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).