Weathering the storm

NEA Today, Nov 1996

A school's reform plan encounters opposition, but a tale of survival emerges.

Surviving School Reform: A Year in the Life of One

School

Laraine K. Hong. Teachers College Press, 196 pp., $21.95. In the late 1980s, educators at Jefferson Elementary in Bellevue, Washington came up with a plan-complete with multi-age classes and a new location-to revamp their school. While it hit a big snag in 1990, most of the reforms were implemented, and the school is now a changed place. NEA member and lan guaRe arts curriculum specialist Laraine Hong chronicled that tough year in a book. She spoke about it recently with NEA Today's Dax Oliver.

Why did you write this book?

I hadn't planned to write a book, but after the 1990-91 school year, I wanted some record of events that would remind us of what we had lived through, inspire other schools, and provide practical suggestions about what true reform takes. I also hoped that policy makers might read my account and learn that simply issuing standards and creating strategic plans makes little difference if there is no appreciation of the circumstances that determine whether and how students learn.

What's the most important lesson in vour book?

Perhaps that conflict isn't fatal. If you're clear about your goals, you'll be able to mediate conflict, both within the staff and without. For teachers, this requires continual learning, working closely with colleaeues, being sensitive to parents, and making children's welfare, both academic and personal. your first priority. Parents should understand that the best interests of their own children are serve when a school is working for the best interests of all its students.

What's the future for reform? I think education in this country has gone too far forward to lapse back into old ways. We've seen significant changes in math instruction, literaturebased reading, integrated studies, and, especially, process writing. Still, until we can say that we are truly providing equal educational opportunities for every child, the promise of school reform remains unfulfilled.

Books by NEA Members

Under the Mermaid Angel

Martha Moore.

Delacorte Press, 168 pp., $14.95. In this young adult novel, 13-year-old Jesse learns life lessons when Roxanne, 30, moves into the trailer next door.

Casimir Pulaski:

Soldier on Horseback David Collins, illustrations by Larry Nolte. Pelican Publishing Company, 96 pp., $14.95. A biography of this Polish patriot, one of the most important officers of the American Revolution.

The Black Bonnet

Louella Bryant. The New England Press, 160 pp., $12.95. This novel for middle school students tells the story of two slave sisters who make a run for freedom on the underground railroad. The time: 1858. The place: a stop in Burlington, Vermont.