Reformers have been judging student, teachers, principals, and schools by data. They have closed schools by the thousands if their data looked bad. They think that schools are like burger joints that should close if they don’t make a profit. Just like business.
This reader disagrees:
“Reformers are fond of saying that schools need business practices. They claim that a school is essentially the same operation as a business.
“If this is true, then a certain logic follows. While reformers are quick to point to school failures and business successes, even they admit that not all schools are failing and not all businesses are succeeding. So if the institutions are equivalent, successful schools should be able to help failing businesses with school principles.
“So let’s bring school principles to business!
“If reformers truly believe that schools are businesses, then they must also believe that businesses are schools. If a dollar equals one hundred cents, then one hundred cents equals a dollar.
“Let’s bring school principles to business!
“And come to think of it, American business has a lot of the failings so often ascribed to education. They say that we are not competitive with many Asian systems of education. Well, the economies of these countries are gobbling up market share in the US at horrendous speed. Wall Street: Singapore is eating your lunch! Silicone Valley: all of “your” stuff is made in China! Detroit: Japan has been leaving tread marks on your back for 40 years! OMG, we have a Nation At Risk! American businesses need school principles!”
What would business look like if operated like schools?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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Pearson is a big business. I added a subject area to my certification and sat for the English 6-12 certification test. The test was administered in a Pearson testing center. I was palm printed, had to have a photo taken, was escorted to the bathroom, and had to lock my personal belongings in a locker (including my Kind bar and a bottle of water). The test it self was a decent reflection of the type of knowledge you would expect of a high school English teacher, but it was a Pearson test just the same.
Pearson controls just about every facet of the classroom now. The test makers who determine if your child is eligible for a high school diploma are also the tests that determine if the adult in front has the knowledge to teach.
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^test makers
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^test makers who….Obviously, I should have proofed prior to posting
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Don’t be too hard on yourself. We’ve all been there …. 😉
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There was at the turn of the millennium a rather lively literature on Learning Organizations suggesting that the management of academic institutions, businesses, corporations, and other organizations should operate in the way that scientific communities work, by learning about their environments and working toward long-haul of goals much bigger than their individual, narrow, short-term interests.
The application to educational missions is discussed here:
Organizations of Learning or Learning Organizations : The Challenge of Creating Integrative Universities for the Next Century
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That was the conference version. Here is the new, improved, journal version:
Conceptual Barriers to Creating Integrative Universities
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Here’s another on General Education Reform in higher ed settings —
General Education Reform as Organizational Change : The Importance of Integrating Cultural and Structural Change
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Here’s a more general study of human resources and organizations that examines the relationship between learning organization characteristics and adaptation to change, innovation, and bottom-line organizational performance.
Examining the Relationship between Learning Organization Characteristics and Change Adaptation, Innovation, and Organizational Performance
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Google does an amazing job of utilizing school principles about learning styles. They set up their office to accommodate a vast modality of learning styles (or working styles?). One of my friends works there and has told me that he feels like their company was designed to help make people with ADHD more successful. As a result, they are highly profitable. I would love to have the freedom to set up my classroom the way that Google has set up their building. In the (not so) old days, it was kind of like that. We had many different types of work areas (rocking chairs, couches, pillows, and on and on). Children would remain in their areas and focus for an entire hour during Writing Workshop, Reading Workshop, Math Workshop. Nowadays, more and more you see teacher directed lessons being taught in rooms with desks in a row facing forward. Children squirm in their seats while they try to pay attention for a very long time. I can’t imagine that this is conducive to learning.
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” Nowadays, more and more you see teacher directed lessons being taught in rooms with desks in a row facing forward. ”
You mean the way I was taught? 🙂 I was almost jealous of the classrooms my kids had. They were lucky enough to hit the window between rows and…rows. I was a compliant little creature as were most of us. If we got in trouble at school, we would be in worse trouble at home. At least we still had recess, and art and music allowed for a little more open environment. Walking silently, single file in the hall was the norm. I didn’t dislike school, but it was college before I really experimented with my own voice. It is disheartening to think that there are probably many people out there who have never really developed the ability to think for themselves although it is probably true that we are basically herd animals, which is a really crude (and unfair) way of saying we are social beings. It is hard to think outside of our own boxes.
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A former student of mine is married to the president of the design company who designed Google’s offices. It’s all about the environment supporting creative and innovative thinking.
This is a video profiling Cory Sistrunk, president of Rapt Studio
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Business and corporations brought us Jarts, Pet Rocks, Justin Bieber, and Happy Meals. Surely teachers can replicate such achievements in education. As Reagan said, government is the problem giving us only the internet, safe foods, roads and bridges, and educated adults.
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That comparison nailed it! Thank you for all you do.
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This makes another excellent point about education.
Cliff Boldt, School Trustee Comox Valley School District #71 British Columbia, Canada
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What would businesses run like schools look like? Desks in rows? One leader up front talking most of the time? Focusing on one area for 50 minutes a day and having 3 minutes to get to the next subject area (with maybe 20 minutes to eat lunch somewhere in the middle of the day)? Work done at home?
In fact, the worst businesses do look a lot like the worst schools – prairie dog towns filled with busy little worker bees doing exactly what they’re told (and staying late to get it done or taking it home with them). On the other hand, the best schools and the best businesses look a lot alike. People pursuing what they’re passionate about. Receiving support and valuable feedback rather than judgmental and demoralizing evaluations/criticism. An environment that’s respectful and comfortable to be in. People respected and valued as individuals with unique strengths and needs.
