What We've Learned

     Over the past two months, we three St. John's students have interviewed administrators, former teachers, and founders of charter schools to discuss the topic of improving public education at the high school level.  All of our interviewees have agreed that the education system is by no means perfect, and have elaborated on its problems and what they have done to help fix it. Throughout these interviews, several common themes have recurred, and we have started to realize three major points and issues.

     One necessity for progress all of our interviewees agreed upon was the need for a change in mindset. The right attitude is paramount for a change in education.  Whether it is for students to be focused on college, for administrators to be willing to adapt and get behind progress, for legislators to hold students' best interests at heart and not be swayed by political pressure, or for society as a whole to see the need for change in education, a fundamental change in thinking is needed.  Progress cannot be made halfheartedly, and there can be no real change without the incentive to do so.  Furthermore, the right mindset of the majority, be it a group of students or a collection of congressmen, can pressure peers into undertaking meaningful action.

     We have also learned about the necessity of competition in the educational milieu.   A competitive environment needs to exist, and the current system needs to adapt and evolve.  As Feinberg said, charter schools have impacted the government's policy on education the way FedEx changed the post office.  And as Cannon stated, a lack of innovation leads to stagnation and failure.  There absolutely cannot be a monopoly on education if it is to succeed.  As successful as charter schools in Houston such as YES, Challenge, and KIPP have been, they are only the beginning.  Experimenting with what works and what does not and finding what is scalable and what is not has to occur before any meaningful change can take place.  Furthermore, administrators within HISD and the government, such as Harvin Moore, need to implement these changes as well as innovate.  Programs such as HISD’s new teacher evaluation policy and the Apollo 20 initiative were put in place after their success in charter schools.

     Another issue we've come across is the politically influenced actions of high level officials. Political aspects of the system are a hindrance, but are they necessary?  Politics, especially elections of school board officials, often imposes the status quo, but as Churchill said, "...democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."  America is a country based on democracy, and impediments and hurdles in the political system are necessary evils.  Even though officials like Moore have managed to achieve success, albeit slowly, one cannot help but wish the process could be more streamlined and direct. Furthermore, teacher unions, though not a big problem in Houston or Texas, also bog down other parts of the country and on the national level limit progress and change.

     Yet these points are to say nothing of the teaching aspect, which was not the focus of this project. True, some aspects of administrative reform can improve the teaching front: such as KIPP's emphasis on teachers becoming involved with the administration or Moore's new teacher evaluation, but these attempts cannot really improve bad teachers and faulty methods.

     Problems, tactile as well as intangible ones, do exist, and the current system is a cluttered mess.  But the root of the problem undoubtedly lies with society and how it views education.  We cannot improve education until we as a collective group hold it to a higher standard, until we decide that this is a major issue, until we deem it necessary to suffer the pains of change and champion the cause of quality, improved education.  Once that has happened, then the individual problems can be dealt with.

     But these problems are many, and perhaps the biggest lesson learned is that a group of three high schoolers cannot, in the span of weeks and with only a few interviews, even begin to solve the education problem.  True, we never thought we could go in, intuitive minds blazing, and come up with a novel solution, but we at least thought we could identify the problems definitively.  Instead, we have learned that the issues are not always black and white, are not clearly bad teachers or corrupt politicians, but that the questions are twisting, pervasive beasts.  We must acknowledge the lifetime works of the people we interviewed, who through hard work and admirable determination, have managed to make their own impact on the system. Without a doubt, we will continue to look into this problem, to interview, to research, and maybe one day we will be able to make our own changes.

Interview with Philip Cannon

     After exploring charter schools and examining the opinions of school board members, we decided to find out the opinions of someone further distanced from HISD, namely, a private school administrator.  Former headmaster of St. John’s School, Philip Cannon, provided this viewpoint in our interview on May 14th.  He was not afraid to bring to light what others we have interviewed attempted to dodge or only mentioned indirectly.

     His first major point was that “education loses efficiency in a direct relationship to scale.”  The more students in a school or district, and the more diverse the group, the more difficult it is to efficiently teach.  The “greater the homogeneity, the easier it is, in some ways” to run the school, because the mission and curriculum are easier to define, but that is not to say that this is the best way to teach.  Mr. Cannon points out that “the more diverse the make-up, the richer the learning experience,” even though this “heterogeneity” may make operating the school more difficult.

     Mr. Cannon also pointed out that “there are teachers in HISD that are a disgrace, that slow kids down, but there are also people that are inspiring.”  HISD doesn’t do a good enough job removing those teachers that are underperforming and supporting those incredible teachers that they encounter.  Mr. Cannon hired many teachers from the Houston and Alief school districts, arguably taking good teachers from these schools, but he does “not have any whit of guilt; everybody’s got to fend for themselves.”  If HISD adequately supported these amazing teachers, they would have the necessary blocks to build incredible schools, but because they don’t adequately acknowledge excellence, they end up with a majority of bad teachers who actually slow kids down.

