Tuesday, September 18, 2007

American Schools: Slow to Change

In their article "Institutionalization and Renewal in a Restructured Secondary School", Anderson and Stiegelbauer propose that many educational reforms and innovations fall to the wayside because they never become part of a teacher's regular classroom routine and/or typical teaching methods (Anderson & Stiegelbauer, 1994). I think that this idea also has merit when considering the slow rate of change in the American educational system.
A new idea, method, or policy will never really produce great changes unless it is utilized on a regular basis. With this in mind, teachers are the people that have the power to decide which of the new ideas, methods, and policies they actually use in their rooms. Convincing educators to regularly use these innovations is one of the great challenges to creating positive changes in the educational system.
On the bright side, I do believe that most teachers are open to new ideas and change. Unfortunately, there always seems to be a new reform, program, or theory about learning that educators are being urged to adopt. It's difficult (and often frustrating) to constantly be required to change what you are doing, especially if your methods are producing positive results. I think that a lot of teachers resist changes because they are so used to new ones popping up a short time later. So instead, a lot of teachers rely on what is comfortable and successful for them and their students. Because they never regularly use a new idea or program, it doesn't get adopted into their teaching style or room and that change never really catches on.
It's interesting to think about the factors that impact change in our educational system. More interesting to me are the ways to actually effect broad and lasting changes in the system. But when I try to think of some solutions, I really can't come up with much. It's a complicated issue that is really hard to solve.
Anderson, S. & Stiegelbauer, S. (1994). Institutionalization and renewal in a restructured secondary school. School Organization, 14(3), 279-293.

2 comments:

scooter5631 said...

I think you make a good point about the cyclical nature of education. The constant debate about what makes a good teacher often results in short-lived trends and fads. Many teachers I work with will respond to new programs and innovations with the notion, "How long will this last?" They are reluctant to adopt new policies because they fear that they will pass in time or with a change in administration.

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