Innovate, Change…or Die
April 1, 2010“Innovate, create, change…or die” needs to become our mantra as individuals, communities, educational institutions and as a state.
Holding onto the past and protecting the status quo are not prescriptions to help us thrive and be competitive on the world stage.
As the second decade of the 21st century knowledge economy unfolds, Michigan is going to be dependent at every level on bold leadership with the courage to cast off the anchors of the past and set sail to create a new future.
Those leaders who believe we can go “back to the future” are selling fool’s gold. What we once had in Michigan is gone and is not coming back.
A book could be written on the rationale for changing the ways we govern ourselves and invest our limited public resources. Over the last several years I have written such a document, in installments through literally hundreds of columns, magazine articles and op-eds about the need to change. The “change” song has been sung by such diverse public policy and business groups as Michigan Future, Citizens Research Council, Center for Michigan, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Regional Chamber and Business Leaders for Michigan (formerly Detroit Renaissance).
All organizations, whether right, left or down the center, have been very clear — Michigan cannot lead in a constantly changing world without casting off the anchors of attitude, law, public policy and beliefs that bind us to the 20th century industrial model.
“What made Michigan prosperous in the 20th century — low skills and high wages — won’t in the 21st century. With globalization and technology, the world has changed. Knowledge, innovation, creativity and talent are king. Michigan needs to rush to catch up,” said Lou Glazer, president of Ann Arbor-based Michigan Future.
Educators must lead
One of the areas that needs to absorb change and incorporate it into its DNA is education — at all levels, especially K-12.Historically, being a strong supporter of public education was synonymous with being a protector of the status quo. Today, a strong supporter of public education must be an early adopter of change and technology.
Our public school system, whether traditional or charter schools, is the backbone of our great American democratic experiment. Our schools take the tired, the hungry, the poor, the huddled masses and give them hope, knowledge, skills and opportunity for a brighter future. To continue with this mission to serve all of our students well, our schools must adapt to constant and unpredictable change and stop clinging to the past.
Public education has been under nearly a decade of stress from diminished state funding, declining enrollment and rising costs for pensions and heath care (see 2004 report by the author, “Structural Issues Surrounding School Funding in the 21st Century.” This neglected report foreshadowed many of the problems we are currently dealing with.
Together with the reluctance to institute strategic school closings, consolidate districts and share services across municipalities, these issues need to be addressed if we are to truly invest in education for the 21st century knowledge economy.
We must come to grips with our changed world so that our children are prepared to create, innovate, collaborate and compete on the world stage.
Best-selling author John Kao is a leading expert on innovation. In his book Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back he notes it was not that long ago that “Americans could rightfully feel confident in our preeminence in the world economy.” Clearly, that confidence has eroded. Kao points out, “U.S. students rank 24th in the world in math literacy and 26th in problem-solving ability” — a fact that does not bode well for the U.S. remaining an innovation nation.
As they say at NASA, “Houston, we have a problem!”
Bernie Trilling, global director for Oracle Education Foundation and co-author of 21st Century Skills: Learning For Life In Our Times, explains it this way: “when teachers (we call them ‘project coaches’) really understand how to effectively support their students through all the stages of learning projects (‘define, plan, do, review and manage through’), the magic begins, engagement rises, the learning deepens, 21st century skills are learned, the world opens up, and the innovations start bubbling up.”
We need to get the “innovation bubbling” and reform heated up in Michigan.
Good start
The governor, legislature, state superintendent and state school board are to be commended for advocating for and adopting the changes necessary to compete for the U.S. Department of Education’s Race To The Top funding, which has the potential to pump $400 million into our schools. Although Michigan was not successful in securing these funds in the first round, the reforms adopted are valid and long overdue, with or without the federal resources, and remain a good beginning, but not an end as far as reform goes.The fact that Michigan was not selected in the first round for these competitive funds should be a signal to the governor, legislature and education establishment to think and act bolder.
In the immediate aftermath of learning that Michigan failed to secure the much-needed federal funds, Sen. Wayne Kuipers, a Holland Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, was quoted as saying, “Too often, we dipped our toes in the water and didn’t jump all the way in.” He continued, “Let’s go back, take another look and show them we are serious about fixing our failing schools.”
Rep. Tim Melton, a Democrat from Auburn Hills who chairs the House Education Committee, said: “It is premature to speculate or to cast blame on why Michigan was unsuccessful in securing funding in the first round. We will analyze the data for our shortcomings and decide how to position Michigan to secure this funding in the future. The reforms we passed to date are valid and necessary with or without federal funding. Going forward, everyone needs to examine if the political will exists to do right by our kids.”
Kuipers and Melton, champions for high-quality education, are right; an opportunity now exits to make Michigan the educational reform capital in America. The question remains — will we?
The initial legislative changes to qualify for the Race to the Top funding will expand the number of high-quality charter schools, begin to tie teacher evaluations to student performance, raise the dropout age from 16 to 18, give authority to the state superintendent to take over 5 percent of the state’s worst failing schools and create two new “cyber schools.”
The changes Race to the Top enabled are a good start on what must be an ever-rolling wave of reforms our schools need to adopt to remain relevant.
