Linda Mariotti, President of ASCD , an international association of 170,000 education leaders, tells us that It's "Time to Do What We Know Is Best for Our Students." In the article she says "What we need in K–12 education is not always more money; it is the willpower to do what we know works, despite pressures from the public, the unions, and the politicians. We need to commit to making effective instructional decisions that have proven they will reduce the achievement gap, and we need to do this without apology—even when resistance surfaces."

She goes on to list what she feels are the practices that we need to follow in every school and at every level (It's copyrighted so you need to go to the article: http://is.gd/8B06f.), and she concludes that "If we as educators implement the strategies that we know are effective for helping students meet academic standards and perform at high levels, we will have done our jobs well. We are the experts, we know our students, and we know what they need to be successful."

The list is good, echoing some of what I've been saying in this blog and in my free study CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT. I sense some Appreciative Inquiry, Strength Based Practices, and Servant Leadership. But I don't sense collaborative democratic leadership or Open Book and Collaborative Stewardship of school funds. However few if any of Mariotti's suggestion will really transform our schools if they are imposed by the current and far outdated industrial management model of top down command and control. They will work, and work sustainably well,in the more effective model of collaborative democratic management.

Still ,Mariotti's list is a good list well worth being collaboratively reviewed, explained, expanded, and applied. That's the way to a true learning community where everyone matters.

1. ASCD Article: http://is.gd/8B06f
2. My CRISIS IN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT: click on "Home" at the top of this page, or go to http://www.crisisinschoolmanagement.com
3. List of topic resources: http://is.gd/8BOWS