NSBA President: Malfunction junction, education leadership, and the agora

The ancient Greeks might have had a better way. At the heart of their cities was the agora, an open space that served as the political, civic, religious, and commercial center. And in these gathering places, people lingered, philosophers expounded, and ideas collided.

Right now we are experiencing unprecedented societal change, and it seems to me that we need time and space for a thoughtful exchange of ideas.

Technological development is fueling vast changes in the global economy. Mass migration is triggering demographic shifts, and individual school districts are enrolling students from throughout the world.

Indeed, some schools face the challenge of teaching English language learners in a mini-marketplace where more than 50 languages are spoken by students.

Meanwhile, the disparity between the haves and the have-nots is increasing. These kinds of changes have a destabilizing impact.

With public schools at the nexus of societal change, it would be tempting to retreat into the safety of an imaginary past; however, this would be a disservice to the children in our public schools.

School boards have an ethical obligation to lead the way into the future. Among other things, this requires setting aside time and space for engaging the community in a search for the most deeply held beliefs. And I daresay the common ground will center on a moral core where the well-being of children is the first priority.

Preparing for the future means asking difficult and often paradoxical questions:

• At a time of tax cuts for the wealthy, how do we address such basic needs as health care for children who are born into poverty?

• At a time when external forces are resegregating our public schools, how do we affirm the value of racial and ethnic diversity?

• At a time when some children can read when they enter kindergarten and others have never held a book in their hands, how do we develop equity in early childhood education?

• At a time when high-stakes testing in math and reading, all too often, is trapping children in identical boxes, how do we encourage the unique potential within each individual child?

• At a time when greed and ruthlessness reign, how do we help students develop the civic virtues that are essential to democracy?

If we as education leaders truly want to lead the way into the future, we will have to create time and space for community discourse. And the collision of ideas might feel like a drive through “malfunction junction.”