Cyber schools
One of the most promising reforms the federal competition has created is in the area of cyber schools and e-learning. While Michigan has the second largest virtual education program after Florida, there is much more we can and should do to tap this exciting, progressive educational modality.Elizabeth Bauer is a member of the state Board of Education who chaired the board’s Embracing the Information Age Task Force, a job she took over from Michael Warren when he was appointed by Governor John Engler to fill a vacancy on the Oakland County Circuit Court. She said, “E-learning liberates educators and learners from the industrial model that chains the teacher and students to a six-hour day that is structured within the confines of the four walls of a classroom and the two covers of a textbook.” Bauer went on to say, “learning has become multidimensional with music, sound, visuals and can and does happen 24/7 at any time and any place. The expectation of today’s student is that learning will be more relevant, authentic, timely and real.”
Bauer pointed out that “the future is being invented at the Westwood Community School District, for helping to both model and lead this exciting e-learning change at their Cyber High School that is helping to advance learning.”
Local innovation
Westwood is a small district wedged between Dearborn and Inkster in suburban Detroit with just 2,530 traditional students and 549 attending its Cyber High School. The school opened in 2009 and has nearly 200 students on a waiting list, with 20 or 30 more seeking admission every day.Westwood has been on the cutting edge, reimagining education under the leadership of Superintendent Ernie Minginie and Glen Taylor, executive director of innovation/state and federal programs. Cyber high is modeled after the Notschool Program in the United Kingdom. The Westwood school plans a virtual learning experience offering students an opportunity to obtain a high school diploma by teaching the skills necessary for higher education or future employment.
“Using e-learning at our cyber school has helped reconnect a generation of students, is keeping them engaged, learning and obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to be productive members of society,” said Taylor.
Youth of today, who have grown up on the Internet and learning mobility, see the world differently and learn differently than a generation ago. Mark Prensky, in his book Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, argues: “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach.” That observation is being supported at Westwood.
Beyond their cyber school, Westwood has been combating the dropout epidemic with an alternative high school. The district has had four volunteer teachers from China teaching Mandarin Chinese for the past three years and is restructuring traditional high school classes around the principles of The New Tech High and the Partnership for 21st Century Schools. Westwood’s leaders did not wait for new funding — they saw a need to better prepare their students for the hyper-competitive, disruptive, knowledge, global economy and are leading change.
State leadership
Jamey Fitzpatrick, president of Michigan’s Virtual University, Michigan’s leading provider of online learning solutions, explains the power of e-learning and cyber schools this way: “Fortunately, online learning is no longer viewed as an experimental way to deliver educational services to K-12 students. We have provided 70,000 online course enrollments to middle and high school students in Michigan since 2000. During the next five years the use of online learning will continue to grow dramatically for all Michigan school districts, regardless of their size or location.”He continued, “We can attribute this projected growth to three significant factors: 1) what we know today about student learning; 2) the instructional value of online learning environments; and 3) the ongoing school funding crisis. These important factors will cause school administrators to transform their delivery models in new and innovative ways.”
Dan Redford, currently a James Madison College senior in International Relations and Chinese at Michigan State University, will be spending the last two months of his undergraduate studies in Shanghai, China, representing the United States at the Shanghai World Expo. He and his MSU professors understand that education and knowledge are not chained to a “place” — they are seamless and can happen any time, anywhere, globally. Redford will be educated a world away using the Internet/e-learning as his tether to MSU.
Online personalization
On the national and international level, Susan Patrick, president of the International Association of K-12 Online Learning, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit advocacy organization with more than 3,400 members, notes that online learning has the power to support personalization in ways never before possible.“Students are more engaged in relevant learning, connected with experts globally, discussing diverse ideas, researching materials from original sources on the web, and accessing teachers skilled in online teaching. Online education has already transformed teaching and learning. Brick-and-mortar classrooms are in dire need of a redesign — away from antiquated models of teaching and learning and powering new student-centered learning, possible through virtual courses and blended models that make the best of both worlds.”
Have the majority of our schools kept pace with these changes? In far too many cases, the answer is no.
Grand Rapids Public Schools’ recent decision to put core academic classes online has generated praise and howls.
As the Grand Rapids Press quoted high school sophomore Desmond Smith: “I am anxious about the changes. I’ll take face-to-face classes where I can…Otherwise, it feels like uncharted territory.”
The district touts the move to online classes as a way to address a $10–15 million budget shortfall. District officials claim moving classes online will both boost quality and reduce costs. Clearly, any time a school can reduce teachers there are significant savings, because 85 percent of a district’s costs are in salaries and benefits.
Budget cuts from the state are forcing districts to become more creative and innovative in how they deliver instruction. The tragedy is that the debate about online instruction is being wrapped around budget cutting and “savings,” rather than the quality alternative it has demonstrated to be.
Yet, it is the budget squeeze that is the catalyst to achieve the necessary changes in public education. Like GM, Ford and Chrysler, if public education uses the current budget crisis wisely, our schools will emerge from this economic downturn far stronger. As they say, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.
What if the impossible isn’t?
To pursue change we need to keep this question in mind: “What if the impossible isn’t?”And to move forward, let’s eliminate “We’ve always done it this way” from our collective vocabulary in Michigan — our state and our schools need to be reinvented.
What would a 21st century school environment (not necessarily a brick-and-mortar building) look like? Using imagination, innovation, technology and creativity, might we imagine:
- Gaining knowledge not just in a local school classroom but using a network of learners connected around the world.
- Senior year outside the confines of a classroom, where a student volunteers in a local nursing home, works in a team helping to design alternative energy solutions or a new car, and travels around the world connected via technology, developing a portfolio of knowledge in the real world.
- A time when all parents and students are not trapped in underperforming schools but have access to the best learning in the world.
- Actually living in a Tom Friedman “flattened” world rather than just talking about it.
