A ray of hope for the children in Spokane Public Schools

Laurie Rogers:

In 2008, I met with Spokane Public Schools' superintendent, Nancy Stowell, to discuss the district's weak academic outcomes. Stowell was accommodating, but during our meeting, she consistently sidestepped any critique of the district's "reform math" curricula or its heavy dependence on constructivism (i.e. discovery learning). Her go-to answer for weak results was to wish for more "alternative" programs to keep students in school. She appeared to see no problems with the district's delivery of academic content.

I didn't know how to break through that with her. Over the next four years, I never figured it out. But one thing she said in 2008 stuck with me. While discussing the high number of families leaving the district, Stowell said, "Sometimes I think people don't want to know (why) because when you know ... you have to ... do something about it."

Truer words were never spoken. Nancy Stowell didn't appear to want to acknowledge the children's academic suffering. She kept telling the public that things were improving, even as her administration obstinately fought doing what was necessary to fix the problems. That was her failure. Good leaders accept the blame and pass the credit, but Stowell and her administrators had a habit of accepting the credit and passing the blame.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 1, 2012 4:31 AM
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