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Worst businesses go under and are replaced by better businesses. Worst schools keep going, they can not be improved or replaced. Do not compare businesses to schools.
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No, poor businesses are protected by government or bailed out, especially large corporations. Your mythical “free market” does not exist.
In Ohio recently, there was a move to allow Tesla to sell direct, bypassing dealerships. The lobbying at the statehouse was intense and car manufacturers still can not sell direct. Wall Street exists as it does today because Main Street propped them up. It is known as socialized risk, privatized rewards.
I agree, though. Do not compare business to schools. Public schools are democracy; businesses are run as dictatorships. Teachers are allowed to effectively teach under the very American ideal of due process; private employees have no rights and are seen as expendable. Schools focus on the long term; business is too myopic worried about stock price and quarterly results. Schools are financially transparent with funding close to the classroom; businesses are inefficient wasting huge amounts of money going mostly to the top.
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Right–convicted felon Michael Milken is banned from securities work but can run K12 for-profit schools.
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Big business is not sustainable. BB counts on vast govt subsidies and tolerated illegalities. The greatest recipient of welfare in America is Big Business, enormous tax breaks along with the funneling of huge public funds to private profit projects, like Yankee Stadium, Barclays Arena, Madison Square Garden(no taxes for last 32 yrs), and all sports palaces, like the rebuilding of Ground Zero, like no-tax and low-tax special treatment for the huge condos, office bldgs dotting Manhattan and the malls dotting suburban areas. Big banks pleaded guilty to felony charges of manipulating foreign currencies recently, no one going to jail, slap on the wrist fines. 8 major investment banks responsible for Wall St collapse of economy in 08, no one going to jail, Wall St men appointed to run economy by Obama and these same men now make up Hillary’s economic team. Big Business has also brought us global warming and the rejection of sustainable energy when such tech emerged in 70s–killing off solar power, wind power, geothermal, etc. In contrast, public schools and public colleges have been remarkably low-cost and have produced increasing numbers of graduates who enter a big business economy unable to reward graduates with jobs and salaries equal to their educations. We also have the most expensive and least effective health care system in the developed world thanks to the private control by Big Pharma and Big Health Insurers, who extract huge profits from the illnesses of people. So, why would we want to keep electing any candidates owned by unsustainable Big Business and Big Banks? We in public education already know how to do as much as possible with as little as have–we are the sustainable section of the economy.
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Great ideas. We pay far too much for corporate welfare, and charter schools are more of the same. They don’t get better results, and they are not cost effective as they splinter costs that often could be rolled into existing public school budgets.
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AMEN, IRA. One of the things that makes my skin crawl is when business folks say, “IT”S ONLY BUSINESS!” Egads…does this mean that anyone can do anything for PROFIT?
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The comparison raises a good idea but sadly does not provide good examples to support it. The opposite unfortunately. Silicon Valley is quite happy to have it’s products manufactured in China and elsewhere as the labor costs are far lower and environmental regulations and workers rights are almost nonexistent, exactly like what they are trying to do to teachers here via the attacks on tenure and the generalized push to replace teachers with technology and testing. Detroit management screwed itself over when they failed to maintain the nation wide improvements industry experienced during WW2 as part of Deming’s success at war production. His ideas were rejected and Deming ended up in Japan where he and his ideas were embraced, leading directly to Japans dominance of the auto industry. Detroit only caught up when they emulated Japans success. Singapore vs. Wall St. I’m in the dark on.
A much better model is the one spreading slowly through the business world described by the phrase “The customer always comes second.” The idea is that by giving your employees all the training and support they need to do their jobs, they will become deeply invested in the success and persistence of a company they want to stay with and help grow and therefore will deal with the customers accordingly. (Like teachers have been doing for a long time now!) In this model the teachers, students, and parents are the “employees” of the company and the taxpayers are the customers since they are the ones paying. The school board and district management are responsible for same things as before, buildings, budget, etc. but must now put the professional best interests of their actual employees first.
There are a lot of books on this sea change idea out there. Southwest Airlines has been doing this from the get go. You will never hear of a gate or ticket agent having to call for a supervisor as they have full authority and knowledge to solve any problem on the spot.
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Please, please, please have businesses adopt the same no-tolerance for bullying that I see at my kid’s school.
That would cut down the office politics so much — almost everyone I know who is a working adult would be much happier if that one co-worker would stop setting them up, bad-mouthing them, etc.
The mental health of this country would shoot up, happier employees would be happier at home, there’d be great ripple effects.
When I see how much school has helped my child on the autism spectrum, with all of his social challenges, and I see how stressed are my friends who work in big business are — well, there is no comparison about which is the more humane environment.
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Business should adopt a collaborative model to solving problems. Human beings are more creative and productive in a collaborative rather than competitive environment.
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Sounds good on the surface, but the logic is faulty. It’s like saying hotdog stands are businesses therefore all businesses are hotdog stands. Reformers make a huge mistake is in assuming all enterprises should operate on exactly the same principals as defined by free market gurus. Their vision of what makes a successful business is really quite simplistic and limited in its application. Thank goodness the world doesn’t run exclusively on the principal of maximizing profit. It is a philosophy that preys on people whose only value is demonstrated by the amount of profit they produce, which is then distributed as if those people had nothing to do with it. Do we really want a world built on the robber baron model?
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cx: make a huge mistake in
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