work along the non-academic lines is just as important as the work in the academic dimensions
>  the surest way to affect learning in students is for them to be in the charge of caring and nurturing adults
>  the fruit of our "work" may not be realized for years or even decades (and certainly will not be captured in the results of a multiple choice test taken on one particular day).

My lovely bride, Moe, wrote a song several years ago with a very powerful chorus in it:
A Builder's eyes can always see such great things that there might be
Hands are strong and arms will hold
A child's faith to shape and mold
Building hearts and building joys
Building girls and building boys
I remember the hands
I remember the heart
I remember the love...of a Builder

As educators, we are those loving Builders for our students (in some cases the only ones they have).

Students and Faculty, Learning/Growing Together

The Guthrie CSD faculty and student body engaged in team learning on Tuesday, December 11, 2012, as has been our practice for the last four years.  Faculty gathered in groups to have dialogue on how they have attempted to address the Guthrie Graduate Profile (GGP) dimensions in their classrooms over the last four months.  As well, discussions were had by the educators about how we might create learning tasks that address the academic curricula while at the same time aligning with the GGP.

     While faculty were learning and thinking together, students were assembled by age groups to engage in learning activities centered on one specific dimension of the GGP:  Effective Communications.  The students were guided in those activities by communications consultant Stephanie Stanley-Allen of Lubbock, Texas, who did a marvelous job of providing students with sound and practical strategies for effectively communicating.   

     The GGP consists of five dimensions, which the Guthrie community has deemed powerful components for living, learning, and earning in a 21^st century global environment.  Those five dimensions are: 

·        >  Learners/Problem Solvers/Critical Thinkers

·        >  Effective Communicators

·        > Persons of Strong Character

·        > Productive and Valuable Team Members

·        > Compassionate and Responsible Citizens

     The professional educators of Guthrie have made a serious commitment to creating the best possible futures for our students, by focusing our efforts and resources in an intentional way on the whole child, not just the academic curricula.  In the process, we recognize that the individual growth of the faculty/staff along those GPP dimensions is an important and critical piece in accomplishing that goal. 

Guthrie CSD’s Graduate Profile (Part 5)

By Nelson Coulter

The BUSINESS of school is LEARNING!  Schools are built and exist for that very purpose.  Unfortunately, it often seems that many interests and agendas other than learning drive what goes on at school.  Thus, it takes a very focused and deliberate team of professionals to keep their eyes, their energy, and their effort centered on LEARNING!

The community and educational professionals of Guthrie CSD have made a purposeful commitment with regard to what that learning should look like for students by creating the Guthrie Graduate Profile.  This is the last of a five part series of articles intended to clarify the Profile.  Below are the five pillars (dimensions) of the Guthrie Graduate Profile:

 v Learners/Problem Solvers/Critical Thinkers

 v Effective Communicators

 v Persons of Strong Character

 v Productive and Valuable Team Members

 v Compassionate and Responsible Citizens

 

The focus of this article is on the Profile dimension aimed at causing our students to be

Compassionate and Responsible Citizens which are:

•       Socially responsible

•       Knowledgeable participants in the democratic process

•       Grateful/thankful/humble

•       Courteous and respectful toward others/differences

•       Contributors of their energy/time/talent in service to others and their community

Certainly, having the skills and knowledge to provide for one’s self and loved ones is an extremely important concept.  However, the Guthrie Graduate Profile addresses student learning beyond motives that are purely self-serving.  The Compassionate and Responsible Citizens dimension moves us, generally, to the concept of service. Guthrie CSD stakeholders are convinced that some of the richest blessings in life are those realized when we invest our time, resources, and energy to the service of others.  Consequently, we have concluded that a disposition for service to others is a concept important enough to teach to our children.

Encompassed in that concept is the idea that our children learn about and engage in the democratic process with integrity and fidelity.  Certainly, being knowledgeable voters is part of that process, but being participants willing to contribute in even more meaningful ways is a powerful life enhancement.  Those additional kinds of service might include volunteering at the church or community level, running for public office, serving on the local school board, helping organize disaster relief efforts, serving as a volunteer fire fighter, mowing the yard of an elderly neighbor, etc.  In essence, it means taking the time and effort to SERVE others, with no expectation of reward or recognition.

