“When you have a problem, solve it by getting to its root cause” is a management concept as old as the hills; TQM and Six Sigma simply became its poster children in the 1940’s.

The question of whether or not we have dared to reveal root cause in Hawaii’s public education woes, is FINALLY getting better exposed as a consequence of all the political posturing and finger pointing gone chronic since our first Furlough Friday. I’ll probably have several readers rolling their eyes when I say this, but at this point of all the continued drama, we should be thanking Governor Lingle for rocking the boat enough for us to see the huge drag of barnacles which have kept us from smooth sailing all along.

“Prompted by widespread discontent over public school furloughs, three former Hawai‘i governors say it is time to overhaul the state's education system and they've drafted a manifesto of education reform.”

“Our combined experiences have convinced each one of us that a change is needed,” said [Ben] Cayetano, who was governor from 1994 to 2002. “I just don't think that the elected board has worked very well.”
—Loren Moreno, Ex-governors urge education reform

Make that four governors if we include Lingle… from the same article:

“The former governors' pitch for education reforms comes on the heels of Gov. Linda Lingle's call for an amendment to the state's Constitution to abolish the state Board of Education and make the superintendent of schools a Cabinet-level position appointed by the governor.”

We’re getting a bit closer, but not close enough… ah, here!

“This is not my idea: Former State Rep. Brian Schatz  perhaps first posited the idea that the best way to fix our public school system is to "blow it up" and start over from scratch. Well.  Thats not likely to happen.  But the political consensus is growing that something has to change.”
—Jerry Burris, Time for school board change

Almost... Let’s just say it directly shall we?

At root cause of our public education woes, is NOT the money we need to get more instructional days back on the school calendar.

At root cause of our public education woes, is NOT (as former superintendent Patricia Hamamoto whines) a “school system [needing] the support of the governor and resources so that principals and teachers can do their work.” (Moreno)

At root cause of public education woes, is a HUGE management problem. Alaka‘i management and leadership is sorely MIA, and the principals and school administrators we have in place are NOT getting their jobs done effectively, nor accepting responsibility for all the factors which ARE directly under their control and ARE within their sphere of influence.

Forget the goverrnor, forget the legislature, and forget the union bigwigs for the moment: Just how many principals and school administrators in the system are there? This has got to be an awful large group of people, who have to admit, with heads bowed low, that they have failed to be a management and leadership group which is a force to be reckoned with, because they are simply good at what they do both individually and collectively. They have been unable to mentor teachers effectively, manage their existing resources well, and lead by championing the learning which happens within the instructional days we DO have.

We have a huge group of people who have not found their management sweet spot: Who leads? You do. In the Sweet Spot.

Money helps, sure. But money doesn’t solve student apathy, teaching complacency or mediocrity in championing learning.

Money doesn’t solve finger pointing, and blaming others when you need to improve your own performance.

Alaka‘i managers who manage well and lead effectively are those who solve these issues with whatever money they have to available at any given time.

Ask any manager in virtually any business, how much they do, and what they can change and effect each day where money is totally irrelevant: How Managers Matter in a Healthy Culture. The issue is normally not money, but time and energy, and the people who are willing to devote both, but in ways where neither is ever wasted or squandered.

I keep wondering about this bit in Moreno’s article, and I hope Hawai‘i, that you are too, and that your questions are getting louder and more insistent at a very local your-neighborhood level.

“People at the teaching level ought to have the ability to work out how the system would work best for their children. We need to give principals and teachers more authority, make it possible for principals to really manage,” ex-governor John Waihee said.

But then this...

“DOE chief financial officer James Brese said school autonomy was the main thrust of Act 51, and that much of the theory behind the governors' proposal is already in place. In addition to controlling 70 percent of their budget, principals, along with their school's School Community Council, make decisions about the purchase of textbooks and supplies, the hiring of teachers, librarians, resource professionals, tutors and other personnel.

"Everything that is student-achievement-related is being spent at the school level," Brese said. The other 30 percent of the DOE budget, about $530.7 million, is spent at the district or state level and deals mostly with running the school system, including bus transportation, food services, utilities, building repairs, unemployment benefit administration, workers' compensation, federal compliance and other expenses. Brese said it would be inefficient to have principals be in charge of those functions.

"It is a lot of work that is not going to add any value to student achievement. Principals need to be the educational leader for their school, and having to take care of all that administrative-type stuff just adds more work," Brese said.

Aha!

If you are a teacher, frustrated because of the support you do not receive, manage up: Get your managers to manage and lead better and do their job. Demand that your unions work for you where you need them to support you best, and work in partnership with your administrators.

If you are a principal or administrator, please speak up and let us hear from you! What’s going on? If I was a parent with a child in your school, I’d be in your office demanding to know.

Managing and leading are profound responsibilities. Seize them. Auwe, our children are counting on you.

Besides, do your work well, and then our governor and legislators can get back to solving some of our other problems.

Fact is, it truly pains me to write something like this, for I am one of the most vocal managers’ advocates you’ll find: I want you to prove me wrong. The comments are open for you.