- Michigan transforming itself from the automotive capital of the world to the brain bank of the world — a place where anyone might tap into it for knowledge deposits and withdrawals.
- Laws, policies and regulations related to education are measured against how they “help teachers teach and children learn” vs. protecting the “system, adults and the status quo.”
- A technology infrastructure that trumps new buildings. Prior to any major renovation or new school being built, a technology impact statement must be prepared assessing how technology optimizes learning and reduces the need for brick-and-mortar, place-specific learning.
In spite of all the handwringing about budget cuts, public education is not without resources. Michigan’s K-12 education is a $13 billion-a-year business — more than $1 billion per grade. Going forward we must measure our support for public education not by how much we put in — but rather the quality of what comes out.
Certainly, the challenge of change might be easier with new and more resources. Students will benefit from strategically targeted new funding. However, as we have witnessed, funding alone and perpetuating the current system will not yield the results our children need and deserve and will not position us to compete and lead on the world stage.
We need to stop fantasizing and realize significant new resources for schools are not in Michigan’s future, given the current economic realities, and instead we must use our existing resources to produce results more effectively. This will require everyone to think and act differently.
To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Michigan educators and policy makers always do the right thing after they’ve tried every other alternative.”
E-learning, along with innovation, creativity, bold leadership and a willingness to change, can help put Michigan on the innovation and reinvention knowledge track necessary to thrive in our competitive world.
The consequences for failing to act will be devastating for our citizens, our communities, our state, our nation and, most of all, for our children.
Tom Watkins is an education and business consultant in the U.S. and China and served as Michigan’s state superintendent of schools from 2001-2005. His “Bridge to China” cover story appeared in Dome in September.
Note: Mr. Watkins wrote a 2005 Wayne State University report on the value of e-learning: “Exploring E-learning for Michigan: The New Education (R)evolution.” The report was paid for with state tax dollars. Although some of the policy recommendations were adopted, such as mandating all high school students have an e-learning experience prior to graduating, a number of the recommendations have yet to be implemented and remain on the shelf waiting to be acted upon.
63 responses so far ↓
1 Glen McWalters // Apr 2, 2010 at 5:43 am
Yet, another thoughtful commentary by Watkins.
It makes you wonder why those with power try to silence people like Watkins that makes sense on so many levels.
Could it be that those in power are interested in maintaining it– oh, I wonder?
Good toughts and writing– thanks
2 Beth Leeson // Apr 2, 2010 at 6:21 am
I always enjoy reading Tom’s provocative articles, and the drum he pounds rings true. I’m so hopeful that we don’t just read these types of articles and essays, and go on doing things the way they’ve been done for so long. It’s been noted that neither pain nor change has much of a constituency, but maybe change is beginning to come into vogue. Let’s hope so before our opportunities have become mere “we should’ve done it…” moments in our memory.
3 Michael Warren // Apr 2, 2010 at 6:23 am
Once again Watkins issues a call to arms that Michigan desperately needs to hear. Let’s hope our policymakers, educators, and citizens finally begin to think anew – because the alternative is a rapid decline to the bottom.
4 Jack Finn // Apr 2, 2010 at 7:28 am
Tom, as a James Madison alum (you wrote of a current JMC student in China), I question 2 of your comments: is “adopter” really a word, and it seems to me that “high-quality charter schools” is an oxymoron, based on studies. Too bad you still think teachers are problem (“tying student performance to teachers)—don’t lack of funding and environment outside the classroom affect students, also? Happy Easter! Jack
5 ron j stefanski // Apr 2, 2010 at 8:05 am
Apart from some of the cost benefits of e-learning, Jamey Fitzpatrick and our state virtual school should be commended for demonstrating clear, measurable outcomes for success with a host of students that were previously “left behind.” The success of our state’s virtual school with students requiring credit recovery, advanced placement, language learning, and specialized course offerings is a clear indicator that more investment needs to move in this direction– creating online collaborative learning environments, virtual technology academies, and world language centers that truly take education and skill levels to new heights.
Our children deserve for our state’s policy makers to springboard these kinds of education innovations forward with deeper investment and resources. Jamey and others have demonstrated Michigan can lead in this area. Let’s keep charging forward!
6 annette ward // Apr 2, 2010 at 11:00 am
This is really so well explained. Writer deserves a medal for taking time to be so succinct and offer up so coherent strategy
7 Yeah, what he said…. | My State of Flux // Apr 2, 2010 at 11:58 am
[...] Innovate, Change…or Die | DomeMagazine.com Our public school system, whether traditional or charter schools, is the backbone of our great American democratic experiment. Our schools take the tired, the hungry, the poor, the huddled masses and give them hope, knowledge, skills and opportunity for a brighter future. To continue with this mission to serve all of our students well, our schools must adapt to constant and unpredictable change and stop clinging to the past. [...]
8 Tweets that mention Innovate, Change…or Die | DomeMagazine.com -- Topsy.com // Apr 2, 2010 at 12:01 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by jbennett, Bill Bushaw. Bill Bushaw said: Old boss, Tom Watkins, former state superintendent in Michigan wrote a great column on the challenges facing Michigan http://bit.ly/aPgaJn [...]
9 Stanley Zhou // Apr 2, 2010 at 7:52 pm
It really needs to put “innovate, create, change” words into Michigan education system. Our State Leadership should orgnize the strong team to face 21th centry challenges, to be competitive on the world stage.
10 Innovate, Change…or Die | DomeMagazine.com Travel university // Apr 3, 2010 at 12:57 am
[...] post: Innovate, Change…or Die | DomeMagazine.com By admin | category: State University Higher School | tags: high-school, [...]
