“Vermont schools aren’t as broken as some say, a different kind of transformation is in order.”
This intro to Elijah Hawkes’ latest column, published in both the Barre Montpelier Times Argus and the Valley News, had me hooked. Having worked at UVEI since 2014, I am no stranger to nuance, discussion, and deeper dives into complex education issues. But this week, against a backdrop of polarizing budget and policy discussions the nuance feels even more essential.
Elijah’s tack, in his piece, is to look at some of the things that are working in Vermont schools. He shares thoughts on student outcomes, the teacher workforce, and even fiscal responsibility. Not to say “everything is ok” but to say “there are strengths here.” His advice to policy makers, similar to his advice to new principals, is to build upon current strengths in enacting change. Elijah notes that “I wrote this piece as a Vermont citizen, but UVEI’s How Schools Improve” Framework informs my thinking. This framework asserts that ‘system level actors’ can support school improvement work in several ways, including the ‘cultivation of collaborative cultures’ and ‘orienting the system toward deeper learning.’ This is possible within schools, within districts and I believe it is possible across a larger system, like a whole state. If our systems can help schools learn from each other and build on their strengths as they address their challenges, there’s almost no problem we can’t make progress in solving.”
