RE: Questions for the day

1.My hopes for the master plan;
I have followed the development of the Master Plan with the hope that it will mean a decline in the political wranglings that have driven the educational reform movements in California.  If we can envision  where our school system will be in the next five, ten, or twenty years, then we can surrender our "reform-of-the-month" mentality that has driven California Education for the past ten years.
2. What influence can the MP have in classrooms?
The Master Plan can have huge influence in the classrooms of CA, if a few conditions are met.  There must be focus on the bottom line, not on processes but on end results.  There must be an application of research-proven strategies and interventions, and not on the ideas or pet projects of particular constituencies or individuals.  The MP must allow for the equitible distribution of resources, monetary and human, to address the areas of greatest need.  Finally, there must be true local control; School Boards, Principals, and other grass root entities must have the control to take action, and have accountability for the bottom line.
3. Can there be accoutablity in this context?
Without question, there can be accountability.  The question is do we have the political and moral courage to go there?  If School leaders were given complete latitude to create school, district, or regional learning communities that were dedicated to learning, and were held to the same kind of accountability that a public sector entrepeneuer experiences, incredible things would happen for the kids at their schools.  
4. How much influence will the public have in implementation?
The MP will have to be carefully crafted to allow for meaningful and fundamental public involvement without large scale deviation from the plan.  Our public schools have a legacy of community involvement, and that should be honored.