Connections

OBSS as a way of thinking about change also reflects an inability to see the connections between various reform strategies.  The mosaic as metaphor has value because it sees the issues facing urban education--perhaps education in general--as too big for one solution. The idea is for all of us interested in the topic to see improvement occurring when there is the construction of a coherent plan for reform.  We as a society certainly see the value of connecting pieces in non-educational areas don't we?

Using our home as a tangible example of this way of thinking, we know there are certain rooms necessary to every home.  Essential rooms include the kitchen, bedroom, and the bathroom.  How many times do you go to party and everyone congregates in the kitchen?  (Apologies if this reflects my middle class bias and experience.)   While other rooms would be nice, in terms of a hierarchy, we need these rooms.  Other rooms would be nice, but we might rank them in terms of their importance to the overall house.  

We might want apply this same way of thinking to school reform.

Flawed Thinking About Reform

More responsible family and community involvement WON’T WORK. Transportation as an obstacle to finding good jobs, JUST AN EXCUSE. From my perspective, what's really interesting about the two stories detailed above is not necessarily that each seems to unequivocally reject a reform initiative, but rather the flawed thinking that underlies the rejection of these initiatives.  What I have noticed over the years is that the quick dismissal of these perfectly reasonable initiatives is at least partially due to what I call “One Big Solution Syndrome” (OBSS).  This syndrome is characterized by the tendency to conceptualize and understand any suggestion on the basis of its potential to unilaterally solve education’s ills.  Dismissal often occurs because worth is evaluated on this basis.

When I would engage someone in a discussion about the potential of community involvement, for instance, that person would inevitably jump to the conclusion that I thought this was the way to educational improvement.  While a discussion of the origins of OBSS is beyond this narrative (perhaps a reaction to optimistic solutions in a world of pessimism), its existence can be an obstacle to a constructive dialogue about reform.  When discussing this observation with one of my professors, I mentioned how I always considered community involvement a piece of a reform puzzle, and, moreover, not the biggest piece.  While I am an advocate of community involvement, I certainly ranked it below well-prepared teachers and good school leadership in terms of an impact of influence. Rather than thinking of reform initiatives as a puzzle of pieces, my professor suggested thinking of reform as a mosaic because in a mosaic pieces come in different shapes and sizes.  The mosaic as metaphor reflects the belief that when talking about educational reform, it is best to think of some pieces as just a little more important than other pieces.  However, the mosaic is complete—and hopefully appealing to the eye--when the different pieces are fitted together. 

OBSS is a huge obstacle to change because it leads perfectly intelligent people to dismiss ideas because they want the problem solved neatly, cleanly, and quickly.  In reality, the complexity of the issues facing urban education requires us to see reform as a mosaic of ideas, connected by their potential to improve educational performance. 

The Origin of The Uneasy Optimist

Just a few words on the origins of the title "The Uneasy Optimist."

A few years ago over a cup of coffee I was describing my doctoral dissertation research interest to a well-read colleague with quite a bit of exposure to, and experience in, issues related to urban education.  I told him I was researching the ways the external community could be mobilized to support urban educational reform.  My theory was that community, defined here more broadly than just parents but including non-profits, faith based group, the business community, politicians, really any stakeholder with an interest in the neighborhood school, could be a valuable partner in school improvement.  After proudly detailing my perspective, my colleague announced confidently that this theory "would not work."  He quickly tempered his remark by saying community involvement might have a little positive impact, but he simply did not share my optimism about its potential contribution.

Another time I told someone I really believed better transportation for city residents could help them find better employment opportunities.  My theory, shared by many, was that jobs are out there, but people in urban areas do not have adequate transportation choices.  An absence of good transportation was a primary obstacle to jobs and employment.  My friend, unfurling a scowl, basically told me this argument is merely an excuse people use to not work.  He believed if someone wanted to work, they would figure out a way to get to the job.  Unlike my earlier friend, he did not temper his remarks at all.

I cite both these anecdotal examples to bear out three important points: 1) Much of my thinking about ways to solve problems facing urban areas begin with an orientation toward optimism, 2)  The reality that a lot of really smart people rely less on theory and more on reality to dismiss my many suggestions for positive change, and, 3) While I have spent the past eight years convincing myself there are solutions to conditions facing urban areas, in the back of my mind I struggle to balance initiatives that are, at these most basic level, quite optimistic with the arguments presented by the great majority of people. Thus, "The Uneasy Optimist" is meant to convey the intellectual struggle I engage in with myself on a continual basis.

It is also meant to convey the belief that I am right and they are wrong. You just have to try.