'Race to the top' wasn't the only way for Minnesota schools to get ahead

By Catherine Reid Day

Now that Minnesota has lost out on the "Race to the Top" federal dollars for schools, we are going to have to find new and inexpensive ways to address the steep challenge of preparing all students for academic success.

Clearly, we are losing too much precious human talent to gaps of skills and knowledge. The rates of academic success for students of color and for those who have immigrated to our country rank below expectations and deserve our focused attention.

What if a few simple actions could make a dramatic difference for our students? Research by Vincent Tinto and other scholars shows that when we identify and reveal the unwritten rules to our students -- the informal, cultural or "local" knowledge that allows us to successfully navigate the system -- then systematically share that knowledge with all learners, rates of student achievement, persistence and retention all improve.

A story told by Malcolm Gladwell, who wrote "The Tipping Point" and "Outliers," illustrates the importance of taking steps to acknowledge these unwritten rules, study the evidence, and make small changes that produce powerful results.

He reports that in the 1980s a large group of Asian and African American high school students with high test scores in math were accepted to the University of California Berkeley. Both groups signed up for college level calculus. After a few weeks the Asian students were excelling, but the African American students were failing. With such parity in the test scores, no one could figure out why one group was failing and the other excelling.

The professor conducted interviews with the students. He learned that outside of class, the Asian students gathered in small groups and worked collaboratively on their homework. The African American students did their calculus homework in isolation.

Culturally, the Asian students had learned to collaborate and work in teams. The African American students had learned that success came by separating themselves from their peers and their culture. To stand out, they needed to be individually successful.

The professor already knew that calculus is best studied collaboratively. Using the information from the interviews, he decided to encourage the lagging students by inviting the African Americans, and anyone else, to join him in a study hall at 8 every evening. Almost immediately the African American students began to succeed with calculus. As Gladwell suggested, the professor decided to "tinker with the ways you organize yourselves when you are handed a new challenge."

This example illustrates that the unwritten rules -- the cultural knowledge that allows us to navigate the system and succeed -- live in each of us and in our organizations. The professor's concern for his students, and his simple curiosity, revealed hidden cultural knowledge that, once shared, helped both groups succeed. When the professor "tinkered" with the system and introduced a simple idea, it made a world of difference for the students.

What cultural, hidden knowledge are we each holding that could similarly open up learning and success for more students?

The Rock Star Supply Company, a group of energetic musicians and volunteers who admire Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia initiative, have in just a few months placed over 200 volunteers in two St. Paul high schools. Their attention and enthusiasm help encourage students to stay engaged with school (engagement is key). They invite each one of us to join them by connecting with students an hour a week to share some of the "local" knowledge that helped us get through school.

We also invite educators and schools to tinker with their assumptions and methods, reveal the hidden rules and open up opportunities for students who would otherwise fall through the cracks. Let's increase academic success.

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Catherine Reid Day is co-founder of Storyslices Inc., a company that uses the power of story to move people and organizations through their turning points. She has also worked as an advocate and adviser to Rock Star Supply Co.

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