Big enough to matter, small enough to win

Emotions ... are what get practitioners, not policymakers, over the inevitable potholes on the road to reform success, not whether it is scientifically proven, logical, or even efficient. Larry Cuban

I've read Larry Cuban's wise and sober post, "Education Will Break Your Heart" about three times now. In it, he repeats what he tells students about "the history of failed reforms, exaggerated policy talk, and repeated cycles of reform" and how little true progress ever seems to be made in education. Cuban's advice for those who attempt reform only to fail:

Will working on school reform ... “break your heart?” Perhaps. But I hope not. Broken-hearted reformers are a sad lot who too often turn their backs on revitalizing a core democratic institution.

My preference is for those who believe in the small projects ... and stay in the work of school improvement even after experiencing defeats. I have high regard for those who have learned much from the pitfalls of organizational change; they understand that school organizations have plans for reformers.  I honor those who respect the men and women who do the daily work of teaching and choose to work closely with them. I admire and recognize those who have the courage to keep pushing on after disappointment and heartbreaking failure. Persistence is what matters, not a broken heart.

Cuban's remarks echo a sentiment that I've long held - that real genius isn't in espousing a new educational theory, but in actually putting that theory into practice. And in order to this, a person now and then needs to examine or re-examine Stephen Covey's Sphere of Influence. In a nutshell, Covey says that the most effective people are those who focus their energies on changing things that are actually in their power to change rather fuss about those things over which they have no control.

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And that's not as easy as it sounds. (I wonder if there is a direct correlation between the perceived size one's sphere of influence and the size of one's ego?) See also, Picking Your Fights.

I believe my department and I have influence, but not control, over how technology is used in our schools. (I am perhaps more optimistic about this after yesterday's fantastic day-long PD workshop for middle school teachers that got our 1:1 initiative rolling.) In many ways, this influence revolves around simply making resources available, helping teachers learn to use them, and sharing how they can be used to support learning. Ultimately, it is the teacher who decide if and how much classroom practice will actually change. I feel good about what I see in our district and optimistic about coming transitions.  I do keep my expectations somewhat modest, celebrating the incremental but real and lasting changes that I know are helping both kids and teachers.

But there is also still a bit of the windmill-tipper in me as well, as I suppose there is in anyone who writes or presents outside his own school. I have two big windmills are:

• To ensure school libraries remain vital, meaningful resources for all children, worldwide.
• To see that technology in all schools is used to empower students and staff, not to contol or categorize them.

And yes, Mr. Cuban, my heart gets broken on a regular basis when I read about school librarians being fired and test-makers dominating the educational technology scene.

I hope most educators concentrate on change within their spheres of influence, picking battles per Kozol's advice below. But something in me also wants all of us to also work in small ways to influence the world. You never know...