In a past post, I shared the values that guide my professional work. FRECL. The L stands for Learning, and I fully embraced that value this week. I attended one of the best state-level annual conferences—the Kansas MTSS Symposium. In the past, this symposium was where I got to see Terry Scott and Randy Sprick present together. Where I got to have lunch with the author of the behavior screening I was working to implement.
This year’s symposium was even more amazing. It started with a day-long presentation by Dr. John Hattie. I was introduced to John Almarode and his fantastic work. I had great sessions on reading with Michelle Elia, and leadership sessions with Peter DeWitt. An all-star lineup that made me stretch my thinking for 3 full days.
Throughout every session, there was a clear message. There are some very ineffective strategies that schools hold onto. This can seem arbitrary when there are so many effective things taking place, but when you consider the opportunity loss and the obligation we all face to impact the learning of every student, any time that could be spent on greater impact is wasted if it is used differently.
John Hattie’s work with meta-analyses has improved our understanding of what works in schools. You can go to Visible Learning MetaX to see a list of everything that he has studied that impacts learning. Each presentation I attended pointed out ineffective things (see: Retention, Labeling, Lectures, etc.), that can be replaced by better practices, or negative impacts we cannot control (See: Students with Frequent Moves, Lack of Sleep, etc.) that we need to have deliberate plans to work against. There is so much more, but overall I left with clarity for practices that we need to find a way to use more (a draw to the E in FRECL, effectiveness).
Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, do better.” There has always been a professional obligation to seek better practices and to “first, do no harm”. There are enough factors that we do not control that have a negative impact on learning, that to actively choose others seems to go against our purpose. As the clarity of impact improves, the imperative shifts from a professional one to a moral one.
The patience to slow change because of the inertia of systems is running out. As a professional, you face the challenge of breaking down the resistance and moving things forward. If that fails, you face the personal challenge of staying in a system that does not reflect your values. More and more educators are going to start looking these challenges in the face, and I hope the systems can see the path that is best for all kids and not just the kids that it works for now.
Good read Kyle. I need to get to the MTSS symposium some time soon.