I loved this post. It describes several schools that I have seen over the years. A school may have a great reputation, but there is weak learning beneath the surface. I remember this school in Long Island that I was asked to review and spent two days observing and talking to students and staff. The new superintendent had some reservations about the high school quality. The school had great test scores, but there was a lot of tedious routine work. The Principal was rarely seen outside of his office. He met with typical school leaders but never knew the bulk of the student body. Students and staff were compliant, but there was little energy and innovation. Everyone was going through the motions, and relationships among students, staff, and administration were weak. I wrote a critical report on the effectiveness of the school. The Principal was so irritated by the report that he sent it to staff and asked them to indicate if my observations were incorrect. He was shocked when the staff agreed with my observation. He had been in the school for 20 years but did not have a feel for the culture or an accurate measure of achievement. I will have to dig out and republish my stereotypes of high schools. Dick Jones rdjleader@gmail.com
I loved this post. It describes several schools that I have seen over the years. A school may have a great reputation, but there is weak learning beneath the surface. I remember this school in Long Island that I was asked to review and spent two days observing and talking to students and staff. The new superintendent had some reservations about the high school quality. The school had great test scores, but there was a lot of tedious routine work. The Principal was rarely seen outside of his office. He met with typical school leaders but never knew the bulk of the student body. Students and staff were compliant, but there was little energy and innovation. Everyone was going through the motions, and relationships among students, staff, and administration were weak. I wrote a critical report on the effectiveness of the school. The Principal was so irritated by the report that he sent it to staff and asked them to indicate if my observations were incorrect. He was shocked when the staff agreed with my observation. He had been in the school for 20 years but did not have a feel for the culture or an accurate measure of achievement. I will have to dig out and republish my stereotypes of high schools. Dick Jones rdjleader@gmail.com