Building on What Works: How do we make what is already working available to more children?
By: Partnership for Miami
More than twenty years after I first walked into a Miami-Dade classroom as a middle school teacher, I still think about education through the eyes of students and families. My work has changed, but the fundamental question has not: Are we creating the conditions for every child in Miami to attend a great school where they can learn, thrive and pursue opportunity?
That question has shaped how I think about the work since I was in the classroom. As a teacher, I saw firsthand how much individual educators can do for students. I also came to understand that what happens in a classroom is influenced by a much larger set of conditions: the leadership of a schools, the resources and support available to teachers, and the expectations that are set for students and adults.
Today, I spend much of my time thinking about those conditions across our county. And, there is a lot for our community to build on. Miami is home to many excellent public schools, talented educators and school leaders, and programs that are producing strong results for students. The opportunity now is to learn from what is working and make them available to more children. That means being clear about the outcomes that matter most for students and being willing to ask whether we are making enough progress toward them.