Where Will You Put Your Energy?

November 12, 2009

By Rick DuFour

I received an email from a teacher opposed to engaging in the PLC process at her school. She took the position that the concept represents an experiment and that she should not have to participate in experiments. Her rational is, “How do we know that this process works better than the old ways?” She suggested that she be allowed to continue to work in isolation and that the school use her students as a control group for the experiment.

Here is my response:
I would not allow a teacher to opt out of the PLC process under the guise that his or her students are going to serve as a control group. There is already abundant research that says the “old ways” of teachers working in isolation, following their own pacing, assessing what and how they want, and intervening (or not) dependent on their personal preferences are not effective. There is abundant research that says working collaboratively, having teams establish and implement a guaranteed curriculum, creating common assessments, and developing a schoolwide plan for intervention is in the best interests of students and leads to better results. We don’t need to conduct experiments in each of the schools in each of the 15,000 school districts in the United States before we act on what has already been clearly established as best practice. So, unless this teacher could present some clear and compelling research to support the old ways (which she can’t), she must join her colleagues in acting in the best interest of her students.

I also ask her to reflect on the results of the “old way” of schooling last year in the United States.

1. For every 100 students who entered high school four years ago, 30 had dropped out before graduation. We rank 21st out of the 27 industrialized countries in terms of dropout rates. Those dropouts will earn 33 cents for every dollar a college graduate makes over their lifetime and 66 cents for every dollar a high school graduate will make. They will live a shorter life, they will be less employable in a volatile job market, and their children will have only a 1 in 17 chance of earning a college degree.

2. Of the 100 students who entered high school, 47 will enter college. One-third of them will need remedial courses. Thirty percent will not return to their college for the second year. We rank near the bottom of industrialized countries in terms of college dropout rates.

3. Throughout almost all of the second half of the 20th century, we ranked first in the world in terms of percentages of young adults (aged 25 to 34) with a college degree. By 1995 we had dropped to second. By 2008 we had dropped to 11th.

What the “old way” has done best is give us one of the highest dropout rates in the world, for both high school and college. Instead of this teacher wanting more evidence that the PLC process will be beneficial, she should provide some evidence to justify continuing with a process that has proven over time to be so ineffective.

My challenge to this teacher is this: I can show you the research in support of doing what you are being asked to do. In the absence of contradictory research and in the face of the evidence of the impact of the “old ways” on our students, how can a professional justify ignoring the evidence? It is time to put your energy into making our new process work rather than defending the status quo.

19 Responses to “Where Will You Put Your Energy?”

1. V. Hinchman says:

   April 18, 2010 at 3:02 pm

   I have found that there are two basic types of people in education (pretty much in any occupation) – those who welcome change and those who do not. That’s not to say that change is always for the good or that change is always needed. Change is scary and very difficult for some people. If you ask someone if they enjoy struggle and the unknown, I cannot imagine anyone saying, “Why yes, I love struggling and feeling uncomfortable at work.” But, in this case, change goes hand in hand with education. How can it not? Our world is changing daily – look simply in the area of technology. The advances in technology is unbelievable and students, teachers, parents, school systems better be on-board with technology in order to stay informed and current with employment opportunities and everyday interactions in the world. Well, initiating Professional Learning Communities in schools requires change. Change in HOW we interact with our colleagues and change in WHAT we share with our colleagues. I understand that it is uncomfortable to ask to change how you have taught for 33 years, but we must do what is needed for student learning, not what is best for us (the educator). In the long run, doing what is best for the students will come back around (I believe) and prove best for the educator as well. I have the opportunity, as an administrator, to go into classrooms and see what is happening. I see amazing lessons from the experienced teachers as well as the first year teachers. Sometimes I see things I just have to share. I would love for the teachers in my building to have the opportunity to discuss student assessments and these wonderful teaching strategies and see the correlation between the two. Remember the old saying “two heads are better than one” – well, you better believe it! I have just completed a class on PLC’s and I am hooked!! I see the value in working together as a team for the good of ALL students. Is it going to be easy? Nope! Is it going to require hard work on all of our parts? Absolutely!! And finally, who stands most to gain from the PLC endeavor? EVERYONE!!
   Thank you for all of the interesting comments – food for thought!!

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