Happy New Year and welcome to 2009! I hope that everyone enjoyed their time off and were able to rest, relax and reflect. During my time out of the office I read a new book, ‘Made to Stick’ by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. Even though it is a marketing/management book, I found many of its concepts and examples particularly applicable to education.

When making an argument for the importance of being concrete in order to make a point ‘stick,’ the authors retold a story about third grade teacher Jane Elliott from Riceville, Iowa. I’d like to share with you the high points of the story about this inspirational teacher.

It was 1968 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had just been assassinated. Ms. Elliott was struggling to explain to a group of predominately white, rural third grade students the significance of Dr. King’s life and tragic death. She came to class the next day with a plan aimed at making prejudice tangible and concrete to her students.

At the beginning of class, she divided students into two groups—one brown-eyed and the other blue-eyed. She then shocked the group by announcing that the brown-eyed students were “the better people in this room.” Blue-eyed students were required to wear collars and to sit in the back of the room. The brown-eyed students were told and made to feel that they were smarter. The two groups were not allowed to mix during recess.

Elliott was shocked by the speed of what happened. Friendships seemed to evaporate immediately and brown-eyed students taunted blue-eyed students for being inferior. One third grader even asked her how she could be a teacher because she had blue eyes.

The next day, Elliott walked into the class and told the students that she had made a mistake. It was actually the blue-eyed students who were superior. The reversal was eagerly embraced by the blue-eyes students.

On the day when students found themselves in the inferior group, they described themselves as sad, bad and stupid. When they were in the top group, the students felt happy, good and smart.

Even their performance on standardized test changed. Students taking longer to solve problems commented, ‘We had those collars on….” Elliot’s simulation had an enduring impact on the students’ lives. Studies conducted ten and twenty years later showed that her students were significantly less prejudiced than their peers who had not been through the exercise. As the authors of “Made to Stick” pointed out, the student’s concrete experience put so many ‘hooks’ into their memories that, years later, it remained with them.

After reflecting on the Elliott story, I realized how important it is to establish high expectations for all of our students and to remember the great opportunity we have to make a lasting impact on their lives. As we start the New Year and get ready to commemorate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 19, I want to thank all of our teachers who work so hard to make important ideas “stick” in the minds of our students.

Team SDUSD understands the importance of having high expectations for all students. Every student deserves access to an education that is relevant and prepares them for their choice of college and career. To help us achieve this goal, our budget was approved this year to provide funds to pay for all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students to take the PSAT. This commitment sends a strong message that all students will have equal access to educational opportunities.

Thanks to a significant grant from ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career, the district is also carefully analyzing what it would take to make the state’s A-G curriculum a graduation requirement for all students. This would be another positive step forward toward implementing the Mission Statement adopted last year by our Board that states: All San Diego students will graduate with the skills, motivation, curiosity and resilience to succeed in their choice of college and career in order to lead and participate in the society of tomorrow.

While these strategies are focused on high schools, we know that early and continued academic preparation must serve as the foundation for increased high school rigor. This is why the work of every teacher, from kindergarten to senior year, is so vitally important.

In 2009, I am asking all of Team SDUSD to join me in rededicating ourselves to the mission and making a commitment to strengthen our support and express our appreciation for everyone who works to make education “stick” in the lives of our students.

Thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to San Diego’s children and for letting me share Ms. Elliott’s story with you.

Sincerely,
Dr. Terry Grier, Ed.D.
Superintendent