Entropy, Architecture and Schools

So I read this op-ed in the Globe today and it got under my skin. But rather than go on the offensive and try to refute the subtle digs at charter schools or poke holes in her argument, I thought I'd take a different tack. 


In her essay, Ms. Yearwood argues that she chooses to teach in a district school because it lacks

"'good' teachers, rigorous curricula, strict and consistently enforced codes of discipline, high expectations, and a host of other attributes needed for academic success."  She feels that she needs to stay behind to fight the good fight for the kids who don't get these things, which "are all the characteristics the education experts and pundits agree that the public school, where I chose to teach, lacks." 

So here's my question: why doesn't her school have those attributes of successful schooling?  The easy answer is entropy.  The universe, as we all know, tends towards disorder. This is the concept of entropy. So how does this relate to schools?  Well, it's a lot harder to keep a school orderly than to keep it in disorder.  But there are schools that establish order.  So, how come it isn't possible at English High?
 

I am going to argue that the issue isn't teachers, administrators, kids or parents, in isolation.  The problem is a lack of will to enforce order upon the school by the group working in collaboration.

 

Here's an imperfect metaphor - building an orderly school is like building a building with the following parts:

 

Administrators - architects

Teachers - contractors

Parents - suppliers

Students - building materials

Just as building materials will never assemble themselves without a contractor and architect, so too will students fail to learn without their teachers and administrators.  This is the core tragedy of the battles between administrators and teachers in district schools.    If architects and contractors aren't on the same page, there are bound to be a lot of wasted materials and a lot of structurally unsound buildings.  The same is true if you swap administrators for architects, teachers for contractors and students for materials.  I don't buy the fact that issue is the kids; rather the adults need to get their issues figured out if a school will be orderly.  When the battles are over money, it's awfully hard to get the adults in the same room to figure out how to make the house get built even if the end goal is the same. 

Essential "Stuff"

I visited Pierce Middle School in Milton yesterday.  Every classroom and some common spaces are equipped with SMART boards.  On the other hand, I tried to set up a visit to the Curley K-8 in Boston.  Though it was a no-go, I learned that their teachers and staff don't have voicemail.  Don't know if this is true across the district, but I imagine it hamstrings the teachers in communicating with parents in a major way!

At Brooke, we don't have SMART boards, but we do have voicemail (and laptops, individual phones (classroom and/or office), and easy access to many supplies, photocopies, etc. 

Here's what I'm wondering.  If you were to start up a school right now, what would be the top 10 supplies/technology necessary to allow you or your teachers to be productive?

Revving the Engine

It's been over a year since I've blogged and in the interim, there's been a new addition to family.  Now, I'm getting the itch to get back to it.  I can't promise I'll be able to find the time, but we'll see!