"I mean, one thing I know about change is we are not going to close the achievement gap without educators"
About this Quote
The line lands as both a reminder and a correction. Margaret Spellings, a former U.S. Secretary of Education and a central figure in the accountability era that followed No Child Left Behind, underscores that closing the achievement gap is not a technocratic puzzle to be solved from above. The disparities in outcomes by race, income, language, and disability are not merely measurement challenges; they live in classrooms, relationships, and daily instruction. Change that ignores the people who teach, counsel, and lead schools will remain superficial.
During the years when testing, standards, and data dashboards rose to prominence, policymakers often treated educators as implementers rather than co-authors of reform. Spellings points back to a truth reformers sometimes sidestep: the levers of improvement lie in the judgments educators make minute by minute with students, curriculum, and community. Accountability can reveal gaps, and resources can target needs, but trust, expertise, and craft determine whether those tools translate into learning.
The statement also reframes the achievement gap as an opportunity gap that requires human problem-solvers. Teachers adapt instruction to diverse learners, build belonging, and connect school to life beyond it. Principals shape culture and coherence. Counselors and support staff address barriers that blunt academic progress. When these professionals have agency, training, time, and voice in decisions, reforms take root; when they are sidelined, even well funded initiatives stall.
There is a pragmatic lesson about change management here. Durable improvement depends on the people closest to the work. Elevating educators means investing in preparation and mentoring, respecting professional judgment, and involving them early in policy design. It means aligning accountability with support rather than punishment, and using data as a guide for collaborative problem-solving. The achievement gap will not close through policy proclamations or platforms alone. It closes when educators are treated as the drivers of change they already are.
During the years when testing, standards, and data dashboards rose to prominence, policymakers often treated educators as implementers rather than co-authors of reform. Spellings points back to a truth reformers sometimes sidestep: the levers of improvement lie in the judgments educators make minute by minute with students, curriculum, and community. Accountability can reveal gaps, and resources can target needs, but trust, expertise, and craft determine whether those tools translate into learning.
The statement also reframes the achievement gap as an opportunity gap that requires human problem-solvers. Teachers adapt instruction to diverse learners, build belonging, and connect school to life beyond it. Principals shape culture and coherence. Counselors and support staff address barriers that blunt academic progress. When these professionals have agency, training, time, and voice in decisions, reforms take root; when they are sidelined, even well funded initiatives stall.
There is a pragmatic lesson about change management here. Durable improvement depends on the people closest to the work. Elevating educators means investing in preparation and mentoring, respecting professional judgment, and involving them early in policy design. It means aligning accountability with support rather than punishment, and using data as a guide for collaborative problem-solving. The achievement gap will not close through policy proclamations or platforms alone. It closes when educators are treated as the drivers of change they already are.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teaching |
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