4 Pillars of Student Success

Don’t we all want the best for our children? Don’t we all want them to find meaningful work that pays a decent living wage? Don’t we all want them to receive an education that shows them the best of our culture, and helps them understand how connected we are: countries, cultures, and with the very Earth we share? Most of us do. So why do some school systems fall short of these almost universal goals? As parents, teachers and administrators we must ask ourselves, “What principles and values do we seek to develop in our children? What skills will we teach them? How do we help them appreciate the value of delayed gratification, discipline, and perseverance? How do we teach them to be successful while keeping their humanity in the age of video war games, reality programming, and a reliance on 24/7 technological diversions for immediate relief from frustration and boredom?”

We need to examine the very definition of success and the ramifications for our public schools. How do we ensure fairness, and equal opportunity for success, if not through public education? What do we look for as parents, as students? What do we stand for as teachers, as administrators? If we look at sound structures, it is helpful to look at the “4 Pillars of Student Success” and particularly at how it defines student responsibility.

Parents: ·      Provide a safe and secure environment – proper nutrition, adequate shelter and access to information (library, computer). ·      Have high expectations for quality work. ·      Review samples of child’s work and monitor progress of skill development. ·      Help child develop routines to ensure success. ·      Be supportive of child’s efforts. ·      Be a good model for discipline and hard work. ·      Help child become self-disciplined and focused on attaining goals, including supporting teachers’ efforts to “increase mental fortitude.”

Teachers: ·      Know their material. ·      Enjoy students (in general). ·      Work with students to develop the research skills necessary for them to learn on their own. ·      Help students make connections between their subject and other disciplines. (Why is it important to know this?) ·      Help students manage impulsivity and increase “mental fortitude.” ·      Discipline students who distract others from learning. ·      Make suggestions for ancillary material to help students understand course content. ·      Be a good model for discipline and hard work.

Administration/Gov’t: ·      Provide funding for supplies, materials and facilities. ·      Provide a safe environment for learning. ·      Hire the best-qualified people to teach students. ·      Support teachers in disciplining students. ·      Make all decisions (including curriculum, extracurricular choices, and professional improvement program choices) based on how it will improve student learning.

Students: ·      Respect the rules of the classroom – and not distract others from learning. ·      Pay attention to the lesson. ·      Come to school on time, every day. ·      Have clear priorities that enhance your education. – “Be ready to learn”. ·      Be responsible (know deadlines for projects and homework.) ·      READ and research beyond the class and be prepared to add to the discussion. ·      If confused by class-work, immediately ask the teacher for help. Use the other resources the teacher suggests. ·      Learn how to deal with frustration in healthy and constructive ways when subjects are difficult or when facing disappointment.

A child has the best chance to achieve the kind of education needed to navigate the challenges we face in the 21^st Century when all four pillars are strong. Because it is funded by all of us through our taxes and hopefully without a profit-motive, public education is our best chance to use our resources in the most egalitarian way.

This is why we must look to our administrators and local government officials to keep politics out of the classroom.  Parents must not take policy and curriculum decisions at face value; decisions must be questioned, the “research” verified, and when something doesn’t seem right decisions must be challenged. Most parents don’t realize that teachers are often hamstrung by administrators who set the curriculum and policy that sometimes limits creativity and innovation in the classroom or adds hours of paperwork of dubious value. Parents have much more power than they think, and they need to be advocates for their children. Organizations like the PTA or PTO can be an effective tool in verifying that best practices are being used, but nothing stands in your way to attend a Board of Education meeting and asking questions, or setting up a conference with a teacher or principal. Parents should be asking what their child would be learning in the classroom and asking teachers to explain how it will prepare their child for future opportunities.