Whatever it Takes

In a recent blog post, Joanne Jacobs credited success in closing the achievement gap to the "do whatever it takes" attitude. If teachers are willing to do whatever it takes, then this is certainly a potent solution to education's ills. But how many teachers are actually willing to do whatever it takes? And given that far fewer than 100% of teachers are willing to do whatever it takes, how can we close the achievement gap anyway?

It is unrealistic to think that every, or even most, teachers will do whatever it takes for their students. Some teachers might do a lot (I was once asked to run a concession stand to raise money for my students' sports teams on Friday nights), and some schools might ask a lot (teachers at KIPP schools work an extended school day, are often on-call until 9pm, and are asked to work on Saturdays and during the summer), but this is the exception, not the rule. And it shouldn't be the rule - asking teachers to put in extra hours or work Friday nights or Saturdays is not sustainable in the long run.

So, then, what is to be done? The ultimate solution to closing the achievement gap isn't more of the same old strategy. We don't need more programs, we need a new vision. We don't need to keep doing the same thing more, we need to do something differently. What that is, exactly, is up for heated debate. One thing is for sure, though: we can not assume that every teacher will be as committed to their jobs as Rafe Esquith, and pointing to this as a solution will not solve anything.