For Whom the School Bell Tolls: When Riding a Dead Horse
Dismount! Dr. John Draper Engaging Presentations About Public
Schools www.JohnDraper.org
Slide 2
My Grandmothers were both school teacherscertified in 1918!
They had what was required: 8 th grade education Proof of good
moral character Teaching certificate School Bell
Slide 3
Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding
a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.
Slide 4
Ways to Improve Dead Horses... Buy a stronger whip Change
riders Re-classify dead horses as living-impaired Say This is the
way we have always ridden this horse Appoint a committee to study
the horse Arrange site visits to other districts to see how they
ride dead horses Pass board policy that declaring that This horse
is not dead Increase standards for dead horse riders Set up an
after-school program to revitalize the dead horses
Slide 5
Ways to Improve Dead Horses... Develop remediation plans for
dead horses Blame the horses parents Harness several dead horses
together to increase productivity Do a cost-analysis study to see
if contractors can ride the dead horse cheaper Declare that the
horse is better, faster and cheaper dead Develop a new evaluation
system to provide more effective dead horse professional
development plans Revamp the performance requirements for all
horses Do a productivity study to see if lighter riders improve
dead horse performance Promote the dead horse to a central office
administrator
Slide 6
When Riding a Dead Horse: Dismount!
Slide 7
Organizations that never identify absolutes will elevate
artifacts to absolute status. Rigid organization in a changing
context is doomed to obsolescence.
Slide 8
Three Major Trends Affecting Public Schools 1.Trophy Children
2.Individualization 3.Choice
Slide 9
Fertilizer and Farm Machinery Big farms with big tractors were
more profitable Families moved into cities and towns for jobs My
Mom is one of 13 children... Children on a working farm were a
financial asset! CHILDREN ARE NO LONGER A FINANCIAL ASSET!
Slide 10
Trophy Children are... More Loved But Less Liked
Slide 11
Trend: Smaller families and Trophy Children As a table, write
down three things that will be impacted in your school and your job
because of this trend.
Slide 12
Trophy Children Trends... Higher expectations for public
schools Increased accountability for public schools Parents
unreasonable in their defense of student misbehavior Parents
competing through their childrens success Spoiled children
Over-protective parents
Slide 13
Family-Church-School It takes a Village to Raise a Child
Parents job is to protect the child from the village!
Slide 14
Institutional Trust is Dying!
Slide 15
Three Major Trends Affecting Public Schools 1.Trophy Children
2.Individualization 3.Choice
Slide 16
Trend: From Standardization to Individualization Another
outgrowth of small families is the rise of the individual, fueled
by technology and lack of institutional trust.
Slide 17
American families come in all designs. There is less
Standardization today.
Slide 18
Trend: From Standardization to Individualization As a table,
write down three things that will be impacted in your school and
your job because of this trend.
Slide 19
Trend: From Standardization to Individualization Impacts
testing, instructional delivery, course credits, K-12 grading
design, graduation options and more
Slide 20
Latest PDK poll cites growing dissatisfaction with state
testing Students are More than a Test Score!
Slide 21
SAT Test Scores are Declining? Average SAT scores are declining
but every sub-group is up! Simpsons Testing Paradox
Slide 22
USA is Falling Behind on International Tests? The countries
with the highest scores have fewer patents, copyrights and Nobel
Prize winners.
Slide 23
International Test Scores Are NOT a Valid Predictor of National
Success! Low TEST SCORES High High QUALITY OF LIFE Low USA
Slide 24
International Test Scores are not like a football gametheyre
more like weight!
Slide 25
Personalized Education Plan for all students A PEP for Every
Child!
Slide 26
Time is becoming a variable... Technology allows us to be fully
self- paced!
Slide 27
Three Major Trends Affecting Public Schools 1.Trophy Children
2.Individualization 3.Choice
Slide 28
CHOICE is a new American Value
Slide 29
Trend: Choice is a new American Value As a table, write down
three things that will be impacted in your school and your job
because of this trend.
Slide 30
Trophy Children/Individualization/Choice Trends are impacting
Public School Support Public Schools have had two goals since they
were created: No Child Left Behind My Child Ahead of Yours
Slide 31
Two Goals of Public Schools hurt us... NCLB Is being perceived
as Mediocrity for All My Child Ahead of Yours Is imposing a win-
lose template on public schools
Slide 32
Latest PDK Poll cites continuing support for... Charter Schools
(68% favor) Home Schooling (60% favor) Home School/Public School
Blending Part time Public (75% favor) Athletic Participation (80%
favor) Special Ed services (90% favor)
Slide 33
Parents want individual and Social success simultaneously, but
emphasis must be on the individual to move to abundance mentality!
Every Child Every Chance Every Day Every Child a Graduate Whatever
it Takes
Slide 34
Strong Schools Strong Students Strong Communities We must
change the Win-Lose mindset associated with Public Schools.
Slide 35
The Bridgebuilder
Slide 36
For Whom the School Bell Tolls: When Riding a Dead Horse
Dismount! Dr. John Draper Engaging Presentations About Public
Schools www.JohnDraper.org
