The Cart Before the Horse: What is the Why and the What of Education?

I am new to the education reform debate. I am not a teacher, but I have volunteered in my kids' Montessori, public, and charter schools over the years. I am a parent and a voter. I also have 20+ years as an instructional designer for corporate training. For many years now, I have been consulting with large organizations on how to best train their employees and how to align their practices with their missions. As a newbie to education reform, I just don't get how we can move forward until we know what our "mission" is.

The very first thing I learned as an instructional designer is to determine, "what do we want people to know or be able to do" by the end of this course. And in turn, those objectives are in line with the company's mission--the "why are we doing this?" I still haven't heard one really clear response to "what do we want our kids to know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school and why?" What are our mission and objectives for America's children?

Without a good answer to that question, it seems to me that there is no possible way to move forward. There is no way to measure teacher performance and determine teacher pay, if we don't know what they're supposed to achieve. There is no way to measure student learning, if we don't agree on what they're supposed to be able to do. There is no way to determine teaching methods, school design, school hours, classroom needs, and, perhaps most importantly, BUDGETS, if we don't agree on what kids should be able to DO by the time they graduate high school.

Everyone seems so focused on the "how" when no one seems to be able to agree on a common goal of "what." I agree that teachers, parents, and students must have more power than corporate reformers, but I disagree with dismissing them outright. There are some things we can learn from business--and their money and involvement can be a good thing. I've seen too many companies--like Borders Books, for example--who ignored the "what" and the "why" and spent a lot of time and effort trying all kinds of "hows." It's a surefire path to demise and our kids deserve better than that.