Highly aligned to these service components is an underlying mindset of thankfulness for the many blessings that most of us experience on a daily basis.  A disposition of respectfulness toward others is preeminent.  The Guthrie school community has concluded that the lives of our children will be enriched if they learn to treat all others respectfully and courteously.  Underlying that way of thinking is the innate understanding that there are many perspectives, faiths, philosophies of life that may differ from our own.  Our differing perspectives on life and living need not (and should not) prompt the discourteous or disrespectful treatment of others.

Our intention at Guthrie CSD is to graduate students fully prepared to prosper in the world of work and school and life.  Moreover, we have made the conscious decision to teach our children ways of wholesome living with respect to their view and treatment of others.  Through teaching our children the ways of compassion and responsibility, we believe that not only will their lives be enriched, but the world will be a better place.  One could argue that there might not be a more important learning component in the education of our students. 

On nc’s Learning (and Maybe Yours, Too)

By Nelson Coulter

Funny how I’ve gotten much more attentive to research on the aging process in the last few years.  As part of that heightened interest I have become familiar with a good bit of information on the nature and capabilities of the human brain.  One thing that is abundantly clear is that our brains (even those that have some age on them, like mine) have a tremendous capacity to LEARN new things.

For a long time, neurological and cognitive researchers believed that the brain’s plasticity and malleability would peek and reach a plateau between the ages of 20 and 30; from there it would coast into a slow and steady decline for the rest of one’s life.  However, our most current understanding of the brain has debunked that view.  We now know that the brain can continue to learn, to build new connections, and to remain very energetic throughout one’s life.  Similar to other dimensions of our lives (e.g., physical, spiritual, emotional), we have significant ability to impact the vitality of our brains through some conscious choices we make.

That new understanding has caused me to engage in some careful reflection on how best to keep my brain growing, stretching, and learning even into the golden years.  Let me share some of the choices I have made for my brain, to that end.

Be curious.  Learning to be inquisitive and at the same time trying to suspend any previously held conceptions or assumptions is an exercise in mental acrobatics.  I have tried to learn to ask many and better questions of those who know things of interest to me.  As well, the Internet has provided us all with handy access to the sum of all human knowledge, which most of us now carry around in our pockets. I have been re-training myself to go beyond just wondering about things (like how a windmill works, or how peanut butter is made, or how to change the oil filter on a 1953 John Deere tractor, etc.) and to actively seek the answers to those interesting questions.  You probably have a lot of the same kinds of questions.  Amazingly, those answers are now readily available to ALL of us, almost instantly.  Wow!

READ!  I have committed myself to a persistent regimen of reading.  Reading a wide range of literature is part of that decision. I have found that mixing genres and reading fiction and non-fiction at the same time has caused my brain to engage in something similar to what is known as fartlek training in the physical fitness world (look it up!).  This exercise has caused my brain to make a lot of connections I would not have considered previously.  Reading is simply the most efficient method of learning known to mankind.

Write.  Through my many years as an educator, I have become convinced that there is not more cognitively challenging task we ask of students than to learn to communicate well through the writing process. (No, I am not an English teacher).  The task of organizing what we know and believe inside our own minds and presenting that information in a coherent, sensible, and crystal clear way in written form to others is a most challenging exercise.  (Engaged in that activity right now).

Embrace novelty. The brain naturally enjoys new stimuli, of all kinds.  Consequently, I have determined to expose my brain to new environments and situations.  (Choosing to read in a variety of genres is an example of this strategy).  Going to new places, meeting new people, tasting new foods, listening to new kinds of music have all provided me with some interesting “energy” as I become aware of my brain working to make sense of these new and interesting stimuli.  The brain constantly engages in a process of trying to categorize, compare, and contrast the new information with what it has previously experienced.  In effect, sense making.

Engage with many people (the smarter the better). This concept is closely related to the one above.  Humans are clearly one of God’s most interesting “inventions.”  We come in a million variations of size, shape, and color.  Similarly, our brains are just as diverse as our external qualities.  Making myself engage with more people has proven to be a very useful and healthy exercise for my brain.  This choice has been one of the more difficult for me, because engaging others (especially strangers) forces me well outside my comfort zone.  Think of it as “vegetables” for your brain.

