Direct Action To Influence the Culture of Public Education

The domain of culture in public education can only be influenced through direct action.  There are three key ways to focus action in this domain:  guiding ideas, new organizational arrangements, and new methods and tools.

Guiding Ideas- West Virginians for Educational Reform (WVER) believe that schools do not have a performance problem, but rather a design problem, that requires new and different types of schools and schooling.  Any efforts along these lines should have as their number one objective the motivation of the student and teacher.  

New Organizational Arrangements- are necessary in these new schools:

Staffing:  Deciding on staffing patterns which best meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students

• Budget:  A school has total discretion to spend in the manner that provides the best programs and services to students and their families. 
• Curriculum and Assessment:  Schools have the freedom to structure their curriculum and assessment practices to best meet students’ learning needs. 
• Governance and Policies:  Schools should have the freedom to create their own governance structure that has increased decision making powers over budget approval, principal selection and firing, and programs and policies.
• School Calendar:  Schools should have the freedom to organize the school schedule in ways that maximize learning time for students and planning time for faculty.

New Methods and Tools- are required to allow these types of schools to be created.  Innovation Zone Schools and WVER’s proposed Innovation Zone II and Public Charter Schools legislation can be first steps.  We hope that you will join us for the journey in 2010.

Happy Holidays,

 West Virginians for Education Reform