11 Ralph Hamilton // Apr 3, 2010 at 4:24 am
You capture the reality and the opportunity well. I hope folks are listening!
12 Joe Lehman // Apr 3, 2010 at 5:00 am
Tom makes some good points as usual. But the real benefits of virtual education will be found outside the conventional public school system, not within it. Email is powerful not because we brought it inside the post office, but because it is completely outside the post office. It’s an alternative to the post office. It transcends the post office.
A final point: Tom cites the figure $13 billion as the annual cost of Michigan public education. It’s actually $19 billion when you include all funding sources, including local. (Source: the Mackinac Center’s Michigan School Money Primer.)
Joe Lehman
13 Craig Douglas // Apr 3, 2010 at 5:09 am
Tom Watkins has hit it out of the park with this essay. The cause-and-effect of the situation we are in may be simply boiled down to this:
There is a lack of leadership.
The best evidence of this is that, currently, the legislature is on “spring break.”
Keep writing, Tom. We need the “push” for change to come from all angles. My personal wish would be for “short run” stability to exist, while a long term strategy is developed. It should not be THAT hard; it starts with a collective will to set the goal and to work towards it.
And postpone “breaks” when need be.
14 Ben Starling // Apr 3, 2010 at 6:13 am
Once again, your insights are right on target.
15 cindy fadel // Apr 3, 2010 at 6:28 am
You are so right about change. I hope that those who have clung tightly to the status quo, viewing change as threatening, will wake up and realize that the danger and threat is in NOT changing.
I particularly like the comments about education. It is very critical that education is not just changed, but transformed to a model suitable to prepare children to live and work in in today’s global society. Education can no longer happen only within the walls of the schoolhouse, it must take place ” in the community ” locally and globally.
Virtual learning is proving to open a door to a new day in education.
16 Shanghai-EXPOsed on Dome Magazine : SHANGHAI-EXPOSED.COM // Apr 3, 2010 at 6:34 am
[...] Tom Watkins, long time friend and former superintendent of Michigan schools cited Dan and Shanghai EXPOsed in his article in Dome Magazine: http://domemagazine.com/tomwatkins/tw040110 [...]
17 Jack Levine // Apr 3, 2010 at 7:18 am
Tom Watkins makes a convincing case based upon his extensive experience as both a business leader and education reformer. I would add one more essential dimension to his insightful perspective….the value of investments in high quality early education to ensure that our children are fully prepared for kindergarten. Every indicator of educational success point to the importance of the early years in setting the foundation of a lifetime of achievement. Why pay for failure when we know how to invest in success?
18 sally van clete // Apr 3, 2010 at 7:36 am
tom watkins– soothsayer for a sick state
19 annette ward // Apr 3, 2010 at 7:40 am
IT is obvious Tom Watkins is a soothsayer for michigan.. keep up great work
20 jack iwema // Apr 3, 2010 at 7:48 am
Tom, another great article on moving forward in the 21st century. Michigan was the center of economic activity for many years in the past but our world is changing so rapidly and Michigan is staying quite still. Some changes are improving things but we need more warp speed on the augentation. Great ideas on how to move forward. Still, we have a situation whereby the education institutions are resisting the vision of a new way. The whole model is broken. 35 kids in a room listening to a teacher? In this day and age ? What about a student going at his/her own pace on the computer and the teacher being the facilitator? Bold action is needed and we have no time to spare. Keep writing!
21 Patrik // Apr 3, 2010 at 11:27 am
Some great initiatives are talked out in this article, these are real solid paths for moving forward using e-learning in a cost effective way in Michigan.
22 KP CHEN // Apr 3, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Tough topics and tough waters indeed.
But, I remember:
2010 World Economic Forum 3Rs: RETHINK, REDESIGN, REBUILD
(THE CREATIVE IMPERATIVE)
- Klaus Schwab -
“DAVOS – We are entering a new era, not just for business but for the whole world. It is one in which this ”creative imperative” will come to dominate our lives, at home, at work, and at leisure, and in which the assumptions, tools, and frameworks which leaders from business, government and civil society have employed to make decisions over the past decade are no longer valid.”
And yet, the progression we desire to have changed, still makes sense, still has common sense.
A better progressive (evolution) order or framework, perhaps, should be as follows:
Finance serves Economy
Economy serves Politics
Politics serves Religion
Religion serves Humanity
Education somewhat endogenuously connects the dots.
We should strive to have both the macro and the micro right.
23 KP CHEN // Apr 3, 2010 at 9:52 pm
2010 is a call to action, “Improve the State of the World”:
Rethink,
Redesign and
Rebuild”.
Per WEF 2010: Dovos
We could begin, based on what we are today and what we have already had.
24 Dan Redford // Apr 4, 2010 at 6:38 am
On point Tom. I’ve learned in my time in China that the “developing world” is growing and adapting…while we are remaining stagnant. While GDP growth rates themselves don’t indicate vibrant economies, the fact that the Chinese and other countries are coupling this growth with institutional change and investment in INDIVIDUALS means that they are beating us at our own game. We must invest in our children by instilling in them the importance of international education and belonging to multiple communities in multiple places. Though during the Cold War we tore down physical walls, our fight is now internal…it begins with us trying to tear down new walls, walls in our own minds keeping us from innovating.
