Same "Ole, Same 'Ole

On May 8, 2008 there was an article in the Desert News announcing that Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr. was forming a committee to look at how to improve Utah's work force to compete better in a global economy. It was even mentioned in the article that Governor Huntsman recognized that everything that needs to be done starts in the classroom. Although the Governor has identified a worthy goal and has recognized the most important path to achieve it, I was extremely disappointed when I saw the list of the seventeen people he chose to be on his "Globally Competitive Workforce Steering Committee"--same 'ole names and same 'ole faces. Plus, not one minority was chosen.

It is disconcerting and troubling how obsessed our nation has become with the term experience. Our 2008 Presidential Campaign has focused on it. Senator Hillary Clinton's mantra has been that she will be ready on Day One because of her experience. She adds that the nation can't afford to break in a newcomer. Senator John McCain has emphasized that Sen. Barack Obama's simplistic views demonstrate he doesn't have the needed experience or the judgment to make wise decisions. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has stated that the presidency isn't an internship.

Sen. Obama and Obama supporters are quick to point out that all this "experience" that others supposedly have has led us into the mess we are in and to the continual decline of country and how we are perceived in the world.

This obsession with and emphasis on experience is also part of the education world--The main determinant for how much a teacher is paid is based on his/her years of teaching. Although teaching experience appears to have an influence on student achievement most studies have discovered that the benefits of experience level off after the first five or so years of teaching. There is not a consistent linear relationship between years of teaching experience and student achievement after the initial three years of teaching. In other words, teachers with 20 or more years of teaching are not necessarily more effective than teachers with 7-10 years of teaching. In fact, there is a joke that is more real than funny and that is that some teachers have taught their first year of teaching 25 times.

If we are serious about improving our nation and/or schools, it is critical that we keep the following thoughts in mind:

• Experience by itself isn't always the best answer. Even our founding fathers (and mothers!) had never founded a nation before.
• We need the right definition for experience. Obama told supporters at a Colorado fundraiser that lack of experience in Washington is not necessarily a bad thing--"When you say I don't have enough experience, what you really mean is that I haven't been in Washington long enough. I've been in Washington long enough to know Washington needs to change." Obama's wife, Michelle, noted in a speech that even though her husband doesn't have the check-marked experiences he has the experience that makes a difference noting his work as a community organizer, civil rights lawyer, law professor and state lawmaker.
• Advocating for change is not an indictment against the country or a system such as public schools. Nor is it denying the fact that the United States is the greatest nation in the history of mankind. America and our public school system do have flaws. Living in a fantasy land pretending that all is well will keep us from making the needed changes to move forward.
• All systems need a certain amount of turnover to bring new blood--people from the outside--who can look at the system with new eyes. This is the only way a system avoids becoming stagnant.
• Although experience can be beneficial it also needs a moral compass as Michelle Obama suggests and there needs to be a focus not only on how to achieve positive results but a way to measure if they have been achieved.

In order to improve our nation, our community, and our schools we will need, whether experienced or not, individuals, members of committees, and leaders who are not only "lifelong learners" who are able to be "innovative and creative" but who are also passionate and committed.

Note: The purpose of this posting isn't to endorse Barack Obama.