Additional Examples of Issues
from the Advisory Council
The following are additional examples of issues facing education identified by the Creating a Future Advisory Council. This distinguished group, whose names are listed in the Acknowledgments section, provided advice in developing this publication. Additional representative examples are found in Chapter 5, which is devoted to issue management.
Closing the achievement gap is an ongoing challenge. “Many in America do not have the will or the desire to address this issue. In the suburbs, where I am, the public does not expect excuses. They expect the ongoing delivery of high-quality programs and high achievement.” —Keith Marty, superintendent, School District of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Legislators have intervened to overwhelm the authority of educators—to set academic standards—but without regard for new ways to organize learning and new ways to make it more productive and successful for children with more kinds of learning styles. “With powerful software and media that provably work, why aren't we thinking about ways to redistribute costs to create more effective resources? Learning can be more efficient and proceed at a faster pace, perhaps reducing the number of days of seat time required to move on to higher education.” —Gary Rowe, president, Rowe Inc., Lawrenceville, Georgia
School districts lack infrastructure to provide services schools need to meet the learning needs of students. “Most districts do not have a data-management system in place to give teachers immediate and ongoing information on how their students are achieving on standards. Without this information, it is much more difficult to align instruction to the students' needs.” —Jane Hammond, superintendent-in-residence, Stupski Foundation, Mill Valley, California, and a veteran school superintendent
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