Thanks for the shout out Tom! Again, go ahead and check out the Shanghai World Expo from my website, http://www.shanghai-exposed.com
25 clark durant // Apr 4, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Tom is right on target. We need new educational models……and a new framework that allows them rapidly to develop. Cyber schools are only the beginning…we need “just in time” learning and more early opportunites to “finish school” (learning is never over until the coffin) and become value added people in the marketplace. The current top down structures hinder the development of both human and financial capital. Right on Tom.
clark durant
cornerstone schools
26 Linda Herald // Apr 4, 2010 at 8:38 pm
We accept the fact that so much has changed in every other aspect of our lives, even if we have only lived 50 years or so. Certainly, our system of education must evolve and be able to prepare children for the challenges of living as adult members of society. With things changing as quickly as they do, it may be hard to define the specific innovations that are needed but it is a given that changes must come. It will be exciting to see what is brought about when great minds start to think alike!
27 TIP Lady // Apr 5, 2010 at 5:04 am
Tom is on the mark as usual,
Almost 20 years ago I recommended a restructuring of the Senior Year. I advocated that all students be required a year of internship or community service, paid if they can find one. Then, having been exposed to the “real world”. I think that their final year of high school would prove to be much more productive. The TIP Lady
28 Mike Reno // Apr 5, 2010 at 5:52 am
Great points, Tom.
Let me add a corollary:
“Change” does not equal “Tweak”.
Too many education officials like to take what we have and attempt to make adjustments and tweaks.
It’s time to get rid of the duct tape.
29 Rocco // Apr 5, 2010 at 5:58 am
Great Job Tom, very insightful and direct. I can only hope the message is received by our administrators and educators and the wheels of change begin to move.
30 William L. Coale, Ph.D. // Apr 5, 2010 at 6:54 am
Michigan’s former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins has yet again made some excellent points. As a former K-12 public school district technology director and superintendent in Michigan, I concur with the need to look seriously at leveraging technology. The role of the classroom teacher needs to continue to be honored, but an excellent 21st century education system will likely alter the traditional role of teachers in classrooms today. Think of it…with appropriate infrastructure, schools have the potential to have the finest teachers in the world deliver instruction to EVERY student in the state of Michigan via distance learning, if we could work together to make this bold leap together. I again challenge the Governor to convene a task force to expediently address the instructional, financial, policy, and political issues of such radical change. Gaining Reach to the Top funding is a short term carrot, but the real incentive should be the critical long-term goal of making Michigan’s educational system the best in the nation. Michigan is running out of chances. I’m here to do what I can to help.
31 Aaron // Apr 5, 2010 at 7:29 am
Once again Tom’s sincere interest in cutting through the chaff and doing what is obviously right comes out. The message hear is why is it so hard to do what is right for the sake of right? I believe few would discredit his dream/goal for the good of all, why then is it so slow. While it is easy to point a finger at politics and politicians, I would contend it is more substative than that. We are now beginning to “reap” what we have sowed in too many passed years of education. Mediocrity, lowering of standards, by-passing the three R’s, taking respect for athority and consequences out of the educational process brought us to this point. There is much talk about the need for leadership, innovation and creativity, then we “teach” the opposite. Since the beginnings of human social structure, the rich are a very small portion of the public at large and can never meet all the requirements of all the others. So too are the highly intelligent, those who have the capacity to create and contribute much more to society. Why don’t we exploit that resource? Why do we distribute our resources in complete reverse order of the best return on investment?
There are so many successful business examples, teachers are the critical link and good ones are worth as much as good business managers. Those that clutch their tenure and MEA protection are not!
These are the road-blocks to accomplishing the obvious; where is the leadership to do what is necessary?
Here’s just one idea (borrowed from professional sports) to make very significant improvements very soon with no cost to the taxpayers. Why not let the sucessful companies: MicroSoft, Intel, Caterpillar, we could go on and on offer their own training programs, for their needs, at the senior high level. What kind of students would they attract? What quality level of education might they receive and how much competition to learn and perform might it create, if it were only available to a very low percentage of students? Business and government together could fix the problem so much faster than seperately fighting each other. Said another way, guarantee some specfic pay back for their tax dollars and it would set-aside so much.
32 Gary Marcicano // Apr 5, 2010 at 8:47 am
Again, Right On Tom! Education is certainly the focus and innovation on all levels from education to industry is necessary to rebuild Michigan.
And Democratic “experiment” has never been more relevant as it is today!
I hope someone someday listens and realizes these needs, the sooner the better!
33 Larry Brown // Apr 5, 2010 at 9:37 am
Tom’s discussion is occurring in every State Legislature around the Country. The States that figure it out first are going to secure a major victory for all of their citizens.
34 Cliff Worthy // Apr 5, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Someone crudely extolled the virtues of change by proclaiming ” if you keep doing the same things you’ve always done, you’ll get the same things you’ve always got ” Tom, what a power packed blueprint for change. Right on.
35 Bill Cecil // Apr 5, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I have been re-reading one of my favorite books on leadership called “The Leadership Challenge” by Kouzes/Posner. In the book they write about “Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership” which include Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. Michigan Education misses Mr. Watkins’ leadership and we need to give some serious thought to his ideas in this article — and many others he has written. Tom Watkins is a creative problem solver that thinks out of the box — which is where many of the solutions to improving our schools will most likely be found! If they were already “in the box” we would have found them by now — don’t you think?!! I hope Mr. Watkins will continue to share his bold, innovative ideas and will find a way to lead us into a brighter future!
36 SL // Apr 6, 2010 at 10:48 am
Michigan needs to find a way to remain competitive in this ever changing global economy. Michigan’s leaders and educators need to look at what is in the best interest of our children and take bold action to make the changes necessary to lead us into the future. Tom Watkins provides a solution that can make this happen.
