Secretary DeVos - "What Gets Planned, and Measured, Gets Done" - Time for Transformation
Today May 23rd I read the following:
Secretary DeVos: America Must Transform Education to Serve the Needs of Individual Students
I read the Secretary's speech with great interest. In my opinion she makes some great points and observations about our current education system. The key word is "System." In my January post I bolded and highlighted "Please make sure you support yourself with team leaders who understand systems thinking."
In order for the transformation to have a chance one must understand that within any system there are inputs and outputs. Secretary DeVos states that:
"If we really want to help students, then we need to focus everything about education on individual students – funding, supporting and investing in them. Not in buildings; not in systems."
"Education should reward outcomes, not inputs."
Please understand the "STUDENT" is the input and the output as he/she travels through the education system.
Perhaps the following diagram will help - it is needed to be understood in order for a transformation to take place.
CLICK on Pic to ENLARGE Model
NOTE: I can't help but believe based on my many years of trying to be a "change agent (transformational in in some areas)" in both business and education is to make sure that all those involved are not to feel bad about what was previously done. So - Secretary DeVos please go forward with fresh ideas, new theories and probable solutions that are not based on what people/workers will perceive as their fault for the current situation. Criticism and blame will result in a battle at every step of the transformation and it will fail. Perhaps others in the current administration should also heed this advice.
