Research-Proven Best Knowledge Systemic School Reform: Schools Where Teachers Love to Teach and Students Love to Learn

By Dr. Floyd McDowell and Mr. Ronald Brayman

RELEVANT VALUE-LADEN QUOTATIONS
Our nations education decision-makers should put top priority on investment in the human potential of our children and youth as they are one hundred per cent of our future.
" Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free expects what never was and never will be."...President Thomas Jefferson
" One form of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results."...Dr. Albert Einstein
" One very important objective of education is to help our children develop a lifelong love of learning so they will effectively educate themselves throughout their lives."
" Human potential, though not readily apparent, is there waiting to be discovered and invited forth."... Dr. William W. Purkey, Co-Founder of the International Alliance for Invitational Education
" The four broad goals of education are competency and confidence in personal adequacy, social competency, economic efficiency and civic responsibility."
" We learn and retain: 10% of what we see; 15% of what we hear; 20% of what we both see and hear; 40% of what we discuss with others; 80% of what we experience directly or practice; and 90% of what we attempt to teach others."...National Training Laboratory
Students are diverse people to be unfolded by best knowledge educational practices, not things to be molded by superimposed, unconnected, costly, winners-losers, one-size-fits-all standardized test driven projects.
To predict students scores on standardized tests, simply check the postal mailing zip code which show the sociio-economic level of their home and communities."
Children and others do not care how much we know until they know how much we care.
" Excellence can be achieved if one: Cares more than others think is wise; Risks more than others think is safe; Dreams more than others think is practical; and expects more than others think is possible."
" There are limitations on what we can do alone; There are few, if any, limitations to what we can do together."
" Our minds are like parachutes and umbrellas: They won't work unless open."
The height and stability of the pinnacle is directly related to the breadth and strength of the base.
Overheard in a teachers lounge: One of my jobs is to help kids keep lids on their ids.
" The only title in our democracy superior to that of President is the title of Citizen."...Former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514453346

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Copyright © 2016 by Dr. Floyd McDowell, Sr.

Library of Congress Control Number:      2016901200

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-5336-0

      Softcover      978-1-5144-5335-3

      eBook      978-1-5144-5334-6

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Rev. date: 03/01/2016

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Introduction To Authors Of Publication

Our Public Schools: Equalizers Of Opportunity

Nongraded Primary Phase Of Education

Systemic School Reform: Grades Four Through Twelve

Two Ways To Accomplish Research-Proven Comprehensive, Systemic School Reform

Appendix Testimonials About the Quality District Model (Chapter Three) by Educational Leaders of Public School Districts in North Carolina, Utah, Michigan and Texas

This publication is dedicated to all stakeholder groups involved in our nation’s parochial, private and public schools. And especially to our students and dedicated, hard-working teachers who need and deserve the systemic school reform explained in this book. Our national, state and school district decision-makers should support the research-proven program and cost effective systemic changes discussed in this publication to enable our teachers and other school building level professional staff to provide continuous successful learning experiences for all students. Continuing our current superimposition of detached, irrelevant standardized test driven disconnected projects accompanied by handcuffing regulations on teachers, other building level program staff, students and parents will perpetuate a stressful, counterproductive coping, groping and hoping environment that will complete the demise of our nation’s public schools

A special dedication is to four of our nation’s most important professional education leaders who provided the reserach-proven best knowledge comprehensive school improvement information that enabled our writing chapters two and three in this publication.

The first two of these four are Dr. Sue Bredekamp and Sue Cottle. They developed the Developmentally Appropriate Practice program for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This exemplary Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten through Grade Three Primary Phase of formal schooling should be in every one of our nation’s parochial, private and public elementary schools. It has been endorsed and advocated by national education organizations which include the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Association of State School Boards. This Primary Phase program is discussed in chapter two of this publication.

The other two we and all should honor are Dr. John Champlin and Dr. Albert Mamary, former Superintendents of the Johnson City Central School District of Johnson City, New York. Their leadership created the comprehensive K-12 reform system known originally as the Outcomes-Driven Developmental Model. It was later updated and named the Quality District Model. This was the only comprehensive school reform model validated by the National Diffusion Network established by the US Department of Education. Eight years after this important validation, it was validated again in a number of our nation’s school districts that had implemented this reform system by the Program Effectiveness Panel, also established by the US Department of Education. In chapter three of this book, we merge the Primary Phase program mentioned above with this exemplary Quality District Model reform system for the final three phases of school.

INTRODUCTION TO AUTHORS

OF PUBLICATION

Ronald Brayman

At the beginning of this publication, I would like to give my reasons and motivation for helping bring this research-proven systemic school reform information to our elected and appointed education decision-makers and all others involved in our state and nation’s schools serving our children and youth.

I grew up in a professional educational family. My father was a public school teacher and school administrator. I completed my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education and taught in public high schools in Pennsylvania and Delaware. My Delaware school district had budget problems and I was one of many teachers who lost their jobs because of reduction in force. I then began another career as an insurance agent for the Horace Mann Insurance Company selling insurance policies to teachers and other educational personnel in New Castle County, Delaware. Horace Mann Company is known as the Teacher’s Insurance Company. For his work in the nineteenth century in Massachusetts, Horace Mann is known as the father of public schools in our nation.

During my years of involvement with teachers and other staff involved in our public schools, I have gained a full understanding of the continued deterioration of our public schools. This understanding includes the stressful, costly damage caused by our elected and appointed educational decision-makers continuously superimposing standardized test driven, irrelevant, detached project after project on school building level principals, teachers, other program staff, students and parents. These disconnected projects are accompanied by draconian requirements that handcuff teachers and others while eliminating their ability to provide instruction, curriculum and authentic ongoing assessment related to each student’s level, rate and style of learning. Teachers and other program staff can no longer plan and implement learning projects or units of instruction they were professionally trained to provide their students, but now stressfully try to prepare learning experiences related to detached standardized tests. Insanity plus is that now teachers keeping their jobs is related to standardized test scores obtained by their students. One could write a separate book on how placing strait jackets on teachers and parents, who have one hundred per cent of educational interactions with these students, is taking an unhealthy and destructive toll on all involved in our all-important local school buildings. The only weapon left to assault our hard-working, dedicated teachers and others is to use a stick to physically flog them in the Town Square. These and other related understandings have helped motivate me for helping bring forth this book. Enough, enough already!

Another important factor that influenced my desire to help write this book is the career experiences of my wife as a teacher for thirty years in public schools. Even though she enjoyed teaching and interacting with her students, she became very frustrated with school, district, state and national aligned policies that interfered with her ability to create and sustain quality learning environments for them. The types of superimposed, restrictive barriers she experienced are discussed in this publication. The key enablers to eliminate these wrongheaded superimposed policies and restrictions are explained in the latter part of chapter four. One essential component is school building level site-based management of all program decisions within and between all school buildings in each school district. The best type of site-based model is legally mandated in the exemplary Kentucky Education Reform Act. This sensible Reform Act should be enacted in every state. Their Kentucky Education Reform Act required that all program decisions would be made in each of their state’s public schools by a building level Program Committee comprised of the building principal, three teachers and two parent leaders. What could possibly be more valid common sense? These building level teachers, other program staff and parents have one hundred per cent of interactions