Guiding Principles for Reform in Philly, Part 2

Remember, the four guiding principles for reform in Philadelphia are:

Educate Children First
Treat Teachers as Educators
Engage Families as Parents
Great Education Emerges from Sound Financial Practices

What is missing? Well for starters, notice that there are only four principles, and not seventeen. While there might be seventeen "wonderful" things on which to focus in turning around Philadelphia Schools, your chances of success are dramatically higher if you focus on the four most important ones.

What else is missing? Did you notice that the catch phrases Constructivism, Technology Integration, Cooperative Learning, Holistic Teaching, Discovery Method, the Child-Centered Classroom and Self-Esteem Building do not appear once in the principles?

This tells us that the SRC doesn't plan to use the meaningless terms of edubabble to describe their plan. To do so would make their plan at one with the mind-numbing ranks of progressive idealistic thinkers, not practical, hardworking teachers.

Rather, it seems to us that the four guiding principles are grounded in reality?the here and now.

We would be bullish on their prospects for success, if they could focus on this plan and resist the efforts of progressive reformers. (Phrases like direct instruction drive them nuts!)