School Systems Open or Closed?

Chances are the public school system in your community is the largest employer in your area.  Chances are the public school system in your community serves more meals and transports more people and cleans more square footage than any other organization in your community.  Chances are there is no other place in your community that houses so many people on a day-to-day basis than the public schools, and most of those in attendance children and minors.  Chances are there are more degreed, licensed professionals in your public school system than any other operation in your community.  And, there is no other system in your community that is funded by tax dollars and serves the children of the community.  Taxes and children; what could a community value more than that? 

And yet, one of the most interesting phenomenon I have observed in my career as superintendent is the consistent disregard of the public school system by the public.  I am not talking about athletic events, musical performances, spelling bees or county youth fairs where the community is involved only as spectators.  I am talking about the climate, the operational decisions and the organizational style adopted by the system, not to mention the actual decisions made by the system.  Typically, no one attends board meetings save the administrators who have to be there, or small groups of parents and patrons disgruntled by some decision or lack of decision by the district.  Are school systems that boring?  Clearly I do not think so.

One of the variables that determines public, parent and staff involvement in the system is whether the system is an open system or a closed system.  Though each of the social sciences has ways to describe these two systems, the way I think about the difference is via the answers to several simple questions:

Does the system provide feedback loops and input from a variety of constituencies, or do leaders operate independently without input and in fact, discourage input via fear and intimidation?

Does the system engage in efforts to keep the constituencies informed of the operation and issues of the system, or does the leadership keep the decision-making process and the decisions made closed and undiscoverable?

Does the system make day-to-day decisions based on prescribed practices in an open and published format, or does the system make decisions based on title, position, authority, control and an invisible cadre of friends of the leaders?

I understand the need for closed systems.  I do not want the NSA or the FBI or local law enforcement to operate as an open system.  Those folks have a host of operational procedures and make a variety of decisions that by their very nature must be held in confidence.  I do not want my doctor to function in an open system allowing feedback and discovery of my personal ailments and treatment.  I understand that for each of the closed systems there exists oversight by someone outside the closed system and channels to express concerns and grievances.

But I love open systems.  Schools cannot be totally open when it comes to individual students or individual employees.  In those cases there is an important level of confidentiality.  However, in virtually all other areas of decision making the process and the product should, in my opinion, be open.  There should be interaction with a host of constituencies, a clear feedback loop, and the sharing of information. 

Perhaps I have been too open.  I blogged about what was happening in the system and staff, parents and community members responded to the blog.  I blog here to share my thoughts regarding public education. I produced a review of each board meeting describing the process, issues and decisions made by the board, and published and shared that review with everyone.  I produced a summary of every meeting of the District Team, an input group promoted to serve an open system.  That group of teachers, administrators, parents, business and community members received all the information in the system and provided important input regarding forthcoming decisions.  I met with each faculty on a fairly regular basis to share and receive input.  I met weekly with the administrators to ensure we were all on the same page and to take steps to head off concerns and issues.  I received dozens of emails from employees and parents and community members with questions and concerns, each of which I responded to personally.  My door was always open unless I was engaged in a confidential conversation with a staff member or a parent.  I wanted an open system based on the core belief that public school systems by definition should be public.  I often said if I became more transparent no one would be able to see me.  Every now and then I even got a laugh.

The processes listed above do not happen in closed systems.  Decisions are made close to the vest.  No one is sure what is going on.  There is no feedback or input loop.  Decision makers do what they do because they feel empowered to do it.  Control and power are more important than service and transparency.  Fear exists in the system, or at the least uncertainty.  Vacancies are filled based on who one knows not talent and abilities.  The group that reviews employee prospects does not include teachers, parents and community members.  Decisions are top down and rationalized with “because I said so.”  No one ventures to try to open the system for fear of retribution and retaliation.  The public schools become more akin to the NSA than an open, public system.

There is an advantage to a closed public school system, but the advantage lies with the leadership and not anyone else.  With the kind of power that accrues to leaders in such a system is a sense of omnipotence and self-aggrandizement.  That is not a sense of service.  That is not public transparency.

So, is your school system open or closed?  There are some simple tests.  Can you discover the outcomes of the most recent board meetings?  Are the actions of the board published somewhere?  Can you discover the personnel selection process and who is involved in the selection?  Can you discover what happens at the meetings of the District Team (a.k.a., district site-based decision making team)?  In fact, is there such a team and does it meet regularly?  Do you know the feedback loops?  Do you know whom to ask about what?  Is there an open door policy on the part of the leadership?  Do parent and community members have a clear understanding of what the board does and what the superintendent does?  Do folks attend board meetings just out of curiosity?  Do parents and community members know where individual board members stand on key issues in public education?  Are principals and teachers confident in their ability to do their jobs with support from the district leadership?  If the answers are mostly “yes” then you likely have an open system.  If the answers are mostly “no” then your system is likely closed.

When my children were very young I made a host of decisions in their behalf.  What to wear, what to eat, when to be where, etc.  My position was I am the father and you will do this because I have your best interest at heart, you should obey me and you do not know enough to make wise decisions.  As my kids got older they participated more and more in the decision making process and their input was honored more and more.  Eventually they made almost all their own decisions and I evolved to providing input.  Now as young adults my kids are great decision makers.  If I still tried to make decisions for them as I did when they were 2 years old, they would revolt.  I argue that any step back from collaborative, open systems is a regression, not an improvement and does not promote quality decision making in a public entity.

The funny thing about public school systems that operate using the closed system model is that sooner or later parents, staff and community members will grow tired of the fortress surrounding decisions and will throw all the rascals out.  If the rascals oppose an open system, they will throw out the employees who support an open system.  Hence we breed instability in public school decision making.

My advice to leaders of public school systems has always been to promote an open system.  Strategies that may work in the private sector will not work in the public sector by definition:  it is public, not private!  Seek and respect input.  Let people know where you stand.  Make decisions openly, in public and share them.  Let the various constituencies be involved and respect their input.  Eliminate fear in the system.  Promote open dialog with everyone.  Come from a position of service, not power or self-service. 

(Too bad our legislature does not understand this as well.  Virtually every legislated public school mandate is the result of closed system decision making.  I gave input, it made no difference, so I was tempted to stop trying.)

Telling employees and parents and community members to simply do as I say, I am the boss, and I know what is best for you is akin to saying, “Let them eat cake.”  We know what eventually happens to such leaders.