Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution Thats Transforming Education is a book

by Ken Robinson and Lou Arnica that talks about the desperate reform that our education system

needs. The short summary in the back and the reviews were full of promise, but unfortunately, I

dont think the book necessarily delivered. I was looking forward to some kind of answer, and

although it had quite a few solid examples, it wasnt enough and the format of the book frankly

confused me. It moved from one concept to the next and I didnt get a sense of completeness of

fulfillment, or that aha! moment. Although the book as a whole was a bit disappointing, I

found certain segments that reminded me of the situation at Lowell and of conversations I had

with Ms. Shean. In fact, it supplied even more food for thought.

From the very start, the story of Dr. Laurie Barron and Smokey Road Middle School

reminded me a lot of Lowell. Smokey Road is a middle school and Dr. Barron was the fifth

principal in the five years the school had been open. In this case, the problem wasnt ineffective

leadership, but rather a lack of stable leadership. In Lowells case, I think its a bit of both, but

moreso ineffective leadership. On the day that we had what might be the worst class out of the

whole school, Ms. Shean had to have six kids sit in the hallway because they wouldnt stop

picking fights with other students. She called the office and requested for help and when the

principal came, he blamed it on her supposedly poor behavior management, even though both

she and I were looking after them. She didnt want these kids hurting the other kids in the class,

which is completely understandable. Since this principal took over, behavior and violence has

only gotten worse and as opposed to suspending them or even expelling them as needed, only

some get phone calls home and there are insufficient suspensions.

Now I understand that a high number of suspensions can damage a schools reputation,

but at least youre trying to contain the problem. If there are no consequences, what will stop the
kids from fighting, jumping on tables, or threatening teachers? Now back to Smokey Road; more

than 60% of students at Smokey Road qualified as economically disadvantaged. Its important to

note that a low achieving school also has a high rate of economically disadvantaged students

because that goes back to equal opportunity for all. Public education is supposed to ensure an

equal opportunity for all students despite their economic backgrounds, race, etc., but clearly that

is not that case. Smokey Road had the highest number of absences, discipline referrals, number

of students placed in alternative education systems because of disciplinary problems, and number

of charges filed with the juvenile system, and this was compared to four other middle schools in

the district.

How did Dr. Barron turn a school of this degree into a school that was awarded the 2011

NASSP Breakthrough School for being high achieving while serving a large number of students

living in poverty? Time, and a four-step plan. Step One: tackle the issue of attendance. You cant

fix a school when students arent even present. Step Two: Make students feel safe and secure.

She did this by breaking up fights and suspensions as needed in order to establish ground rules in

terms of behavior, to let them know that violence is unacceptable at school. Step Three: Help

students feel valued as individuals. Step Four: Curriculum and evaluating teachers. Another

important thing was starting a process of involvement and Dr. Barron did so by organizing a

parent-teacher organization. Even if teachers are strict at school, if parents dont help to instill in

their kids the importance of education and tell them not to act up in school, kids wont listen to

teachers. I just think Lowell and other schools in similar situations should take note of this and

learn from it. This is an example of a successful turnaround so why not give it a try?

What I find interesting is the standards movement that formed as a result of our ranking

according to PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) compared to other countries.
What weve seen throughout the years in regards to PISA rankings is educational stagnation,

which is why Clinton, Bush and Obama all made reforming education a priority. Its unfortunate

that in present day our President clearly does not seem to value education if we take a look at his

agenda and his plans for education--which certainly doesnt bear good news. The result of the

movement was a standardized curriculum and standardized testing, which is largely ineffective

and has proven to be costly.

The authors mention the flaws of our grading system as well, saying I have come to see

grades as schools drug of choice, and we are all addicted...Grades were originally tools used by

teachers, but today teachers are tools used by grades (171). As the book implies, our grading

system needs to be updated because it does not adequately reflect how a student is doing in class.

These grades are measured by tests like multiple choice, which doesnt properly gauges a

students knowledge. Instead, extended responses are much more effective but because enough

grades have to be produced and it takes more effort and time to grade these answers, multiple

choice testing is preferred. If teachers are catering to the needs of the grading system rather than

the needs of students, the phrase today teachers are tools used by grades is very much true.

After reading the book and completing my senior project, its clear that our education

system is in need of massive reform. One thing that differentiates us from other species on the

planet is imagination and the ability to use it creatively, and so we need to make sure to cultivate

creativity in classrooms, and the traditional teaching method certainly doesnt help any. From

grades to how a principal is running a school, we need to collectively push for education reform

so that our schools and children can thrive. If we continue down this path of disengagement,

well have nobody to blame when most of our country is uneducated and unable to be a good
citizen. What we need is an empowering culture of learning that embraces community,

individuality, and possibility, one that nurtures a childs innate ability to learn.