37 Dave Lawrence/Miami // Apr 6, 2010 at 11:02 am
Tom Watkins is a master of wisdom and common sense — and what is possible in Michigan and Florida and anywhere. This column is a good example of that.
38 L. Brooks Patterson // Apr 6, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Tom Watkins has done a very good job of outlining the issues and the potential solutions to our public school problems. These problems consist of both financial and academic hurdles. Virtual learning is an example of shifting the paradigm in the right direction but these types of efforts must be coupled with true leadership especially in regard to managing the cost of education. The consolidation of K-12 Districts will play a prominent role in keeping the costs managed within the reduced revenue stream brought on by this tough economy. Districts are sharing services but the overhead of education is still an issue. The proper amount of dollars must go to the classroom where it will do the most good.
Tom mentions leadership while also stressing that local innovation will play an important role. He also states that the “Race to the Top” efforts are moving forward but, in my opinion, the State of Michigan will meet a similar fate as they did in round one unless they obtain support from the Michigan Education Association in a more proactive manner. The MEA must understand that the future of Michigan’s schools depends on new and innovative thinking from everyone involved and that includes the MEA. Stating the fact that business as usual will not solve the problem is just the beginning. Actually changing business as usual must happen if we are to be successful. Success being measured by improving our K-12 education system while managing the cost of providing the service. The MEA must play this partnership role or they will be doing a disservice to the young people of this State as well as the teachers they represent.
We should thank Tom for providing this insightful column on what needs to be done for education here in Michigan. It is definitely a good start!
39 Jerry // Apr 6, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Great recommendations. Kids do so much learning on the computer anyways. Even in college lectures you can see kids with laptops going on Wikipedia or checking the news instead of paying attention to the professor. Colleges often offer online courses during the summer.
I would also say that there needs to be added instruction in writing and public speaking. So many students come to an Ivy League school like mine and still cannot write an essay well. My university even has special classes designed to train one in public speaking and writing a paper. These transferable skills should be taught in K-12 grades and not be crammed in a college education. College should be when you apply your skills and explore ways of thinking, career paths, and values.
I love the recommendation of kids spending senior year outside the school doing things like community service or independent projects. My high school emphasized that, and the experiences gained lasts a lifetime. Even if the experiences were not worthwhile, they at least it helped the college application.
One of the things I wish public schools taught was finance and economics. In my opinion, these skills are essential for all Americans because it guarantees that we know (or have some idea of) what we are doing in a capitalist country that is connected more and more with a liberalized world economy. If you make all of this more accessible through online learning, then it might promote a new generation of more informed people who won’t vote out of ignorance and invest based on heuristics.
There is also something fundamentally wrong in the English curriculum. How could we as middle schoolers or high schoolers understand all the nuances in the books we had to read. My greatest memory was reading books like The Giver in eighth grade. How could we really appreciate the message and the beauty of a book like that when all we’ve experienced is the comfort of our own homes and the pain of scraping a knee.
I’m glad Tom’s talking about education reform because the first step is to get people thinking. We Americans have recently had our attentions diverted away from key issues like education.
40 E. Kangas // Apr 6, 2010 at 7:13 pm
You mention that one reform we need is to “begin to tie teacher evaluations to student performance,” however, now that school districts are moving to inclusion as away to save money (and plus it has other benefits for the special ed. students), one low test score in that class can place the whole class at below performance level. So how is that fair? This reform is full of flaws and will deter people from going into teaching.
There has been a lot of emphasis on teacher salaries and benefits when discussing reforms. Teachers in Michigan used to be paid below poverty level and it was believed that one went into teaching when you couldn’t do anything else. Over time Michigan raised the bar on expectations and NCLB raised it even higher. Teachers are held accountable for teaching because under NCLB, if the students do not pass the mandated tests by a certain percentage you do not meet AYP – adequate yearly progress. This has serious consequences for a school district.
Some of the reforms coming out of Lansing are scary because they are not well thought out. The latest health care proposal for Michigan is incomplete and will cost Michigan taxpayers billions in the long run. It just creates a state-wide insurance agency- no different than the current ones! The other key difference is that the Governor will have total control of the board that runs the agency. No checks and balances are in place. Scary.
These scenarios surrounding education remind me of the automobile industry crisis.
The corporate greed of the auto industry cried to Washington D.C. that they needed to ship the production of automobiles overseas so that they could increase their profits. They whined that the unions were creating a huge financial burden by insisting that their workers have scaled wages and benefits comparable to the higher level managements. When your CEO is getting million dollar bonuses, how can you disagree with the union stance? As the union came under repeated attacks, more jobs were moved outside of the U.S. Job loss and reduction of hours became common. When you have major lay-offs and reduction in pay/hours, the economy slows down. The auto industry shot themselves in the foot. Their workers were their number one customer and they made it impossible for them to be able to afford a new car purchase.
We are doing the same thing with EDUCATION. There is a movement in Michigan to privatize education by increasing charter schools.
Right or wrong, it should be recognized for what it is.
41 Kimberly Mitchell/West Palm Beach, FL // Apr 6, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I sure wish some of the bloggers here would post opinions in some Florida newspapers. Our legislature is moving in some innovative ways (not as enlightened as Mr. Watkins has outlined, but another move in the right direction), but the ranker coming from the teacher’s unions is almost frightening.
Good for you, Tom Watkins, for continuing to voice reasoned, sound policy for educating our nation’s boys and girls. They call my state the Sunshine State. But if you checked out our still-antiquated system of education you’d swear we live under a rock in the dark.
