Last week I suggested a goal to make Anguilla’s school system one of the best in the Caribbean. I said that first step toward this goal is setting a vision, and then finding the leadership to bring that vision to reality. A number of people spoke to me about the article. They all thought that this was a worthy goal. This isn’t surprising. How can you object to having a great school system? However, none of them appeared to be too optimistic about it occurring any time soon.

Peter Wolinksy

They gave many reasons, including: there is not enough interest in education; the economy is all that matters now; things don’t ever change in Anguilla; there is not enough discipline at home. One person asked me what would be harder: creating the vision for excellence in education, or finding the leadership to pull it off. I’d say that the vision is the easy part.

The vision for academic excellence in Anguilla can be as simple as a set of goals that we want to attain, with a deadline and a way of measuring progress. The only challenge is to pick the most important goals, and to not pick too many. Remember the old adage that the longest journey begins with a single step? To make it easy, here is a simple vision plan that in my opinion can be achieved and, if it is achieved, will greatly improve the education of Anguilla’s children.

1. The average reading fluency rate for second grade children as measured at the end of the school year will be at least 80 words per minute by the year 2013. Reading fluency is a measure of how quickly and how accurately a child reads. Reading fluency is a critical foundation skill, and without it children will not be able to read for comprehension, and will not be able to read the quantity of material necessary to be successful at Campus A. Every Kindergarten, First and Second grade child was tested last year. Currently, the average reading rate for second graders is 59 words per minute. This is too slow. Reading fluency can be increased by utilizing appropriate teaching methods.

2. Scores on CSEC questions that require critical thinking and analysis will increase by 50 percent by the year 2014. I don’t have any accurate information on exactly how our students are currently performing on these types of questions, because this data has not yet been statistically analyzed. However, it was pointed out in the recent review of comprehensive education that the number of students passing CSEC at Grade 1 is quite low. The Education Officer for Assessment, Measurement and Testing notes that to achieve higher grades, students need to perform better on the questions dealing with critical thinking. I will devote an entire column next week to the importance of critical thinking skills, and how to strengthen them at home and in the classroom. By the way, teaching critical thinking skills in the classroom will go a long way toward helping to re-engage many of the children who tell us that school is boring.

3. There will be a fully functioning system for early identification of children with learning and/or behavior needs at every primary school by the year 2011. There is nothing more important or more effective than identifying students early. Invariably, when I collect history on the youth who end up at Zenaida Haven or at the Pupil Referral Unit, I learn that there were significant issues that were evident from early on. Not only do we need a system for identifying these children (a simple and effective system has already been demonstrated at each primary school). We need ways of helping those in need. We need to bring together counselors, mental health experts, community volunteers, church leaders, youth and development staff, etc. and invite them to these meetings.

4. Enact the Drug and Alcohol Policy that is currently in draft form, and implement it by September 2010. This policy includes provisions for educating youth on the effects of drugs and alcohol, for clarifying school policies, for enforcing the policy, and for helping children who have addiction problems. However, this policy will only be effective if it is comprehensive, and includes the support of Police, Judiciary, Probation, Social Development, and community leaders.

That’s it. Four goals could make for a great start of the journey toward academic excellence. Clearly there is much more to do. The recent Review of the Comprehensive Education System in Anguilla listed over 100 recommendations! Work needs to done on improving punctuality and attendance, teacher training, parent involvement, curriculum development, accurate data collection, buildings and grounds, etc. It is easy to get lost in the details and set too many goals. We don’t need to get it perfect. We just need to start with some basic goals, and do it now. We need to see progress. This is where leadership comes into play.

Leadership is about someone stepping forward and setting goals. It is about having the power and authority to make decisions that lead to the achievement of these goals. It is about communicating with everyone (school officials, government officials, parents) on a regular basis, and sharing data on how well the goals are being met. It is about rallying, cajoling, encouraging, forcing, convincing, begging, and thanking. Educational leadership is difficult and demanding. The committee that wrote the Comprehensive Review recognized this when it said, “…promotion of education in Anguilla is lacking.” They strongly encouraged the promotion and marketing of the island’s educational developments.

One last thought. Wouldn’t it be nice to have discussions about education that focus on the great progress being made in the schools rather than on all that is going wrong?

What do you think?

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