Children are Not Widgets

A friend and I were comparing quality control in manufacturing to quality control in education. We were talking about a challenging class that I was teaching. The class had the lowest scores on the common pre-assessment and also had the lowest scores on the final assessment. I explained that this class also had the greatest growth of all the classes that took the same summative assessment. Yet, it was possible that I would be labeled a low performing teacher.

                                                   wikipediacommons: irina shutsky
He explained that as a quality control manager, it was essential that his department pick the best raw materials. To do this, they send out bids with exacting specifications, review the incoming goods, validate the materials through visits to the sending factory as well with in-house analysis and certification. Then the materials are arranged on an assembly line where the line workers remove those that are faulty before they are installed in the final product. 

The assembled product is then tested and if it does not pass the test, it is either “recycled” or returned to the prior department for more attention to quality control. Finally, those products that meet the highest specifications, the ones that started out with exactly the same components and configurations and are fabricated in exactly the same way, are sold to the customer. Inferior products may be refurbished and sold at a discount.

This person was amused when I told them that in education, we do not get to pick our raw materials; rather we care equally for all our students, whoever they are or wherever they come from. We move them along the assembly line regardless of their current proficiency, concerned more about their growth, and using every tool and strategy at our fingertips to develop their individual potential. We encourage their hard work, support their efforts, and celebrate their success. At the end of the line we give them our seal of approval. We certify that they are arriving there, prepared for college and career. If every one doesn’t meet the same exacting specifications, surely it must be the teachers fault and as a result she or he can face dismissal.