Rock on, Michigan!
42 Guofang Xiong // Apr 7, 2010 at 5:22 am
Good idea, agree with you! Change is necessary. Good for you,Tom!
43 Judy Putnam // Apr 7, 2010 at 7:54 am
Having just returned from a vacation in Italy, my husband and I were struck by the influence of American culture — TV shows, products and music. Change is needed but we need to maintain and nuture that creative edge.
44 E. Kangas // Apr 7, 2010 at 8:02 am
Michigan does need change and Tom articulates it rather eloquently.
Michigan needs real reform and it must start in Lansing! Lansing cannot reform other agencies within, like education, until it begins reform at home, in Lansing.
Two states, Texas and Arizona, have a part-time legislature and better economies than we have. Government is simplified! We have a monster machine in Lansing and the gears of change are clogged with all the red tape, special interests, lobbyist and personal agendas!
Look at how city governments are run. It really is quite simple. You have your council that meets bi-weekly to vote on budget issues and ordinances. The same formula can be applied at the state level.
We do not need the excessive money spent on running the office of every elected official. Our economy can no longer support it! We have to think outside the box. And there is data to support that this reform can work! This is a reform that can begin to heal Michigan!
45 Dr. Linda Dale Bloomberg. Columbia University, NYC // Apr 7, 2010 at 12:22 pm
Once again Tom Watkins opens our eyes to issues and challenges that impact us all. As he says, holding onto the past and protecting the status quo will not serve to enable progress and improvement in the institution that matters most to all of us — education. To ensure a viable and thriving future for our children and grandchildren innovation and strong leadership are called for. Education reform is what we need to begin rebuilding our future !
46 patricia watkins // Apr 7, 2010 at 3:14 pm
School reform may be akin to GM turning their ship around — it takes time, smart leadership and money — all in short supply in Michigan these days.
As GM continues posting losses — $4.3B since emerging from bankruptcy last summer – then the state of Michigan, so heavily dependent on the auto business, will continue to suffer. People need jobs and health care first.
Education may be down further down on the list, but must not be forgotten: keep the faith, Michigan: education shall someday gain in importance as Michigan once again becomes a bellweather state post-recession and in the immortal words of Scarlett O’Hara: “Tomorrow is another day”.
47 David Sun // Apr 7, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Thanks for once again pushing the state leadership in the right direction. Change and reform have been talked about– but little action from ANY state “leader.”
Michigan is quickly becoming a joke. Let’s hope that change is on the horizon– and it also equals progress!
48 Eric Summers // Apr 8, 2010 at 2:21 am
When are we going to start putting the needs of our kids ahead of the needs of the system and adults? That is the real question. Until we stop protecting the \system\ we will never make progress. Thanks for providing some thoughtful insights and suggestions on the direction education reform should be taking in Michigan–and the US.
49 Dan Fortune // Apr 8, 2010 at 5:45 am
Wow!
Lots of good ideas in this article?
However, what do teachers and the union that represent them think?
It has been reported that the MEA killed Michigan’s chances of getting this federal “Race to the Top” money because they opposed necessary reforms.
As Eric says above, until we start placing the needs of our kids and 21st century learning above all else– Michigan will be racing to the bottom!
50 Jeff Perlman // Apr 8, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Another outstanding column by Tom Watkins. Once again, it comes down to leadership and political will. We cannot have meaningful change until we are willing to challenge the constructs that got us into this mess in the first place.
I ran out and read the book “Switch” when I saw another post by Mr. Watkins recommending it. A good companion to “Switch” is a new book called “Denial” by Harvard professor Richard Tedlow. Denial is what prevents change and the kind of transformation called for in “Switch.”
America is in Denial. Our issues need to be confronted or we will be reading similar columns and making similar laments from an even deeper hole in the years to come.
51 Lyn Schaffer // Apr 8, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I wish the changed talked about here was easy– but it is hard. Too many in Michigan are waiting for the good times to come back– and guess what: they are not coming back.
The individual states and nations that realize that the world has changed and begin to stop reacting and lead change are the ones that will prosper as the world turns.
Watkins continues to do a service by particularly his writings on globalization/China, change and education reform.
Now, will those in power listen and act? Given past performance in this regard– i doubt it!
52 Joe Nathan // Apr 8, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Well done – important insights not bound by tradition, informed from research and openness to new possibilities.
53 sherry Xu // Apr 9, 2010 at 9:41 am
very down-to-earth article.
Tom did a lot of research in US and China education, businese, mostly is about make them productively not just in business, but education also.
For US education, you used to have alot to spend on all different areas, but now, we have to spend funding smartly. That means students graduations and college erollements are first thing.
When US people relize that they really need to put time and study hard in math, sicence, foreign languages, respect to education, then, the society will see differences.
54 deb // Apr 9, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Courage to take on the special interest that control our schools — that is what is needed!
Hooray for having the courage to say what is needed— change MUST come to our schools– or we are doomed!
Also, appreciate all the thoughtful comments– could become a seperate essay
55 Art // Apr 9, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Michigan has a chance for a “do over” when it comes to applying for the federal Race To
The Top” education reform money.
Not how most of these so called reforms that have been lanquishing in the Gov office and Leg for a decade suddenly got passed when there was $4oo million dangled in front of them….?
There is a name for people who do “favors” for money!
Now, we will see just who the Gov and Leg stand up for— the kids and our future as a state — or the unions that fund their campaigns?!
