The wonderful ideas, tools, and events that are readily advertised and shared via social media empower our minds about what's possible in education, but then when I speak to teachers in schools with little staffing and less resources, I worry.
It's relatively easy to research, share ideas, and envision terrific education, but it's almost impossible to make those ideas come true without positive education environments, staffing, resources, and time.
As I think about the success of public schools, I recognize that funders, government, leaders, and community members need to consider the thinkers and researchers, but they need to pay more attention to the doers with these questions leading their analysis:
- Do the teachers/students in the field have adequate or better healthy, clean facilities?
- Do the teacher/students in the field have adequate or better resources?
- Do the teachers/students in the field have the support they need for top notch learning/teaching?
- Do the teachers/students in the field have the time they need to access and employ new research, resources, and ideas?
I fear there are many circles of educational research and thought that circle above and around schools, but do not touch down to truly impact the daily work that needs to happen in schools.
There needs to be the right balance of research and think with action and effect. As you look to support and empower schools, educators, and students in your community, this is an issue that you need to be aware of, and one for which you need to advocate for with regard to the right balance in order to forward the success possible.
