AdvanceBlog

Fourth and Eight Grade students in Detroit Public schools achieved the worst scores ever measured by the National Assessment of Education Progress – the … Worst … Scores … EVER.

Can it get any worse?

I will not waste time blaming teachers, because too many capable ones are over worked in overcrowded classrooms – so, no I do not blame them.

I will not waste time blaming the past administration – the present shape of the district speaks more loudly about their actions than I ever could.

I won’t even blame the school board – I probably could but just like the administration the current state of the district speaks to their leadership.

What I hope to contribute with this blog is my two cents advocating visionary leadership for school districts.  Maybe no one else may agree, but I emphatically state that too often educational organizations are the most unimaginative, slow-to-change, reactive-instead-of-proactive organizations of all.  Or maybe that perception only holds merit in Detroit, but I doubt it.

For you see, many of the ingredients that can be found in this distasteful stew of deficiency– evaporating tax bases, diminishing per-pupil spending, crumbling infrastructure, and more have been brewing for years, even decades.  None of those detracting attributes occurred over night.  Did anyone see the writing on the wall?  Did anyone hold a finger to the wind?  Did anyone care to prepare for the future?

The ongoing vitality of any institution or organization relies its ability to be innovative and maintain current success while learning from shortcomings.  Just as General Motors has demonstrated, not all organizations realize they have fallen behind until it’s nearly too late.  Perhaps Robert Bobb will lead an educational revolution in Detroit much like Carlos Ghosn did at Nissan or even as Lee Iacocca did at Chrysler; it does appear that he is laying the foundation for such a revival.  As for Detroit Public Schools, if the NAEP test scores reveal nothing else they should sound a clarion call for change … because it can’t get any worse than worst, can it?