EDUCATION REFORMERS PITCH NEW PLAN

School reform must start in the classroom and "bubble up" to state and national improvements, according to a new approach for change pitched to local school officials Monday.

The Coalition of Essential Schools, an offshoot of research into American high schools by Theodore R. Sizer, suggests an initiative called "Re:Learning, From Schoolhouse to Statehouse."

About 80 area superintendents, administrators, teachers and school board members attended the meeting Monday on the Southeast Missouri State University campus.

Spokesmen with the Coalition of Essential Schools and the Education Commission of the States said 15 states, including Missouri, are exploring the Re:Learning idea.

Monday's meeting was the seventh in a series planned in the state through the Missouri education department.

Russell McCampbell, administrative aid to Missouri Education Commissioner Robert Bartman, said the Re:Learning approach closely matches some expectations outlined in the state's "Missourians Prepared" school improvement plan.

McCampbell said the state is not requiring any districts to participate. "Maybe this does offer an opportunity for some schools," McCampbell said.

He added that the department's upcoming budget includes a small amount of seed money for schools interested in beginning this type of improvement plan.

"These are meant to be educational meetings," McCampbell told school officials. "You should go back and talk with your district. Really, the ball will bounce back to the local district."

Established in 1984 at Brown University, the Coalition of Essential Schools is a high school-university partnership.

Stan Thompson with the Coalition of Essential Schools said many reform programs have been formulas to apply to schools. But he said the key is for schools and communities to work together to develop a plan that will work for each school system.

He said things that are effective in the classroom should "bubble up" through the district to the state level. In most cases today, the opposite happens. State officials dictate and mandate what will happen in the classroom.

"This is not about coming in and starting from scratch. It's about assessing where you are now and where you want to be."

"This is not a curriculum. It's a framework, a way of looking at things," he said.

Susan Klein with the Educational Commission of the States said Re:Learning is "not a recipe."

"It's a way to encourage schools to do their own planning, their own thinking for reform," she said.

Klein said schools need a vision, a clear expectation of what students should learn, know and be able to demonstrate.

Thompson added that rather than earning credits toward graduation, students would compile a portfolio, demonstrating the skills they have mastered.

Thompson said the school should focus on helping adolescents learn to use their minds well.

He said schools should make changes to ensure that the welfare of students really is at the center of what they do.

The approach has five "imperatives" for better schools:

Give room to teachers and students to work and learn in their own, appropriate ways.

Insist that students clearly exhibit mastery of their school work.

Get the incentives right, for students and teachers.

Focus the students' work on the use of their minds.

Keep the structure simple and flexible.