On the last leg go around– the unions and status quo won– and once again our kids and states future were the losers.
Time will tell– but, if history is a indicator– the kids will end up on the short end once again in this leg session.
56 Marilyn // Apr 9, 2010 at 5:05 pm
I note at the end of the authors col there is an editoral note that he wrote a report back in 2005 with my tax dollars on ways to reform education — that have yet to be acted on by the Gov, State Bd of Education and the Legislature— WHY have they not taken action?
The ideas in this article are as profound as they are common sense—yet, nothing happens– why?
Why are my tax dollars going to waste to help develop creative, innovative ideas that end up not being acted upon? Such a waste– and you wonder why people for groups like the “Tea Party?”
57 Fred Asbell // Apr 11, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Its frustrating that so few understand what Tom obviously does – that “Innovate, create, change…or die” defines the only workable approach to our being able to compete with the world. Our “head in the sand” way of dealing with preparing our country for the future is a recipe for a disaster. Our education system must be brought up to date so it can keep us competitive.
58 Jon Todd // Apr 12, 2010 at 7:06 am
Another good article Tom, Michigan needs to look towards the future and educating our children is necessary to turning our state around and to give the next generation a chance to be successful.
59 Miki Marcks // Apr 12, 2010 at 7:07 am
Seems everyone “outside” the education system sees the need for our public schools to change, become more creative and innovate– while those within the system seem to think JUST more money would solve ALL the problems.
I find it interesting to note that schools are being forced to change to address the budget short falls. This is not unusal as most people will take the easy way out and do what they have always done until they are FORCED to look at new alternatives.
I would suggest if the Gov and Leg truly want to faciliate change and innovation in our schools— they would be doing everyone a favor by continuing to cut school funding. Note that change ONLY beging to happen when schools were forced to look at their world in new ways.
Survival has a way of focrcing creativity.
So, keep cutting and our schools will be forced to innovate!
60 Jamey Fitzpatrick // Apr 13, 2010 at 5:42 am
Tom,
Thank you for “pushing the envelope” once again. Your comments help to keep us all focused on the need to innovate in public education. We all have a vested interest in making sure our students and educators are successful as we continue to face today’s global economic challenges.
61 Ray Mort // Apr 16, 2010 at 7:18 am
As a college professor who teaches both physical and virtual classes, I’ve been fortunate to have experienced a taste of the future Tom passionately expresses.
Several years ago, I found myself physically teaching a semester at a university in Guilin, China while simultaneously continuing to teach online at my home institution in Michigan and part-time online classes at an institution in Florida. In addition, some of my “Michigan” students were out of my local area including students from “up North,” one in Texas, and several soldiers deployed in Iraq. Ironically, a student from one of my state-side classes had to transfer to one of my online classes because she too was going to teach at a school in Shanghai.
The epitome of geographic dislocation occurred when, during a brief interlude from my Chinese classes, I visited nearby Viet Nam. So from Hanoi, a place not so friendly to me 40 years ago as a member of the USAF, I taught students in two provinces in China, three different states in the U.S., four different counties in Michigan, and Baghdad to boot. Mixing this diverse cohort of students into one online class to work on common projects and then watched in amazement as they tentatively explored each other’s cultural differences to achieve educational goals. It became the highlight of my career so far and the most enriching educational experience I’ve ever been able to deliver to students. I still receive emails of appreciation from students about that class.
In 1440 Gutenberg invented the printing press which was, as Wikipedia notes: “the most influential event in the second millennium AD, revolutionizing the way people conceive and describe the world they live in, and usher[ed] in the period of modernity. In 1620, “Francis Bacon [wrote] that typographical printing has ‘changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world’”. The same words can be used to describe the effects of the computing/internet revolution since 1980 as we enter the early years of the third millennium. America has always, always, been able to think itself out of seemingly insoluble problems through innovation and application, the roots of which are deeply embedded in education. It is crucial that we harness the power of this new “printing press” to better education, to better ourselves, to better America.
Tom analogized about casting off anchors and setting sail. As a sailor myself, I can relate to it well. To extend his analogy, I’d say it’s more like Columbus or Magellan, setting sail, with charts that extended only so far before turning blank, and filled with all the imagined horrors of unknown creatures lurking in the depths. Many times their crews wished to turn back, to more familiar territory, but the steel-eyed navigators stayed the course. We need navigators like Tom, to keep the boat in motion as we sail into this “brave new world.”
62 Robert Sommers // Apr 17, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Tom is right on target with the challenges and opportunities we face. His recommendations would move us closer to making student success our educational goal, not caring for the adults in the educational institutions. Until we judge everything and everyone in the education business against the impact they have on student success, we will fall short of Tom’s vision. If Michigan is to pull out of its financial and social challenges, every child must succeed…not just in school, but in life.
We can empathize with a teacher with challenging students, but we can’t accept students’ backgrounds as an excuse for failure. To do so leaves us without hope. Tom points out that alternative approaches to education must constantly be sought until all students succeed.
Sadly, Tom and others have the research and the success to prove there are better ways to educate young people, yet we continue to let educational malpractice be the norm.
Thanks Tom for pushing us all to be better.
63 Ernando Minghine(Ernie) // Apr 29, 2010 at 1:08 pm
IT is very clear that former State Superintendent Tom Watkins continues to hit the target in the bullseye and focus on what is the new reality …all of us ,especially those who serve our children ,need to think in global / e-learning terms.Thanks Tom for being our champion!
Leave a Comment:
Be sure to put in the security words and hit SUBMIT