Turning the Tables on Accountability

Brilliant strategy on display in this very short editorial by Charlie Kite, who is head spokesman for the Minnesota Schoolboards Association.

Read it for yourself.

But, the main point is this: while business is generous in its criticism of public education, there is precious little that they contribute, in a positive sense, to the improvement of schools.

In fact, when it comes to making schools better in a tangible way, they are the equivalent of Scrooge--before his epiphany.

In fact, they do absolutely nothing to make their employees more capable of participating in the public square, whether giving them incentives to get involved in their child's education or helping them deal with their immediate family needs, like health care, time off for school conferences, or even, God forbid, a living wage.

So, without wanting to steal Mr. Kite's thunder, here are a few ways that business can put their own house in order before going on to attack the public schools that provide them with the employees they depend on to generate their profits:

•Make sure every one of your employees who is a parent of young children has their own child "learning/reading/behaviorally" ready when they begin kindergarten. Make part of their compensation dependent on this goal, and reward them for success.

•Create every possible opportunity to have teachers come inside your businesses to see firsthand the skills your employees need to be successful. Do this at "scale" for large numbers of educators.

•Create a media marketing/advertising campaign that will embed the belief in students and parents that obtaining an education will provide a better future. Tell them "do well in school and we will have a job waiting for you." Sell education as their best hope for the future.

•Begin to compliment educators when there is success. The constant "tough love" set of messages is not lifting our teachers. Rather, it is crushing their spirits.

Oh, and by the way ... we would like all these goals to be measurable.

Here is the master strategy for dealing with the endless attacks on public education coming from the folks at the Chamber of Commerce and the Business Roundtable:

What have you or your business done, in the recent past, to positively contribute to schools in your community, and especially, to make sure that your employees more fully participate in the education of their children?

And, is it measurable?

In other words, it is long past time to move from being defensive about "the greatest nation" in the history of the world's education system, and it is time to put the onus where it belongs:

Just what has the business community done to make our schools better, and to make certain that their employees contribute to the betterment public education?

If the answer is "nothing" or just a lot of excuses, then it is time for all of us as educators to say:

You know what? It's either time to put up or shut up when it comes to your endless carping about the quality of public schools.