Subject: Discussion at International System Dynamics Society

Posted by Gary Hirsch on 8/20/2008
In Reply To:Discussion at International System Dynamics Society Posted by Cal Halliburton on 8/20/2008

Message:

Hi Cal,

I developed a simulator to help people think through the process of school reform. It's based on an SD model that attempts to capture some of the forces that come into play and work to resist true reform. The implicit archetype is referred to as "Shifting the Burden" in which efforts to solve a problem by focusing on the symptoms (e.g., high stakes testing to achieve "accountability") undermine the more fundamental changes that are required. In this case, those changes are new ways of teaching and learning along with appropriate methods of student evaluation. You can download a paper describing the model and the simulator itself from my web site (http://www.garybhirsch.com/k-12.html ) The paper is also available on the www.clexchange.org web site. I tried very hard to get support for futher development of the simulator and distribution of it through the various associations and foundations that advocate for school reform. But I found them more interested in "cookbooks" on how to do reform (based on someone else's experience) rather than better tools for helping the teachers, parents, administrators, School board members, and other citizens think about how they should approach reform in their own school districts. Though the simulator was developed some time ago, I think it's still quite relevant.

Gary Hirsch