     The administrative structure of a school “is almost like a fingerprint.”  Some schools, like KIPP, incorporate every teacher into the administration and have a very “flat management” with everyone pitching in to run the school.  According to Mr. Cannon, however, a lot of teachers hate the long meetings that accompany administrative duties, “so a lot depends on what the school’s make-up is.”  KIPP believes that decentralized schools are more effective, giving teachers more independence, but this also means that teachers must devote more time to their jobs and could potentially infringe upon their teaching preparation.

     “How do you make schools more efficient?”  Well, the only way to significantly reduce the cost of education is to “pay teachers less or have larger classes” since 80% of the budget for most schools is devoted to salaries and benefits.  While these undesirable actions would make schools more “efficient,” there would also be an accompanying reduction in the quality of the education received.   Thus, making schools more “efficient” would probably also reduce educational quality and is not really a viable answer to current budget issues.

     Mr. Cannon explicitly states that the most important traits that public schools should take from schools like St. John’s would be “a clear mission and a culture of excellence.”  The clearer the mission, the more successful the school.  KIPP is so successful because it focuses everything into college preparation and academic excellence.  If every school, and society as a whole, accepted this “culture of excellence,” motivation and innovation would take hold in the education system.

     According to Mr. Cannon, innovation in education has almost been non-existent for the last one hundred years.  Classrooms have changed very little: except for air conditioning and better calculators, the basic concept remains the same.  While education stagnates, students are constantly changing, and what used to work years ago is proving to be less than effective today.  Without innovation, the system is doomed to mediocrity.  The only way for the system to improve is to constantly re-evaluate and advance as new ideas and technologies become available.  The most important aspect of improvement is not only to never be satisfied and stagnant, but also to never complain about something without taking action.  If every issue were dealt with as it arose, with no consideration to politics and difficulties, the system would improve tremendously and quickly.

Meeting with Harvin Moore

     So far, everyone we have interviewed has worked at either the school level or has founded a charter school.  Our next interviewee, Harvin Moore, is an HISD Trustee and board member.  As a publicly elected official, a current tutor, and founding board member of KIPP, Moore provides a plethora of knowledge as well as a synthesized point of view on the issues we have been discussing.

     Moore stressed the need to initiate change within HISD, because working within the system "is the most leveraged place to change education."  Moore speaks from experience: he has worked closely with Mike Feinberg over the years and was even a founding member of KIPP's board of trustees.  Yet Moore states that a "charter school doesn't change the system other than indirectly, through competition."  Moore has had a successful career fixing HISD's education system from within and was elected for his first term on HISD's board with the campaign slogan "let's get reform back on track!"

     Yet Moore admits that reforming from within, even though it is more effective, is a lot harder than reform brought about by outside pressures, such as competition from charter or private schools.  Citing his experience with KIPP, Moore states that internal reform is more difficult to initiate because you have a faulty system to deal with and are "not starting from scratch."  Moore also points to the Texas state legislature as a group that "has a broken formula, one that it broke, and is not doing its part to fix it."  Moore calls the funding cuts for education by the Texas legislature "deplorable," and states that things must change at the state level for larger levels of progress to be made.  Furthermore, Moore points out the restrictions and challenges of any elected body, such as the impediment of raising taxes for funding or the necessity of garnering enough support for any action.  Moore cites tradition as something that can work adversely against progress, and states that "union work rules are an enormous impediment," but qualifies the statement by saying that they are nowhere near as difficult in Texas and Houston than in other parts of the country. 

     Moore also discussed the role of the administration within the whole school system, citing the "principal of governance versus management."  Moore, speaking for the board, states "we have certain policies we want to see...but we want to see flexibility in how it's done in individual schools."  Moore, however, also talks about the restrictions imposed by rules and regulations, ranging from the local and state to the federal level.  The board members want to see success through competition, “giving successful schools the ability to continue to innovate, because competition and innovation is where you get improvement."  Moore cites Houston's Apollo 20 initiative and the success it has had on individual schools.  This program integrates a lot of what Moore and others learned from charters such as KIPP, Challenge, and YES College Prep into public schools, with outstanding results.  The Apollo 20 program introduces aspects of charter schools such as "more time on task," keeping kids in the classroom longer by expanding the school day and the school year.  The program also introduces a "culture of college," similar to what Challenge's Justin Fuentes has discussed.  This is achieved in different ways: from ensuring every student takes the SAT and applies to college, to hanging college pennants and banners in the classrooms and hallways and encouraging teachers discuss their own college experiences.  The initiative has had great success, with 100% of students from many Apollo schools graduating and attending college.

     Moore has recently helped to pass a new teacher evaluation system, which makes teachers more accountable for how they teach and for the success of their students.  Moore wants to see this system expanded even further, as it already deals with such things as teacher turnover rates, the distribution of bonuses, and even the qualification of teachers to tutor after school.  Yet, Moore states that there is more work to be done than just spreading effective teaching. Like our previous interviewees, Moore states the need for a change in mindset in order for reform and progress to take hold.  Moore explains that we as a society need "to insist that our elected officials, mainly our legislatures...do what's necessary to ensure public education continues to improve."

