Day 12

International schools have created high-performing systems. Early child education in France uses a coordinated system with education, day care, and health services. There are positive parent-child relationships and many of the students get enrolled in preschools. In England, there is an extra hour spent on reading and math in the elementary schools. The government offers more funding for the lower performing schools, and they offer early intervention and catch-up options for those students who need it. Finally, Japan shows high performance in math and science. They have great daycare programs, great parental involvement and they have a longer school year.

The Alliance for Excellent Education program published a report on the effectiveness of teachers and ways to achieve success in the classroom. They looked at Finland, Ontario, and Singapore, once again recognizing the success of international schools. The schools in Finland, Ontario and Singapore are also very diverse, so using them as models for the United States schools is beneficial. The United States can learn from the efforts foreign schools have implemented, and possibly use the methods shown in the foreign schools for the further development in education policies.

Although the United States sometimes feels superior to other countries, I do think we can learn from some of the other education systems around the world. It is beneficial to look at the structures of other countries that are experiencing success. I think that the United States has gotten lazy in their education and they forget that it is a competitive world. Other countries are starting education sooner, they stay in school longer, and experience more rigorous schooling to prepare themselves for the real world one day.

International schools not only experience success in their students’ progress, but teacher effectiveness is also modeled. Teacher effectiveness has now moved to a top focus for the U.S. Department of Education. Ronald Edmonds described an effective school having these seven characteristics: a safe and orderly environment, a clear school mission, instructional leadership, a climate of high expectations, high time-on-task, frequent monitoring of student progress, and positive home-school relations. (478) Coordination of instructional planning, methods, materials, and testing is also something to improve the effectiveness of the school. Collaborative problem-solving, attention to goals, and responding to the development of academics for students are more things to consider when a school is striving to make their schools more effective.

There are five lessons presented in the article by Alliance for Excellent Education that will help shape an educational system for excellence. The lessons include “a systemic approach, strong recruitment and preparation, attractive teaching conditions, continuous support for learning, and proactive leadership development” (2).  These foreign schools offer systems for teacher and leader development, and they include coherent components that are not just a single policy. To develop teachers further, leaders in Finland, Ontario, and Singapore believe that getting the right people to teach and preparing them well is important. They also promote education as an attractive profession. Although that might be more cultural, they do strive to make their teachers well educated. The teachers in the foreign countries begin with good education, but the jurisdictions also “provide opportunities and support for teachers to develop their knowledge and skills, to improve their practice, and to grow as professionals” (6). Finally, the biggest success in teacher effectiveness in the foreign countries has come from the investment in leadership development and support. They try to build a school vision that all teachers can share.

I think that many of the characteristics Edmonds explained about effective classrooms and teachers were true. Support for education at home and open communication is important for teacher effectiveness and success for the students in the classroom. With a clear initial mission, the staff shares the same vision. When the teachers are well educated, they will be prepared to teach the classroom content, and will understand classroom management. Passing state standards is a focus in education, but it is important to realize that the teachers have also been called to nurture their students. God places people in our lives for many reasons, and teachers have the opportunity to impact a child’s life. If the teacher is well educated the classroom will work effectively, the students will obtain knowledge and skills, and God can be honored in the entire process.

Article from Alliance for Excellent Education cited above: http://www.all4ed.org/files/TeacherLeaderEffectivenessBrief.pdf