Lack of Accountability

I was going through the usual morning routine reading the Saturday paper at Coffee Bean when the words jumped out of the LA Times Saturday (April 21, 2007) front page. “The most apparent and inhibiting deficit standing in the way of instructional coherence in LAUSD today is a lack of accountability.” I almost spilled coffee on myself. The report by Evergreen ordered by Supt. David L. Brewer was making evident a critical point about LAUSD that UTLA has cried out for a long time. There is no accounting for when the ball is dropped. The buck stops in a virtual world of smoke and mirrors in which key players make believe all is well. It’s a culture that refuses to die and makes it impossible for proven education models to surface. Brewer recognizes that this culture needs to change. “The culture is going to change.”

What is this culture that needs to change? The kind that plays lip-service but does not really implement programs that are successful. The study mentions the inability of the district to ’replicate programs that are successful.’ Why is this so? The answer is embarrassingly simple: “Successful programs empower teachers and discourage micro-managing by administrators.” Successful programs also recognize the importance of teacher retention and use the experience of veteran teachers, especially as mentors to new teachers. I admit, when a school such as JHS has lost over half of its seasoned teachers over the last 3 years, the list is short. How many total teacher will we lose this year? Yet enough of us are here, and will continue to be here, to make a difference.

Critical concerns mentioned:

Adopted policies are not implemented; no linkage between planning and budgeting; lack of accountability is pervasive throughout all levels; no responding to priorities and deadlines; no sense of urgency among managers; directives are given but no consequences for noncompliance; multiple/duplicate/conflicting programs.

No elaboration is necessary. The most troublesome ramifications of the Times report is that the ripple effects reach all the way down to the classroom level. It affects us as teachers and, most important, impacts our students. As teachers we can raise above and take accountability for what we can influence. If district hot-shots refuse to be accountable, let us contribute positively to our realm of influence. To start, we can pay attention to our body, speech and mind. We can dress appropriately. We can watch what comes out of our mouths and reflect on how it will impact our colleagues and students. Yes, it means not participating in spreading gossip and hearsay without foundation. We can be our worst enemy when we participate in the type of speech that degrades our colleagues. Bite your tongue, reflect before speech. This alone would go a long way in uniting us. But this should not be mistaken for not questioning or succumbing to apathy.