Budgeting and Organizational Structure — Talk to any educator, and most will agree that the number of things continually added to the plate is growing without anything ever being strategically abandoned. The current model is far too bureaucratic, and the budgeting process and organizational structures are mostly incremental iterations from 100 years ago. Using more best practices from business for both of these influential aspects of education operations would increase efficiency and free up dollars, which are desperately needed.
As a part of our interview series about the things that should be done to improve the US educational system I had the pleasure to interview Shannon K. Buerk.
Shannon Buerk has emerged as an industry thought leader of organizational culture, helping educators to utilize the tools of performance-based professional coaching and intentional design to elevate the performance of public school districts nationwide. Passionate about equity of the learner experience, Shannon believes that neighborhood schools are the heart of a free, thriving society, and she is committed to ensuring that they are the first choice for all families. With 28 years of K-12 experience, Shannon has led a thriving organization since 2011 that has partnered with 225 school districts–impacting 2.3 million public education students to date. In 2022, Shannon also wrote and published her first book, Connect the Dots: Utilize Education Intelligence to Accelerate Growth, Retain Talent, and Optimize Outcomes.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share the “backstory”behind what brought you to this particular career path?
I became a teacher because of my younger sister. We are 15 months and 2 IQ points apart, and while I graduated valedictorian, she dropped out of high school her junior year. Basically, my parents didn’t know the game of requesting teachers, and my sister had some teachers who did not have the skills to teach her curious mind. She felt rejected and discouraged and lost interest in school at an early age. She has lived a hard life without an education. Knowing how brilliant and gifted she is, I wanted to become a teacher to help other students like my sister discover and use their gifts.
Then, as I saw different systems in my early career, I formed another, bigger dream. What if we could create a system to ensure all teachers could upskill to meet the current needs and demands of all learners in a rapidly changing world?
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I have had a long career, so there are many interesting stories, but what is on my mind today is an experience that took place early in the engage2learn journey when we partnered with a school district to increase student outcomes by creating a more inclusive, collaborative, and engaging learning experience at the secondary schools. Together with the mission-driven leaders and teachers of that district, we far exceeded expectations: increasing student attendance enough to more than pay for our services, cutting discipline referrals in half, and increasing Algebra 1 exam scores for African American students by 33% in just one year.
The interesting part of the story that taught me so much about why we don’t make progress as quickly as we could in education is that parents in the community actually pushed back on this initiative to the point that the superintendent ended up having to take another job and the initiative was abandoned. I was written about on several blogs and social media as “leveling the playing field” as if it was a negative or harmful thing to do. I learned a lot from the experience about how people think about education as a competition with finite winners so they don’t want to lose an advantage instead of how I believe education works, which is that “a rising tide lifts all boats.” The more everyone is thriving from a quality education, the better our neighborhoods and communities function for all of us and our kids and grandkids.
We have to move beyond the original model of education as a “sorting” mechanism and realize that we need every young person today to discover and use their gifts to help us solve the complex problems we face. Nobody loses an advantage when someone else is able to prosper.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
There is currently a crisis in teacher attrition, and since the teacher is the most influential factor in student outcomes, we need to solve this complex problem. We have just launched the fourth iteration of our talent development platform, GroweLab, which utilizes the very latest technology coupled with our decades of experience and IP in upskilling educators, measuring their growth, and rewarding them for it. Our goal is to create a tipping point in educator professional development that is meaningful to every individual educator, competency-based so that educators can continually upskill performance, and measurable so that leaders have insights that inform how they spend time and dollars. In other words, teachers need support while growing in their craft. GroweLab accomplishes this goal!
Another project I am excited about is our expansion from professional development to the full career continuum for teachers. We have partnered with ETS and are in talks with a few other companies to work together to solve the teacher shortage and attrition crisis in innovative ways that also greatly enhance performance and retention for alternatively qualified teachers using ongoing support mechanisms, networks, and apprenticeship or residency programs.
Can you briefly share with our readers why you are an authority in the education field?
