Toward an A+ in creativity
Judging a school by its test scores isn't a bad idea, it's just a limited one. A bill in the state Legislature would create a new measuring stick -- one that charts the chances students have to engage in creative activities. That might mean acting in the school play or being in the science fair. And as this century dawns, it should also mean engaging in multidisciplinary activities that may combine math and art or science and economics.
Filed by Representative Daniel Bosley, a North Adams Democrat, the bill would set up a commission of cultural and business people as well as educators and legislative representatives to devise an index of creative and innovative education.
"The i ndex would rate every public school in the Commonwealth on teaching, encouraging, and fostering creativity in students," the bill's summary reads. The idea is to measure the school environment, explains Dan Hunter, who came up with the index and is the head of Massachusetts Advocates for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities.
Innovation in schools is fun, but also a matter of competing in an international economy. To excel, grade-school children need to start building creative muscle.
"You have to be creative to be successful," Bosley says. As chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, he's keenly aware that a large part of the state's economic future is tied to industries that need school children who will grow into highly skilled workers.
Having a creativity index would also push schools beyond the MCAS test, reinforcing the idea that, in addition to passing scores, students should be able to work in teams and put new, wild ideas into play.
Bosley would not make the index mandatory. He just wants educators to have access to more information and resources.
If the bill passed, the next steps would be hard and controversial -- but worth doing. The commission would have to define innovation and how to measure it. Holding public hearings would be a good way to solicit statewide input and win support.
Teachers would need help managing the multiple demands made by teaching, the MCAS, and the new focus on creativity. The state's cultural and education departments would have to work together to support this effort. And it would be a compelling, grown-up example of innovation if the state's job training programs found ways to link this new educational approach to summer or part-time jobs for students.
Cities, businesses, and cultural organizations could also push programs -- existing or new -- that boost innovation.
The economy demands change. Schools are a crucial place for Massachusetts to modernize its mobilization of brainpower.
