Standard Based Education: A Teacher's Worst Nightmare

Teach to the test! My advice from the administrators of my school. Standards are hitting us from the administrators, state department of education, parents, test scores, you name it. Brandt (p, 17, 2003) says standards are squeezing out innovation. At times I feel I am a computer in standard teaching mode giving my students the information in a boring way. The creativity and excitement I had for wanting to become a teacher has been hindered. Lee (p36, 2002) says as a result of state standards the voice of the public school teacher in making decisions about what to teach and how to measure success becomes increasingly muted. Where are the voices of the teachers?
Hatch’s Rational Model describes this very process that is happening in our public school system. Hatch (p110, 1997) claims that in many organizations strategy separation occurs through a hierarchical division of labor-some people formulate strategy typically the top managers while others are charged with implementing it typically your middle managers. The State Department of Education makes and enforces the standards then the administrators make sure the teachers are implementing them. Hatch also says that during this separation, communication problems exist. Communication is the problem in our schools because the state is dictating the standards, and not gaining a consensus from all the factors in the school organization. Teachers must feel comfortable arguing against teaching those locally adopted standards that they consider inappropriate for their particular students (Lee, 2002). The teachers must rise to the occasion and start voicing their opinions about what the standards should look like. Schein’s influential theory describes people as having and acting on their beliefs, assumptions, and norms (Hatch, 1997). If teachers don’t believe in the standards they are teaching then their job is irrelevant and they should not feel as if they are a professional. So what now?
We need standards, in fact without them school may fall short of connecting their mission to their classrooms (Lee, 2002). Lee goes on to explain that the state and local districts have to come together to discuss what local standards are best for the students in the district. He also states, for change of role to occur, however, coalitions of leading educators, school of education, professional organizations, and members of the business community across the country must act on their conviction that top-down national-and state-mandated standards disenfranchise teachers and fail to serve as effective instruments to bring about success for all (Lee, 2002). This summarizes the entire organization theory model including the factors that make up an organization. The environment, culture, physical structure, technology, and social structure are all included in the reform that needs to take place in our schools. Social culture probably leading the pack with the collaboration that needs to take place from one end to the other. But the collaboration then feeds into physical structure of the buildings producing safe learning environments, then the state giving the resources to the district as tools in technology. The culture of your school will come out in the views and attitudes in everyone around. All these factors are incredibly important for making our schools accept standards instead of dread them. It’s time to step up to the plate and teach to students not the test!




Works Cited
Brandt, R. (2003). Will the real standards-based education please stand up? Leadership 32 (3): 17, 19, 21.
Hatch, M. (1997). Organization theory. New York: Oxford University Press.Lee, J. (2002). State vs. local control of educational standards: effects on teaching. The Educational Forum 67 (1): 36-46.

Amy