What we say and what we do matters. If we believe that all children can and must learn, say it aloud and often and then cause it to happen.
Imagine walking into a school classroom on Monday morning, looking at the faces of children sitting and looking at you, their teacher, and saying, “This week I will improve the reading skills of five children. Although all of you will join me in reading groups, I am only interested in improving the reading skills of five children.” Or, saying to children in an Algebra class, “This week you will learn about quadratic equations. However, by Friday I expect only three of you to be able to balance an equation.”
In looking at test scores in elementary reading and middle school math, the paragraph above too often reflects student achievement following classroom instruction. The distribution of achievement staircases children from those who demonstrated advanced understanding and skills to those who minimally understand and demonstrate little to no skill. In this proverbial week, some children improved their reading skills and some children learned to resolve quadratic equations. Some children did not. In reverse, what we caused to happen we certainly would not have announced. We allowed the learning needle (how we measure learning achievement) for some children to be stagnant or recede while we advanced the learning needle for others.
The issue is clear. Whose learning needle needs to move? Every child’s. Which learning needle needs to move? The needle that measures the educational attribute receiving our current focus. Causing learning is a purposeful instructional attention focused on every child that does not cease until every child’s needle is moved.
Enlarge the scope of this proposition. Imagine your band or choir director giving focused and measured instruction only to the brass instruments or the sopranos while giving unfocused attention to the remainder of the band or choir. Or, the home construction teacher giving focused instruction only to the carpenters and less attention to students learning the electrical and plumbing trades. In these two examples, we hear and see the results of attending only to the learning needles of some children and not all. Music performances at band and choir concerts will cause patrons to lose all confidence in the school music instruction. The learning needles of all band and choir members need equal attention to create a quality ensemble performance. Realtors trying to sell the school-built home will stop showing the property. The learning needles of all members of the construction crew contribute the quality of the build.
This is true also of the quality of a school’s academic program. The learning needles of all children need to move in every grade level and every subject. Quality academic programs don’t just have high achievers. They concentrate on moving the learning needles of every child, on increasing every child’s understanding, skills and problem-solving, and closing the measured gaps between the learning needles. Instead of an achievement distribution with children languishing as minimal performers, quality academic programs give concentrated instructional focus to cause every child to reach proficiency in their understanding, skill sets, and ability to resolve challenging problems.
Imagine walking into a school classroom on Monday, looking at the face of every child and saying, “This week we will cause each of you to look for periods in your reading and to take a breath after a period before starting the next sentence. At the end of the week, each of you will know how a period works in a sentence and you will improve your reading using periods as stops between sentences.” And, then cause it to happen.
There were regrettable politics and distorted practices associated with the words “No Child Left Behind.” Yet, those words clearly express the intent and necessary actions for moving every child’s learning needle. Be clear in telling each child, “We are going to move your learning needle today (this week, this month) and this is what your new needle will cause you to know, do and be.” Then, cause it to happen.