In Minnesota our current P-12 education system serves some students very well while missing many others. This model worked in the 20th century, but it misses the mark by a long shot in the 21st century when education for all is crucial. In a Federal Reserve report, Rob Grunewald and Anusha Nath stated that Minnesota has some of the largest achievement gaps by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status in the nation. Yet we continue to use the same schooling model that fails to provide sufficient outcomes.
How to move to a 21st-century model
In January the Legislature needs to examine the outdated 20th century system based on seat time, periods, classes, credits, grades, days per year, common standards for every student, outdated assessment models and more. Policymakers should move from trying to enforce the same for all and empower local boards toward a personalized competency-based system for each student with an accountability system that evaluates with meaning and purpose.
Tinkering won’t cut it
Crises spawn rapid innovation, invention and change. The global pandemic happening in real time is showing that our schools are capable of rapid change — yet the system itself remains constant. We need to stop pursuing small incremental improvement and focus on creating deep meaningful change to better prepare all students for the 21st century. The gaps in achievement are real and will not be addressed by tinkering. We’ve been doing that forever.
With bureaucracies like education, change only occurs when the opportunity and motivation to change is permitted and paired with those willing to do so. We must remove the old input-based model and transition to a competency model personalized for each student. The Legislature must be willing to permit redesign and empower local boards to do so; more important, local boards must then grab this opportunity.
Supports have been undervalued
The pandemic has demonstrated that some of the essential benefits of our system are personalized relationships, mental health supports and social-emotional connections. We have undervalued the worth of these supports and what they provide to students and families. Students deserve active engagement in an education providing value to their future and our economy.
What if:
- we engaged students with their world to address systemic racism, global warming, etc. Students would have a significant role while learning how to improve the community through their views;
- we developed a profile of a graduate that reflects a more holistic definition of success and personalized that? The economy is often driven by a diverse set of successful people who failed at education;
- our P-12 and postsecondary system created a sufficient value for our workforce? What are those values? Students could pursue workforce-ready skills that are in demand using the education financing currently provided;
- we didn’t count credits and give grades but instead evaluated outcomes? Students could demonstrate their learning in multiple ways while allowing them to pursue their passions and purpose.
Boards need autonomy and flexibility
It is time for the Legislature to remove barriers to educational innovation by conferring autonomy and flexibility to local boards. This will build trust in local decision-making to use current resources that personalizes each student’s direction. Local boards can then rethink their governance by empowering schools/communities to meet agreed-on student outcomes.
Will the Legislature enable that to happen?
Brian Erlandson is the superintendent of MN Transitions Charter School; Lucy Payne is board chair of the Mahtomedi District; Patrick Walsh is the superintendent of the Brooten-Belgrade-Elrosa District; Robert Wedl is a former Minnesota commissioner of education, in the administration of Gov. Arne Carlson.
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