Get better, on purpose.  Being on a journey of continuous personal and professional improvement has been an evolutionary process for me.  Interestingly, it naturally flows from engaging in the purposeful activities I’ve already shared with you.  In a strange sort of way, the more I have exposed myself to in the way of brain stimuli, the more aware I have become of my need to grow, stretch, engage – to LEARN!  I have learned that, contrary to commonly held beliefs, I do not have to be simply “the way I am” (to quote from a Merle Haggard standard).  I have the power to be who I choose to be, if I am willing to challenge my brain (and my body and my spirit) in purposeful efforts at growth.  The goal?  I can be a better husband, dad, granddad, son, friend, superintendent, professor, rancher, etc., IF I choose to be.

My vocation and my avocation is that of being an educator, a person whose fundamental mission is to aid and abet learning in others.  (Cool job, huh?).  Consequently, this stuff about how my brain works is pretty important.  It’s just an added benefit that my learning in that regard has such interesting connections and impact on my life as a whole. 

Perhaps you can find connections for yourself in my experiences and rambling.  

Guthrie CSD’s Graduate Profile (Part 4)

By Nelson Coulter

The BUSINESS of school is LEARNING!  You may be getting weary of hearing this mantra, but it is worth remembering (and reminding others of) daily.  We often get busy and distracted in schools, doing a gazillion things that are not really focused on LEARNING.  At Guthrie CSD we have made some serious decisions about what that learning should actually look like for our students.  We have attempted to define the learning of our students to be something that goes far beyond knowledge and skills (both of which are voluminously articulated in the state curriculum).  The stakeholders of Guthrie CSD have agreed that perhaps the most powerful learning for our students exists in ways of thinking and ways of behaving.  Thus, our focus has moved toward educating our students in a more holistic and meaningful way.

This is the fourth of a five part series of articles intended to clarify the Guthrie Graduate Profile, which has emerged from community- and school-based conversations that have been ongoing in Guthrie for the last year.  Below are the five pillars (dimensions) of the Guthrie Graduate Profile:

v  Learners/Problem Solvers/Critical Thinkers

v  Effective Communicators

v  Persons of Strong Character

v  Productive and Valuable Team Members

v  Compassionate and Responsible Citizens

The dimension that will be discussed here is that of our students becoming:

Productive and Valuable Team Members

They are/can/have:

•      Good leaders

•      Self-aware and self-managing

•      Work collaboratively with persons of different beliefs, interests, backgrounds, and cultures

•      Engaged and accountable

•      Authentic and transparent

•      Effectively use tools and technology for collaboration

Guthrie CSD stakeholders have a clear understanding that our students (unless they become hermits) will work in teams for the rest of their lives.  Those teams might be families, churches, workplaces, communities, etc., and they will assuredly be populated with others who may look, think, and act differently than themselves.  Thus, at Guthrie CSD we have deemed it immensely important that our students develop a strong degree of emotional and social intelligence.  They must understand themselves and their own beliefs in a profound way.  As well, they must learn to “read” and listen to other people carefully, developing an understanding of the perspectives, thinking, and behavioral motivations of others.  Associated with these deep understandings is the idea of acceptance of and tolerance for diversity – diversity of thought, diversity of interests, diversity of backgrounds, of culture, of beliefs.

Beyond these understandings and bases of interaction, we aspire for our Guthrie CSD students to learn the value and power of being fully engaged in endeavors bigger than themselves.  Embedded in that idea is the belief that to work/live/play effectively with others implies a personal responsibility for being fair, transparent, honest, and authentic in those interactions.  

And finally, we believe at Guthrie that our students can only be responsible and valuable team members if they have well-developed skills in the use of the “tools of the trade,” whatever that trade or collective endeavor may be.  Being able to learn (and unlearn, if necessary) how to use a wide range of communications and job-specific tools will be critical to the success of our students, no matter where they end up working and living.

Guthrie CSD is deliberately educating our students to be successful, happy, and productive in the global marketplace or in any setting in which they choose to live and compete.  Choosing MORE for our students is proving to be a very interesting and energizing endeavor.  However, we have decided that if we want the best for the futures of our students, we must invest our best efforts/thinking in the present.