I have dedicated my entire 33-year career to education. I started teaching at 22 years old and have also never stopped educating myself both formally with additional degrees and informally with reading and studying everything I can both inside the field and across disciplines where it can be beneficial. At my core, I am a learner, and the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know yet. However, my experiences have been invaluable to me in leading an organization that has benefited hundreds of districts across the country. And, of course, I have learned a lot from partnering with all of those districts as well. And, because we have partnered with districts in change management for multiple years, at this point in my career, I am not sure if anyone has more hands-on experience in as many different districts across the country.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. From your point of view, how would you rate the results of the US education system?
In short, educating every one of our young people in the same location together and for free is unique in the world and amazing as a foundation for our society. Neighborhood public schools can be the heartbeat of communities — the hub of safety, connection, culture, and education — when it is done well, and despite the news that would say otherwise, it is mostly done well. If you think of the scale in the US in terms of the 50 million students who are educated in this way, you have to marvel at how well we are doing compared to other countries despite the work we have yet to do. Our mission at engage2learn is to ensure the neighborhood public school is the first choice for every family because of how critical the relationship is between the school and the neighborhood. A great neighborhood school enhances the community and vice versa.
I know there are statistics and tests that consistently point out how far behind we are from other countries, but again, there is no other country that is inclusive at this scale. Of course, we have a lot to work on to get it right for every learner, and that is what I have dedicated my life and career to doing, but it is important to acknowledge that the concept of education in the US is good and right and working for a lot of our youth. US education is also unique in the world, again despite the rhetoric of meeting the needs of language learners and neurodivergent learners all in the same place. Every learner benefits from this inclusive model when it is done well. Finally, we rank very high in terms of creating an entrepreneurial mindset, which is evidenced by how many young people are able to start their own businesses today.
Can you identify 5 areas of the US education system that are going really great?
The caveat on all 5 of these areas is that there is always room for improvement, but US education does really well comparatively in (1) providing neighborhood schools that are inclusive of every type of learner to educate 50 million students across the country for free, (2) having standards in the last few decades that are aligned horizontally and vertically that guide student learning, (3) providing for career and technical education (CTE), (4) serving neurodivergent learners, and (5) providing “whole child” education.
I spoke to neighborhood schools in the previous question, so I will expound briefly on the others here. Curriculum standards, which have been developed with aligned efforts across many associations and with the assistance of many educators, now exist in most states and across the nation. These standards, which are often confused with the testing system, are actually an excellent framework for learning that allows educators to utilize high-quality resources to create a coherent learning experience that can build conceptual understanding and skills over time for learners.
The US education system has focused on reimagining high school for a few decades. It is now in a good balance between the focus on “college for all” and providing a variety of post-secondary pathways for students. Many districts have state-of-the-art facilities within reach for career and technical education, and as community colleges and high schools become more integrated, the options abound for students to find and explore interests that can become certifications and careers.
Because of landmark legislation over several decades, neurodivergent learners in the US have access to a continuum of services for free that are truly outstanding. Again, I feel the need to hedge on every answer because I know that not every learner is in a place where this is true. However, the scale and quality of these services when you survey the US education system compared to the rest of the world is unique and commendable. This is not only beneficial for those learners but enriches every life and society as a whole when we are educating everyone together in one place while still meeting individual needs. This is expensive and complex, yet we are committed to it as a nation.
Finally, schools offer a plethora of services to students and families. The fine arts education, athletics, clubs, community services, mental health services, career counseling, and a variety of other areas that schools fund provide great value for families. Many districts have choice campuses that specialize in a variety of areas like language learning, all kinds of career specialties, fine arts, and more.
Can you identify the 5 key areas of the US education system that should be prioritized for improvement? Can you explain why those are so critical?
- Teacher Preparation and Support — The current teacher preparation model often fails to adequately equip educators for the realities of the classroom. Recently, apprenticeship and internship models have become more popular as research shows that job-embedded support is the way to go. Additionally, a robust coaching support system implemented throughout the first few years ensures new teachers continue to develop their skills and increases job satisfaction and retention.
- Professional Development (PD) — Traditional, one-size-fits-all professional development has proven ineffective and often wasteful. Educators currently see PD as irrelevant and something to endure, at best, while it is mostly seen as overwhelming and even driving people out of the profession. We need a continual upskilling model that is measurable and focused on improving student outcomes. A differentiated, personalized approach that allows educators to choose the professional learning opportunities that best suit their needs and goals gives educators voice and choice in how they make progress in their profession.
