Jeff Dieffenbach

for Wayland School Committee

Thoughts on an evolution of the Wayland Public Schools By Jeff Dieffenbach Wayland Town Crier Thu Mar 5, 2009 "The Wayland Public Schools deliver an education among the best in the state, in a state that leads the nation, and with a quality that rivals leaders on the international stage." I made this statement in my School Committee candidate announcement last week, and would like to use this opportunity both to elaborate and to share my thoughts on possible directions for the evolution of the Wayland Public Schools. As measured by tenth grade MCAS scores, Wayland ranks among the best in the state. Massachusetts, in turn, leads the nation as indicated by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Moreover, Massachusetts ranks among the best in the world on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Great results, to be sure, but I offer two important cautions. First, comparing students and schools is fraught with difficulty. The measures above are just one thin slice of the full breadth of an education, a slice taken at just one point in time. These particular measures rate success on standardized tests. Such tests of reading, math, and science, of course, fail to do justice to other content areas: for instance, history and economics. Such tests pay no attention to the wellness that originates from co-curricular athletics, arts, and activities. And such tests ignore what I call "process skills" (elsewhere inaptly dubbed "21st century skills" as if they played no role a mere decade ago): professionalism and work ethic, written and spoken communication, teamwork and collaboration, and creative thinking and problem solving, to name just a few. Second, we must resist the tendency to rest on our laurels. Rather, education must strive for continual improvement. We should seek out the best ideas from within our midst, whether from teachers, administrators, students, parents, or citizens at large. And we should look to schools and organizations beyond our borders; the number of public school districts in the United States alone allows us to leverage our efforts by more than fifteen thousand to one. So, which direction forward? Over my many years learning within, observing, and serving public schools, I've been compiling a set of ideas-only sometimes my own-that form the basis for possible answers to this question. I share these here in the hopes of framing an ongoing conversation on this topic. I fully appreciate that even if we reached agreement on the merits of each of these ideas, the reality of available resources makes pursuing all of these avenues a challenge of the highest order. More professional development: As our Superintendent says, this is our R&D. Teachers improve most quickly when given opportunities to learn. Extended learning time: Our international peers spend more time in the classroom than we do. Options include longer days and/or more days while recognizing numerous obstacles that must be overcome. Technology infusion: Educational productivity in terms of student:teacher ratio hasn't really changed in a century--we still have one educator in a class of 25 or so children. Instructional software and distance learning don't have to come at the expense of the teaching staff, whose count would reduce through attrition, freeing up remaining teachers to spend more time in smaller student settings. Improved differentiated instruction: As commonly used, differentiated instruction connotes different or extra work for struggling students. A broader use of the term, though, means having all students at their level of challenge, not boredom or frustration. Differentiated instruction is certainly not foreign to the Wayland Public Schools, and needs to be a focus for continued advancement. Curriculum enhancement: In recent years, we've made great strides in the key foundational skills of early reading and math. All curriculum is reviewed and improved on a revolving schedule. Two areas that are obvious candidates for expansion/overhaul are foreign language and health/wellness. District-wide facilities adequacy: As great as it would be to house a world class education in world class facilities, that has not been--and likely will not be--our approach. With ongoing significant (roofs, windows) and minor (flooring) work, our elementary schools are adequate. Our Middle School, recently renovated, is a bit better than adequate. The deficiencies of our High School physical plant are well-documented and in need of near-term redress. Across our buildings, we need to be "thinking green" by implementing energy efficient features. My list above builds on our current offering and educational structure, it does not replace it. I do so not because this structure is perfect, but rather, because it is what we have. I'm all for working to improve public education by changing its structure where necessary, but doing so in many cases requires effort far beyond our local control. I recognize that the list above requires funding on top of what we currently spend and that these are challenging financial times. Nonetheless, I think it important to paint a picture of how a reasonable--not excessive--public education in Wayland might evolve. Jeff Dieffenbach is a candidate for re-election to the School Committee. You may visit his web site at www.deepbrook.com/schools.

If you have any questions or comments, call me at 508-353-3175 or send me email at dieffenbach @ alum.mit.edu.