Problems:
Too many policies, goals, bad news, and announcements are “managed,” the message goes through “branding and handling” and the public has to decipher the jargon. These are the techniques used in large corporations and politics, but they shouldn’t dominate education. It is hard enough to read between the lines in government documents, we shouldn’t have to decipher reports from the board office or guess at what is meant by "21st Century Learning." This buzzphrase in particular has come mean everything from privatization of education, to replacing teachers with commercial distance education services, to project-based learning, to increasing computer skills. Educators must explain what they mean, and not just repeat the phrase.
Schools should be about mistakes and successes, experimentation, and ongoing development. If things aren’t going well (like finances, a program that isn’t working, a school that is empty, or a policy that is counterproductive), we (the board office, trustees, schools, teachers) need to be brave enough to confront the problem head-on and not spin the news to make it look positive. One example is the FAQs that parents received during the 2010 closure process. It seemed that easy, obvious questions were answered in a calming manner, and the tough questions were left off the list. We need to change the culture at the board office so that all partners in education are encouraged to speak plainly and openly about problems and plans. When jargon or buzzwords are used to suggest that something has changed, it can take away from the real effort staff and students put in to make a difference. The school district has entertained so many philosophies as the right way to “go forward” but does not always stop to ask if they are compatible. Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Assessment for Learning (AFL), 21st Century Learning (21C), and Personalized Learning are only a few of the concepts that are in use. Each one may have something positive to offer, but it is too easy to simply repeat the words even if the ideas themselves are not well understood or used in schools. Public education, of all places, should set the bar higher for language and communication.
Schools should be about mistakes and successes, experimentation, and ongoing development. If things aren’t going well (like finances, a program that isn’t working, a school that is empty, or a policy that is counterproductive), we (the board office, trustees, schools, teachers) need to be brave enough to confront the problem head-on and not spin the news to make it look positive. One example is the FAQs that parents received during the 2010 closure process. It seemed that easy, obvious questions were answered in a calming manner, and the tough questions were left off the list. We need to change the culture at the board office so that all partners in education are encouraged to speak plainly and openly about problems and plans. When jargon or buzzwords are used to suggest that something has changed, it can take away from the real effort staff and students put in to make a difference. The school district has entertained so many philosophies as the right way to “go forward” but does not always stop to ask if they are compatible. Professional Learning Communities (PLC), Assessment for Learning (AFL), 21st Century Learning (21C), and Personalized Learning are only a few of the concepts that are in use. Each one may have something positive to offer, but it is too easy to simply repeat the words even if the ideas themselves are not well understood or used in schools. Public education, of all places, should set the bar higher for language and communication.
Solutions:
Co-opt the support of critics and supporters alike in reviewing school district publications. Look for jargon, cliches, innuendo, and “weasel-words” (like they do on Wikipedia) and try to replace them with real data, qualitative data, or genuine language. Enlist the support of the district’s best writers and analysts to critique and edit reports and polish up documents.
Look for ways to use the school district website and other forms of communication to provide interaction with the public and employees. In 2010 the Kamloops School District used their website to post ongoing feedback on their reconfiguration (cutbacks) report, a searchable, organized collection of public input. The result was that the trustees and district staff were able to see where changes to the plan were needed and they could readjust (with wide-spread satisfaction) before heading into a “do or die” meeting. It is important to note that this was not done to please the crowds, it achieved the same financial goals while providing a more convincing case that student learning was protected.
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