PAT LAVINS

“The significant problems we have cannot be solved with the same level of thinking we were using when we created them” is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein.  Yet this is the challenge for Ray Oglethorpe in his post retirement work as an education reformer who is implementing his goals with his work with the Learning Alliance.

The Learning Alliance is dedicated to providing educators and students affordable and convenient access to teaching and learning. (Are they more focused on reading achievement?)  This non-profit organization was founded by a group of civic-minded parents who recognize that many children are not learning to read using traditional educational methods.  Currently 24 percent% of third graders and 47 percent% of eighth graders in Indian River County are failing to pass the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). 

The community of Indian River County is fortunate that a man with Ray Oglethorpe’s extensive education and experience in the corporate world is devoting so much of his time, talent and money to ensuring that the next generation enjoys the benefits of a good education.  He is an electrical engineer with an MBA and other post-graduate executive training.  Having been President of America On-line from 1992 until his retirement in 2002 he speaks with authority on the topic of what employers will need in the 21^st century work environment.

At one time OglethorpeRay had been on the Boards of George Washington University, his graduate degree alma mater, Johns Hopkins University and locally at St. Edwards.  Now, however, his attention is exclusively on the early childhood education needs of children before age five.  Although he was not present in the audience when Corey Booker, Mayor of Newark, spoke on this same topic as a part of last year’s Riverside Lecture series, Ray embraces many of the same concepts that were espoused in that lecture.

It is for this reason that he is fully supportive of the goals articulated for the Indian River school district’s Moonshot Moment initiative.  (Did the Moonshot Moment initiative originate in the school system, or was it suggesting and encouraged by the Learning Alliance?) He also is encouraged by the interest in this initiative that has been expressed by other local organizations such as the United Way, Early Learning Center, Education Foundation, Indian River Foundation and the Indian River Community Foundation.

As a part of a commencement speech that OglethorpeRay presented at a graduation ceremony at George Washington University in Washington, D. C., OglethorpeRay stated “We finally understand that schools cannot do it alone and that it took the whole community’s involvement and ownership to achieve the vision.” It is for this reason that Ray has been encouraged by the fact that the Learning Alliance has been able to partner with the Gifford Youth Activity Center, Boys and Girls Club, Daisey Hope Center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Americorps.

The Learning Alliance recently has also made the decision to devote most of their attention on one public school in Indian River County to receive the maximum focus.  (Are you sure they will not also be offering a great deal of support to other schools at the same time?  This could be a little misleading.)  Thus, in the coming years significant effort is going to be given to Highlands Elementary School.  The challenges of reducing absenteeism, addressing hunger and health issues, preventing the summer slide, and counseling families in stress will be critical to the Learning Alliance’s goals for that public school community.

Also, in the GWU commencement speech, OglethorpeRay told the graduating class of educators that the years 0 to 5 should be a major focus with nationwide pre-school and parental attention to those important years so that when children arrive at kindergarten they were all ready to learn.

It is this nationwide focus on improving education that is the forefront of personal goals for how he will invest his retirement yearsis retirement years will be expended.  As a result, he is continually studying innovative approaches such as the Kahn Academy focus on improving math scores and implementation of the Common Core standards.

Ray Oglethorpe believes that the small segment of the population that are opposed to this national approach to improving education is are “misguided.”  He believes states that the United StateSA has a “lot to learn from the German model and that of Finland.”  The German model is particularly useful for those students who do not want to go to college.  An educated population that can meet rigorous testing and accreditation through apprenticeship programs is the very thing that will allow the United StatesSA to remain competitive.  The Finland model demands high school graduates be fluent in at least two languages.  Being bilingual is going to be a major recruitment goal for American businesses in the future.

While spending time with Ray Oglethorpe his enthusiasm and optimism is contagious and it is almost impossible to be anything but hopeful for the future of public education.

The only negative that he sees on the horizon is the need to provide better pay and training for teacherswith our teachers.  It is his opinion that “Tteaching for teachers is virtually non-existent,.” he said.

Oglethorpe believes that asThese professionals teachers need to be given the opportunity to augment their own skills so that they can be competitive in the education field.  He also believes that while we need to hold our teachers accountable that we have put too much emphasis on things that are not easily measured.  For example, he asserts that the Marzano evaluation measures for teachers is being overdone.  As a corporate CEO, he would never have been expected to evaluate all employees on as many as 66 different topic areas.  “It is simply illogical that any school Principal will be able to have this level of detail.”

While enthusiastic on a diverse variety of subjects, it is the issue of improving the professionalism of teachers that has Oglethorpe Ray the most energized.  He believes that we have only tinkered around the edges and haven’t yet didn’t address the core issues of leadership, teacher professionalism, mastery training and community involvement.  All of these elements are going to be essential because half of our current corps of teachers in the United StatesSA will be retiring in the next ten years.

Oglethorpe’s Ray’s optimism for the future of public education is based on his personal knowledge of what worked in the past such as the GI Bill, which helped to created the American middle class and also on his acute awareness of the changing demographics worldwide.  “We have blown billions and billions on so-called reforms like charter schools, school vouchers, No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top and achieved so little.”  (Is he really blasting any and all charter schools?)

Americans have met the challenges of our past so OglethorpeRay is confident that America will meet the challenges of the future.  As Ray emphatically states, “Don’t listen to the naysayers,.” he says.