Dancing Lessons for Elephants: Reforming Ed School Leadership Programs

Abstract

During dinner party in an elegant Fifth-Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park, an investment banker asked me, Just how does it feel to be the dean of an Ed School? I was attending this party, along with the president of Harvard, to raise funds from select group of Wall Street wizards. My daunting task was to woo these potential donors with an after-dinner speech. The banker's surprising question came after we had hit it off, swapping stories over sauteed scallops. It feels great to be an Ed School dean, I replied. It's such wonderful Yes, the banker responded hesitantly while looking trifle sheepish, but it is such low-status job. Forging ahead, I smiled and prated on about the opportunity to make difference. To be sure, I was somewhat taken aback by my new friend's bluntness. But I was also moved by his awkward honesty, for he seemed to be candidly sharing with me his shattered stereotype - surprised that his tablemate could be both an Ed School dean and an interesting guy. Let's face it, schools of education are held in low regard in many circles, and not just among titans of finance dining on Fifth Avenue. As dean I was regularly reminded during fund-raising forays and even in meetings with colleagues from other parts of the university that schools of education were perceived to be part of the problem with our public schools, not part of the solution. This low regard, which runs deep and is increasingly widespread, undermines the credibility and influence of schools of education. (1) Do Ed Schools deserve these negative perceptions? No--and yes. As an unrepentant enthusiast of schools of education, I believe that many are lot better than their reputation and are inhabited by outstanding individuals who do important work. To convince critics of the worth of education schools, however, is challenge. I have learned that the most effective strategy is to avoid railing against deep-seated stereotypes and instead to keep an open mind, listen sincerely to the views of critics, and then invite them to meet with faculty members and students. If stereotypes breed contempt, familiarity can breed support, and rubbing elbows can lead to mutual respect. However, when it comes to programs that educate school administrators, the critics are mostly on target--and they have been for long time. (2) Unless this problem is faced squarely, I think these negative perceptions will metastasize, and, given the current climate, schools of education risk becoming progressively marginalized and deemed irrelevant. The granddaddy of high-profile complaints about administrator preparation programs is the withering attack made 19 years ago by the National Commission on Excellence in Educational Administration, which recommended that more than 60% of these programs be closed. (3) Since then, other observers have regularly chimed in with ever louder complaints. (4) For example, the Broad Foundation and Fordham Institute issued manifesto three years ago that pointed to a leadership famine amidst feast of 'certified' leaders and recommended giving up on schools of education and deregulating the field. (5) Exactly one year ago, in the latest high-decibel indictment, Arthur Levine contended that university based leadership programs range from to appalling. He described race to the bottom, with failures in admissions, curriculum, faculty, pedagogy, and more. Particularly chilling was the reported growth of university satellite operations with little regard for quality. (6) I agree with much of the latest indictment--and Levine deserves credit for reminding us yet again of this enduring problem. While number of programs are better than he suggests, (7) far too many are inadequate and, with the heightened pressures for high-status credentials and fast-track programs, may be getting worse. At the very least, schools of education are slow stepping elephants when it comes to leadership education--sluggishly adjusting to today's call for new blood, stronger content, more relevance, and higher quality. …