Administrivia

Every day at school is a flurry of paper. Paper for permission. Paper for ins. Paper for outs. Paper for grades, and attendance, and grading, and confirmation, and memos, and test results, and e-mails, and course descriptions, and lesson plans, and . . .

What education needs is a Paperwork Reduction Act, like the one in 1980. The amount of paperwork can vary considerably from day to day. Several students are on attendance contracts, so that is a daily signature. Students withdraw and I need to send book number information and grade information--usually that day. Student athlete grades are often recorded or checked every week or so on paper, as well as every Wed. on the computer for those achieving low grades. Personal lesson plans need to be written down. I say personal here, because those are for my benefit. I'm lucky. At the elementary level, lesson plans are often required daily and have to be readily accessible. Ok, perhaps I am naive here, but do law firms require their experienced attorneys to outline every case before they actually get to work doing the case?

Much of the paperwork comes from the pressures around accountability. Everyone wants to CYA, all the way up the bureaucratic hierarchy. Bureaucracy isn't all bad, don't get me wrong. Some bureaucracy and documentation is necessary and useful. It just needs to be efficient and necessary and useful. Most of it usually isn't. I could fill file cabinets full of documents that I have submitted over the years that have never been looked at by another human being (myself included).

It is a mistake, however, to think that a "free market" model of education would overcome this bureaucracy. In fact, take a look at some corporations. The paperwork bureaucracy there is unbelievable. No one wants to be responsible, so documents flourish to provide cover. Bureaucracy isn't a structure or attached only to governmental entities, it is an attitude, promoted by legalism and a lack of confidence. Bureaucracies also don't have to be paper intensive. Bureaucracies are created to provide fair and equal access. Anything that doesn't accomplish that goal is inefficient. Bureaucracies, however, aren't reflective institutions, unless that is a clear expectation.

Paperwork reduction would increase the time available to plan, teach, deliver, and perform quality educational experiences. It would increase the time available to work with students individually. Time is the variable that is most limiting. Paperwork reduction in education really doesn't require an Act of Congress, it just requires the courage to trust.

Four California teachers had gathered one summer morning to listen to the principal of its neighboring school talk about yet another new “program from the state.” Ordinarily things are done to teachers; they get developed, in serviced, observed, evaluated, and regulated. All four of these teachers had survived dozens of other people’s ideas. Snatches of their conversation included, "Are you sure no suits' will come and stand in the back of my classroom?" "There'’ll be no outsiders at all? No stupid requirements?