Using a Business Model in Education
We hear that we should be using a business model to
run our schools. And which model would
that be? The one used by the robber
barons in the late 1800’s where workers were just tools to be used when healthy
and whole then discarded when injured or worn out? Or a more current and compassionate model
that takes into account all the various stakeholders in the education system
and works for the good of all the different components of the system? I would choose the second one. But it seems that some would rather go back
to the slash and burn tactics of corporate raiders from the 1980’s.
Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary and an
economist, points out the difference between shareholder capitalism and
stakeholder capitalism. The former
concentrates on the concerns of the shareholders of a company which is mainly focused
on profits, while the latter looks at the big picture and works to benefit all
the various stakeholders in a company - employees, customers, suppliers,
citizens, as well as the shareholders.
Which would you consider more sustainable? I believe the stakeholder model is superior
in many ways. Let’s look at how that
compares to our education system.
Some experts would emphasize standardized test
scores as the best, and only, method to judge schools and teachers. That is comparable to the robber baron model
or, if you want a more current example, our corporate raider period. When students are successful in testing, their
teachers get awards and, more importantly, bonuses. If their students do not pass the test, then
off with the teachers heads, or at least they should be shown the door for
their next career move.
But if we take the education system as just that, a
system, there are other goals which are as important, if not more so, than
those pesky test scores. Some of them
are just not very measurable, like good citizenship, or leadership, or
compassion. These traits are only
apparent over a person’s lifetime, not on a test score. Certainly, schools can be made better and
serve all stakeholders more efficiently and effectively. But let’s get away from this major emphasis
on standardized testing. Let us discuss
and even argue, if necessary, the outputs that we need and want from our
education system. But let us also take
into account all the various stakeholders in the process – researchers,
teachers, administrators, parents, societal leaders, and most importantly, the
students themselves, along with the many outcomes that are needed to ensure
continued excellence in our country.
