alpine school district and education reform

Alpine School District and Education Reform

Framing the issue in a constructive way

Daniel Zappala

This is a response to talk given by Oak Norton called Total Transformation – A Roadmap to Local Control of Education http://www.agencybasededucation.org/total-transformation-roadmap-local-control-education/

How Reform is Being Framed

Oak Norton, Total Transformation – A Roadmap to Local Control of Education, http://www.agencybasededucation.org/total-transformation-roadmap-local-control-education/

This framing aligns the proponent of reform with “good” ideas and those who oppose him with “evil” ideas such as communism, socialism, fascism, and anarchy.

This framing inaccurately aligns current education practices and current reform with 100% government control.

Framing the Issue Constructively

Federal HomeState District School

There is a spectrum of control across different institutions and types of schools.


Federal Schooling

A school system run by the federal government, like the healthcare system in Great Britain. All teachers federally employed, all schools using the same books, tests, course materials, lecture slides, schedule, etc.


Unregulated Home Schooling

Pure home schooling with no regulation by the state.

Neither of these exists in practice in the United States.


Home Schooling

Parents have a great deal of control over the education of their children. There is some state regulation of home schools in a variety of areas.


Private Schools

The primary control with a private school lies with the ownership. Parents retain control over teaching in their home and have some leverage with the private school because they can threaten to withdraw. Private schools have some state and federal regulation.


Public Charter Schools

The primary control with charter schools is the school’s board. Parents retain control over teaching in their home and have some leverage with the charter school because they can serve on or appeal to the school’s board. They have a greater level of state and federal regulation than private schools.


Public School System

The primary control is with the local school, with other control exercised at the district, state, and federal levels. Parents retain control over teaching in their home and have input and representation on school, district, state, and federal levels.

Actual amounts of control not drawn to scale. The main point is that our current school systems exist on a spectrum.

Parents may choose the model that works for them.

This framework avoids casting one point of view as good and the other as evil. Instead it focuses on the issue at hand: how much control different entities exercise.

Oak Norton’s Proposal

Oak Norton’s Proposal

The primary control with is the school’s board. Parents retain control over teaching in their home and have some leverage with the charter school because they can serve on or appeal to the school’s board. They have less parental control than charter schools because the board is elected by all residents within a school’s boundaries rather than an election among the school’s parents.



Public Charter Schools


Oak Norton’s Proposal for Public Schools


Public School System

Oak Norton’s framingcurrent public school system, current reformers = 100% government control = socialism/fascismvsOak’s proposal = agency-based, free will, parent and family oriented = capitalism, free market, republic, limited government

and, unregulated home school = anarchy

A constructive framingcurrent public school system = control divided primarily among district, local school, and parentsvsOak’s proposal = shift most control to local school and parents through a board elected by residents

essentially, convert all schools to charter schools with some reforms

Why Is Framing Important?

The difference between Oak Norton’s proposal and our current school system is not equivalent to the difference between capitalism and socialism.

Properly framing the issue shows this is a discussion of different balances of control along a spectrum of possibilities.

Parents often give up some control by necessity or by choice. This may be because they do not have the time or skill to instruct their children in the home on every topic. This may be because they choose to trust professionals who have been trained in education to provide strong academic preparation for their children.

We should respect different choices parents make, including the choice to affiliate with a district-based public school system.

To make public schooling work, parents must cooperate with each other and reach compromise. Framing the issue properly will hopefully lead to more productive conversations among parents, teachers and administrators.

alpine school district and education reform

Education

local school

government control

spectrum of control

control overteaching

great deal of control

actual amounts of control

schools board

greater level of state