Leadership or Management?

I lamented here before regarding the Governor’s appointment of a non-educator as Commissioner of Education.  Effective September 1 Michael Williams became our Commissioner to lead an agency charged with the following:  “The mission of the Texas Education Agency is to provide leadership, guidance and resources to help schools meet the educational needs of all students.”  I feared that given Mr. Williams background and politics we would see more compliance issues with fewer resources and most likely a stronger effort than usual to implement the so-called school reforms that include high stakes testing, transparency, state driven curricula, choice, charters, vouchers, teacher appraisal tied to test scores, etc., etc.  The state will provide leadership; the districts merely comply like good managers.

Leadership means doing the right things.  Management means doing things right.  In a state where education is incredibly micro-managed at the state level and at a time when serious philosophical, political, and educational issues must be resolved we (the collective leadership in school districts) awaited Mr. Williams’s first words.

I received the first correspondence from the new Commissioner today, pasted below:

September 27, 2012
TO THE ADMINISTRATORS ADDRESSED:
SUBJECT: Procedures for the start of the day
Please allow this letter to serve as a reminder of statutory requirements for procedures at the beginning of every school day.  Section 25.082 of the Texas Education Code stipulates: The board of trustees of each school district shall require students, once during each school day at each school in the district to recite:
(1) The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States flag; and
(2) The Pledge of Allegiance to the Texas state flag.
A school district may excuse a student from reciting a pledge of allegiance upon written request from the student’s parent or guardian.
Following the recitation of the pledges, the statute requires that all districts provide the observance of one minute of silence at each school.  During the one-minute period, each student may, as the student chooses, reflect, pray, meditate or engage in any other silent activity that is not likely to interfere with or distract another student.
Each teacher or other school employee in charge of students during that specific period shall ensure that each of those students remain silent and does not act in a manner that is likely to interfere with or distract another student.
If you have any questions about these procedures, please contact our Legal Division at (512) 463-9720.
Sincerely,
Michael Williams
Commissioner of Education

Really?  This is not a memo outlining philosophy, goals, objectives, mission or vision.  This is a memo dictating to schools the kind of micro-managed, compliance organization we have become.  To actually receive a memo about how to start each day in mid-October is ludicrous, assumes we are not complying and sends the message that this is high on his agenda.  Why this topic for his initial correspondence?  At least it answers all my questions:  we are to be managers not leaders, we will continue to be micro-managed, we will continue to focus on the wrong issues, and non-educators will continue to plot our course.

After I pledge to comply, I need at least a minute of silence.