A Dirty Dozen Factors Reshape Our World

School Administrator, May, 1999 by Paul D. Houston

Among the greatest challenges to school leaders are a baker's dozen of "Dirty D" trends that will shape our society in the future. We need to be aware of these sweeping forces, so that we may shape our own behavior accordingly.

The first "D" is Devolution. This is the movement of political authority and power from centralized to decentralized places. We have seen it in Russia and we have seen it in the U.S. Congress. It springs from the human desire to have more control over one's life.

Politics are bending to that desire, and power is being widely distributed. As leaders of organizations that are centralized in nature, what implications does devolution have for you? You must move from a command-and-control mentality to something much more collaborative.

The second "D" is sociological-De-massification. This involves breaking information and interest into increasingly smaller pieces. Our children now have hundred of choices of what to watch on television. Our newsstands are overwhelmed with specialized magazines. Our shopping is shaped by the boutique nature of malls. We have more choices but fewer common interests to hold us together. How do we maintain a common society in this specialized environment?

Deregulatory Factors

The third "D" is Deregulation. This already has hit many industries. It now has come to education. We have seen the eradication of state education codes, the proliferation of charter schools, the pressure for vouchers and the introduction of for-profit schools. Deregulation has happened to us. Are we prepared for it?

The fourth "D" is perhaps the most important-Disintermediation. This term describes the impact of technology on institutions. Disintermediation occurred when Guttenberg invented the printing press and people no longer had to go to the priests to learn what was in the Bible. Parents no longer need to send their children to school to access knowledge. This will have a profound influence on us in the coming years.

The fifth "D" is the De-emphasis of Education. Any good educator knows that what a child shows on a norm-referenced test has little connection with what happens in a classroom or with what is important for them to know. Yet most of what is happening in education today is shaped by test results. We are assuming scores and scholarship are the same. They are not.

Further, business has convinced society that the reason you must become educated is so you can get a good job. Achieving a useable skill is one outcome of education--but only one. If we allow the focus on the value of learning to hinge on the instrumentality of getting a good job, we have de-emphasized education.

Further Challenges

There are eight other "D's" that also should concern us. Space does not permit a full discussion, but let me share them with you.

One is the Devaluing of Children. Our society does not treat its children well. Adults worry more about their own needs than about children. We also live in a Divided Society, where the gulf between those who have and those who do not have has widened over the last few years. These divisions influence our ability to serve the needs of children. The "haves" pay the taxes and the "have-nots" consume them. That is, in large part, why children have been devalued.

This is tied to two other "D's"--our shifting Demographics and our Diversity. As a nation, we are becoming older. The baby boom generation is aging and reaching a point where it is most concerned with retirement. Couple this with the fact that we are becoming an increasingly diverse country and that minority families are having more of the children. This places us on top of a keg of social dynamite.

The next two "D's" involve the fact that we are managers of Dilemmas and the victims of Dumb Ideas. The apparent contradictory aspects of our society shape much of our leadership. For example, we are an increasingly diverse society and we deal with that diversity through standardization. The business world sees the need for teaching collaboration, but they want us to focus on competition. We are raising the bar for children, but not increasing support. The dilemma of these dumb ideas presents a challenge.

The 12th "D" concerns the atmosphere of Disrespect that seems to permeate our culture. We have lost a sense of civility and consideration for other people. We see communities bickering over adult agendas and ignoring our children.

All these "D's" create a challenge for leaders. However, as the great American philosopher Pogo is credited as having said, "We are confronted by insurmountable opportunities." Each of these challenges we face offers the chance for creative and courageous leadership. That opportunity to lead is our Destiny.

Paul Houston is AASA executive director.