We're not good now, but we can do better

Joanne Jacobs has a link to a column she wrote about her experience at Downtown College Prep, often called DCP. She explained how important it was for the teachers at this charter school to be up front with the students. The students were told the truth about their performance, and then they were told they could improve. Joanne says the school's unofficial motto is "We're not good now, but we can do better."

In the last paragraph of the column Joanne says:

"Schools won't improve until administrators and teachers can admit the problems, analyze what's going wrong and try new strategies. Students won't improve if they think they're 'special' just the way they are. Many schools aren't good now. But they can do better. "

Hopefully more schools will acknowledge they aren't good now, and then they will work to be better.


Joanne Jacobs spent several years observing DCP. Her book Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea, and the School that Beat the Odds is about how DCP did such a good job. I wrote here about the kick off meeting for her book.