You see these words in business marketing all the time…”satisfaction guaranteed”. And why wouldn’t it be guaranteed? We pay for something, and if a business can stand behind it – shouldn’t our satisfaction be assumed or our money back?

It makes me wonder why we don’t have the same phrase attached to our schools. I realize that schools are living systems, can’t be managed and evaluated the same as businesses, due to the complexities that exist from teaching living humans as the product, but shouldn’t we try to ensure ways that satisfaction would be guaranteed? Can schools be places where there are evaluations of what we are doing and how well we are doing it; where there are meaningful and ongoing professional development opportunities to address needs that exist; so as to make sure that satisfaction is guaranteed to the greatest extent possible to the families, the teachers and the students? Hmmm…what would that look like? Continue reading →