The Agenda for Education in a
Democracy rests on a strong foundation that was initially crafted decades ago,
but has constantly been refined. It is the renewal process that continues to
make this work important and rewarding. Without question it must be continued.
However, the greatest challenge that
confronts the AED Scholars is to create a mechanism to sustain this work. Leadership, sustaining leadership and setting
a direction are just as important as charting a plan of attack. The “White Papers” were an experiment that
provided targets in the war to renew education.
Armed with that experience, we know what we need to do and what we have
to do.
A good organization continues to
create leaders. Its movement continues regardless of time and change. And, the AED Scholars should be the leaders
of the NNER! Yes, we have encountered
tremendous degrees of change since our formation, but we have weathered the
storm. The fact that the movement
continues and the majority of us are still involved is a good sign. The core of this group has been active before
the formation of the AED, for more than fifteen years dating back to meetings
in the University Inn. We know each
other relatively well, so it should not be difficult for us to continue this
work and allow each AED Scholar to play a key role in achieving our goals.
As I have read responses from two
of my colleagues, I am reminded that this work is now based in multiple
settings and serves as the heart of several national organizations. It was first developed at the NNER gatherings
in Seattle, but it is now part of the summer symposium and most of the NNER
settings as part of Leadership Associates programs. Our work has also moved
outside of the confines of the NNER into bodies like the League of Democratic
Schools and Teachers for a New Era.
Recently, some of the AED Scholars have become involved in the UNESCO
International Network.
In response to the notion of being
under the radar, I think that the time has come to promote the NNER and AED
Scholars in certain settings. We have seen some groups, both friend and foe,
emerge on a national scale by being extremely visible. The Agenda has reached a good number of
educators and communities. It has to
evolve to another level to become more effective.
So, I think that we have to double
efforts in our own settings to make sure that every educator in our networks
understands this work and our roles in educational renewal. We have to bring the communities into the
tripartite. Additionally, we have to spend more time cross-pollenating ideas
across settings. Too many settings operate in isolation.
Finally, I second the idea of
meeting in Denver to discuss next steps. The concept of regional groupings
(West, Midwest, Northeast and South) is a good idea to maintain a critical mass
between annual NNER meetings. It also
makes sense if we can send a representative from each of the regional groupings
to speak to other groups. I also think
that we need to continue to publicize our successes in print and in other mediums.
While I
would not propose another “White Paper, “ I do think that we need another group
project. We tend to work best as
individuals in our own settings, but the immediateness of this situation
fosters a collaborative effort. I think
that we can offer ideas between now and October so that when we have the Denver
meeting there will be a set agenda for future plans.
My initial
idea would be to see how we can revolutionize a partnership at one setting to
serve as a model for other settings to follow. This setting needs to illustrate
how a community can play a key role in educational renewal. The work needs to be documented in print and
in video so that it can be shared with a large audience.
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