- Student Assessment — The current overreliance on standardized testing has limited the potential of our education system by placing far too much emphasis and spending way too much money on a one-day assessment. A more balanced assessment system includes a variety of measures, such as performance assessments and formative assessments. These assessments should be designed to provide meaningful information about student learning and growth, while the standardized testing could be reduced to a fraction of the current model using a random sampling approach.
- Charter Schools — The original intent of charter schools as innovative incubators has been largely lost. Charter schools have essentially become competition, draining resources from public schools without significantly improving student outcomes or reducing the need for infrastructure and staff expenses. It’s crucial to reevaluate the role of charter schools and hold them accountable for truly serving the needs of all students.
- Budgeting and Organizational Structure — Talk to any educator, and most will agree that the number of things continually added to the plate is growing without anything ever being strategically abandoned. The current model is far too bureaucratic, and the budgeting process and organizational structures are mostly incremental iterations from 100 years ago. Using more best practices from business for both of these influential aspects of education operations would increase efficiency and free up dollars, which are desperately needed.
How is the US doing with regard to engaging young people in STEM? Can you suggest three ways we can increase this engagement?
We have spent a significant amount of time and money over the last few decades on the STEM train and greatly increased the number of students pursuing these degrees. Both of my adult children have graduated college in the last 7 years, and it actually seems like all of their friends are engineers even though they both have design degrees. There are many ways to continue to increase this engagement, but it will be interesting to see how AI influences these fields in the next decade. Currently, there is a lot of flux in software engineering jobs, for example.
I did a talk on STEM about 15 years ago, and I suggested that we think about how to create a culture in schools that would promote STEM by including the kind of thinking that those in STEM fields use on a regular basis. We may add courses, diplomas, and career pathways in schools, and these are other ways that are proving to increase participation in STEM, but until we create the kinds of learning experiences that engage learners in the relevance and wonder of STEM subjects, we will not optimize enthusiasm. In other words, having learners use textbooks, worksheets, or rote software in isolated ways to complete the STEM curriculum is not going to engage students in this work.
However, creating a classroom culture from a young age where students are using the skills and thinking that STEM professionals use is a way I believe we can increase the pursuit of STEM careers and also prepare them for higher education and work in the field. Incorporating more hands-on, project-based learning into the classroom can make STEM more engaging and relatable. Helping all students think more like scientists — creating a culture of learning and critical thinking — will increase the likelihood of anyone who pursues STEM being more successful in their studies and their careers.
Addressing stereotypes and biases about who can succeed in STEM fields is essential, as these misconceptions can discourage young people — especially girls and students from underrepresented groups — from pursuing careers in STEM. Promoting diversity and inclusion in these fields by showcasing the achievements of women and minority STEM professionals is crucial and can inspire young people from all backgrounds.
By implementing these strategies, we can inspire more young people to pursue STEM careers and reinforce the United States’ role as a global leader in innovation and creativity.
Can you articulate to our readers why it’s so important to engage girls and women in STEM subjects?
If you research to find the answers to the most perplexing and troubling world problems, like poverty or climate change, you find that one of the most impactful upstream solutions almost always starts with girls’ education. Engaging girls and women in STEM subjects adds a valuable perspective to the field while simultaneously changing the outcomes for girls and women, which in turn positively impacts society.
- Women bring unique perspectives and problem-solving approaches to STEM fields, leading to more innovative solutions and advancements.
- By encouraging girls to pursue STEM, we expand the talent pool available for critical industries, driving economic growth.
- STEM careers often offer high-paying jobs and opportunities for advancement, empowering women financially and socially.
As I mentioned above, a diverse STEM workforce is better equipped to address complex global challenges like climate change, healthcare, and technology development.
By actively engaging girls and women in STEM, we create a more equitable, innovative, and prosperous future for all.
How is the US doing with regard to engaging girls and women in STEM subjects? Can you suggest three ways we can increase this engagement?
While the US has made progress in engaging girls and women in STEM, there’s still significant room for improvement. Many factors, including societal stereotypes and biases, can discourage girls from pursuing STEM fields.
