Lately news stories have centered on a comment I made more than two (2) years ago: DISD TAKS scores rise but fall short; Goals? Or fantasies?; A DISD glass half full; Dr. Lew Blackburn’s knowledge and understanding; Dallas schools chief says district won’t meet all goals.
In 2005, Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent, Dallas ISD, set student achievement goals of 90% passing rates with all subgroups; ethnic, economic, special education, etc. The goals were termed “lofty”.
Setting goals is what all good leaders do. Great leaders set goals based on several factors; current workforce, current product quality, current environment, etc. Either of these can translate into the education arena.
I have said that the goals Dr. Hinojosa set for Dallas ISD are too high, and therefore, teachers and principals would not try as hard. When you give a person a goal that is immediatly perceived as being unreachable, they don’t even try. We need our teachers and principals trying to reach similar goals that are realistic.
I have spoken to teachers, principals, and educators from Dallas ISD and other school districts. They all agree we need achieveable goals. However, they laugh, or smile politely when I tell them of the student achievement goals we have in Dallas ISD.
Goals are meant to be achieveable. “Lofty” goals, and “bodacious” goals are perceived as being unachievable, and thus are not achieved. I want Dallas ISD to achieve greatness with our students. However, I also want Dallas ISD’s top leadership to be realistic about our current status:
- the students we receive, and the conditions from which they come,
- the teachers we have in the class, and the materials, supplies, technology, and other tools they have for teaching,
- the knowledge and skills of our principals, teachers and staff to relate to our students, their parents, and others in the school’s community, and
- the communities from which our students live, and the societal conditions they live with everyday.
I applaud Dr. Hinojosa for daring to set high goals. I also applaud him for standing by his decision. I commend him for his desire to achieve more with our children.
But, at the end of the day, month, semester, year, or 2010, not only do I want to see better results, but Dallas wants the same. I think the various Dallas communities want to see that Dallas ISD is doing a “superfantastic” job of educating our children, graduating ready on time for college or the workforce.
These are my thoughts. What are yours?
