I write a lot about public schools in three states: Texas, Vermont, and Iowa. I worked in the Texas public school system for 35 years, and I’ve lived in Vermont and Iowa over the past seven years. All three systems are different when it comes to providing public education to their youth. Texas has one of the largest, most diverse student populations in the country, while Vermonters pride themselves on their provincial educational focus. Iowa rural schools dominate their K-12 landscape.
Today we focus on Iowa and its largest school district – the Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS).
This week, DMPS offered additional details to its Reimagining Education, Reinvigorating Schools plan that ABPTL has covered in the past. The Des Moines Register reported today that,
“Facing declining enrollment and an increasingly diverse student population, Des Moines Public Schools has unveiled an ambitious plan to remake Iowa’s largest district – redefining its high schools and closing several other schools.”
“The district released its highly touted Reimagining Education, Reinvigorating Schools plan Tuesday morning during the annual State of the Schools address at North High School. It includes a host of proposals that are part of a larger move to overhaul Des Moines schools amid enrollment drops and the need to improve students’ academic outcomes.”
“’Just given the change in dynamics of our pre-K-12 reality with declining enrollment, we wanted to make sure that we were setting ourselves up to be competitive,’ Des Moines Superintendent Ian Roberts said, ‘to be, quite frankly, that destination of choice for pre-K-12 education.’”
“The proposed changes include dividing the district into three regions, moving sixth-graders to elementary schools, expanding all-day preschool for 4-year-olds and creating signature schools that specialize in areas such as arts or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).”
“The plan also calls for closing multiple schools over several years and cutting the number of middle schools in half.”
“During the yearly address, Roberts also announced the district will need voters to approve a bond issue that could exceed $500 million this November for a yet undetermined amount of money to cover the project’s infrastructure costs. The average DMPS building is about 80 years old.”
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“’I think it’s important to point out that while Reimagining Education and Reinvigorating Schools will have some impact on our inventory in terms of building,’ Roberts said, ‘we are approaching this work through the lens of really prioritizing people over just some of the protocols, processes and buildings.’”
“When district officials looked at open enrollment numbers, they found a significant number of middle school-aged students left the district.”
“’The most significant numbers we’ve seen over the years, when we’ve looked at the last three or four years, is students have transitioned between grades five and six,’ Roberts said. ‘…There’s so many gaps in the quality of education we provide because there’s been a decline in confidence in our middle schools.’”
“Other school districts have seen improvement when using the seventh-eighth grade middle school model, Roberts said.”
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“’This reimagining education plan creates hundreds of needed classrooms, providing an inspiring, modern education environment that encourages curiosity, exploration and wonder,’ Associate Superintendent Matt Smith said during Tuesday’s presentation at North.”
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“The need to reduce the budget was a factor [in releasing the Reimagining Education and Reinvigorating Schools plan at this time], but it was not the main reason officials chose to move ahead with the project, Des Moines schools’ officials told the Register.”
“’While certainly that’s a factor, our commitment to Reimagining Education, again, is anchored in wanted to make sure we provide all of our students with a world class education,’ Roberts said.”
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“A signature school is about it serving the community in which it sits…Most magnet schools around the country, you have to fill out an application, you have to qualify on the front end, and it excludes a number of kids that live right across the street,’ said Smith. ‘We’re not looking to do that. We’re looking to create opportunities for the students in the neighborhoods that the school resides.’”
“The focus of a signature school could be anything from STEM to performing arts.”
The plan includes a focus on all-day, 4-year-old preschool.
So one has to wonder – is the Des Moines plan more about transforming learning for kids or getting a bond passed to help with the district’s money problems?
Let’s say it’s about transforming learning for kids. Then here is some advice for Des Moines educators moving forward:
Instead of signature schools, start developing signature learners, each with their own unique learning plans. STEM or performing arts schools are so 20th century. We now have the ability to design an individual learning plan for every student inside a school district. So why aren’t we doing it? Focus on the learner as the unit of improvement, not the school.
Kids don’t do well with transitions from school to school, so lessen those transitions by establishing two levels of schools in the DMPS – K-8 campuses and 9-14 campuses. When I worked in Houston, we witnessed impressive academic growth in the areas of reading, writing, and problem-solving if kids were allowed to stay on the same campus they started kindergarten while they completed eighth grade. Then, instead of 9-12 campuses, begin partnering with area community colleges to give every kid the opportunity to continue their individualized learning plans as all of them earn a college associate’s degree.
If you really want to be competitive with other school districts, then you will need to offer “different” to your kids and families.
“Different” means focusing on academic growth when it comes to building young learner’s reading, writing, problem-solving, and character development abilities.
“Different” means building and maintaining relationships between adult learning leaders and young learners.
“Different” means empowering adult learning leaders and their young learners to make decisions about what is learned, when it is learned, and how it is learned. The most important relationship in the learning process is the relationship between an adult learning leader and their young learners – period.
“Different” means embracing anytime, anywhere learning. Open up your learning day to the world (we now have the technology to do that!) Establish learning protocols between your adult learning leaders and their young learners (and their families) so that every learning cohort understands what “anytime, anywhere” learning means to that group.
“Different” means utilizing technology to assist learning. Stop using bond money to build schools and classrooms. Instead, introduce a technology bond that allows young learners, and their adult learning leaders, to learn anytime and anywhere – including connecting with adult learning leaders from around the world!
What Des Moines Public Schools has presented for $500 million is a yawner. It’s so 20th century. It’s not compelling.
If Des Moines is serious about serving their kids the way their superintendent says they are, then they must develop much more of a creative plan for how their kids are going to become smarter and stronger – and soon.
And this just doesn’t apply to Des Moines, it applies to districts across the country desperate to make an impact on young learners. Because that’s what it really is all about.
Right?
Til tomorrow. SVB
A Better Path to Learning 
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