In 1999, the US Women’s Soccer team wanted to play in the NFL stadiums like the men’s teams.  FIFA, the governing futbol association said no. Women’s teams had not traditionally made enough money and the belief was that they would never sell enough tickets to make it profitable.  

Despite the lack of support from the top, the US Women’s National set out to accomplish what no one thought possible. The 1999 Women’s Team took it upon themselves to visit schools and talk to kids. They visited soccer fields and got fans excited about the World Cup. This group of committed women knew what they were capable of and believed in their vision and their team. They worked together to make their vision a reality and challenged the status quo. As a result of their determination, in 1999, the US Women’s team played at the Rosebowl Stadium in Pasadena which was attended by 90,000 people- the largest crowd ever to attend a women’s sporting event in history. It was also the most-watched soccer game in the US to date including any Men’s World Cup matches. 

Abby Wambach reflects in her book Wolfpack, “There were suddenly new rules to the game– written by those women– but only because  a bunch of badass visionaries had the courage to break the old ones.” I remember sitting in an arcade while I was waiting for my kids and their friends to waste spend all their money and found myself crying over some nachos as I finished her book. Now, I love soccer but my tears were not necessarily about soccer, it was about the courage of these women and those that followed them to challenge the status quo and redefine the rules. 

I feel the same way when I walk into schools and see educators who have had the courage to stand up and challenge the status quo to create what kids today not only need but deserve. It’s also because I know the status quo is strong and alive in many aspects of our lives and fighting for something new and different is not always easy. I also know that without challenging norms and fighting for what you believe is possible, you will never get to experience something better.

What If There Were New School Rules? 

In education when we challenge the status quo, it means we can find new ways to meet the needs of our students, families, and learning communities despite the norms and the ways things have always been done.  Increasingly, educators are rejecting the fact that students need to be sorted, ranked, and managed and challenging long-held assumptions about intelligence, curriculum, and ultimately learning.

For example, on a typical school visit (back in 2019), a group of educators witnessed a student fall off a chair. Much to the amazement of the observers, he wasn’t sent to the office or ridiculed, he was asked if he was ok. He was and everyone went back to their work. The end. Imagine if a student eating, listening to music, or talking to a friend, isn’t an affront to the teacher, or a challenge to authority. It’s might just be viewed and accepted as kids being human.

The focus becomes learning and what people need, not dress code, infractions, and educators being in control. In my experience as a mom and educator, when kids feel trusted, they don’t test the rules as much because they don’t need to. It is so clear that they feel valued and empowered and then we get to spend more time on learning, which is the goal!

The status quo makes it easy to sort and rank.

The status quo maintains hierarchy.

The status quo feels safe. 

When you are so used to a compliance-driven model it is often hard to imagine that kids (and all people) can function outside of a control and command environment because we are so used to how people operate in our existing systems. When I bring educators to visit the schools that are challenging the status quo, they are always struck by the culture of care and agency rather than control. High school students have meetings off-campus, connect with mentors and work on projects in hospital and board rooms. Students are using tools, building houses, writing code, and starting movements in their communities and beyond. Early elementary school kids are allowed to choose seats, get a drink of water, and even move freely in and out of the classroom. Kids are celebrated and coached to make good choices not scolded, trained, and managed

In Leadership for Deeper Learning, Richardson, Batheon, and McLeod share students’ perspectives of school and one student comment especially addressed this.

“I  think it’s a whole paradigm shift, like a whole new cultural norm. For many years kids were seen and not heard. It’s as if we don’t have a voice until we are part of the real world. But we are part of the real world. We are living in it with new technology and social media and things which give young people a place to voice their opinion. I think it’s a new generation and we deserve to be heard. We should be heard and I think that is hard for some people to understand.”

We should all reflect on this high school student’s perspective and realize that if our schools don’t value the students we serve and make them feel seen and welcome, we will never be able to grow them.

Design for Learners and Learning

You have to know what you want and design for it. In a typical system, we design around standards and instruction, not learners and learning. In that mode, we buy programs and resources first and design everything to fit them. Instead, if we are learner-centered, we start with the learners and the learning that is most valuable. Understanding those you serve and providing opportunities for them to better understand themselves and others is central to creating learner-centered environments. 

In that vein, Ruth Hellams, the principal from Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California kicked off a school visit and reminded us all that culture is everything. She shared, “If you can’t articulate your vision through real experiences, go back and revisit it.” I love this push to not only have a vision but create the culture that brings it to life–every day. Anyone can have a vision, and most schools do. Many websites and mission statements describe lifelong learners and creative 21st-century thinkers– but if you don’t challenge the status quo and move beyond what has always been done, you won’t likely achieve these new aspirations.