It has been said that a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. There certainly is some truth to the axiom. So can this be applied to schools? Maybe. Maybe not. But think about your school program. What would you identify as the weakest link?
Schools are a series of systems that are embedded and interrelated. For example, a school’s drop off procedures constitutes a system. It may be small or it may be large. It may be simple, or it may be complex. However, if that system fails one morning, safety can be compromised and disaster may follow. The school day depends upon a safe and efficient means for dropping off students. So if we think about curriculum, a school’s curricular design from birth to grade 12, is a large system. Within that system are smaller systems divided into grade levels (a system) and subjects (a system). All of these come together on one report card to determine a child’s progress.
Consider your curricular system. Where are your blind spots? Most of us have the big pieces taken care of: reading and math. But from that point, the curricular system can take a lot of turns. Through accreditation, our agency has noted deficiencies in the areas of class “specials.” By and large, this may be the biggest weakness in the curriculum.
School improvement depends upon quality and savvy educational leaders who fully understand who to measure system effectiveness. As we review our systems, we must identify weaknesses and improve those over time. Where are your school’s greatest weaknesses?
Are you satisfied with your PE programs? Are you confident that the assessment is based upon acquired skills and defined objectives, or do your teachers just grade participation? Here are some GREAT resources for strengthening these programs. LCS does not endorse these publishers but provides the resource for information only. It is up to each school to evaluate and adopt a quality curriculum.