“…I think Dave Askins is askin’(s) one of the key questions…”

Was that really necessary?

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As we look back, does it seem that we got what we expected?
Did we get what we expected, but that turned out not to be what we wanted because we had our criteria wrong?
Did we not get what we expected because Pat Green interviewed well–but reality turned out not to match the interviews?

As my algebra teacher used to say to the class, “It’s ok to make a mistake, but it is better if you make a different one every time.” Examining the last process is a good way to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes.

Ann Arbor is well into this process although most people here pretend otherwise.

The exiting administration, faced with the worst financial crisis in at least a generation, wasted most of its time and energy on pie in sky projects like closing the achievement gap. The only possible way to balance the budget, major cuts in teacher compensation, was traded off for chicken feed concessions. A new superintendent will probably come in too late and be too weak to push through new millages. One likely result is that AAPS will run out of money and the schools will close early in 2014. Another is state control and merger with wypsiRun.

It’s interesting that this is being discussed both here and on other sites as something negative (a problem? a failure? a ???).

That sort of perspective will remain even after Green has left the building and the state: “Superintendents can’t be trusted, and are a problem to handle, and…” Turning it around, our thinking about superintendents can’t be trusted and is a problem to handle. Is that truer? Seems so to me.

The alternative? This is perfect. If we can’t see it as such, let’s figure out why. Maybe then we can model constructive approaches to education for our kids that shows that anger and blame-placing aren’t necessary.