Change in media and the creation of mentorship programs can go a long way toward encouraging girls and women to pursue STEM careers. I love the movie Hidden Figures, which tells the story of women’s factual contributions to the NASA space race. If the media more accurately portrays and highlights women in STEM careers, that will encourage more engagement.
There is an organization that I support in Africa called CAMFED. It promotes and supports girls’ education, and it is so successful because it is a virtuous cycle. The girls who are educated, in turn, mentor girls who need to be educated. This cycle works in careers like STEM as well, where knowing someone or being mentored by someone who is in the field and is a woman can encourage girls to enter the field.
By implementing these strategies, we can create a more inclusive and equitable STEM landscape, empowering girls and women to reach their full potential.
If you had the power to influence or change the entire US educational infrastructure, what five things would you implement to improve and reform our education system? Can you please share a story or example for each?
The first thing I would implement is a competency-based learning process instead of a time-based education process. Grouping and advancing students in the curriculum all at the same time based on age is archaic and does not meet the needs of most learners. Eliminating the time-based components and moving to a competency-based system would allow students to take as much or as little time as needed in any area to learn and acquire the knowledge and skills.
Next, I would implement an apprentice model teacher preparation/certification system in which teachers are trained on the job and supported through the first three years using job-embedded competency-based coaching. Treating teachers as talent and setting up whole career pathways for all educators where they advance based on earned skills in a differentiated, recognition-based model would honor every educator, retain them, and give them the satisfaction of performing optimally every day.
Finally, I would abolish the current testing system and replace it with three things: random sampling to assess the curriculum standards, performance-based summative assessments to evaluate student readiness for the next set of courses, and formative assessments for teachers to use to coach individual students as they progress along competency pathways according to their interests and needs.
Once we have replaced the testing system, I would implement a community-based accountability system for schools that takes into account student outcomes, adult competencies, and growth, as well as community-determined metrics that are regularly reported.
Lastly, I would require all vendors who sell anything to districts or schools to provide measurable results and guaranteed outcomes. If every dollar spent in education actually led to positive outcomes and was evidence-based, we would have a thriving education system that exceeds everyone’s expectations. Instead, the system is splintered, and the buying process is broken. Districts and schools are given dollars and left on their own to vet providers, which is arduous; they do not have the time or the data to make informed decisions. Vendors take advantage of this broken system, and the cycle of wasted money and time continues. We have standards for everything about education except the efficacy of the products and services that are sold to educators.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“In every adversity, there is opportunity.” (Ben Franklin) I learned this early in my life, watching as my parents made lemonade out of lemons time and again. Every career leap I have made has been preempted by overcoming adversity. One of the most challenging was when I took the job as assistant superintendent in a high-performing district, and two weeks later, the district received an unacceptable rating from the state. I had to explain why this happened to mobs of angry families, to the realtors, to the state, and to the staff. I had to research to analyze what had happened since I was not there when it was taking place. And, then, I had to fix it. I was a new leader with a team that didn’t yet trust me, and I was only thirty-five. I learned to take responsibility even when it isn’t your fault as a leader. In the book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, Nassim Taleb writes that there is a state beyond endurance and resilience where some people and things actually get stronger from hardship. I believe this has been true in my life and career, and it makes me grateful for all the challenging times.
We are blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would love to have a private breakfast or lunch and a conversation with Malala Yousafzai. I believe girls’ education globally is the most upstream solution to poverty, climate change, and many other complex problems. Malala has brilliant and courageous ideas about how to advance education for girls globally, and I would love to discuss this with her. There are some organizations that our family foundation currently supports that are also doing amazing work in this area, such as CAMFED in Africa and Rescue Pink in India. I am excited about these efforts and what we are seeing happen in the advances in girls’ education because of brave and brilliant leaders like Malala.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
I invite readers to learn more about my journey, work, and book, Connect the Dots: Utilize Education Intelligence to Accelerate Growth, Retain Talent, and Optimize Outcomes, via our engage2learn website, where I also have several blogs and whitepapers available. I can be contacted through my LinkedIn profile, where I post updated events, thoughts, and content.
Thank you so much for these insights! This was so inspiring!
Shannon K Buerk of engage2learn: 5 Things That Should Be Done To Improve The US Educational System was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.