    Despite the successes Moore and previous reformers have seen implemented, he admits that it "takes a long time to change the system," especially if the system is political in nature.  Moore has experienced the painstakingly slow process: he has worked on reforming education since the 1990's and has served on the HISD board for nearly 8 years.  He cautions against the "flavor of the month" tendencies in reform, as meaningful change can often be sidetracked by quick-fix tangents.  Moore also lauds charter schools for the competition and stimulating environment they have brought to public education, and believes that such schools are absolutely necessary to progress.  Moore compares the effect of charter schools to exercise, stating that you "can’t build up your physical health and your muscles without some pains," and warns against a system where the administrators end up sitting around like "monopolists."  However, Moore states that a school board is "a great opportunity...to make huge changes" because of the political and fiscal power such a body holds. 

     Overall, Moore provides an interesting viewpoint from the administrative aspect of the education system.  Throughout our interview, he cited political and practical necessities and restrictions in his methodology, and presented compelling arguments for internal change.  Not coincidentally, he also cited the need for competition and the right mindset and supports the integration of charter school ideas into "the system."

To learn more, visit Mr. Moore's blog the "Transformation Times" (at www.harvinmoore.com).

Interview with Justin Fuentes

     Continuing our investigation of charter schools, we talked to Justin Fuentes, Principal of Challenge Early College High School. As a teacher at Lamar High School for six years and intern principal at Waltrip High School for one year before becoming involved with Challenge, Fuentes is experienced with both comprehensive high schools and charter schools, as well as with both the teaching and administrative aspects of running a school. Challenge Early College High School is a high school associated with Houston Community College that allows students to earn college credits and take college classes while still in high school.  Although Challenge’s charter may soon be removed (with no change to the school) because of the cost of charter accreditation, it played an integral part in creating HISD’s current dual credit policy and led the way for early college schools in Houston.

      Challenge has an interesting atmosphere. Starting in tenth grade, every student takes at least one or two classes with Houston Community College students. Fuentes emphasizes the importance of preventing the classes from being “taken over by high school kids,” and explains that only a small part of the college class is made up of high schoolers. This avoids having the “high school-cultured class" infiltrate the environment of the dual credit program and really gives students a taste of college freedom and education. To further this aim, the juniors and seniors themselves are responsible for meshing their high school and college course responsibilities by creating their own schedule.

      Challenge initially received its charter eight years ago to create this unique structure. Fuentes points out that at first working out the kinks in the school was like “building the plane as we were flying,” but he has developed a system that now runs smoothly and efficiently. The success of Challenge’s students has played a role in the creation of HISD’s dual credit policy, a policy that actually mirrors Challenge’s charter now (the reason for the potential removal of the charter). Challenge demonstrates the potential for charters to develop and experiment with new ideas, affecting change in a gradual and positive way.

      Challenge, like KIPP, has maintained a per capita budget very similar to that of comprehensive high schools in the district. A majority of Challenge’s funding is received through conventional means, i.e. the tax base. The policies of Challenge therefore would be easy to adapt to other schools. The most fundamental difference between Challenge and most other schools is Challenge’s dean system, as opposed to the assistant principal system. In this system, two deans rotate through grades, following their respective classes through all four years. The dean, therefore, becomes much closer with the students of his or her grades and serves as a guiding counselor to all of those students. Furthermore, the class sizes hover around 120, and this relatively small number (compared to normal HISD class sizes) further emphasizes the personal relationship between deans and students.

      Challenge also has developed a great system for involving students with the college process early in their high school careers (as the name implies). The College Guidance Class that all juniors take helps prepare them for the host of standardized tests students must take for applications and promotes consistent and steady work toward the goal of college acceptances. Students are also required to send in two or three applications to make sure they are applying to enough schools. Challenge also stresses the availability of resources the college counseling department provides for the students. At the comprehensive schools where Fuentes has worked previously, he noted that “it’s hard [for students] to get in to see [their] counselor,” so when he began working at Challenge, he made sure that students “see [their] counselor every week” and think about college by “eleventh grade at the latest.” This focus on college really separates Challenge from other schools in the district.

      To address the needs of at-risk students, Challenge strives to make sure that every student has a confidant and authority figure such as one of their deans with whom they can “have that personal touch” and develop a “family feel that a lot of the students don’t have.” It’s important for every student “just to be recognized” as they walk down the hall. The close relationship that develops between student and advisor helps these at risk students cope with family issues and remain engaged with school.

      The school that Mr. Fuentes has helped to shape has successfully addressed some of the difficult issues that comprehensive schools face. If these ideas of promoting bonds between teachers and students and engaging students in the college application process were applied to every school in the district, we would be well on our way to affecting the kind of mental change that Mike Feinberg states is so necessary. The association with HCC renders Challenge's structure less scalable, as there are not enough colleges to be paired with high schools. Challenge is not solely unique in this respect, as other high school-college tandems exist elsewhere, but it is by no means a relationship that can be  implemented system-wide. However, Challenge still demonstrates the potential of charter schools to create gradual systematic change, but we must foster experimentation and analyze what works and what does not for progress to be made.