Everywhere you find increased mandates and regulation in education, you will find teachers with grit, determination, and resilience to make an impact. When politicians talk about "local control" in education, it is indeed local - classroom by classroom, school by school, each doing what can be done to move the needle on achievement. Not because someone said to, but because it's the right thing to do.
That is the idea behind Sir Ken Robinson's latest book, Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That's Transforming Education. The subtitle says it all. "Grassroots" means bottom-up transformation, and that means teachers, parents, students, administrators, and school boards. People making a difference by using the pieces that nobody is regulating. Now that's local control.
I found Creative Schools to be incredibly affirming. If you are an educator who believes in personalization of learning, 21st century skills and tools, and the critical role of the teacher like I do, you may not find much "new" in this book, but you will be strengthened in your journey and find plenty to chew on.
Robinson's book is incredibly timely. Creative Schools looks at nations and states that were early to get on the standards bandwagon to see what they do when the wheels fall off that vehicle. As the greater United States starts to emerge from the standards movement and ask "What's next?", the answer is not more standards or higher standards. The answer is a re-imagining of the purposes and processes of education. Read it now or the revolution might pass you by.
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